Written by: Russell T Davies
Directed by: James Hawes
I did watch this over the weekend, and it’s a banger of a start for David Tennant. Even if he spends a great deal of the special asleep.
First thing I noticed doesn’t have any bearing on the episode: producer Phil Collinson is credited as “Phil Collision”, which I guess is his rave DJ alter ego. This was the '00s, after all.
We see the debut of two tropes that will recur through RTD christmas specials: a murderous Santa band, and Slade’s “Merry Xmas everybody”. One is a cool idea that only happened once more, in “The runaway bride”, and the other is a terrible novelty song that might’ve been put to rest after one outing. Ugh, Slade.
The Sycorax are quite terrifying, they feel more at home in a Conan setting than Doctor Who, with their skull helmets, “blood magic” and swords, and that janky looking ship that has the air of an ancient desert stronghold. And if that wasn’t enough to sell the episode, having a third of Earth’s population sleepwalk onto the nearest roof or precipice is a haunting image.
Jackie’s neighbour Jason is Paul Anderson from Peaky blinders, BTW. A rare occasion of “where did I see that Who actor before?” where the answer isn’t Game of thrones.
For the first half of the special, I’m really on board with the Doctor-less narrative. Jackie, Mickey and Rose work so well together, trying to survive christmas like any family. And Harriet Jones is set up as a capable leader with a human side — we know what they say about “too good to be true”, but I actually rooted for Harriet all the way up to her call with Torchwood.
I think this must be the first mention of Torchwood? So what are Harriet and the general referring to, about the institute having lost a third of its staff? Maybe it’s just the third that’s on the roof at the moment.
Rose and the Doctor, though… It’s hard to revisit this episode, knowing what lies ahead. Not because I nurse some parasocial romance for their arc, quite the contrary. I find the while thing pompous and tedious at the same time, and even more so with every return of Billie Piper to the show.
There is a better, hypothetical version of the show, where the Doctor (and really RTD) just let go of Rose after “Doomsday”. No dimension-hopping, gun-toting return in season four, only maybe the 50th anniversary bit as the Moment (although that really only makes sense if they’d landed Eccleston instead of Hurt), but definitely no dumb, faux-regeneration cliffhanger after Gatwa’s exit.
But it all starts here. “ENOUGH WITH THE F—KING FLIRTING,” I shouted at the screen on this rewatch. “The christmas invasion” does set the template for the rest of the Tennant run. Good to terrific stories, with an insistently humdrum romantic subplot.
The Sycorax are quite terrifying
Such a good design, I’d like to see more of them.
I actually rooted for Harriet all the way up to her call with Torchwood.
It’s a really great portrayal, and TBH I think the episode does a decent job of laying out her motivations, right down to her rather weak apology at the end.
Maybe it’s just the third that’s on the roof at the moment.
I believe so.
I’m really not a Doctor/Rose shipper, but I am a big fan of the Tenth Doctor as a swashbuckling romantic, so I’m here for the flirting. I just never had any investment in things going beyond that.
I know this is more relevant to the upcoming Queen Victoria episode, but I think the themes of a Doctor and (especially) companion getting carried away with things were more aptly explored with Twelve and Clara.
Ooh, I forgot the Arthur Dent mention! And that reminds me why the Sycorax ship feels so uncanny: it “hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t”. 🙂
Apologies for being a day late - the weekend sort of got away from me. I haven’t even been able to watch the damn thing yet!
I’ll be back once I have, but a couple of quick thoughts:
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Having the Doctor be unconscious for a large portion of the episode was a bold move that largely paid off. It was smart to let us spend time with Rose as she struggles with her grief, confusion, and an alien invasion.
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Tennant’s “no second chances” bit is chilling in the best way.
Okay, I’m back.
Of all the times I’ve seen this episode, I’m not sure I really noticed that you can actually see the TARDIS blurp into existence mid-air when it first arrives in London. Neat, and not really what I expected.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but Daniel Llewellyn (RIP) is a pretty memorable character for me. Shame what happened to him.
On the other hand, even though it’s quite memorable, I keep forgetting that “everybody going to the roof” is the plot of this episode. Not sure why.
The “pilot fish” are a ridiculous idea, and clearly just an excuse to have killer Santas and a buzzsaw Christmas tree. I’m not mad about it, but it’s a good reminder that RTD has always had an affinity for deep silliness.
Daniel Llewellyn decided to include blood in the Guinevere One “care package,” but…he didn’t use his own? Where did he get the blood?
The Torchwood buzzword is stronger than “Bad Wolf” right out of the gate, because we actually get a sense of what it means.
And on that note, much ink has been spilled over what the Doctor does to Harriet Jones, Prime Minister. There’s always been some truthiness to the suggestion that there’s some sexism in play, but…recent history has reminded us just how easy it is to topple a government over health concerns, if factors line up just right.
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