Worst. Xmas. Special. Ever. [SPOILERS!!]
I mean, come on, how could they completely disregard canon like that??!! The Blinovitch Limitation Effect is absolutely integral to what makes Doctor Who Doctor Who!!* How dare they...
Well no, actually, it was pretty good really. :D
I'll no doubt watch this again in the very near future, but after a first view earlier this evening, this actually fulfilled my expectations insofar as it might well have been the best NuWho Xmas special to date. I'll admit, the competition isn't actually that stiff for that particular accolade. I think what really clinched it for me was the fact that it didn't make me want to kick in/throw things at the telly even once. I know, set your sights low and you will never be disappointed. :D
The boy Smith continues excellent, imho, just as he was all through S5. Amy and Rory were reduced to much smaller roles, but they made an impact in what little screentime they did have. I wish we had small children in our family, just to see their parents squirm trying to explain what the deal was with the police uniform/Roman outfit. XD Michael Gambon was as reliable as you'd expect, and his Scrooge-like character was drawn very well, I thought, by the script and by the actor's performance. Katherine Jenkins...didn't disgrace herself acting-wise; I could have done with a bit less singing in my Who special, but I am just an old Christmas curmudgeon myself I guess... :D
The whole timey-wimey romance angle was pretty nicely done, I thought. At the end of the day, it was Eleven taking some pretty big liberties with causality and his subject's human rights, I guess, but he was funny about it and was doing it for the best of reasons, so... Yes, yes, once again I cut Eleven ethical slack because I like him. I am a hypocrite. XD
Flying sharks?! And they kind of made it work too, which was the most surprising part.
I'm sure there were lots of quotable lines, and I'm just blanking on them at the moment, but no doubt when I watch it again they will come flooding back.
So yes, all in all, I remain a shameless Eleven fanboy/shill. I suspect the Ten Xmas specials weren't actually as bad as all that, when I was watching them. The tail end of Ten's era has kind of unfairly soured me on the whole period, when I know for a fact there were plenty of stories I enjoyed when I was watching them, and enjoy again when I watch them again. Voyage of the Damned was genuinely bad, mind you, imo. And as for EoT Pt 2...
Yes, so basically my positon is A Christmas Carol was much better than EoT Pt 2 - which admittedly isn't saying much, but yes, I rather liked it, all things considered. :) I think the only thing I could really fault it on would be lack of gratuitous oldschool continuity w*nk, as I have come to expect from my NuWho/SJA viewing, but I'm willing to accept, as others have suggested, that the thing about the isometric controls and the isometric controls being a fib was a reference to Pyramids of Mars. I certainly hope so!
And COMING SOON:
Cavaliers?! Nazis?!!! Eleven demanding a SWAT Team, a street-level map of Florida, a pot of coffee, twelve Jammy Dodgers and a fez??!!!! Cowboy Hats??!! Men in Black???!!! Naked River Song??!?!?!! With a six-shooter??!!!??!! Ominous voiceovers??!?!?!! Creepy doll creatures??!?!?!!!? Astronauts???!?!?!? SATANIC OOD??!?!?!?! Amy screaming with creepy tally-mark things drawn all over her?!??!??!?!?! With Eleven calling her "Amelia"??!?!?!?!!?!!! AND ELEVEN IN A BEARD?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!?!?!?!!
Damn. I've just broken the question mark key on my computer...
XD
* although, to be fair, Mawdryn Undead now makes even less sense than it did already... D: