I really like this Doctor Who take on A Christmas Carol. I kind of have gained affection towards this episode over time. My initial experience with the production was a little rough. It starts out so frantic and noisy in its rush to get the basic premise out it is hard to realize what the show is going for until we start messing around with Kazran's own timeline. It's a story that really plays into then showrunner Steven Moffat's strengths as I find he both likes and is really good at telling stories around time travel.

Once I got what Moffat and crew were going for, I really started liking this episode. One of Moffat's strengths as a showrunner was his understanding that rules around time travel or Doctor Who shouldn't get in the way of a fun time, and A Christmas Carol's time travel plot bits are very much a strong example of that. Going through Christmas upon Christmas in Kazran's life, improving him as a human every step of the way so that he is willing to save Amy and Rory, is a brilliant plot piece, and it easily carries what could have been a shaky episode. This is one of Matt Smith's best and also one of the best Christmas Specials in all of Doctor Who because of it.

Not to mention this features a very, very strong performance by Michael Gambon. He is essential in making this a memorable story. If I were just reviewing his acting I would give performances a perfect score but the rest of the cast doesn't quite live up to his talents, including the youngest Kazran. It's expected but still holds this episode back from being a stronger editing along with other aspects of how this fun idea for a story is presented and told to us.

I don't love the special effects and editing, a lot of it feels choppy and the shark wasn't exactly looking great, but this is a touching and wonderful time, a really nice, emotional Doctor Who adventure, and absolutely worth checking out for the holidays.