Jan 01 2009
Doctor Who Christmas Episode: “The Next Doctor”
The Two Doctors, Two Davids: Morrissey and Tennant.
As if there already weren’t enough wonderful things to look forward to during the holidays, every year we get a brand new Doctor Who Christmas episode. This year it was “The Next Doctor“, where our favorite Time Lord drops down into Victorian London on Christmas Day for a perfect, picturesque holiday–that is, until the Cybermen arrive. The added twist is our hero runs to a woman shouting his name, only to find that she’s expecting a totally different man known as “The Doctor”. And this Doctor has a sonic screwdriver and a Tardis, and has no idea who our Doctor is.
The episode is a fun mysterious dance as we try to figure out if this new Doctor is the real thing, having regnerated with memory loss, or something else entirely. Actor David Morrissey does well with the role, adding depth, sincerity, and emotion, and some wonderful chemistry with David Tennant. It was a bit of a relief to me to have a Doctor Who episode that wasn’t dwelling on all the women fighting for The Doctor’s attention–it was nice to just have a bit of male bonding and adventure as the focal point.
Due to the constraints of the time period, Velile Tshabalala as “Rosita” didn’t have a huge role as the next Doctor’s Gal Friday. Dervla Kirwan had a much meatier role as the Cybermen’s accomplice Miss Hartigan, and she was brilliantly creepy in her blood red gown as she stood amongst the glittering metal Cybermen. She gave the character layers, as all good Doctor Who villians do, inspiring both chills of danger and flashes of empathy from the audience.
This was one of the more light-hearted Doctor Who episodes, for while it still had melancholy and giant robot madness, it also had some truly happy moments for The Doctor that we haven’t seen in awhile. This episode wasn’t “Girl in the Fireplace” or “Silence in the Library” good, but it was still an enjoyable romp through Doctor Who-verse. And it was a chance to enjoy David Tennant while he’s still on the show. I hope they have a good replacement lined up, because it’s been an absolute joy watching him work and he will be greatly missed.
*Check your local listings or the fabulous site Outpost Gallifrey for Doctor Who airings in your area. Be aware that US showings of Doctor Who are generally a season behind.
