Christmas Specials 2015
A bit late maybe, but I've been busy 'holidaying'! Still, here are my thoughts on the Christmas specials this year!
Doctor Who: The husbands of River Song
What a fun episode! Not too highstanding story-wise maybe, but I think we've had enough of those kind of episodes in the last season (and they didn't always work out thát well). So, this was like a breath of fresh air after the finale of season 9. It was good to see the Doctor laughing and enjoying himself. The moment were he entered the TARDIS, pretending to see it for the first time was a very nice idea I thought! I didn't mind seeing River Song again, though she was never a favourite of mine. Alex Kingston's chemistry with Peter Capaldi was great, dare I say maybe even better than with Matt Smith? Their pairing made for some lovely poignant moments: when River Song recognized the Doctor and when they were together at the Singing Towers. Great acting there! I also loved how it seemed in the Doctor's speech that he learned something from his ordeal with Clara's 'death' (even though he shouldn't remember?) about endings and how to deal with them. So yes, I really enjoyed this one!
Call the Midwife
I can't put my finger on it, but I didn't 'feel' the Christmas episode of Call the Midwife this year. There seem to be mostly the same ingredients as always, still it felt a bit stale? The plotline with Sister Monica Joan especially, we have seen her running away from home before. The BBC storyline made for a nice overarching plot and tied in to the changing of the times, something this series does very well. There was not a lot of personal stories for our other sisters and nurses this year (except for Patsy ofcourse), which I did miss, especially as Trixie just had a momentous change in the last episode of series 4 and it was hardly touched upon in this special. Is it just me or are we getting too much characters in this series, which makes it harder to give everyone storylines and development? What did catch my interest was the little interlude between Barbara and reverend Tom, that could become interesting in the coming season. All in all, I'm looking forward to new episodes, but this Christmas Special was not one of the best for me.
Downton Abbey: The finale
The very very last episode of Downton... I'm a bit sad that it's over, but also happy with how it ended, thanks to this Special I can 'close the book' with a happy sigh. Julian Fellowes did was what expected of him, haha! It was great to see Edith so happy (and I loooved her clothes this episode!), but also her being strong enough to be honest with Bertie's mother. It was nice to see Tom and Henry go into business together, although I do wonder if second-hand cars was respectable enough for their positions? I would have liked to see Tom get more of a romance, but I guess there was no time for that anymore. Maybe I'll find a good fanfic about it some day! So glad Isobel got her happy ending with Lord Merton. I found their storyline with the intervening kids a bit forced this last season, but the ending was really sweet! What did feel forced in this special was the Carson/Thomas storyline. I always expected Thomas would be allowed to stay at Downton, but this retirement of Carson was just a bit too sudden, too neat. I wouldn't have minded a Molesley/Baxter kiss, but I can definitely live with Molesley's new career! All in all, a lot of good endings for our beloved characters, though perhaps a bit rushed.