The cinemas have been awash with superhero/comic-book movies for several years, of which I am not a fan. Even television has cashed in on the act. I was somewhat disappointed then, to learn that this year's Christmas special was jumping on the band wagon as well. Now, this being Doctor Who, there had to be some scientific reason behind the superhero even if it turned out to be rather speculative and fanciful. The point is, gaining spider traits after being bitten by a radioactive spider wouldn't cut it. Still, it was with much trepidation that I looked forward to the now staple Christmas Day broadcast. My judgement was somewhat coloured by expectation and while I did enjoy the episode, I couldn't shake of the feeling that it was a bit too copy-cat.
From the very first frame of the episode, we know we are in comic-book territory. Though it doesn't last long, the camera starts on an extreme close up of a comic-book page with a handful of panes in shot and soon zooms into a dark one in the centre, a dingy ally way at night, only it's not an illustration it's live action (the illustration idea returns later in the episode during a telephone conversation which is shown as a split-screen effect bordered like panels. It mostly works, but when characters overlap the frames as they do in comic-books, it just feels unsmooth). An American flag hangs helpfully from a window and the fire escape staircases confirm that this is America (New York, as we later find out). A young man sleeps as a dark figure swings by his bedroom window. It's not clear at all, but something tells me this will be the Doctor. Cut back to the man and we actually see a young boy but the man is still swinging by the window and it is definitely the Doctor. This repeated/mirrored scenario is no narrative coincidence, but it is the episode's first unclear moment. As a viewer, I accept the notion that the man and boy are the same person years apart but having seen the Doctor swinging on both occasion, I expect to see some follow up in both timelines too. We see the boy talk to the Doctor at the window before running off to ask his mother if the old man can come in (she says yes because he is expected, mistaking the boy's description of the Doctor for an imagined presence of Santa) and the story progresses from there. We don't see the grown up version again for a while and it's even longer before the Doctor and he cross paths. So the window swinging remains something of a mystery and is forgotten about pretty quickly. I only noticed this on the second viewing and surmised that it was a dream/memory bleeding through to what we interpreted as reality but as I write about it now I realise that it was probably a genuine moment as the Doctor returned, we just don't follow him from that point and only see it as an isolated moment reminiscent of his first arrival that we haven't seen yet. So, reminding us of something we haven't seen yet... wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey Moffat has gone too far this time.
We learn that the boy's name is Grant and the Doctor was swinging because he was setting a trap and got caught in it himself (and we must therefore assume he got caught in it again when he return years later) The trap is there to protect some scientific gadgetry tracking thingamy that the Doctor has rigged up on the roof for reasons that never seem important, but in the process you Grant gains superpowers by accidentally swallowing a red gemstone that reacts to his desires based on whatever it is the Doctor was working with on the roof. I'm sure the explanation is all there to be pieced together but this is Christmas tea-time and frankly nobody is in a position to read the small print. The result of all this is that Grant grows up with powers that never leave him because the gem gets stuck and becomes "part of his DNA".
I'm not one to normally put forward the argument that the Doctor is a dangerous man, but this set up really does support the idea. His playful randomness enables him to befriend children in a way that their explanation to their parents is such that they aren't bothered then he proceeds to put them in danger without thinking about it. The reason Grant accidentally swallows the gem is because he has a cold and talks about medicine, the Doctor produces a glass of water for him from his pocket ("How did you do that?" Grant asks, "Skills!" replies the Doctor), then hands him the gem saying "Take this". It's a while before he asks for it back and we learn that Grant thought he meant take it with the water like a pill but he in fact just meant "hold onto this for me".
