Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Snowmen

[CommanderL]

So what did you think of the episode?

Love love love the new TARDIS interior and the new titles! Always good to see friendly Sontarans and the Doctor's 'crew'.
Although they still pulled the 'human emotions saved the day' idea which I'm not a great fan of.
Still, it turns out it's the same character that was in the first episode 'Asylum of the Daleks' so I'm interested in how this works and whether Oswin is really human or not.

First thing's first What episode is the gif of your profile pic from


Second this was an amazing episode I like the back and forth between clara and doctor it look's like she will be a good character

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Okay, good epsiode!! Was very well done.

Couple of questions: Why did they change the tardis? Doesn't it only change after a crash or a new doctor is regenerated, same with the credits shouldn't have changed!?

Also, Clara keeps showing up in different dimensions, how do you think she will manage to outrun the paradox?

From the looks of things the Tardis had been stuck up in that cloud for quite some time. He must've gotten bored and done some redecorating.

The Christmas Carol is still my favorite Holiday special, but this one was definitely better than last year's bore fest.

 

[saintdane05]

And can anyone explain what was that about tunnels. Was a gag, a important episode thing that I missed or something that will have importance later on maybe?

The whole episode serves as a prequel to The Abominable Snowmen and The Web Of Fear, in which the Great Intelligence returns. Especially the reference to the London Underground. This means it's calling back to stories broadcast over forty years ago that no longer exist (mostly).

 

[klown]

The Tardis was awesome looking. It still has all his bells and whistles, but seems a lot more simple, rather than a peewees play house in a space ship.

The Oswin character was really played well, and I'm really interested to see what will happen with it. You can tell he is instantly infatuated with her. I have a feeling there may be some tension later with River Song.

I liked the idea of The Doctor having a person to chase, rather than people chasing him, if that makes any sense. Finding and figuring out Owsin is a really good puzzle, and a chance for The Doctor to spend some time not so much wandering but living.

All in All, I give the episode a 4 out of 5.

 

[Encurtidos]

The Oswin character was really played well, and I'm really interested to see what will happen with it. You can tell he is instantly infatuated with her. I have a feeling there may be some tension later with River Song.

I hope that their will not be any tension, the draw to the Doctor is that he can't be married. Its sad, but makes him seem like more of a complex character. Hopefully the whole married thing was a little undecided!

 

[klown]

The Oswin character was really played well, and I'm really interested to see what will happen with it. You can tell he is instantly infatuated with her. I have a feeling there may be some tension later with River Song.

I hope that their will not be any tension, the draw to the Doctor is that he can't be married. Its sad, but makes him seem like more of a complex character. Hopefully the whole married thing was a little undecided!

Sorry, let me be more clear, I mean between River and Oswin. River being absolutely in love with The Doctor, The Doctor chasing Oswin. I could see a bit of jealous tension between the two of them. I think that would really help build River Song's character to a new level.

And he can be married, there really isn't a reason as to why he couldn't be, at least that I have seen.

 

[TimeLord]

So what did you think of the episode?

Love love love the new TARDIS interior and the new titles! Always good to see friendly Sontarans and the Doctor's 'crew'.
Although they still pulled the 'human emotions saved the day' idea which I'm not a great fan of.
Still, it turns out it's the same character that was in the first episode 'Asylum of the Daleks' so I'm interested in how this works and whether Oswin is really human or not.

Small thought, but I don't remember at any point they showing the family crying and power of loving the hell out the snowmen, the one crying was Clara and there's like you said we don't know what she is, so maybe was her and not the power of love... Thought I have a felling that they will never comeback to it... So yeah, in doubt was the power of love.

And can anyone explain what was that about tunnels. Was a gag, a important episode thing that I missed or something that will have importance later on maybe?

The family are shown crying after the snow turns to rain. The children are hugging their father and crying.

So what did you think of the episode?

Love love love the new TARDIS interior and the new titles! Always good to see friendly Sontarans and the Doctor's 'crew'.
Although they still pulled the 'human emotions saved the day' idea which I'm not a great fan of.
Still, it turns out it's the same character that was in the first episode 'Asylum of the Daleks' so I'm interested in how this works and whether Oswin is really human or not.

First thing's first What episode is the gif of your profile pic from


Second this was an amazing episode I like the back and forth between clara and doctor it look's like she will be a good character

It's not from an episode, it's from a BBC advert from 2009

 

[Stryc9]

As for the Oswin/Clara plot, I think they cheated themselves out of a great opportunity. Imagine--the Doctor would have had a companion who wasn't from the twenty-first century.

This, so much this. I was really hoping that he'd be able to bring her along. I get to watch older episodes on one of my PBS stations and I've seen some of the ones with that Scottish guy the Doctor picked up from like the 17th Century and watching him be scared or completely confused by some of the technology that he ran into was pretty funny. Otherwise I find myself liking Oswin quite a bit and can't wait to see more of her, she's going to be able to go toe to toe with the Doctor quite often and I'm not sure he's going to like being the only genius in any given situation too much.

Otherwise I liked the episode as a whole, I want more Strax, I want to hear more about his plans to declare war on the Moon. The interspecies lesbian couple are pretty cool and quite progressive and all that for the nutty people to get pissed off about. Really looking forward to the next half of the season. Anyone have a clue about when it starts?

 

[saintdane05]

Anyone have a clue about when it starts?

April, 2013. I'm counting hte seconds.

 

[Dangit2019]

Okay, good epsiode!! Was very well done.

Couple of questions: Why did they change the tardis? Doesn't it only change after a crash or a new doctor is regenerated, same with the credits shouldn't have changed!?

I think they change it whenever the hell they want to, the times where it was excused were just coincidences.

