Christmas 2009 - including Doctor Who, of course!
Saturday, 26 December 2009 00:18![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
strange_complexIt's been a quiet but lovely Christmas here in Birmingham. I'm the last one still up - everyone else has staggered off to bed after being lulled into a pleasant stupor by turkey and pudding and brandy and the Father Ted Christmas special. I've got the cat curled up next to me and a fire slowly dying in the grate, while on the opposite side of the room is a truly humongous pile of presents, including such goodies as a book of 1930s women's style pages from the tabloid newspapers, a new ash-pan for my fire (well, I think it's exciting!) and of course three Doctor Who DVDs (all of First Doctor stories).
Like last year, I willingly helped out with kitchen tasks during the earlier part of the afternoon in order to ensure that I could enjoy the Doctor Who Christmas special at 6pm without feeling guilty. It was worth it, although overall, I was rather underwhelmed by the episode. It seemed too burdened down with the need to drive forward an epic plot, with the result that the newly-introduced characters were nothing more than cardboard cut-outs, the bits that were plot-heavy lacked subtlety and the bits that weren't sometimes dragged. Even David Tennant often appeared to have all too little to do.
Then again, it was only part one of a two-parter, which over its total length is obviously going to have to wrap up all the unresolved story-lines of Russell T. Davies' entire tenure. We always knew it was going to be EPICALLY EPIC, and given what the last few years of the programme have been like, that does seem like the only appropriate way to finish it all now. So it's no good expecting subtlety or departures from established formulae at this stage, really.
Besides, Bernard Cribbins was spell-binding throughout, as was John Simms actually - something I never quite felt with his previous appearances. And there were some great individual moments. These were my personal favourites:
I might try and have a think about what's likely to come up in the second part tomorrow, but for now I think I'm too tired and turkeyed-out. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and are blessedly free of post-festive hangovers in the morning.
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Like last year, I willingly helped out with kitchen tasks during the earlier part of the afternoon in order to ensure that I could enjoy the Doctor Who Christmas special at 6pm without feeling guilty. It was worth it, although overall, I was rather underwhelmed by the episode. It seemed too burdened down with the need to drive forward an epic plot, with the result that the newly-introduced characters were nothing more than cardboard cut-outs, the bits that were plot-heavy lacked subtlety and the bits that weren't sometimes dragged. Even David Tennant often appeared to have all too little to do.
Then again, it was only part one of a two-parter, which over its total length is obviously going to have to wrap up all the unresolved story-lines of Russell T. Davies' entire tenure. We always knew it was going to be EPICALLY EPIC, and given what the last few years of the programme have been like, that does seem like the only appropriate way to finish it all now. So it's no good expecting subtlety or departures from established formulae at this stage, really.
Besides, Bernard Cribbins was spell-binding throughout, as was John Simms actually - something I never quite felt with his previous appearances. And there were some great individual moments. These were my personal favourites:
- The TARDIS in the stained glass window at the beginning, which briefly made me wish I was a Medievalist so that I could make it into an icon and gloat inwardly every time I used it, instead of only getting a lararium image that was blatantly pressed out of plastic and looks too rubbish to use.
- Resonances of at least three different Hammer Dracula films in the Master's resurrection scene.
- John Simm creeping the hell out of a couple of innocent waste-land bums.
- The Doctor and the Master sharing childhood memories, followed by an intense psychic moment together. I don't ship them or anything, but I do like them to have a properly conflicted love / hate relationship.
- Donna just being in it at all.
- The Doctor dissolving the second Vinvocci's shimmer over his shoulder without even bothering to look at him properly.
- Wilf trying to answer the phone and accidentally pulling out his gun instead!
- A whole world full of Masters, all of them mad and half of them in drag.
- THAT FUCKING ENDING, which had me literally on the edge of my seat going "Oh please, oh please, oh please, OH YES!"
- The fact that the Time Lords now have a properly lordly-looking citadel, even if it is blatantly ripped off from Star Wars.
- And the realisation that the woman only Wilf can see in the church and on the telly HAS EVERY CHANCE OF BEING ROMANA.
I might try and have a think about what's likely to come up in the second part tomorrow, but for now I think I'm too tired and turkeyed-out. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, and are blessedly free of post-festive hangovers in the morning.
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Date: Monday, 28 December 2009 17:21 (UTC)Also is there more to Wilf than meets the eye? Why was he not converted into the Master? We learnt in the episode that he didn't fight in the war, but which war? Hmm ...
I don't think Romana will feature in the next episode. Plenty of time to find her later if the Timelords are to return.
Ben
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Date: Monday, 28 December 2009 20:17 (UTC)I'm not so sure about Wilf, though. He and the Doctor were both inside the protective chamber when the Master carried out his transformation, so that is the immediate reason why he didn't transform. The result is that we don't know whether he would have transformed if he'd been outside it or not. It may mean we're being kept in suspense about his true nature, or it may be a double-bluff and he is a perfectly normal human being after all. I think I would prefer the latter, as to me an ordinary guy who copes with enormous things is a much more interesting and poignant character than someone who turns out to have been more than human all along.