lyssie: (Team TARDIS OT4)
lyssie ([personal profile] lyssie) wrote2012-01-15 11:54 am
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sff: Doctor Who Christmas special.

I haven't been putting off talking about it, I just hadn't really remembered that I hadn't. Also, there's a metric ton of negativity about it out there.

Unsurprisingly, I liked it. Quite a lot, in fact. But then, I'm a sucker for things that make me think of Foyle's War, and this did. I've (apparently) always liked the setting of WW2, and the themes of loss and love, heartbreak and grief.

It's miles better than last year, when the only woman who had any sort of storyline dies beautifully and tragically at the end.

There's a sense of wonder in the whole thing--old houses, ancient snow-covered forests, tragic loves and losses.

Madge Arwell was wonderful (I kept wanting to call her Sam Stewart--she had that same no-nonsensicalness and curiosity about her). I bought every bit of her storyline, right down to her having a pistol and crying in helplessness and driving a mech. I love that her brain was what the tree people needed to pilot their ship and keep them alive (especially with how Eleven looked so "...but I'm the Special One! HDU!" about it)

I LOVE THAT HER MAGICAL BRAIN SAVED HER HUSBAND. HEARTS IN MY EYES.

The children were all right.

The storyline was amusing, and of course, yet another diatribe against the destruction of forests (but then, I cut my teeth on Virgin's novel line, and there was lots of that there). I'm fond of "humanity sucks", as, well, it does.

Though I'm not sure I'd really call it that.

The wood people were wonderful and weird and strange, and I liked that there were two of them lying in wait. And also that the magic sonic didn't work on them (being wood).

I'm actually finding the sonic to be an obnoxious crutch these days. I sort of miss it just opening locks, and being a tool rather than the magical toy that explains everything to the Doctor. I don't like the psychic paper, either. In some ways, that's what I miss the most about the older series--it wasn't all handed neatly on a platter to him.

He had to actually puzzle things out.

Erm, that's more a criticism of the new version as a whole than this episode, though.

It's definitely an episode I'll watch again, and enjoy. (I suspect it will go into the queue of tv to listen to at work, as well).

OK. And, so, like, the ending. (shut up, I know it's comma abuse). THE ENDING.

That was ridiculously silly, but also heart-warming. If you like that sort of thing. And the Poooonds. <3 And Amy setting the table for him (and wtf was Rory's hair doing?)

eta: ALSO. I am personally certain that Madge could have picked the TARDIS lock. 'cause, um, I'm an optimist, and the old girl's a sentimentalist.

[identity profile] spiletta42.livejournal.com 2012-01-15 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I liked it too, for all the reasons you said, and also because he was 'Caretakeer' and not 'Doctor' throughout the episode, so yay for continuity with regards to the going underground decision. It could have used more Ponds, of course, but I liked all the extra happy -- a few too many Christmas specials have been ridiculously sad.
ext_18106: (Amy Pond thinks you might be ridiculous)

[identity profile] lyssie.livejournal.com 2012-01-15 06:47 pm (UTC)(link)
That, too. I liked the name he picked for himself. I did sort of miss the Ponds (and mentally speculate over how they'd've reacted to the tree people).

[identity profile] timjr.livejournal.com 2012-01-15 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Wait, there's been lots of negativity?
ext_18106: (Jenna princess)

[identity profile] lyssie.livejournal.com 2012-01-16 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
on fandomsecrets. And probably some of the other DW comms (that aren't the River and Amy loving places). Reading one thread of "Moffat can't write women and he's sooooo sexist! And everyone agrees with me!" was more than enough for me, so I haven't gone looking.
havocthecat: the lady of shalott (Default)

[personal profile] havocthecat 2012-01-16 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, yes, the people who absolutely insist that one cannot find anything redeeming about Moffat's Who and refuse to believe that anyone could find women being empowered on it. Because-- What? Because being a ~girl~ and acting like it is sexist?

Idk, I'm kind of frustrated at the fact that I'm not allowed to have girl cooties, because being a girl appears to be a sexist act on Who. So apparently I'm being a bad feminist by being a girl. (Or so some of their logic seems to say.)