Doctor Who's Christmas specials have become a beast
unto themselves, treading a very narrow line between saccharine
schmaltz and seasonal cheer. When they go wrong -- 2008's Voyage of
the Damned being a prime example -- they're eye-roll
inducing examples of the hokiest traits of British holiday
programming. When they go well though -- 2006's The Christmas Invasion, in comparison -- they make for
exceptional festive viewing.
Thankfully, Last Christmas is firmly in the latter
camp, marking a notable improvement on recent years. It's also one
of the more horrific episodes of Who since Peter Capaldi took on
the title role, perfect for the Scrooges in the audience who can do
without another Christmas miracle awkwardly rammed into their
holiday telly.
In one of Steven Moffat's best scripts for the series since....
well, ever, probably, The Doctor and Clara are reunited after their
awkward parting at the end of Death in Heaven. The method of their reunion is a strange
one though -- Clara woken by Father Christmas (Nick Frost) and his
elves Wolf (Nathan
McMullen, best known as Finn on Misfits) and Ian (Dan Starkey, a
Who regular as Sontaran soldier Strax), before being
ferried away by the Doctor.
After insisting she doesn't speak, he takes her to an arctic
research station. Why? It's a long story -- one of many long
stories claimed by the base's inhabitants, all brushed over with
pointedly fuzzy logic. Swept up in the usual nightmare scenarios
that travelling with the Doctor entails, we find the survivors are
trying to save four colleagues, all in a kind of enforced coma
after waking Dream Crabs, alien parasites trapped dormant in the
ice for untold ages.
It's all a bit Lovecraftian, with things unknown from times long
forgotten affecting the subconscious mind of modern man, but with
the monsters fully encasing the head of their victims, the easier
reference to find is the Facehuggers in Alien. So easy, in
fact, that Moffat has a character (Professor Albert, played by
Michael Troughton, son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton) make the
comment first.
Regardless of their inspiration, the Crabs themselves are one of
the more disturbing creatures in Who lore, and one
of the relatively rare breed that are forces of nature rather than
outright evil. Once they latch on to a host, they anaesthetise
victims with pleasant dreams while their brains are liquefied. A
grisly fate to be sure, but one born of a biological imperative,
rather than extravagant plans to take over or destroy the
Earth.
Those dreams are the hook of the episode, with the Doctor and
his companions revealed to be trapped in a layered dreamscape, all
of them in fact victims of the Dream Crabs. There are echoes of the
episode Amy's
Choice here, but no sign of or reference to the Dream Lord,
which is a bit of a missed opportunity -- another alternate version
of the Doctor doomed to a historical footnote, much like the
Valeyard?
But then, woven throughout the dreams, is Santa. Nick Frost
delights in the role, giving the mythical figure a spot of modern
gruffness. His banter with Capaldi -- Doctor: "Ah, go make a
naughty list!" Santa: "I have mate, and you're on it!" -- is
incredibly fun, as is his riding to the rescue in a key scene,
joined by an army of toys. There's something joyfully stupid -- or
perhaps stupidly joyful -- about the image of Santa rearing
victoriously on Rudolph's back, Lone Ranger-style. We even
get a perfect answer to how Santa carries so many toys on his
sleigh: it's bigger on the inside.
Cleverly, even though the Doctor has met Santa several
times, Last Christmas plays both sides of the argument
when it comes to the question of whether he exists or not. On one
level, he's a shared psychic construct, because when you think
you're at the north pole, it's Christmas, and you're subconsciously
aware you're dying, you retreat to comforting imagery. On the
other, maybe, just maybe, there is some magic to Father Christmas
after all; that the very fact he exists in humanity's shared memory
gives him power. It's a nice idea, and one that gives the episode
the required Christmassy buzz without falling prey to the ghost of
Who specials past.
Between trying to wake up only to find themselves in ever deeper
dreams -- one of Clara enjoying a perfect Christmas and talking
about the reason people come together at this time of year being
the worst sickly-sweet indulgence -- the major purpose of the
episode is the Doctor and Clara revealing their mutual lies at the
end of season eight; that Gallifrey wasn't found and that Danny
Pink didn't survive. There are poignant moments seeded through the
script, payoff to lingering plot points and seeds for future
ones.
As for that future, an excellent swerve at the end addresses the
long-standing rumours of Jenna Coleman's departure from the show as
Clara. In short, she's sticking around, though we won't spoil how
or why here. Given the character development Clara has received
over this year's episodes, her continued presence is a very good
thing.
For so masterfully manipulating the viewers' understanding of
what was and was not real, and for being merry without being (too)
mawkish, Last Christmas stands as one of -- potentially
the -- best holiday special Doctor Who has managed. A real
festive treat.
Source Article from http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-12/doctor-who-last-christmas-review http://d283tlc9jx3ws7.cloudfront.net/transpng/3/2
Doctor Who: 'Last Christmas' review
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