OT: 8/10 episode. Would've been 7, but the new TARDIS reveal made me cream my pants a tiny bit.

What I liked:
I'm interested in the new arc, hopefully Moffat won't ruin it at the finish line.

The title sequence; very Tom Bakery mixed with Hubble photography, and they kept the flying TARDIS near the end.

Clara is a likeable companion.

Doctor's new posse is fun.

Sherlock reference wasn't very subtle (but t'was very funny).

And last but not least, the aforementioned new TARDIS introduction was fracking awesome. "It's smaller on the outside!"

What I didn't like:

Moffat, please stop making the "Doctor WHO?" joke over and over again. It's nice when it's quick and subtle, but you're really shoving it in our face at this point.

The plot once again could use some coherence to go along with the mystery.

Why the FUCK did Clara have to kiss the Doctor? And why did the Doctor act like this is something to be expected of him? If Hartnell's companions treated him like Smith's do, he would have been hauled off on pedophilia charges.

The Snowmen themselves weren't scary. Especially not with the goofy CGI teeth.

Clara's fall would have instantly turned her into pudding.

While the Pond's death was sad (even though I didn't like Amy much as a companion), they're death didn't justify the Doctor becoming an asshole, even temporarily.

 

[Robot Number V]

The good:

Lots of good humor, and a Christmas Special that wasn't painfully "Christmas-y" for once. Made me like Osmin/Clara a little more then I did at her introduction. The "posse" of characters also worked pretty well.

The Bad:
*sigh*...I realize I'm in the minority here, but despite what I just said, I really don't like Osmin very much. It's River Song all over again...She's a genius, she's a bit arrogant, she is QUIRKY AS ALL FUCK...and she annoys the hell out of me. Also...and again, I'm in the minority...I'm really not a fan of the new Tardis. It's so...grey. And unwelcoming. I mean, I like that they're doing something different at least, and I don't hate it or anything, but my first impression is not good.

Anyway, this new Osmin mystery is a bit interesting, but there's also a lot of parallels to Song there, and that worries me. I'll keep an open mind but...Well, we'll just have to see where he's going with this.

Oh, and PS: Moffat needs to stop doing that "Doctor Who??!!" thing. Jesus Fucking Christ, is there a single person on Earth besides Moffat himself that actually likes this joke?

PPS: Human emotion should never save the day ever ever ever ever again. Seriously, was Dr. Who always this sappy?

 

[Gizmo1990]

Good episode. But every time they said "winter is coming" I couldn't help but repeat it in Sean Bean's voice. The new Tardis has a much more postmodern feel, with its LCD screens, rock music and round lights that look like subwoofers. Did Xzibit pimp out the Tardis? As to the new companion, it is entirely possible that Oswin cannot die, just be reborn later. Just like Jack Harkness, in her first adventure she gained a form of immortality, though not quite as literal as Jack's. Anyone else think that Ian is getting a bit too famous to carry many other roles beyond Magneto or Gandalf? It was great hearing him in this episode, but I only just saw The Hobbit (like most ppl) so it was a bit distracting.

I agree. Whenever the GI was talking I kept expecting Gandalf to show up out of nowhere and hand the Doctor his arse because Gandalf Vs The Doctor, thats a fight the Doctor will never win.

 

[Cerdog]

The episode was very good. Possibly the best Christmas special so far (only A Christmas Carol rivals it, really).


To everyone who has a problem with the "crying saved the day" thing - remember, the snow was (or had) a telepathic field. One of the first things that happens is that Clara thinks away a snowman, so it only makes sense for that to happen at the end. Furthermore, consider that the ice woman was basically a construct of the daughter's mind. Clearly, there's some sort of link between her and the snow/ice, so the ending was actually justified this time.

 

[TimeLord]

Oh, and PS: Moffat needs to stop doing that "Doctor Who??!!" thing. Jesus Fucking Christ, is there a single person on Earth besides Moffat himself that actually likes this joke?

50 year old joke repeated throughout the entire Doctor Who history, especially considering the reveal of the question at the end of series 6, it's not going anywhere.

Moffat didn't start it, Moffat won't finish it either.

 

[Brendan Stepladder]

A fantastic new episode. Oswin seems like a great twist on the typical companion formula. Plus, it has hilarious. That Sontaran was hilarious, yet I kind of feel bad for him. The Doctor was constantly ripping on him.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Negatives first...

- The 'A whole family crying at Christmas' thing was as lame as it sounds (that's really lame btw).

- The Snowmen didn't look in the least bit scary.

- 'Winter is coming...' Really BBC, really?

and now the positives...

- Everything else!

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

The episode was very good. Possibly the best Christmas special so far (only A Christmas Carol rivals it, really).


To everyone who has a problem with the "crying saved the day" thing - remember, the snow was (or had) a telepathic field. One of the first things that happens is that Clara thinks away a snowman, so it only makes sense for that to happen at the end. Furthermore, consider that the ice woman was basically a construct of the daughter's mind. Clearly, there's some sort of link between her and the snow/ice, so the ending was actually justified this time.

This issue isn't that it doesn't make sense in context, just that it's sickeningly sappy writing for no other reason than it's a Christmas Special, and even Dickens himself would never have written anything that vapidly sentimental.

 

[lord.jeff]

I'm not a fan of this episode mostly because it took emo Doctor to new heights, I have no issue with the Doctor being sad over a death but this whole running away from himself thing is getting old. I mean really giving up on saving the universe because someone you knew lived a happy life without you, not dead or tortured or anything bad they had a happy life it just happened a few decades before it should have.

As for the new companion I'm undecided right now she's in danger of being everything I hate about River all over again, Mary Sue, takes up to much of the story, a reveal that can't live up to the build up, and romantic tension. I do like the new Tardis however.