Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song (2015)

I had seen some DW here and there for years but finally got into it Summer 2015 after breaking my ankle playing sports. I watched Episode 1 Series 1 from 2005 all the way to current. While I deeply enjoy so much of it the way they've done River's timeline to me has been the pinnacle even more so than the search for Gallifrey. The way the Husbands of River Song was done not only was an amazing episode and not only made me happy by bringing her character back but what Capaldi brought to the episode was great. The only downside is the fear that is the last we have seen of River. I've already purchased all the Series 1-9 box sets but if they made a River Song box set that included every single episode with even a mention or reference to River with an option to watch it either from the Doctor's perspective or hers I would not only buy it for myself but for others.

The Capaldi era of DW has been an especially dark and morbid one, and DW Christmas specials in general tend to be grim, heart-rending and horrific, so it came as a surprise that this one turned out to be such a comparatively lighthearted (if gruesome) story full of slapstick and corny jokes. Despite the fact that the episode continued the miserable Capaldi-era convention that the Doctor must be continually enthralled and tormented by a swaggering dominatrix, I was enjoying the fact that at least it was a different one this time, since I was good and sick of Clara by the time we were dragged through that last heavy-breathing farewell scene between her and the Doctor. But then the fun hit the wall and we were back in angsty death territory, with River begging the Doctor to extend her waning lifespan. I guess the Doctor's compensation for having to play the straight man to a cadre of saucy female female impersonators is that he gets to play God and have them pray to him. This show has definitely strayed into unhealthy territory. There are kids watching!

I think for the majority of people the most recent season of Doctor Who was not all it could have been – although the reasons are different depending on whom you are speaking to. Part of this is due to the season feeling ill at ease with what it is trying to do – delivering plots that ask for a knowledge of episodes from decades ago, but yet still very much being 'Nu Who'; having darker elements but yet still copping out of them, and so on. It was a season that I found as much to like as I did to dislike and it was rather uneven in its tone and content. So the usual Christmas Special was a worry – particularly since it is always a bit of a dice-roll in terms of quality.To be fair though, the special is the opposite of the season that had gone before it; not because it was lighter and easier to enjoy (although it was) but simply because it seemed to know precisely what it was doing, how it wanted to do it, and how long it wanted to do it for. The plot is a solid adventure one; it has comedy, danger, some silliness, and it ends on a nice note which doesn't totally overdo the sentiment. Of course the plot is somewhat daft, but this is Doctor Who on Christmas Day, so the important thing is that it has enough about it to support the daftness, the comedy casting, and the Christmas clichés being worked into it. Personally I though it did, and the material kept things moving along with a sense of fun but not being stupid enough that I didn't care.And this is not to say that I wasn't tested by some of the convenient or silly writing (for instance the robot being defeated by the moneyball which the Doctor happened to have drop into his lap at that second), but it does carry itself with enough energy and fun to more or less forgive it these weaknesses. The performances are a big part of this happening. Capaldi seems to enjoy himself, and his sarcasm and slightly dour edge is nicely used (the scene where he gets to do the 'wow, its bigger on the inside' thing is a lot of fun). Although I am not a great fan of her character all the time, Kingston works with Capaldi very well here, and the two enjoy themselves. Outside of them everyone else is support and does decent jobs – even Lucas was a lot less annoying than I had assumed he would be when he first popped up.I'm not really sure anymore what I want Doctor Who to 'do' as a show, and the whole modern era seems quite uneven and changeable when you look back over it – so I will not draw any big conclusions or make sweeping statements following this special. That said, although I would not want every episode to be like this, I did enjoy the energy and commitment of this special; it seemed to know what it wanted to do and, although it came with all the usual problems, it mostly sold them and made it work by virtue of being entertaining – which is really good enough some times.

... gets away with it.To be clearer: Scibe Moffat has recently started up the "acronym staircase" that ultimately results in a Knighthood.Now, in 99% of all TV productions, there is a hierarchy, a pecking order. Before the writer gets to write, before the scribe gets to scribble, somebody higher in the pecking order (than the writer) has to sign off on the script, has to make sure the script is consistent with the guidelines and plot arcs etc.However where the writer is almost-Sir Steven, the rules change. If almost-Sir Steven wakes up one frosty morning in a bit of a mood, and fancies that, for a change of pace he will do a X-Mas script that harks back to his days as a writer of Brit Sit-Coms and RomComs, then by George that is exactly what he gets to do.So here we have a Dr. Who X-Mas special starring an actor many believe to be the weakest Dr. Who in recent memory and featuring a story line that seems to be lacking only the canned laugh track.Do I sound harsh? I have been a Dr. Who fan since I was in knee-socks and generally LOVE the modern iteration. I have seen almost every X-Mas special -- some were absolute jewels,, remember the Opera Singer? -- and this one is clever and frothy and interesting BUT OVERALL ONE OF THE WORST DR. WHO X-MAS EVENTS EVER.But that is OK, because next year we can have a jolly do-over and by then almost-Sir Steven might be feeling better.