Ok. Can we just talk about Steven Moffat for a moment? There are those that seem to worship and loathe him and sometimes at the same time. I may not always understand the praise or disdain thrown at him, but I can appreciate him as a writer. His evocative scripts make us cringe, hide, cry, irritate, or laugh. Although his work sometimes takes multiple viewings to fully appreciate the craftsmanship, he does entertain us right from the start.
Before we begin talking about the episode I just watched, I thought I would review what he has done so far:
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
The Girl in the Fireplace
Blink
Time Crash
Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead
The Eleventh Hour
The Beast Below
The Time of Angels/ Flesh and Stone
The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang
A Christmas Carol
The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
A Good Man Goes To War/ Let's Kill Hitler
The Wedding of River Song
The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe
Asylum of the Daleks
The Angels Take Manhattan
The Great Detective
The Snowmen
The Bells of Saint John
The Name of the Doctor
The list is quite impressive. I just finished rewatching The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe and enjoyed it much more the second time around. I was surprised there wasn't much self referencing in the episode; and the ending had me in tears. It's always moving to see a family reunited and as faithful followers of Matt's tenure it is nice to see the Doctor reunited with Amy and Rory.
As Christmas draws nearer, I can't help but watch the Christmas episodes with a fresh perspective. They aren't merely tales told on a holiday, but rather a precedent to what we may expect when we tearfully say goodbye to our raggedy doctor. He's already written the past three specials and there is a certain amount of anticipation regarding our last episode with Matt. We know that it will make us weep. The question I keep asking myself is will it be an epic ending like the farewell given to David?
Russell T Davies had a beautiful gift with David's catchphrase. Allons-y means let's go in French. It is only fitting that David's last words are "I don't want to go". What do you do when the Doctor's catchphrase is Bowties Are Cool? Do you rip off his bowtie and let him watch it burn or something equally ridiculous and cruel? David had a massive send off with all the previous characters coming out to say goodbye. Will the same be given to Matt coming straight out of the 50th anniversary special? How do you say goodbye to the actor who turned the show into a global phenomenon? How do you properly thank him for turning a franchise so uniquely niche in the sci-fi community and making it mainstream? If David was the one that brought attention to Doctor Who, it was Matt who made it what it is today. So what kind of story can you tell at Christmas that will do all of that justice?
I had always thought Matt's tenure was a giant ode to the 50th anniversary special. I just didn't understand all the references (which is why I felt compelled to go back and watch more Doctor Who). I didn't make the connection between a red-headed actress leaving her wedding dress out until I saw Donna in Runaway Bride and then Amy's wedding took on another meaning. I didn't fully appreciate the little boy saying "Daddy, daddy" in The Almost People until I saw the little boy in The Empty Child saying "Mummy, mummy". I may have noticed The Doctor tends to identify with how he looked as Hartnell whenever he shows a picture of himself and I knew Hartnell was the first doctor, but there are so many nuances you don't catch until you have seen it all. So if my assumptions were right about the three year lead up to the 50th anniversary special, what do you do with the Christmas special to make it unique?
I don't really have any answers. I watched Matt's entire filmography (television and movies) in three weeks. I yearned for more so I made a playlist of over 40 videos of Matt to keep me entertained. You can see it here and a Doctor Who one here
In the meantime, we can watch a few clips. The first few are compilations from seasons four to six.
These are for season six
Here are a few moments of Moffat's work in season six
I hope you enjoy them. Please feel free to leave a comment telling me what you do like or not about the blog. I also love just chatting about Doctor Who so I appreciate comments as conversation pieces too. :)
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