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A CHRISTMAS CAROL

1 episode. Approx. 61 minutes. Written by: Steven Moffat. Directed by:
Toby Haynes. Produced by: Sanne Wohlenberg.


THE PLOT

Amy and Rory are enjoying their honeymoon on a starliner... which, of
course, means that their ship is subject to disaster. The ship is
caught in a field of clouds that surround the planet owned by Kazran
(Michael Gambon), who controls not only the planet but the planet's
weather. If Kazran doesn't use his machine to part the clouds and
allow for a safe landing, then the ship will be destroyed within the
hour.

There's only one problem: Kazran is a cruel, miserly old man, whose
bitterness only increases with the holidays. When the Doctor is unable
to use his machine in spite of him, he focuses on transforming
Kazran's character. He decides to mimic the plot of A Christmas Carol,
using his TARDIS to not only show the old man his past, but to
actually change it. But when the Doctor's manipulations in the past
backfire, he will have to desperately draw on Kazran's present and
future in order to salvage the situation.


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: This story is largely a romp, so it's unsurprising that
the Doctor is in "manic mode" for the bulk of it. To his credit, Matt
Smith keeps a core of sadness in his performance. When the young
Kazran suddenly shuts him out, the Doctor recognizes that there is
something wrong. He urges Kazran to tell him, and is genuinely sorry
when he's unable to get through to the young man. When the old Kazran
thunders at him that he should try experiencing genuine loss, the
Doctor simply stands mute and stares back at him - a reminder to the
audience that any loss Kazran might feel is trivial next to the ones
the Doctor has felt. That melancholy is never overplayed. It feels
lived-in, as much a part of the Doctor's wardrobe as his bow-tie.
Speaking of which, we finally get a proper explanation as to exactly
why the 11th Doctor's bowtie is "cool." That explanation, when it
comes, is perfect.

Amy/Rory: Largely sharing the "damsel-in-distress" role, with their
jeopardy on the starliner giving urgency to the Doctor's mission while
also sparing the script from having to deal too much with their
presence. Still, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill retain their usual
energy. Their presence may be expendable, but their participation is
as agreeable as ever.


THOUGHTS

A direct riff on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. This was done by
Doctor Who once before, when 1986's Trial of a Timelord saw the Sixth
Doctor defending his past, present, and future. Still, this is the
first time the story has been directly used by the series for a
Christmas special. Given that this is the series' sixth Christmas
special, that's actually something of a surprise.

It's a rather fun piece. Not Earth-shattering by any means... but
then, it's a Christmas special, so it's not really supposed to be.
Writer Steven Moffat has penned a briskly-paced holiday pastische,
which director Toby Haynes and the BBC special effects department have
filled out with some eye-catching visuals.

Key to the episode's success is the central figure in any version of A
Christmas Carol: Scrooge. Michael Gambon's Kazran makes a terrific
stand-in for Ebenezer. Like any Scrooge, it's most fun watching him
while he's still in full-bore "nasty" mode, but Gambon does imbue the
character's gradual transformation with genuine emotion. Moffat's
script also gives the narrative a clever turn by having the Doctor's
manipulations of Kazran's past backfire, making the old man more
bitter than ever before.

Kazran Sardick is a well-written character. He's not really evil. He's
just bitter, to a degree that his bitterness has become like an old
coat he shrugs on every morning. Faced with the deaths of so many
innocents, deaths he can prevent by simply flicking a switch, Gambon's
Kazran remains impassive. It's not that he hates these people. As he
explains to the Doctor, he simply doesn't care. When Gambon spits out
that line - "I don't and never, ever will care!" - he puts such venom
into it that it chills the spine.

Casting Gambon as both Kazran and his father seems, at first, to be
simply a money-saving device. Having cast a high-profile actor, the
production is by God going to use him. But there is method in the
double-casting. We see, in the past, Kazran's father strike him. That
scene is bookended by two moments, however, ones which show how Kazran
is different from his father. He catches the Doctor's eye as a
salvageable human being at the start, when he raises his hand to hit
the boy but does not actually strike. Then, at the end, he is
confronted with his own younger self. Again, he raises his hand to
strike, more furious than we have seen him at any moment in the
production. The sin his younger self committed? Recognizing the older
Kazran as "Dad." Once again, Kazran does not strike. The first failure
to strike marks him as redeemable; the second pushes him the rest of
the way "out of the dark."

Substantially less good is the teaser. The bizarre, "Christmas is
cancelled!" line had me sure for a moment that such a ridiculous
statement must surely be meant as some form of code. But nope - turns
out it's just a bizarre line, there apparently to remind the viewers
that they are watching a Christmas episode. As if the recycled Dickens
plot, or indeed the viewing date of December 25, would let them
forget.

Then there's the ending, in which the Doctor doesn't even attempt to
help Abigail (Katherine Jenkins). He learns that she is dying, has one
day left to live, and... does nothing. He doesn't even try to help,
doesn't even ask what it is she's dying from. OK, fair enough that
"everything has its time and everything dies." But... shouldn't he at
least see if this really is her time? For all he knows, she's dying of
something easily within his power to cure! Without confirming that
point, one might as well apply "Everything ends" to the passengers on
the crashing ship. The only difference between them and Abigail is one
of numbers!

These gripes aside, I find A Christmas Carol to be one of the series'
better Christmas specials. A light romp with some suitably sentimental
bits thrown in, this is well-made and very well-acted. Not a triumph,
perhaps - but certainly an enjoyable and energetic romp.


Rating: 7/10.

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