The Snowmen is possibly my favourite of the Christmas specials.  I certainly remember getting to the end of its original airing with an immense feeling of satisfaction.  It has a lot of great elements; Matt Smith on form as always; the Paternoster Gang; a return of an old enemy; scary monsters and a great debut (or re-debut) of the new companion (sort-of).

When I settled down to watch this for my marathon, though, I don’t think I’ve been in the right frame of mind.  I got about halfway through my first watch and decided I wasn’t giving it my full attention so stopped and tried again a few nights later.  The second time I made it to the end, but found myself rewinding various sections because my attention had wandered.  I’m not blaming the story at all.  I purely think my brain wanted to be doing things other than watching Doctor Who.

So, a third attempt was made.

There is a lot I like about this story but the main thing is probably Jenna Coleman (or Jenna-Louise, as she was then).  She is wonderful as Clara.  Her first appearance in full-on Nancy from Oliver mode sets a high bar which she manages to maintain throughout the episode.   Clara’s determination to get mixed up in the Doctor’s world, whether he wants her to or not, is fun.  I like when she transforms into the governess and throws on the airs and graces.  Her interaction throughout the episode with all the different characters from Vastra to the maid, from  the children to the Doctor himself, is spot on and really well-scripted by Moffat.  I know some fans don’t like her because she is too knowing; too meta – but DWM did a similar sort of thing yonks ago with Izzy S in the comic strips – a character who would say things like  ‘Cool!  Robot Monsters!’ when confronted with the Daleks for the first time.  This is what Clara is like – in all her various incarnations.  To be honest, with my dislike for Capaldi in the earlier part of the season, it was my affection for Clara that helped me engage in the stories.  I prefer her to Amy (although not to Rory – never to Rory).

One of Clara’s best scenes in atop the house being pursued by the Ice Governess when she works out that the Doctor has a plan and she cooly pulls down the TARDIS’ ladder with the umbrella and later realises that the Doctor meant her to follow him because only she would have needed the umbrella, being much shorter than the Doctor himself.

Matt Smith continues to delight me.  Potentially this is a version of the Doctor I wouldn’t like – the grumpiness and detachment which has been turned up to the nth degree for Capaldi is here in the first scenes.  However, it doesn’t last long and the scenes with Strax quickly dispense any doubts that this is a long term situation.  By the time of the Punch and Judy sonic scene, the 11th Doctor is back and twirling around.  I love it!  I also really like the way the Doctor is introduced out of focus and walking through the shot.  It is a complete contrast to the usual arrival in the TARDIS, arms flung open, breathing in a new atmosphere (particularly from the 11th Doctor).

The Paternoster Gang are also on top form.  It’s quite difficult to remember that this was their first full appearance as a trio after being introduced in A Good Man Goes to War.  Doing the marathon in the way I have means I have already had their relationships and modus operandi established in The Crystal Throne and The Devil in the Smoke (as well as the two prequels to this story).  All three are confident and feel like they’ve been part of the Doctor’s world forever.  My personal favourite will always be Strax.  Dan Starkey is a genius and the memory worm scene is a Doctor Who comedy classic.  I know a section of fandom doesn’t like how Strax has lead to Sontarans being written as a comedy race of aliens (Big Finish have picked up on it a little in some of their releases, notably Heroes of Sontar) but I really like his character and I think its good to show a bit of diversity within alien races rather than some homegenous mass of terrifying killers.  The groundwork was laid for Strax’s character in A Good Man Goes to War so everything has followed fairly naturally (aside from his surprise resurrection which is obliquely referred to here (the minisode ‘explaining’ it wasn’t actually released until after this episode had aired).

To be honest, I’m not a massive fan of Vastra – I find her arrogance a little off-putting; but at least her relationship with Jenny, in this story, isn’t written as badly as it is by the time of Deep Breath.  I can’t remember how it is portrayed in the gang’s next outing, The Crimson Horror, but as that’s next up in my marathon, I’ll soon be able to comment.

