Last Christmas

"It's time to start living in the real world."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 25 December 2014

Series: 2014 Christmas Special 

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

The Doctor and Clara face their last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!

Verdict

Last Christmas was a pretty average Christmas Special which is a big shame to say as the first festive episode for the Twelfth Doctor. This serves as part of the sporadic modern era rewatch I'm currently having alongside my partner Gemma that we've slowly been getting through for over four years now. This is the first time we have watched this episode together and I went into it fully with the knowledge that this was my least favourite Christmas Special, and by some distance. I remember at the time of broadcast and my only rewatch in the year following that one of my main qualms was how on the nose the story is in referring to Santa as fiction. I really don't like that and it took less than five minutes for us on the sofa to turn to each other and state how we wouldn't want our four-year old son Albie watching this. It's such a shame because he's slowly starting take an interest in Doctor Who. He was engaged with The Robot Revolution this year and sat through Aliens of London which we put on because of his insistence on removing my Slitheen and Space Pig figures from the collection room I have, but I just couldn't put even the idea of Santa not being real into his head. The magic of Christmas is so special at this age and imagine spending Christmas Day with your young one considering that it might be just his mum and dad putting presents under the tree! That really upsets me as this is the first time watching the episode since becoming a parent. There's no way I would want him watching this whilst he still believes! I think the reunion between the Doctor and Clara after them both lying to each other at the end of Death in Heaven was a bit rushed and should be something more focused given that it literally led to them departing. The Doctor didn't have time to consider how Clara had been grieving knowing that Danny didn't actually come back and Clara could barely react to the Doctor describing how Gallifrey wasn't where he thought it was. That deserved more focus. I think Nick Frost actually plays a decent Santa and I do enjoy some of the interactions he has with the Doctor. On paper, a meeting between the Doctor and Santa is a bucket list item so it is nice that we do get some strong moments. There's a loose competition between the pair which is fun to play around with. It's also lovely to get Dan Starkey in a role that's not a Sontaran! I think the Dream Crabs are a strong monster and they look rather disgusting which is certainly the aim. Imagine one of them over your face as you sleep! No thank you. But the whole dreams within dreams and then oops no there's one last dream is not a format I enjoy. In parts it was also so obvious that they were within a dream and whilst it is fun to explore the subconscious, it's also strange watching things you know aren't real. And enough with Danny Pink now! I have never been a big fan of his and just when he goes and dies here he is again popping up. The internal conflict he has with the Doctor was strong stuff though. I thought the ending was good on an emotional level with the Doctor and Clara being reunited, but the moments where Clara was an old woman were honestly terrible. The makeup was shocking and it just doesn't work with the original actor because you could see Jenna Coleman's youth shining in her eyes! And she wasn't all that great at sounding elderly. But the Doctor failing to see age in his companions is a lovely sentiment. Overall, a strong villain and some fun interactions, but a lot to bring this one down unfortunately. I won't be rushing to watch it for a fourth time! 

Rating: 6/10