S5E14: Christmas Special (SPOILERS)

A Christmas Carol

I know there's still 36 days to go... But that doesn't stop the speculation. Lets get talking! What do you think will happen in this Christmas' episode?


By the way, I didn't put the name of this episode in the title of the topic in case anyone considered it a spoiler.

Oh, and perhaps you could just vote on what you think of the trailer (until the episode is actually aired), which will be released TONIGHT. I'll post a link to it here once it up on Youtube.

There's a trailer tonight? I just thought it was a clip.

Forgive me, Scary, but don't you usually put these in the Episodes section? Doesn't matter to me where it goes, really, but the rest of the episode discussions are there.

Re: the trailer...have to say I'm underwhelmed, Scary. Not even the sight of Kiss-a-Cop Amy can give me a good feeling about this one.

I don't understand why the Moff, BBC et al. thought it was clever to a) call the Xmas special "A Christmas Carol" and b) mention "Ghost of Christmas" anything in the trailer. Or are such things not as cliched in Britain as they are in the U.S.?

I'm assuming the story is not "that one," but why lead potential viewers to think it might be?

The one what?
I thought it looked fun, but you're right about the Christmas ghost cliché. I would assume that Dickens actually being British it's the same there.

Cliches or no, it has Michael Freaking Gambon in it, which therefore (to me anyway) makes it all manner of awesome.

Would've been cool if they could have created some kind of recurring character (villian?) for him to play so we can see more of him on WHO.

Shame that Bill Nighy was wasted (for lack of a better term, Dr. Black was great) on what was more or less a glorified cameo. He deserves more WHO screen time too.

Scarywood wrote:

What do you think will happen in this Christmas' episode?

It's way too early to tell what's going on, but I suspect we're in for another non-linear story much like the first half of the second half of The Big Bang. With Amy, Rory, and the Doctor acting as "Christmas Ghosts" for this gent while retracing his personal time line.

As for being Cliche'...I do have to wonder if folks recall Voyage of the Damned. You've got Titanic meets Poseidon Adventure. Throwing in some killer Angel robots does not suddenly make the plot any less cliche'.

And at the same time, I enjoyed that story for what it was. I didn't dwell on the similarities for too long.

So, BBC America has announced they will air the Christmas special ON Christmas Day, same day as the UK. But thanks to the time zone differences, the UK will get it first.

THAT is something I've thought they really need to be doing for a show like Doctor Who! Don't air it the next day or in a few weeks, air it HOURS later!

Is it weird that what I really look forward to is a possible Series 6 trailer at the end?

Rust wrote:

Scarywood wrote:

What do you think will happen in this Christmas' episode?

It's way too early to tell what's going on, but I suspect we're in for another non-linear story much like the first half of the second half of The Big Bang. With Amy, Rory, and the Doctor acting as "Christmas Ghosts" for this gent while retracing his personal time line.

As for being Cliche'...I do have to wonder if folks recall Voyage of the Damned. You've got Titanic meets Poseidon Adventure. Throwing in some killer Angel robots does not suddenly make the plot any less cliche'.

And at the same time, I enjoyed that story for what it was. I didn't dwell on the similarities for too long.

"Voyage of the Damned" is probably my favorite of the Christmas specials...despite the fact it "owes a debt" to "The Poseidon Adventure" and half-a-dozen other movies. After all, it's not exactly what most shows do for a Christmas episode, is it?

Now if that episode had been created as a holiday special for "Disaster Movie Day" after television had given us decades of "Disaster Movie Day" specials, and the episode was actually called "The Poseidon Adventure" (okay, "The Titanic Adventure") and I saw a trailer for it about a month before it aired...I'd have to admit I'd probably have had a reaction similar to the one I had when I saw the trailer for "A Christmas Carol"..."They can't really be doing that, can they? Everyone's done "The Poseidon Adventure"!"

I don't really expect this year's special to be that similar to Dickens' story, even if the trailer does show us a grumpy old man and the Doctor calling himself "The Ghost of Christmas Past." But I don't understand why the BBC thought these would be great selling points in the trailer. It's what you'd expect from your run-of-the-mill Christmas special. Or is that what we're getting this year?

Yeah... I'm underwhelmed too. The episode could be cool but the trailer wasn't, that's for sure. It didn't explain anything, and yes they shouldn't give too much away, but they didn't give anything away other than it's Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and the Doctor falls through Scrooge's chimney.

I'm very underwhelmed indeed....