It’s also fun having an old enemy back in the fold for a Christmas special.  A return for the Great Intelligence was something I don’t think many were expecting and it’s perfect for the new series.  There isn’t a need to appease fans with the creature design (like with the Ice Warriors or Zygons) because it’s a disembodied intelligence.  The instruments of its plans can be whatever the scriptwriter decides.  Yes, in previous encounters (including the Reeltime spin-off Downtime) they are ‘Yeti’ but they look different each time anyway and wouldn’t fit into the Victorian setting of this story at all.  The Snowmen are a natural extrapolation of the original stories (even though this is technically a prequel).

Ian McKellen is wonderful as the voice – it’s a shame he isn’t actually on screen because I imagine he would be phenomenal.  Richard E Grant does really well too as Dr Simeon, the Padmasambhava/Sergeant Arnold of this story.  He is chilling and restrained and when he finally goes full-on possessed at the end he must have been having a huge amount of fun.  I was never particularly enamoured by Grant’s ‘Shalka’ Doctor performance, but Dr Simeon is the perfect role for him.

There are a whole host of beautiful images and set pieces in this story.  The Ice Governess is a good piece of CGI and I adore the spiral staircase leading to the cloud (including the cheeky ‘taller on the inside’ line).  I love the idea of the Doctor isolating himself on a cloud.  The Great Intelligence’s sphere is a great creation (and looks good close-up too; I’ve seen it at the Cardiff exhibition).  The whole concept of alien snow is great and fits into the ‘traditional’ Victorian idyll which has already been referenced visually in The Next Doctor and The Unquiet Dead.

Historically we are still firmly entrenched in the cobbled, snow-laden streets and foggy, gaslit alleys of a filmic Victorian world.  Real historical characters are not required in this sort of world and there are just the references to Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes.  Fan lore would have it that this story states that Vastra is the real Sherlock Holmes but, actually, the dialogue is much less definite than that.  Dr Simeon tells Vastra that Doyle is ‘almost certainly’ basing the exploits of Holmes on a woman (he avoids commenting on her reptilian features).  Simeon is taunting Vastra; pointing out the absurdity of her life.  He is suggesting that her efforts are so ridiculous that an author is using them as a starting point for fanciful detective stories.  I think we can reasonably assume that Conan Doyle is not basing his stories on Vastra and that the potential issues this throws up for whether Holmes is real or not (as per All-Consuming Fire; Happy Ending; Jago and Litefoot) are not really a problem.

Despite a number of false starts on this story (which were more to do with my mental attitude at the moment to my marathon rather than any failings in the episode) I really do like this one and think it is one of the strongest Christmas specials.  The ending is a little abrupt with the Doctor dashing off to find ‘the impossible girl’ and I’m not entirely sure the ‘tears at Christmas Eve’ resolution is convincing (although it definitely fits into the magical/fairy tale world Moffat prefers for his version of Doctor Who; one which I am mostly on board with as I’ve always seen Doctor Who as science fantasy rather than science fiction (a debate for another time, methinks).  However, I remember enjoying this immensely on first broadcast and it didn’t disappoint this time round.

New Who Review #94

The Snowmen ❄️

This story was so good. I loved the idea of snow that can remember its such a great idea. Having the great intelligence back for the first time since the 60's was really nice and must have been a great moment for classic fans at the time. I loved seeing the doctor in a grieving mood because he's just lost the ponds and he's sad about that which is understandable and seeing him on his cloud sulking away not even helping anyone is so different for the doctor it feels weird to see. This also carries on the story of The Impossible Girl which is one of my fave storyline's. It's so nice to have clara now because I've been waiting and waiting for her because she is my fave companion and most of her episodes are top tier. The fact that clara died twice makes for a great lead into 7B. The doctor was almost killed this time by the great intelligence if it wasn't for the fact that clara died and the family was crying for her he would've died and we see that in a future episode. Overall a great Christmas story that shows the current emotions of the doctor and makes for a great lead into the rest of the series. 10/10

Better than I remembered but still feels off. Moffat really leaning into The Doctor feeling depressed post Amy and Rory is kinda boring. I like Matt Smith playing The Doctor as an old man but the material doesn't fit. Is he old or does he just miss his mates?

