Review: The Time of the Doctor

We bade Matt Smith a maudlin and schmaltzy goodbye on Christmas day with ‘The Time of the Doctor,’ the long-awaited Christmas special where we finally got to meet the Doctor’s next incarnation, albeit only for a few moments. While many segments of the internet seem to have greatly enjoyed the show, it was difficult for me to stomach, what with all the saccharine sentiment. My teeth are hurting just thinking about it.

This may be due to my naturally grinchy nature, which leads me to loathe holidays in general and Christmas in particular. This year it seems that the damnable holiday has been inescapable, surrounded as I am by constant exhortations to buy things, ‘have a merry Christmas,’ and observe irritating blinking lights, giant inflatable Santas, and other crimes against the visual arts on display in people’s yards and peeping out through their curtains. Thus, anything that plays upon Christmas sentiment and mythology is likely to leave me feeling irritated and/or bored, and that was largely the case here.

‘The Time of the Doctor’ brings the Doctor to a town called Christmas (yes really), where he finds himself trapped for over 300 years because if he leaves, the planet will be destroyed. He defends it from ancient enemies like Cybermen and Daleks, rescuing the human population time and time again as he slowly begins to age. At last, close to the end, Clara pleads with the Time Lords (across dimensions!) for help, and they send him just enough energy to regenerate…

…into Peter Capaldi, which we already knew was going to happen, but was no less disappointing. I almost wish they’d kept it under wraps so I could have nursed the fantasy of a bit of diversity just a little bit longer, but alas. Number 13 is, as advertised, yet another white man, though evidently his kidneys are a different colour, as he informed us within seconds of successfully regenerating. I for one am glad that the producers have addressed the critical issue of lack of kidney diversity on Doctor Who, because it was a glaring gap in the show’s otherwise impeccable record with respect to representation.

The mawkish sentimentality of this episode was nigh-on unbearable, between the cutesy town with the twee decorations and the periodic sobs and protestations of the characters; they even found room for an Amy Pond (yawn) cameo at the very end to bring the Doctor’s journey full circle. While it was certainly in fitting with the history of past regenerations, and was probably intended as a quiet reflection on Smith’s run as the Doctor, it was really just a bit over the top.

Clara, who has never been terribly appealing to me, spent much of the episode mooning about with great cow eyes as though the world was coming to an end, and we caught hardly any glimpses of the Doctor’s old friends and allies. Undoubtedly this was done in a deliberate attempt to avoid having the episode feel like a review session of all his old pals, but alas, it’s they who are the most interesting: why can’t Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint be his companions? They are least have their own personalities and depths instead of being dependent on the Doctor for everything in their lives.

We were also treated to the obligatory small child hanging on the Doctor’s every word, whom I think we were supposed to view as cute but also as a reminder of the passing of time and the changing of generations. I was mainly concerned with the grubbiness of his hands and the likelihood that they’d leave a smeared mess all over the TARDIS if he insisted on fondling it as part of his fetish for all things Doctor.

As we transition into Capaldi’s regeneration with the next season, we’ll have a chance to see the actor establish himself in the role and become his own personality. As always when there’s a new Doctor, he feels jarringly wrong and uncomfortable at the moment, though I know that’s going to change over time; that said, I still can’t help but harbor a little bitterness about the lack of imagination in casting. It would have been oh so very nice to see a Doctor who stepped outside the traditions of the last regenerations, as, after all, he can become anyone.

What lies ahead for the Doctor and Clara? Clearly, the fact that Gallifrey still exists is becoming a pressing priority, and I suspect we’re going to see that explored in more depth over the coming year. Perhaps we’ll also get more glimpses into the ways in which the Doctor has altered his own past as well as the future with his decision to save Gallifrey, and we’ll learn more about what will happen if they manage to bring the planet out of stasis.

The question is: can Steven Moffat pull his head out of his arse long enough to write some decent television?