TV Review: Doctor Who Christmas Special 'The Snowmen'

 

Happy to be free of the ponds or still grieving over their departure, this years Christmas special will certainly tease you back into the hands of Who with an eclectic mix of old friends, evil villains, a chirpy new companion and a cantankerous and bitter doctor who has turned his back on the universe. Now, if I were sulking over the loss off the Ponds (which actually I wouldn’t be given they had begun to feel a bit like tardis squatters) and I had my very own time machine, where would I go? A cloud above an ever-beautiful BBC rendition of Victorian England, no more than a spiral staircase away from a lizard lady, her wife and a humorous potato man, would certainly be on my list.

Whovians will be titillated from the off with a spectacular new opening sequence that boasts some fresh new graphical mastery, an ever-epic revamped theme tune and Matt Smith’s head floating in the vortex, resonant of the shows early years and beautifully foreshadowing its 50^th anniversary. Furthermore, our swift re-acquaintance with old accomplices promises to have us comfortably back in the Whoniverse following our three month break making for a welcome introduction to new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman), whose curious and playfully ambiguous character brings this tale to life with the two words that have underpinned the show's arc for some time: “Doctor Who?” Intertwined in this meeting, this years frosty villains also make their first appearance early on in the episode and come equipped with sinister eyes and suitably scary teeth, highlighting Steven Moffat’s creative genius is still second to none when it comes to creepy characters and making monsters out of molehills. In fact, these fiendish snowman along with the angry ice governess are probably some of the most inventive monsters we have seen recently and will certainly have the kids burying their heads into their Christmas jumpers.

Bringing in Richard E Grant to play ruthless Doctor Simeon and Ian Mckellen to voice the indomitable Great Intelligence was inspired but underused. It was like inviting Delia Smith to Christmas dinner but buying your mince pies from Tesco: a wasted opportunity. Though both parts were executed (as would be expected) with absolute clarity, their success was underappreciated by a plot that just did not do them justice and was rounded off hurriedly with a rather confusing conclusion. I mean, Sir Ian Mckellen on Doctor Who? Why wasn’t he in every scene? In fact, why wasn’t he playing every character? Not to worry, following the recent release of the Hobbit, we are definitely getting our yearly fix of the old thesp. On a less childish note though (and it’s hard not be childish when it comes to Doctor Who), the diluted baddie moments still did enough to embellish this Christmas special with some added flavour for the broader audience that it would undoubtedly draw, and gave way to the eagerly awaited introduction of Clara and the development of her relationship to the doctor. Unfortunately however, I still couldn’t help but feel a little starved of this year’s villains and was left wishing that the Doctor Who team had saved these two acting greats for a later episode.

Characters who certainly did get enough time to shine were Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh) and Jenny (Catrin Stewart); their lascivious interactions, confident swagger and subtle pokes at archaic attitudes were so cheekily funny that they have given all these rumours of a spin-off off show more clout than ever (I'd certainly watch it). In addition, their relationship with the doctor remained clear and consistent, a rarity with the come-and-go companions of recent years, and has cemented them as some of The Doctor’s most important companions and hopefully ensuring some future appearances. The biggest gem in these two however, is that despite being so outrageous in their essence they are believable, making them wonderful additions to the show and its diverse audience. Strax (Dan Starkey), who has always been a bit of a question mark and a somewhat pointless character, really comes into his own too. Many of the most comical moments of this episode rested entirely on Strax's own views on humans and warfare, providing seasoned viewers with something finally to  get their teeth into with this Sontaran sidekick. Opposite Smith’s wacky but sensitive doctor, the jokes were golden and were possibly the most memorable moments of this episode.

As was widely expected following her touching debut in ‘Asylum of the Daleks’, the hook of this year’s special was The Doctor’s new companion, Clara, who managed to showcase two sides of her acting ability as both a cockney barmaid and a governess. Together with Matt Smith, who was on top form and bringing us yet more subtle layers to our 11^th doctor, the two managed to achieve a chemistry that took Amy and The Doctor a whole series to achieve. They were intimate, they made the script their own and they laid the path for a new era of Doctor Who that promises to please all.

Unlike the last few Christmas specials, this episode was under a lot more pressure to succeed (especially given the lukewarm reception of last year’s ‘The Doctor, The Witch and The Wardrobe’) what with the re-introduction of our new companion, wrapping up the loss of the Ponds, leading us into the anticipated 50^th anniversary year whilst weaving everything together with a Christmas themed plot. From this point of view, ‘The Snowmen’ achieved the all important balance of humour, suspense, seriousness and fun that the Doctor Who of late has frequently missed, granting us one of the most enjoyable episodes of the past two seasons. The writing, acting and visuals were all at their best right when they needed to be and though I would have loved to see more of our villains, you can’t always have everything. Role on 2013!

8/10