Doctor Who Christmas Special

[selenak]

Aka the one with the two Davids.



Runaway Bride is still my favourite, but this one is now comes second. Ever since David Morrissey was announced as a guest star for the Christmas Special, I've been looking forward to it, due to the fabulous chemistry he and David Tennant had in Blackpool, as well as David M. as a good actor in general, and their scenes here did not disappoint, despite a lamentable lack of dancing.

You can tell the transition state has set in - Ten here feels much like Three in Planet of the Spiders or Four in Logopolis - not suicidal (as opposed to, say, in the season 3 Dalek two parter) but definitely aware his time in this body is running out, and being at peace with this. I'm not exactly sure when exactly he has figured out that Jackson isn't a future regeneration but a human who somehow got inflicted with some of his memories, but it's before he makes the heart test; I'd say when Jackson uses the (un-sonic) screwdriver at the latest. But he still spares Jackson the knowledge as long as he can, and I loved such moments as "Oh, I'm your companion!" (btw, wouldn't swear to it, and of course at the very start of the show Ian and Barbara were written as the heroes and the Doctor as the unreliable trickster, but I think it's the first time he deliberately takes the companion role) and the gentleness when he does tell Jackson the truth. Jackson's story, btw: amnesia after trauma, transformation into hero via joining with no-nonsense woman companion, finding his son and escaping with him - a mixture between Eight and One?

Jackson, both as peudo-Doctor and as himself, was a very likeable character while also being a man of his time (the fact his vocabulary, Doctor-borrowed words aside, is strictly Victorian is an early giveaway, and of course it fits that at the end he envisions Rosita as his son's nursemaid, not as something else); he has one of the best reactions to the TARDIS ever, and "wonderfully silly" is the best description I can imagine for the whole concept of a time travelling sentient machine disguised as a police box. (And come to think of that, of the show.) His own Victorian!TARDIS is a beautiful thing, and very Jules Verne; I loved that it got used in the climax.

Our other two guest characters were Rosita and Miss Hartigan (Hardigan?). Rosita (yes, yes, obvious mixture of Martha and Rose) is a likeable if generic companion type, with her best moment being when she saves the two Doctors with the ax; Miss Hartigan is a great variation of one of the most famous and interesting of Victorian villainesses, Miss Havisham, fitting the Dickensian theme of this special. Dressed in red (which makes for striking visuals among the dark suits of the men) as opposed to Miss Havisham's white, clever, passionate, exploiting children for her quest and at the very end horrified by realisation, all check. Miss Havisham was ditched on her wedding day, which doesn't resonate nearly as much today; we never find out what exactly happened to Miss Hartigan, but it's clear she suffered exploitation and indignities galore by Victorian mankind. As Miss Havisham, she crosses the line when she starts to use and destroy others. I hoped she would accept the Doctor's offer at the end, but didn't really expect it (because of the Havisham model); so far, the Vashta Nerada remain the only villains in New Who who have done that.

Villains and tragic backstory for Jackson aside, this special is remarkably death-free, and ends on an elegic-optimistic note, when after a poignant allusion to Donna Jackson persuades the Doctor to share dinner with him, Rosita and his son. It left me with a wistful smile, and of course a fanfic craving.

ETA: The most RTD indulging his inner fanboy moment: the montage of all ten Doctors. Which made me happy. First time all ten apear on screen, and first time the first eight (except for Five and Time Crash) show up in New Who, drawings in John Smith's journal exempted. Paul McGann fans should be especially gleeful: he's more than canonized!

Comments

[kate-swynford.livejournal.com]

I was so looking forward to your commentary!:) You've summed up what I felt about the episode quite perfectly. And yes, I thought Jackson envisioning Rosita as his son's nanny was not a sign of RTD's antifeminism but a very convincing attitude for a Victorian man. I was a little disappointed about the early reveal, but on the whole it was great. And now we know how Tennant hurt his back. :)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

:) Dragging out the "is he or isn't he...?" mystery a bit longer - I'm not sure that would have worked, given that it was equally important to establish Jackson's own identity so the audience doesn't regard him as a blank once the amnesia starts to lift, plus it gave him just enough space to have that time to deal and then make a heroic reappearance - if the reveal had come later, he'd have had to go from "my wife is dead and I'm really someone else!" to "here I am, fighting the good fight" within seconds, which wouldn't have been believable.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I agree completely on this point. Also, pretty much everyone had already guessed that he wasn't really the Doctor - dragging it out would just make the Doctor look silly or would have been pointlessly screwing with the audience.

[lizamanynames.livejournal.com]

Not that Rusty's never done that....

But yes, I agree as well.