P.S Sorry about putting the thread here! My bad. As I've been away from the forum for sometime I'm feeling a little bit disorientated. I'll PM WhoNA and see if they can move it for us.

Well, if it was Dickens' Carol, then the Doctor's pulling double duty as both Christmas Past and Marley.

the only thing i'm hating right now is moffat's catch phrase "time can be rewritten"

which i think will play heavily in the next(2) series.

really, moffat? time can be rewritten? never thought that could happen. not on a show with a time traveller who has done that many, many times over, even having that phrase brought up during the rtd era.

i mean, if this was stargate, or some scifi show like that, that would be a revelation. but, not on a time traveller's show. the whole "time can be rewritten" thing is really killing any excitement i have for this special, or for next year in general.

I can officially say that even after seeing the trailer that my interest in the show is definitely not what it used to be. I used to gobble up every spoiler and tidbit; now, I just wait for the show to air, watch it once and that's about it. And another retread on the Christmas Carol - just what we needed - NOT.

anyone have a link to the trailer?

found it, looks ok. i don't mind seeing a doctor who adventure inspired by a christmas carol. it is christmas. but i was hoping for another hint on who's behind the cracks in time. though that could still happen.

That was actually my favourite Smith episode so far!

EXCELLENT episode!

Once again, we get a deliciously timey wimey, wibbly wobbly plot device from Moffat, and another ending with a twist that fans who don't quite understand the concept of a "Deus Ex Machina" would call it that. (No, it wasn't a DEM, as it had been set up earlier in the episode. A DEM comes out of nowhere.)

Come on, Series 6!

A nice Christmas Episode. After the RTD "Epic" Years with action and adventure at Christmas, it's kind of nice to step away from "Monsters Attack on Christmas Like Clockwork" and tell a good old fashioned Christmas tale about Love and Sacrifice.

A bit silly with the Fish in the Sky. Could have wanted for a more unique palette of creatures but that's Steven Moffat for you. Taking the mundane and ordinary and turning it into something fantastic. Also, always nice to see more emphasis on the Time Travel aspects of the show. I think Moffat's run has done more with that then any other - at least in all the classic Who I've watched, it's never actually been about Time Travel.

I think the thing about it I love most of all is that Moffat has given something back to the Who Franchise in the form of Abigail and Azaran. Seven Days - 168 Hours - of the Doctor's adventures with those two. Moffat's literally created an entire segment of the Doctor's travels that are up for grabs by novelists, fan fiction writers, and perhaps eventually even Audio Books. When you think about it, a lot can happen in 168 hours and given the photo album spread, they did a lot (Least of all getting married to Marilyn Monroe. ).

Just a nice episode. And the teaser for Series Six...oh my. Do Want. Do Want Now.


EDIT: And of course, my favorite quote from the episode:

"Christmas Eve on a Rooftop. Saw a Chimney. My whole brain just went 'What the heck?'."

Just saw- I really thought that this episode endeared me more to Smith. It was fairy-tale like and charming. I know it was pitched to be a dickens like tale- but I really felt it was more peter panish...but in a good way. Not like last of the time lords bad way.

The previews look promising- here is to 2011. I love this show so much and wish everyone who is a fan happy holidays- and to all a good night. Watch out for face spiders in the closet...and have an oodly new year.

Very much, a charming cute fairy tale!! I loved it! Such a fantastic cast!! And such a beautiful voice!! This was truly a Christmas story!

It was pretty good, A bit strange, with all those fish, but a good episode nonetheless.

Utterly fantastic. I'd venture to say it's the best Christmas Special we've gotten. A fun take on the Dickens classic, great time-travel fun... all around a fun episode. As well, it's "new viewer" friendly enough that I feel it works as a nice standalone story for the holidays that one can show non-viewers and get them hooked. Great stuff.

I have to say, despite my misgivings about the trailers and some "formula" story elements (a luxury starliner about to crash into a planet on Christmas...AGAIN? )this was actually a very enjoyable episode. Matt Smith gave a solid Doctory performance in an emotional story with plenty of the "timey-wimey" stuff that Moffat does so well. (Just don't think about it too hard. ) And the most bittersweet ending featuring a flying shark ever.

You know, I am shocked about how I accepted a flying shark pulling a rickshaw so easily!!

Also, the last lines about the Honeymoon Planet, set up the Death of the Doctor on Sarah Jane, so we know that happens after this episode.

I had mixed thoughts about this episode beforehand, but I loved it. It wasn't a big, overwhelming adventure, like the RTD Christmas episodes, but it was nice change. The shark and the fish were a tad odd, but it worked well.