Before I get started, I want to say that I quite enjoyed this episode, and I'm hoping that Clara is a character that I can continue to like. That's right - I currently like Clara. I know you're shocked. (Although, I just remembered that I liked Amy her first few episodes, and it wasn't until later that I started to loathe her with every fiber of my being.)
Likes:
1) I love the opening with the chompy snowflakes.
2) I've actually seen the classic series episode with the Great Intelligence (The Abominable Snowmen), so woot! A reference I understand!
3) It amuses me to no end that Sir Ian McKellen is the voice of the GI.
4) The first time I saw this episode, I got really excited about having an historical companion. Now, I'm pretty bummed that she's contemporary. Again. Except, of course, we don't know what year it is, since Amy apparently traveled around with the Doctor for over a decade.
5) I was unsure of the opening (with Matt Smith's face) at the first viewing - after the second, I've decided that it is growing on me.
6) I was very pleased to see Madam Vastra and Jenny. They are intriguing characters, and I'd like to see more of them. I'd suggest that they make excellent companions, but they are both too intelligent for Moffat. I doubt he would be able to keep it up, and they'd become as infantile and dependent as the rest of Moffat's female characters. (Oh, he does a good job of pretending that Amy is capable, but when it comes down to it, the Doctor treats her like a child, even when she does show guts. Plus, no matter what he does, she always goes back to him.)
7) Clara's birthday is the original airdate of Doctor Who - and MY birthday as well! Let's not even go into the fact that my 33rd birthday (significant if I were a hobbit) is the same date as Doctor Who's 50th anniversary.
Dislikes:
1) Memory worm - cute, but ridiculous. It does serve its purpose, I suppose, but still - meh.
2) Why would Clara chase after the Doctor and pop into his carriage? It just didn't make sense to me. Maybe if it had happened later in the episode, with more build-up, or if there had been a discussion about how she's noticed things going on for a while, it would have been more appropriate.
3) How can the Sontaran take her back to "where we found her" if he's lost his memory of her after handling the worm thing?
4) They need to stop repeating "Doctor who?" over and over. It's tiresome.
5) I'm still not sure what the point of the "one-word test" was; I do know that I don't like that "pond" was her final answer. It was meant for one reason and one reason only: to dredge up emotions of Amy. I don't like being manipulated when there is no other purpose. Not only that, I didn't feel like that "pond" would be the best word to describe the situation. It was meant for the audience, because we know that "pond" would pique the Doctor's interest. Maybe I'm wrong - maybe it will pay off later, maybe Clara knew it would cause that reaction.
6) I HATE HATE HATE the Doctor kissing. We do NOT need any more sex in this show. I feel that it was nice with Rose because there was nothing until her return. Yes, there was a hint of their feelings for each other, but none of this ridiculous sexual tension that the Eleventh Doctor has had with his female companions. I can't remember if I've told you how much I hated the love angle with Martha. If not, I hated that, too.
7) I appreciated the Sherlock theme variation when the Doctor arrives to chat with Dr. Simeon.
8) The Doctor never gave the other companions (at least in the new series) a key to the TARDIS from the get-go. Grr.
9) Why were they just hanging out in the TARDIS chatting instead of doing something about the magic ice lady?
10) After Clara dies, the Doctor says, "she was in my care". What a perfect reflection of Moffat's attitude towards women.
11) The Doctor is clearly uncomfortable with all of Clara's sexual innuendos, yet after she is revived, he's kissing her hands. Aside from that, he's touching her all over her face. It's too intimate for a guy who doesn't know how to deal with human emotion.
12) Clara's dying and revival is too reminiscent of Rory.
13) The map of the London Underground gets my goat. The only point of it is to tie it to The Abominable Snowmen. And it could have been done so much more subtly, with a simple close-up or something. Why the Doctor had to explain it to the GI is beyond me, except for Moffat to say, "do you see what a clever boy I am?" It reminds me of all the times in past episodes where he "sneaks" in a photo of the First or Second Doctor. Yes, we all know you've watched the classic series, you don't have to constantly show off. (If there was a POINT to it, I wouldn't have an issue with it.)
14) Clara's death date was December 24, but she clearly died on December 25. The bells rang, someone said, "it's Christmas Day", and that was before she died.
14) The idea that Clara is special. Donna was special, and that was new. Then Amy was special. And now Clara is special. We need another Rose, another Martha, another Jamie. I'm sick of the series revolving around the goddamn companion.
Interesting Tidbits:
1) The Doctor says, "nice name, Clara - you should keep it".
2) I really hope that the repeated phrase, "Winter is coming" is not this season's "Silence will fall". Also, I'd like to mention that hat phrase is actually the only thing I know about Game of Thrones.
3) I found it interesting that the Doctor surrounded himself with aliens while in London. Why? Also - wouldn't Torchwood know he was there? Oh, right. Moffat completely ignores anything from RTD's era. He also completely ignores anything that isn't convenient to his current plot.
4) Clara is intrigued by the snowmen, but not necessarily scared. Why? To me, it seemed too much like Amy when faced with Prisoner Zero. Then again, we all know what fantastic characters Moffat creates and how original he is with them. /sarcasm
5) Why is Clara alternately a barmaid and a nanny? What's the purpose? Is she investigating the previous nanny's death? If so, why?
Other Thoughts:
1) This was very Turn of the Screw meets Mary Poppins.
2) Speaking of Mary Poppins, have you noticed that all of the Christmas episodes are based on famous Brit Lit: A Christmas Carol; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and Mary Poppins.
3) Things that are Mary Poppins-y: living in the cloud, the entire nanny angle, Clara helping the father become closer to his children, the fantastical stories that she tells the children, the children's ages (older girl, younger boy); the umbrella, her ascent into the air (via the ladder, not umbrella).
4) After playing LEGO Lord of the Rings for the last few months, my first thought upon seeing the red and blue "bull's eyes" in the TARDIS was "I need Legolas to shoot them!"
5) Even after a lengthy conversation with my husband, I still have no idea why the snow acted the way it did. Was it alien snow? Was the snow made up of alien beings? Or was it simply a conduit?
6) I would REALLY like to see a companion who isn't a cute, white, female, contemporary companion. This adorable girl who the Doctor wants to protect is just getting old. At least RTD's companions included Martha (still a cute girl, but not white), Captain Jack (male, omni-sexual, and from the 51st century), Mickey (non-white male), and Donna (not a cute girl - sorry!) I still maintain that a series with just Rory and the Doctor (no Amy) would have been amazing.
I know that it seems like I didn't like this episode because I have more "dislikes" than "likes". However, overall, I thought it was a good episode. It was the first episode I felt I was able to watch with my husband since the middle of Matt Smith's first season. The dislikes are mostly just nitpicks and not major issues. I really hope Clara is a good character, and not just a non-ginger Amy.
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