[kindkit.livejournal.com]

Jackson envisioning Rosita as his son's nanny was not a sign of RTD's antifeminism but a very convincing attitude for a Victorian man

But the Doctor doesn't say anything. I could've lived with that line if the Doctor had in any way corrected Jackson's Victorian assumptions, but he didn't. So I'm left with the impression that (a) RTD actually thought "make Rosita a nursemaid" was a great ending for her, and (b) that we were meant to think so to.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Eye of the beholder, I suppose: I thought the look the Doctor gave Jackson was very pointed. Frankly, if he had said something along the lines of "Rosita deserves better than being a nursemaid" it would have come across as a mixture of condescending and ooc, because from One onwards, who has a blazing row with Barbara about whether or not telling the Aztecs human sacrifice is a barbaric practice, he doesn't often do that, and if he does, it happens in an argument. (I.e. Seven in Ghost Light, for example.) Not whe he's about to take off.

If, conversely, Jackson had either said something along the lines of "and Rosita will move in with me as my friend" or "...and once the mourning period is over, I'll propose to Rosita", I'd have found that exactly the kind of "let sympathetic historical characters be lacking of all their contemporary prejudices and have only 21st century attitudes" I dislike as a cop-out.

[kerravonsen]

I thought the look the Doctor gave Jackson was very pointed.
Agreed.

I'd have found that exactly the kind of "let sympathetic historical characters be lacking of all their contemporary prejudices and have only 21st century attitudes" I dislike as a cop-out.
Seconded!
Someone else pointed out that JL was actually being very broad-minded for a Victorian gentleman in actually allowing Rosita to be his son's nursemaid, because she wasn't of the right class (not to mention that she might have been a prostitute before he saved her).

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Aka the one with the two Davids.

Ahahaha, I swear I wrote the title of mine before I even saw this post.

(Anyway, now for reading it.)

he has one of the best reactions to the TARDIS ever, and "wonderfully silly" is the best description I can imagine for the whole concept of a time travelling sentient machine disguised as a police box. (And come to think of that, of the show.)

Yes, yes, exactly. I loved how giggly he was, but that he also couldn't really bear staying longer. It was a nice illustration that Timelord memories are a bit much for humans.

For what it's worth, this episode also clarified that Tennant needs to have actors of his own age (or slightly older) around him. I liked him a lot with Freema Agyeman, and all irritation of their mutual episodes aside, he does have lots of chemistry with Billy Piper, but there is such a different dynamic when he's with Catherine Tate or David Morrissey (even John Simm, to an extend, although they really had too few scenes together to determine that).

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'll check yours in a moment.:)

For what it's worth, this episode also clarified that Tennant needs to have actors of his own age (or slightly older) around him. I liked him a lot with Freema Agyeman, and all irritation of their mutual episodes aside, he does have lots of chemistry with Billy Piper, but there is such a different dynamic when he's with Catherine Tate or David Morrissey (even John Simm, to an extend, although they really had too few scenes together to determine that).

Oh absolutely. (And for "older" you can add Elisabeth Sladen and ASH in School Reunion, with both of whom he shone as well.) I have no idea who is scheduled for the other specials, but pray let it be actors in this range.

Footnote: he was golden with Patrick Stewart as well, she says boastfully, still basking in the privilege of having seen them...

I loved how giggly he was, but that he also couldn't really bear staying longer. It was a nice illustration that Timelord memories are a bit much for humans.

Yes, it was just the right balance. You know, I think one reason why Jamie (Two's companion) coped with the whole TARDIS so well was because he was from a century earlier and from a culture where stories of people wondering into faerie were still believed. But a man from the midth nineteenth century with a firm believe in a rational world would be different.

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the movie! I held presents until yesterday, and I appreciate it so much! I've been wanting to see this one. Thank you! And I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I did, and I'm glad you didn't have the movie already! (I wasn't quite sure but then checked my review back in the day, and you didn't comment you had seen it, so...)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

David M. and David T. really do have such fabulous chemistry together. I loved all of the Jackson stuff -- and the way he was trying to reconcile his memories of being 'the Doctor' with what he actually had on hand to accomplish those sorts of deeds was really quite impressive ("It makes a sound. That's sonic."). He was sort of the inverse of the Doctor/John Smith in HN.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

He was, and as Ten pointed out had the imagination of his own to come up with an air balloon TARDIS and a courage and heart to become the protector of London. All this without being perfect (again, man of his time, etc.) A very endearing character.

You know, I hope the two Davids get cast opposite each other more often. Blackpool and this one isn't enough; I want more!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

He was, and as Ten pointed out had the imagination of his own to come up with an air balloon TARDIS

Complete with an appropriate (and utterly adorable) acronym!

and a courage and heart to become the protector of London. All this without being perfect (again, man of his time, etc.) A very endearing character.

