A Christmas Carol
So, I had a great Christmas, how about you? I had lots of family over, and we had a great time, but I still found time to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special. And I really enjoyed it, although it gave me a lot to think about. Here are some of my thoughts and a bit of meta.
I love the space fish. Or air fish, or cloud fish, or whatever they're called, they were very cute. So was the shark, in its own way. I am convinced the Star Whales originated on this planet sometime in the past and migrated off into space. And the Doctor's antics with young Kazran and Abigail were adorable (even if it did seem a bit odd for him to be going off and having adventures when Amy and Rory were hurtling to their deaths). Eleven really connects with kids, and it's delightful to watch him interact with a child. He's like a big kid himself most of the time... even the psychic paper wouldn't let him say he was a responsible and mature adult! LOL.
I also really liked that this episode included a family spending Christmas together, and that the Doctor got to be a part of that family for a little while... we haven't seen something like that since The Christmas Invasion (although I guess we were told Ten went off to have dinner with Jackson Lake) and I think that made it feel closer to home from me.
On a whole, the plot was very clever... watching the Doctor appear in the old home movie, Amy as the ghost of Christmas present... and I was not expecting the twist when the Doctor showed Kazran his future, by bringing his child self to the present. But sometimes it felt a little bit too clever. Aren't there supposed to be consequences for coming into contact with yourself outside of your timeline? For that matter, aren't there supposed to be consequences for interfering with established history? I know this show is shaky on continuity, but this seemed to be taking it a bit far, in my opinion.
From the first season of the rebooted series, at least, it's been established that once the TARDIS lands, the Doctor can't go back and interfere with the events leading up to whatever crisis he's landed himself in. A major part of Ten's character arc was realizing that he didn't have the authority to rewrite the laws of time to suit his needs. And this isn't just something leftover from RTD, Moffat has used this rule too, when it suits him. Within the most recent series, Eleven has said, "You can't just go back and change time." Moffat's Girl in the Fireplace also referenced this rule: when the droids go after Reinette, and Rose suggests going after them in the TARDIS, the Doctor replies, "We can't use the TARDIS, we're part of events now." Yet if, as a Christmas Carol implies, the Doctor can go back and interfere with events he's already a part of, that means that the Doctor could have taken Mickey and Rose in the TARDIS with him to save Reinette, but instead preferred the option of riding heroically through a mirror and stranding his companions on the other side. Needless to say, I'm not very comfortable with that idea.
Continuity aside, even if we decide that it has always been acceptable to change time to our advantage, that still seems a bit cheap and easy to me. It means you can solve your problems by making them not exist in the first place, instead of working through them. It means that instead of coming to the realization that you've made mistakes and resolving to be a better person in the future, you can undo the mistakes you've made in the past without dealing with the consequences of your previous actions. That's not exactly what happened in the episode, but I think it's a bit of a slippery slope.
Overall, my favorite thread of this plot was not "Let's rewrite a man's history and turn him into the person I need him to be" but the "one last day with your beloved" bit. That was a touching story, despite all the implications of time-travel and whatnot. That's what captivated me, watching the Doctor and Kazran and Abigail having the time of their lives, knowing that time was going to run out soon. That's part of what I love about the Doctor and Rose's story too, so it's no coincidence I read a lot of Rose-references into those lines (even though I know Moffat probably wasn't trying to refer to her). And while it wasn't the most believable or healthy relationship (Abigail falling in love with Kazran over the course of a week from her perspective, especially while watching him grow up rapidly, is a bit far-fetched) it was enough to make me smile and sympathize for them.
Further thoughts:
-Needs more Amy/Rory. Sidelining the companions in a Christmas episode is a bit sad, especially since this is only the second Christmas episode to feature recurring companions!
-LOL Ice crystals resonating... doesn't the TARDIS have the ability to affect the atmosphere? (Ten made it snow in Runaway Bride...)
-Is the Doctor going to have a new sonic screwdriver next season, since half of his old one is now in a shark's stomach? (And will it look something like River's screwdriver from SitL/FotD?)
-No mention of Charles Dickens. I can't believe they did a Christmas Carol episode without mentioning that the Doctor has met Charles Dickens. -_-
-I thought somehow Vincent Van Gogh had returned in the trailer, until examination of screencaptures revealed it was Eleven with a beard. LOL. I want to see how this happens.
Finally, I kind of love this trailer:
Click to viewUntil next time!