26 December 2024

Nice View, Shame about the Air Conditioning (Review: 'Doctor Who' 2024 Christmas Special, "Joy to the World")

I wasn't able to watch this on Christmas Day due to a family gathering, but I managed to avoid any major spoilers for this. I haven't been on Gallifrey Base to discuss this episode, so I don't know what others thought of this.

Anyway, here we go:

  • I imagine that pumpkin latte would have gone rather cold by the time the Doctor found Joy.
  • Ncuti Gatwa has now settled into the role, with a great line in empathy and reassurance, but I found his blue-tinted buzz cut rather distracting at time.
  • Nicola Coughlan just didn't work for me. Not that I've watched Derry Girls but she seemed a little one-note and flat for me. Not helping was her rather big coat, which rather reducing her ability to express herself through body language. It must have been uncomfortable too.
  • The Doctor has spent a lot of time living days in order - including within the last few years of this show's run. Steven Moffat, why did you put that line in like that? You should know better.
  • Moffat's hanging of a lampshade on the whole bootstrap paradox thing was OK, but he's done that idea to death now.
  • Villengard make a good faceless corporate villain, although their whole plot in this was rather convoluted.
  • They seem to have hired rather a lot of extras for this... which seems like a waste of money that have been spent on some bigger sets.
  • Surprised the Doctor didn't have more of a go at the Time Hotel as a concept, as that sort of thing i
  • The resolution of the dinosaur situation that was the ending of one of the preview clips was a bit of a cop out.
  • Moffat basically lets everyone live here. Another one of his common shticks. Probably needed for a Christmas episode, but he's killed in the past in them.
  • If Mary Whitehouse was still with us, I can only imagine her reaction to the ending of the episode. I can't say I was overly impressed myself.

Conclusion

Ncuti Gatwa saves this from being a clunker, but it's not exactly a great episode and definitely one of Steven Moffat's weaker ones.

6/10

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