Ridiculous premise, ridiculous set-up. Now to the story proper, the actual mystery and wrong doing that the Doctor must fathom and correct. We meet a determined plucky young female journalist called Lucy who disguises herself as a cleaner after a press-conference doesn't satisfy her interests. She comes across a secure room with brains in jars that she then realises have eyes. The Doctor is also watching from around the corner and he's eating sushi, just because. They exchange a series of looks which feels impossible around the corner but she basically accepts him and even asks herself why she is telling him he truth when he asks about her (we never get an explanation for this, it's just a moment to flag up the fact that she does when she surely wouldn't, to stop us questioning it ourselves) He introduces himself as "Special Agent Dan Dangerous of Scotland Yard" before correcting himself on the last detail "Scotland. The Doctor for short" as if any of it makes sense. We are now presented with another unclear moment. At the end of the press-conference, Nardole cropped up completely unexpectedly and completely randomly asking for the 'little boys room'. There's a comedy moment as the American directs him to the 'rest room' which is a term Nardole doesn't understand. We next see him stroll in and join in with the conversation between the Doctor and Lucy as if he had been in the scene all along. Still no explanation for his presence and no reaction from the Doctor who last saw him on Darillium where he was just a head inside a cyborg suit shared with River Song's husband (who was also just a had)! It is at this point that The Ghost turns up - that's Grant's super-ego. I'll try and leave the narrative there.
It later transpires that the Doctor put Nardole back together to keep him company following River's final departure and he even knows how to fly the TARDIS (though not very well, he makes his way back to the Doctor via a pew accidental stop offs, including twelfth century Constantinople where he ruled firmly but wisely... utterly ridiculous throw away lines that add to this episode's bad points in the grander picture of the series.) As I mentioned in the last review, Matt Lucas made such a good impression in The Husbands Of River Song that Steven Moffat decided to bring him back and keep him for the next series but his presence here feels pretty redundant and shoe-horned for the most part. The explanation of why/how he is present is rushed and glossed over during a frantic action moment on the TARDIS and you really needed to remember the last episode (from a year back) for it to mean anything. There a similar back reference at the end of the episode that really gets lost in that twelve month gap too. A big deal is made of the fact that the Doctor has been away for twenty-four years (having kept an eye on Grant as he grew up) "How long have you known Lucy?" "Twenty-four years, since elementary school" "Yeah, of course it would be that long." It doesn't mean anything until Nardole reminds us that while he's been away, the Doctor has been with River which is why he is now sad at the reminder... Another throw away line from the end of The Husbands Of River Song suddenly becomes important but everyone has forgotten about it. River knows they are about to spend their last night together and asks the Doctor how long a night on Darillium lasts... twenty-four years! It was ridiculous then and it's ridiculous now.
A final run of spoilers are needed as I grumble about the lack of originality... In the Doctor's initial scene with young Grant he talks about Superman and how Lois Lane doesn't notice that he is clearly Clark Kent. That's fine. It's a valid point which he punctuates by drawing glasses on Superman. The rest of the story echoes the first Christopher Reeve film where Lois has a balcony date with Superman care of Clark's ability to 'contact him'. Lucy has been living with Grant but is blindly infatuated with The Ghost and has a rooftop date with him. The added twist is that she has a baby and he is her live-in nanny. She ultimately finds out who he is and prefers the real Grant once she realises. There are some cheesy lines and classic comic-book moments but the whole superhero angle is pretty predictable and silly but does manage to charm. For the second Christmas running, the Doctor finds himself on a space ship destined to crash onto a planet, though thankfully Grant manages to catch it! Funnily enough though, the flight deck looks remarkably like last years! Also, the main alien invaders, who seem to take a bit of a back seat narratively, have diagonally sliced heads like those last year. I'm not convinced they are the same species but maybe I missed something. Finally, there are hexagonal corridors on the ship that look remarkably like those used on several occasions already (such as inside the Dalek and inside the Teselecta) Oh and the music sounds remarkably like John Williams's score from the Superman movie.
One thing I did like, though it was silly, was the squeaky toy that Lucy uses to ensure the Doctor tells the truth. It's more of a whiny scream than a squeak because Mr Huffle (for that is his name) feels pain, with his boss-eyed expression expression and wild hair. Lucy scrunches him every time she thinks the Doctor isn't telling the truth. After thinking about River, she asks him if he's OK he replies "I'm always OK" but turns and gives Mr Huffle a look that says "Keep quiet you!". The episode ends with a shot of Mr Huffle on the TARDIS followed by a shot of the Doctor who looks remarkably like him!
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