Dr Who Christmas Special 2011 - The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
I'm still very ill and all drugged up with the tablets, so a v quick review.
1) I'm not sure whether it's the illness dampening my spirits, but I found this a bit uninspiring. Not bad, just not as awesome as I was expecting.
2) Beginning was quite nice, though it (and everything else) felt a bit rushed.
3) The wonderful comedians/actors Alexander Armstrong and Bill Bailey were sorely underused. Great shame.
4) I like the cool house with all the Doctor's improvements.
5) Seeing the Doctor take on a new pseudonym, the Caretaker, albeit temporarily, was quite fun, especially in light of discussions of etymology mid-way through the last series.
6) The concept was nice, and in principle I love the wooden 'people' and the Narnia-esque forest and the Tolkien-esque living/talking trees. (Also bonus reference to Jabe in the first series.)
7) Resolution a bit rushed and convenient, especially the way the husband was saved. Not much effort to make everything plausible... Oh, wait, it's Dr Who. Suffered a little from relying on the old 'making everything better by controlling stuff with your mind' chestnut, which is not showing any signs of going away.
I think that's it really. I do wish I could get my Dr Who enthusiasm back. When series 5 aired I was so happy and excited for the future, but over series 6 I do feel quite let down by the general writing and concepts. Oh well. Not sure if this is just me.
(I'm glad this wasn't the only thing we watched for Christmas Day - we sandwiched it with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, quite possibly the best film ever made but then there's Star Wars to think of, and the Downton Abbey Christmas special, which I'll post about separately.)