I think I’ve finally figured out why I never seem to get around to reviewing the Doctor Who Christmas episodes – it’s because, Christmas is over and by this point it all seems hokey to dredge up stuff about Christmas. It’s like watching A Charlie Brown Christmas in July.
Therefore, I will make this short:
Synopsis
The Doctor, sans companion, arrives in Victorian London on Christmas Eve. Moments later he hears calls of help shouting for “the Doctor.” He rushes to see and encounters a wholly improbably woman named Rosita, a cyber-beastie and a man, claiming to be the Time Lord known as the Doctor, complete with references to his sonic screwdriver and the TARDIS.
The new Doctor doesn’t recognize the tenth Doctor and, indeed has much of his memories missing.
The Doctor decides not to reveal himself, and helps the new Doctor to investigate. They encounter the Cybermen, recently escaped from the impossible-to-escape void.
The Cybermen are being helped by a human woman, named Charity, who helps the Cybermen take control of several respected managers of charities, so that they can control the children as a workforce.
As the Doctors’ investigation continues, it becomes apparent that the new Doctor is simply a human who has had an electronic dossier about the Doctor impressed over his memories at the same time something traumatic happened to him.
The Cybermen then “convert” Charity, who turns out to have a brain so strong she can dominate the Cybermen. She then takes control of their secret weapon: A steampunk gigantic Cyber-robot.
Then, as typical in a Russell T. Davies story, the Doctor gives her a warning and when she fail to accept it, he destroys her. Story over. Merry Christmas everyone!
Analysis
It might seem, from the casual dismissal of the denouement of the story that I didn’t like this story. In fact, I think it’s my favorite Russell T. Davies’ episode ever. I certainly can’t think of one offhand that I enjoyed more.
The pacing was good, the interplay between the two “Doctors” was good and I’ve got a soft spot for the Cybermen.
Still, on second viewing, I must say it began to fall apart quickly. The Cyber-beasties were never even remotely explained. The Doctor babbled about something regarding cats’ brains, but what the hell were those animals’ bodies? So far as the new history of the Cybermen is concerned, they’ve been either earthbound or trapped in the void, these look like people in really, really bad shaggy dog outfits, but smart enough to drive carriages – pretty good for cat brains.
The Cybermen apparently need people to work the starter motor on their big robot, so they have an intricate plan to capture children for this purpose. Why children? No reason is given, except that it probably fits with the whole Dickensian Fagan mythos of the era.
Why the big production number to create a funeral to get four men at the same place at the same time to put them under their spell when they could have just as easily taken them by surprise individually and done the same? No answer.
Why did the Cybermen need the “Info Stamps”? More importantly, what kind of perverted technology can have a little switch flipped and it causes your head to explode? At that’s at a distance. When they use them for their designed purpose, they have to insert them in a bodily orifice. Yeah. that’s convincing. Then, given the weird nature of the info-stamps, why oh why would the Cybermen have a bandolier filled with them. I have a difficult time imaging the Cybermen using bandoliers to carry ammunition, but why have one to carry what is essentially a library of data? Again, no answer.
And how about this Charity woman? Brain strong enough to take over the Cybermen. Not remotely plausible. (But oh so women’s lib.)
Liked the big robot at the end, but then the Doctor spoils it all by calling it a dreadnaught. OK, certainly might have dreadnaughts in their fleet – and, remembering that these new Cybermen shouldn’t have reached space flight yet – that’s from old continuity Cybermen- but would they have made one in the form of a giant Japanese-wannabe robot? That didn’t make sense at all. Had the Doctor left that line about the dreadnaught out, I could imagine the handful of surviving Cybermen, trapped on primitive Earth, having to make do with technology at hand, building a giant weapon, but I can’t see them recreating one of their dreadnaughts using steam power.
By the time I’ve written this, I’m rethinking my enjoyment of this episode.
No, dammit, I enjoyed it. It was fun, but check your mind at the door. And, I really liked the scene when the Doctor was in the gas-filled TARDIS (watch it and find out) and the citizens of London were cheering him for saving them. It really was about time that the Doctor got thanked for what he does.
(Oh wait, the Doctor has been thanked many, many times before.) Still, I liked it. I got a little choked up when I was watching it.