Doctor Who reviews – Series 2 Christmas Special – "The Christmas Invasion"

Quick note before I begin. If you're here after reading my reviews of Series 1, you know the drill: no spoilers please. If you're new here, firstly, welcome; secondly… well, no spoilers please. Feel free to say things like 'oh, I can't wait to see your reaction to this next episode, Crystal' or things of that nature, but also don't tell me that Rose is secretly a female Time Lord or something. (On that note, don't tell me if I'm wrong there or not). So yeah, I am tookworm. My name is Crystal and I'm a Northern Brit who has taken 16 years of her life to delve into the world of Doctor Who. Hope you enjoy my reviews for Doctor Who Series 2!

So. The Christmas Invasion.

It was… okay? Ish? I guess? I mean, Christmas specials of television shows tend not to be very good, so I had low expectations here. The plot is one of the worst ones we've been forced to sit through, and the extension to an hour-long episode didn't help.

I did enjoy the first ten minutes or so, because the idea of brand-new Doctor to get to know was so very exciting. David Tennant's opening scene is quite amusing, establishes just how very adorable he is in the role, and also establishes another thing: this Doctor is nothing like Nine. More on that later. His entrance is amusing and I really did like it. Mickey and Jackie's reactions were hilarious too.

I have little to say on the episode's plot besides the fact that I found it stupid. Oh, brilliant, another large-scale alien invasion that's reported worldwide and puts like half the people in the world in peril yet somehow I don't recall hearing reported on the news. Very smooth, Russell T Davies, very smooth. Have you ever encountered a little word called subtlety?

The evil Santas wouldn't have been bad but were dispensed with very quickly. The attack tree was just plain silly, but at least I got a giggle out of it. As for the Sycorax… (sigh)

I did like the design of the Sycorax as well as the prosthetics work, which I found quite creative. The inside of the ship was also unique, though it didn't do too much for me. Beyond that I could not bring myself to be captivated. The idea of blood control I found original as an idea but was poorly-executed. And, like everything else in this episode, was just far too overblown and over-the-top. A lot like Davies' other work.

And shockingly, I wasn't really hyped about the return of Harriet Jones. I'll high-five her for becoming Prime Minister, but to tell the truth, her reappearance could have been so much more. She has developed somewhat, becoming more pro-active and such, but her personality is more or less the same. I did quite like her exit, though – man, this Doctor can be intimidating, can't he?

My final words, will be, of course, on the new Doctor himself. I mentioned it in my review of 'The Parting of the Ways': as a longtime fan of David Tennant, it's super-exciting to see him in the role of the Doctor. Just from his first few minutes, it's clear to me that he isn't going to be the same Doctor Chris Eccleston was, and I think that's a good thing. Actors should be able to find their own take on the character in roles that require several people to play them, and if all actors played on the same personality, it probably wouldn't suit them. The Tenth Doctor will be different from the Ninth, and I'm OK with that.

Having said that, I'm glad the script didn't ignore the fact that accepting the new Doctor will be hard on Rose. And boy, does she ever take it hard. The problem is that I just can't bring myself to sympathise with her. I felt understanding at first, but Rose went from mourning and afraid to simply whingey and annoying. Good God, was she ever annoying. I understand the trauma she's been through, but she also does FAR too much sobbing for me to feel sorry for her! Lines like 'the proper Doctor would know what to do' and 'my Doctor would be here for me' and 'the real Doctor would wake up' – hang on, luv, what was that last one? Are you implying that you don't think the Ninth Doctor would stay unconscious? That Nine would just be able to wake up? THAT TEN IS BEING UNCONSCIOUS WILLINGLY, which Nine would NEVER DO?

Jesus bloody Christ, Rose.

And what's more, as soon as the Doctor steps from the TARDIS in his pyjamas and dressing gown all dramatically, she accepts him in the blink of an eye! Like, 'Oh, OK, now he's saving the day again, he MUST be my Doctor. I mean duh.' I would have much preferred, I dunno, a gradual transition of acceptance and relationship development?

So, on to Ten: it's clear that, yes, he's not Nine. For one thing, contrary to Nine's line 'I'm the Doctor and if there's one thing I can do it's talk', Ten is much more chatty than his predecessor. This is practically machine-gun-fire dialogue. He's also much more arrogant, and seems to have a dark side that's more under the surface than Nine's. Overall, very excited where he takes me next.

I just hope Rose becomes tolerable again.

THOUGHTS AND QUOTES

Let's address the elephant in the room: David Tennant is hot. Like really hot. Holy shite. I'm hyperventilating. I mean, I knew he was hot, but God is he ever sexy as the Doctor.

On the note of David Tennant and hotness, he looked smashing in Chris Eccleston's leather jacket. (Still miss you, Nine!)

'Is there anything else he's got two of?' Well, I guess there had to be a penis joke in there eventually.

Tea to the rescue!

'Is that the sort of man I am now? Rude and not ginger?'

'From the day they arrive on this planet, and blinking, step into the sun. There is more to see than can ever be seen; more to do than can ever – wait, no, sorry; that's The Lion King… but the point still stands!'

'You see this hand? It's a fightin' hand!' David Tennant and a Southern accent. I can't even.

'Don't you think she looks tired?'

Still missing Nine.