Doctor Who Christmas Special
I found an article that posted selections from reviews of the Special as a jumping off point.
Guardian: Matt Smith is ever so slightly annoying.
Assignment X: … ultimately this story’s strongest theme is the celebration of the power in a mother’s love. … In this one instance, it’s a lovely, inspirational message for this very family-oriented time of year, and it doesn’t detract at all from any other strengths that female characters might and should exhibit.
io9: it's nice that, coming so soon after the tribute to Craig's fatherhood, we get an extended tribute to motherhood.
digital journal: Possibly a bit too much Spielbergian sentimentality.
===
First of all, Matt Smith does an incredible job being the Doctor in this ep. And finally, FINALLY, Moffat acknowledges the extreme emotional changes he's gone through in the several hundred years of his life as Eleven.
For us, as viewers, it's hard to acknowledge how much time has passed for the Doctor since he regenerated. For us, because we loved Nine and Ten so much, it was just last year. The Time War and the loss of Rose still burn fresh in our hearts like they did for Nine and Ten. But this isn't true for Eleven, and in this special, we finally see the many lost years and the toll they've taken.
The Doctor doesn't even know how long it's been since Amy has seen him. He's a Time Lord and he has NO IDEA. For us as viewers, it's so painful to watch him flail about when he's longing so badly to walk through that Tardis Blue door. Thanks, sincerely, Moff, for finally letting him cry as Amy and Rory admit that they always have a place set for him.
In this episode we finally have an acknowledgement that the Doctor mourns his loss of emotional connection with people and places, the idea of home. He locked so much of himself away in his regeneration - -so much that he became more alien that he had been in lifetimes. In this episode, for the first time in my opinion, he regained his wholehearted connection to humanity. I would certainly welcome more in this vein!
So, I absolutely disagree that Matt was annoying. He was BRILLIANT, letting that ancient alien peer out of his face in joy and compassion and wounded hopefulness.
I liked the Mum, Madge, very well, and I liked the story, but the phrase "spielbergian sentimentality" hits the nail on the head. The little kid--why do we have to stare into his glasses? trite. the teenaged girl --why so flat and stereotypical? I liked the fun of the house -- primarily because Eleven enjoyed it so much -- and I liked the box into Narnia and the twist that the trees were trying to save themselves. I did very much like that the forest was going to be destroyed just because the humans needed fuel (try ocean dredging for fish, frakking, or mountaintop removal for sad examples of humanity's tendency to be greedy in everyday real life).
cue feminist rant: I think the story is "sentimental" because of the way Moffat's women characters have this innate goodness and strength to them. Isn't that sad? It isn't that I don't like Madge, or the actor, or her story, because I do -- but it's so grating that Moffatt only tells women's stories AS WOMEN'S STORIES. His gender blinders color every woman pink. Craig's story about being a dad is about how a man becomes a dad. But a woman, to Moffatt, just has this innate nature. It's a terrible example of what could be great storytelling has this canker of gender blindness at the heart of it. Sad. Spielbergian because I am just so sick of how every movie of his is about a boy finding his dad, like there are no other types of stories to be told in the world -- especially no stories of women, who do things, other than be a Mother or a Wife or a Girl Who Waits. Gosh, a shopgirl? a temp? a doctor in her own right? how are those stories about women unless their Gendered Roles are put first and foremost? It's frustrating is what it is. Amy, and especially River, could have been SO MUCH MORE in the hands of a writer who could write real women. /end rant.
Anyway, we actually loved the Special. My son and I watched it together, and it moved us to tears, so far be it from me to declare it any kind of loss. It was a lovely story and actually developed Eleven quite significantly. Plus -- everybody lives! It was a great Day for Eleven -- one of the best. :D
Guardian: Matt Smith is ever so slightly annoying.
Assignment X: … ultimately this story’s strongest theme is the celebration of the power in a mother’s love. … In this one instance, it’s a lovely, inspirational message for this very family-oriented time of year, and it doesn’t detract at all from any other strengths that female characters might and should exhibit.
io9: it's nice that, coming so soon after the tribute to Craig's fatherhood, we get an extended tribute to motherhood.
digital journal: Possibly a bit too much Spielbergian sentimentality.
===
First of all, Matt Smith does an incredible job being the Doctor in this ep. And finally, FINALLY, Moffat acknowledges the extreme emotional changes he's gone through in the several hundred years of his life as Eleven.
For us, as viewers, it's hard to acknowledge how much time has passed for the Doctor since he regenerated. For us, because we loved Nine and Ten so much, it was just last year. The Time War and the loss of Rose still burn fresh in our hearts like they did for Nine and Ten. But this isn't true for Eleven, and in this special, we finally see the many lost years and the toll they've taken.
The Doctor doesn't even know how long it's been since Amy has seen him. He's a Time Lord and he has NO IDEA. For us as viewers, it's so painful to watch him flail about when he's longing so badly to walk through that Tardis Blue door. Thanks, sincerely, Moff, for finally letting him cry as Amy and Rory admit that they always have a place set for him.
In this episode we finally have an acknowledgement that the Doctor mourns his loss of emotional connection with people and places, the idea of home. He locked so much of himself away in his regeneration - -so much that he became more alien that he had been in lifetimes. In this episode, for the first time in my opinion, he regained his wholehearted connection to humanity. I would certainly welcome more in this vein!
So, I absolutely disagree that Matt was annoying. He was BRILLIANT, letting that ancient alien peer out of his face in joy and compassion and wounded hopefulness.
I liked the Mum, Madge, very well, and I liked the story, but the phrase "spielbergian sentimentality" hits the nail on the head. The little kid--why do we have to stare into his glasses? trite. the teenaged girl --why so flat and stereotypical? I liked the fun of the house -- primarily because Eleven enjoyed it so much -- and I liked the box into Narnia and the twist that the trees were trying to save themselves. I did very much like that the forest was going to be destroyed just because the humans needed fuel (try ocean dredging for fish, frakking, or mountaintop removal for sad examples of humanity's tendency to be greedy in everyday real life).
cue feminist rant: I think the story is "sentimental" because of the way Moffat's women characters have this innate goodness and strength to them. Isn't that sad? It isn't that I don't like Madge, or the actor, or her story, because I do -- but it's so grating that Moffatt only tells women's stories AS WOMEN'S STORIES. His gender blinders color every woman pink. Craig's story about being a dad is about how a man becomes a dad. But a woman, to Moffatt, just has this innate nature. It's a terrible example of what could be great storytelling has this canker of gender blindness at the heart of it. Sad. Spielbergian because I am just so sick of how every movie of his is about a boy finding his dad, like there are no other types of stories to be told in the world -- especially no stories of women, who do things, other than be a Mother or a Wife or a Girl Who Waits. Gosh, a shopgirl? a temp? a doctor in her own right? how are those stories about women unless their Gendered Roles are put first and foremost? It's frustrating is what it is. Amy, and especially River, could have been SO MUCH MORE in the hands of a writer who could write real women. /end rant.
Anyway, we actually loved the Special. My son and I watched it together, and it moved us to tears, so far be it from me to declare it any kind of loss. It was a lovely story and actually developed Eleven quite significantly. Plus -- everybody lives! It was a great Day for Eleven -- one of the best. :D