Those are some fresh Thoughts, so they may change drastically in the Future.

To be honest, my excitement for this was almost non-existing and maybe because of it my Opinion is so positive, but my God this was excellent. Perfect? Probably not. But my God, this hit so many right notes for me.

Of course there is a Discussion to be had with how it handles two Things: One of which being the Ending with Bethlehem, which I didn’t mind personally but then again I am not really religious. Although the Ending with Joy becoming this Star was probably the one part which makes me unsure if I would rate this Episode so highly, it’s hard for me to properly articulate why, but I don’t know.

The other Thing is Covid, which I can see why People would find it insensitive, it hasn’t been too long since it, but personally I really thought that Part was done well, in particular how Joy vents about it to the Doctor. Coughlan plays it so well and in general is just a blast to watch as this one-off Companion, she is very sweet but portrays the Emotions quite well.

The big Star of this Special is Ncuti, my God. I must admit while I already really liked the Energy he brought to the Role, for me, he kinda didn’t click yet, but my god, he clicked now. Maybe I am the only one with that, but while I think every Doctor has something unique about, I absolutely adore those Moments, where it feels like a past doctor is taking control again, and I think we get quite a few of those in these Specials. Prominently when he talks down to Joy, that reminded me a lot of 7. And in general, I love how he acts in this Episode, he still has the Charm and the Energy from the previous Episodes, but it feels like he has found his footing here for sure.

There are a lot of charming or sweet Moments to be found here. Moffat hasn’t lost a bit with his dialogue. I do want to highlight the Moment where 15 talks to the Silurian, it’s just quite lovely.

I also really liked the Supporting Cast, especially 15 and Anita are a Highlight. You’d think having the Doctor have a normal day job might be annoying, I mean looking at you Care Taker, but no it works so well here! Maybe I am alone with this, but usually NuWho doesn’t get me emotionally, and yet the Speech 15 had towards Anita got me a bit teary.

The first Half of this Special is REALLY fun, presenting the Concept in a fun way and giving out a lot of Exposition without feeling boring at any Moment.

I love how those other Rooms we see at the beginning gets used throughout this Story! That being said, if I had to hear somebody say “Ham Cheese Toastie and a Pumpkin Latte” again, I will go wild!! 

Overall I loved this Episode, which is rare for me with a Christmas Special, but this just hit all the right beats, it’s by far not flawless, but it’s fun, emotional and gives me easily my favorite Ncuti Performance so far. Oh, and the whole Time Travel Aspect gets used here so well, which is always a big plus in my Books.