Very much so. His imperfections only pointed out the places where he went beyond the normal to be extraordinarily brave and clever.

You know, I hope the two Davids get cast opposite each other more often. Blackpool and this one isn't enough; I want more!

You and me both! They're great together.

[greenpear.livejournal.com]

It was a wonderful special and the Doctor does seem to be gravitating towards "I'm tired and need to move on".

Does this qualify as a "companionless story"? I can't think of David M. as the Doctor's companion and Rosita was David M.'s companion, not David T.'s. I wonder if there will be any more companions before eleven shows up.

The visuals in the cemetery are some of the best I've seen on the show. The blanket of white on the ground and gravestones, the men in black suits and Mrs. Hartigan in bright red. The visuals were stunning. And when the Cybermen marched it and chaos began, truly a great scene.

I'm glad to see eight in the montage. Puts to rest whether Nu Who considers McGann's Who as canon or not.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Well, McGann's likeness does show up in John Smith's Journal of Impossible Things, but I suppose denialists could then still argue it's not really him, so Eight in the montage definitely puts it to rest.

A companionless story: yes and no - I'd say not in the sense that The Deadly Assassin was one because back then the Doctor really was alone in his endeavours, whereas here the very premise was a team-up. So - a multi-Doctor story with a twist?

[greenpear.livejournal.com]

I need to figure this out for my "Social Network Analysis" of Doctor Who. I have a companion nodeset so I ned to figure out whether the Not!Doctor & Rosita qualify for this status or not.

It's a very confusing dataset...

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

I thought it was okay. Better than Voyage of the Damned, not as good as Runaway Bride. Both David Tennant and the script felt tired and stressed which I assume is what you mean about Three and Four; I guess that works given we know time is ticking but I'm hoping at least ONE of the specials can really rise above the unusual situation and give us one more classic before he goes.

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

I haven't been a big fan of the Christmas specials, but I liked this one - good mix of action and drama, and Morrissey was very good in his part (though I wouldn't want him as a full-time Doctor).

I'm not exactly sure when exactly he has figured out that Jackson isn't a future regeneration but a human who somehow got inflicted with some of his memories

I don't know if it's when he found out, but when Jackson said, "The Doctor's companion does as the Doctor says!" that felt like a very un-Doctor thing to say, to me, and more like something a 19th century man would say as himself. (Has there been any companion who's consistently done what the Doctor says?)

And yeah, it's definitely before the heart test. The Doctor looked sad during that scene, but not the least bit surprised.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Has there been any companion who's consistently done what the Doctor says?

Nope. Not even Jo, who actually worked for him and thus technically was bound to. (People tend to forget that, but she really was literally hired as his assistant - that was her job at UNIT. Liz Shaw's job was murkier, as she was originally hired to do the Doctor's job - scientific advisor - and then got demoted to sort-of-assistant/fellow advisor when he showed up. Other companions were referred to occasionally as assistants, too - Sarah Jane and Romana, for example - but that wasn't their job, whereas it was Jo's.) And of course the first companions we ever meet, Ian and Barbara, are the ones who educate him.*g* But it's very much how a Victorian man dealing with a Cyberorigin briefing about the Doctor would interpret these relationships, so yes, that was a big giveaway.

[elisi]

not suicidal (as opposed to, say, in the season 3 Dalek two parter) but definitely aware his time in this body is running out, and being at peace with this.
Yes, I think so too, and it worked very well. And despite loving Ten with all my heart, I am beginning to be very curious about Eleven - we have a whole year to wait after all.

Thank you for a lovely review (and I've already seen a Christmas dinner fic on the Teaspoon - haven't read it, though, so can't say if it's any good I'm afraid) - my own review was just a scattering of random thoughts... I think my meta brain is broken.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Well, I think it's good Moffat and the rest of Team Cardiff have a year - I don't want Eleven to be a hasty affair, they should have time enough to plan out the variation of Doctor they want and pick the actor they want, instead of being under time pressure which I think would have happened if, say, s4 had ended with a regeneration. So I'm fine with the year of waiting - and four more adventures with Ten. But yes, I'm definitely curious about Eleven.

(On screen world aside, though, I'm going to miss David T. terribly because I don't think any other actor will have that much devotion to the show, simply because the odds of getting another long term fan from the acting community for this particular part are astronomical.)

[pinkfinity.livejournal.com]

Catching up belatedly - I did a squee when McGann was included in the montage! He's the first doctor my husband and I saw together and it was a treat to see him officially officialized by the BBC on the TV screen, so yay!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It wasn't his fault that the movie, err, was flawed, to put it mildly - he was a great Doctor in it, and he's been great on the audios as well, so yes, hooray for McGann being canon!

(We do, however, still don't talk about Roberts!Master.)