Moffat loves his wink wink lines, some of them work and some of them make me groan. It sometimes gives the impression that he's over it, that he's now above the material. It's a hard transition from his earlier fairy tale work into a new era but I love Clara so much, I'm willing to look past the trappings.

Who hurt the showrunners to make them repeatedly fling women to their deaths off scaffolding at Christmas?

I know but I LOVE seeing the two flirting.

My fiance and I loved this episode.

If my enthusiasm was waning for this era of Doctor Who, it has absolutely been peaked again by this incredible story. It’s now my second favourite Christmas story after A Christmas Carol. It showcases how excellent Moffat can be when he focuses on just a couple of distinct ideas. He can be really clever when he is not trying to be clever.

It is a wonderful full length introduction for Clara, I know we’ve had a sneak preview with the Asylum of the Daleks, but it is here you get a real sense of her character. The two versions of the character were done marvelously. A really nice piece of storytelling, giving this companion something quite different to do. The show feels new again as a result.

The Doctor himself feels renewed. I love the costume and TARDIS, things that I was for some reason resistant to at the time of broadcast, I now feel as necessary and invigorating with this last half series, not settling for the same old same old and trying something new.

The Paternoster Gang is a wonderful team. I can’t get enough of them.

Only Doctor Who could make a sequel to what was at that point a missing story from 1967 without it being annoying or knocking you over the head with fan references. It will have gone over the heads of non-fans. Other eras could learn from this. The Great Intelligence was a character we weren’t expecting to see again and probably won’t see for another 50 years! Richard E Grant is excellent in what could be a thankless role, really bringing it alive.

The Christmas aspects, including the snowmen themselves felt fresh - it didn’t feel like the umpteenth Christmas special.

If I was to provide a critique it would be that the series is still a flirting overload, though it does generally make more sense on this outing. I’d also say that the “Doctor Who?” gag has now been done to death at this point.

This is the only certified hit from series 7 so far!

Thought that this was by far the best Christmas special the show has done and The Christmas Invasion is the only one that even comes close.

Very funny script, a great festive story and a nice introduction to the arc over the second half of the season. Loved the Sherlock Holmes deduction scene!

Frosty the Great Old One

I actually enjoyed The Snowmen a decent amount more on this rewatch. The setting is charming, Victorian Clara is fun to watch bounce off of the Doctor, and I do enjoy the premise of 11 having given up companions following the Ponds' death. One note here is that I frankly wish the episode was a little more self-serious; we're dealing with the Doctor in a darker place than he's been in centuries, and (a) Clara literally dies at the end. The constant tonal shifts to comedy contrast with this, and makes it difficult to give the actual story enough gravitas. To that effect, I maintain that the actual plot here is fairly nonsense. It's great having Ian McKellen and Richard E. Grant in Doctor Who, but neither is really given that much to do. Overall, I enjoyed this, but it's fairly far from the best Christmas specials.

I think it's got a good strong core to it, the Snowmen and Ice Governess are quite fun villains; but I question the overall decision to have it be the Great Intelligence AND for the Doctor to have just forgotten all about it. I think that's a lil insulting to the original stories and something that it could've gone without.

Jenna Coleman has a great debut... debut? Yeah, let's call it a debut and she's more than a match against Matt Smith. I would preferred Victorian Clara over regular Clara to be the full time companion, but only for having a non modern day companion for once. Her introduction to the TARDIS is an amazing scene and hard to get enough of.

Unfortunately, the entire episode is quite heavily sexualised for no real reason and I think it weighs the episode down not insignificantly.