A Christmas Carol (Doctor Who)

So... I just finished The Time of the Doctor. I thought about doing a review of that, but I'm not quite sure how I feel yet. I'll be sure to mention my feelings on the episode in that review that will most likely come tomorrow after I watch it without distractions or commercials.

But, since it is Christmas, I thought I'd do a review of something Christmas-y and the first thing that came to mind was the Christmas Special at the end of the 5th Series of Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol.

Though this special came out in 2010, I didn't see it until this year. There was huge hype over the current Christmas Special that they made lists of all the Christmas Specials of the rebooted series and this was near if not at the top of all of those lists. But it didn't look familiar to me. I soon realized, its not on Netflix. Why? I have no idea. But it took me a while to find this one and I'm really bummed I am only now finding it.

I love the story of the Christmas Carol. I think this is mainly due to my love and childhood nostalgia for The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Its pretty obvious the premise, its the classic Charles Dickens story but with the muppets, and Michael Caine.

This really started my love for the Muppets, Michael Caine, and the entire story of Ebeneezer Scrooge being haunted by three ghosts in order for him to realize the importance of Christmas.

If I have time tonight, I may review the Muppet Christmas Carol. But in the case I don't get to it, the short review is, its REALLY good.

Now it's tradition for the Doctor to have his very own adventure on Christmas.

Probably because I hadn't seen this special, I hadn't seen Matt Smith in a full fledged Christmas Special. Yes I saw him in the other ones like The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe, and The Snowmen, but I never felt as though Matt Smith was in a complete Christmas Special, (in my opinion) until I saw him in A Christmas Carol.

The story starts with Amy Pond and her newly wed husband Rory on their honeymoon, on a large spaceship crashing through the atmosphere of a different planet. The Doctor soon shows up and figures out that the atmosphere they are falling through is a special crystalized atmosphere that is preventing them from landing safely. It is controlled by a rich man named Kazran Sardick who refuses to help because he's too busy and greedy even in the Christmas season.

The Doctor then conducts a reenactment of A Christmas Carol with his own little twist. He manipulates Sardick's past, giving him new memories in the hope of making him a less spiteful man.

This is in the running for one of my favorite Christmas specials of Doctor Who and of all time.

It loosely follows the story of the Christmas Carol to give it the familiar feeling but at the same time it has its own Doctor Who feeling to it that completes the piece of art you watch.

Matt Smith is phenomenal in it. While Amy and Rory are stuck on the ship, he is able to interact with new "companions" in Sardick and the woman they awaken from a frozen sleep.

In the story, The Doctor goes back in time to a young Karzan Sardick to help him enjoy a childhood that was taken from him from his strict father. While it starts with investigating flying fish, it soon develops into a beautiful love story. They find a woman, frozen in a box, named Abigail. After a wonderful Christmas eve adventure observing the fish in the sky, young Kazran gets the Doctor to come back every Christmas Eve and bring him and Abigail on an adventure.

The Doctor intends on making young Kazran see the beauty in Christmas and something he can enjoy. However the Doctor doesn't realize that Abigail is dying and every Christmas Eve they spend together is draining the days she has left to live. Unfortunately, Kazran falls in love with her and is heartbroken when he finds out she only has one day left.

This makes him the bitter once again and the Doctor doesn't realize that by bringing Abigail into his life, Kazran is haunted by the inevitability that she will die and he must choose the one day to spend with his beloved. This was one of the best themes I've ever seen done and Michael Gambdon does it brilliantly.

Yeah, Dumbledore is in this episode. He was good as Dumbledore but I don't think that part gives Gambdon enough credit as an actor. Kazran Sardick is such a complex character that I got more out of him than I did of 8 (or is it 7? 6?) movies of Harry Potter.

Anyway, not only does he struggle with the loss of his beloved Abigail but he struggles with the fear of becoming his strict and slightly abusive father. There's a fantastic scene where the Doctor brings the young Kazran to see the older one just as he is so angry he says he doesn't care about the people on the ship that will die if he doesn't do anything. This scene is just too great to explain but it brings me to tears every time I see it.

And I think that's the great thing about Doctor Who. The storytelling in one hour is so fantastic that it not only brings its viewers to tears, but it's able to give such a connection to the characters and the story in such a limited time.

The Doctor is such a likable character that he's really someone you want to root for. And the more you watch the show the more attached you get to the character.

I have my opinions about The Time of the Doctor and the regeneration but the time of Matt Smith has a special place in my heart. I think each actor who becomes the Doctor brings his own spin to the role and I think the Christmas Carol is a fantastic testament to Smith's contribution to the role and the entire show of Doctor Who.

So if you're a Doctor Who fan and you haven't seen A Christmas Carol, you really should. You probably have but you should if you haven't. If you're not a Doctor Who fan, I would think its a good transition into the show. Maybe not the best introduction to the character but its a great example of the heart of the show and the likable characters it creates in such a short span of time.

So what do you think about the episode A Christmas Carol? Don't worry I will do a post on The Time of the Doctor so don't post anything about that yet. But what's your favorite Doctor Who Christmas Special? Furthermore what's your favorite Christmas story, book, movie, TV special, anything, let me know.

I'll leave you with this. Not really related to Matt Smith, but still related to Doctor Who and its pretty funny. Merry Christmas.