Last Christmas Grading and Discussion Thread

[YellowSubmarine]

I was actually surprised the dream crabs were real and not part of the dream state. I was expecting something else to be causing. That being said, I was also not completely convinced everyone (or at least The Doctor and Clara) actually awoke from their dream state.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Dream crabs are physical manifestations of psychic energy, the feeding act gives them substance. Before this manifestation into physical being, when they are still thought based life forms (living memes) protodreamcrabs can travel astrally, or since they have no mass, they can travel at 1 times the speed of light without effort.

That sounds like a good explanation.

Hmmmm., Suspiciously well thought out for a Guy post...

Freaky, isn't it?

I was actually surprised the dream crabs were real and not part of the dream state. I was expecting something else to be causing. That being said, I was also not completely convinced everyone (or at least The Doctor and Clara) actually awoke from their dream state.

Or maybe Clara and the Doctor were the only dreamers? I like Guy's idea above, that the Dream Crabs are a physical manifestation of a psychic beastie.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I loved this episode. Yes, derivative as anything and with many of the usual Moffatt motifs. But it held together and for me was the best Christmas episode not to feature a regeneration.

I was sure that old Clara was going to be he exit but am quite happy to see her stay on. I was so-so towards her during the Smith run but felt that she came into her own last season. I'm looking forward to seeing how she and Capaldi's Doctor interact now that they've (apparently) gotten past the mistrust and teething troubles.

 

[Starkers]

"I'm the Doctor, not your mam."

Loved it. Ok it took a little while to warm up but once it did it was great. May have been heavily inspired by various other things but,not for the first time, Moffat manages to take familiar ingredients and turn them into something original.

I really want Shona as a companion now. Loved her and loved Nick Frost's Santa and his sarcastic elves (Starkey still great even when he's not Strax).

I still miss Matt and to be honest I was on a bit of a downer at times over S8 but this reminded me why I love Who...what more can you ask for for Christmas_?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Suspicious Australis may suspect that he is in my dream, or that I am in his dream.

If you're as like minded as the two of us, then welcome to the gestalt Kodos.

 

[Lonemagpie]

I also couldn't help but feel incredibly relieved at the end to see Clara running off with the Doctor on yet more adventures. Especially now that all the ugly tension between her and the Doctor seems to have dissipated, and now that the Danny Pink storyline is (hopefully) done with.

I obviously wouldn't have wanted a continuation of any of that, but a Season 9 with the happy and adventure-seeking Doctor and Clara we saw at the end of the special I think would be really fun to see.

*This*

 

[YellowSubmarine]

I find it very weird that some of us loved the episode and others hated it. It's like we've watched a different one. This is very troubling. When Shona said she needed the toilet, what did Bellows say?

Mine said "I wish you stopped making stuff up"

 

[MacLeod]

I saw a sort of trek TNG reference, if anyone remembers the episode Phantasms. (the whole drinking your brain). Yeah not sure why I thought of that.

Or Red Dwarf's "Psirens" which had a race induce an hallucination while it sucked your brain out.

I think it was Clara who dreamed Santa on the roof and probably the tardis. Which I think is when the doctor got into the dream. Not sure I understand how all of those strangers had the same dream. Unless the alien decided to have fun with some total strangers, or they all seem to dream the same thing.

Ah on re reading your question. I don't think their was a transition unless I missed something. It started with the christmas tree in front of the window and Clara waking to some noise.

Re watching the first part, I think the doctor knows at that point that something is going on. He just doesn't exactly know how to solve it yet.

Well no doubt there was some sort of Psychic link between the creatures. But if you saw Shona's Christmas Itinerary.

1.>DVD (Alien)
2.>DVD (The Thing from Another World)
3.>Dad comes around
4.>DVD (Miracle on the 34th Street)
5.>Thrones Marathon
6.>Forgive Dave???

Sure she only ticks the last one. But certainly the DVD's are interesting given what happens in the episodes.

 

[Australis]

Suspicious Australis may suspect that he is in my dream, or that I am in his dream.

If you're as like minded as the two of us, then welcome to the gestalt Kodos.

If we're sharing dreamstates... sorry for the fucking nightmare.

 

[Mr Light]

<<I find it very weird that some of us loved the episode and others hated it. It's like we've watched a different one. >>

I was just thinking that. These threads are hilarious; half the people absolutely hate it and half the people absolutely love it

 

[Gov Kodos]

Suspicious Australis may suspect that he is in my dream, or that I am in his dream.

If you're as like minded as the two of us, then welcome to the gestalt Kodos.

If we're sharing dreamstates... sorry for the fucking nightmare.

Could that make us Moobie stars?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Does the tangerine at the end show they are still in a dream state?

Why do I have this almost persistent, not quite annoying pain in my temple?

I guess there ain't no Sanity Clause and I'm staying off the sprouts next Xmas.

 

[The Doctor]

I loved it to pieces and cried all the way through the final fake out. I very much look forward to another series with Clara and The Doctor.

 

[Guy Gardener]

You remember the last bit from inception?

The coin kept spinning.

OH!

When they come out of the dream in 3 years, rather than replacing the character of Clara, they can just replace the actress, because everyone was just dreaming that she was so pretty.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Does the tangerine at the end show they are still in a dream state?

No, only if it had kept rolling through the room with the camera cutting away before stopping you should have worried.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Well no doubt there was some sort of Psychic link between the creatures. But if you saw Shona's Christmas Itinerary.

1.>DVD (Alien)
2.>DVD (The Thing from Another World)
3.>Dad comes around
4.>DVD (Miracle on the 34th Street)
5.>Thrones Marathon
6.>Forgive Dave???

Sure she only ticks the last one. But certainly the DVD's are interesting given what happens in the episodes.

So what would be the (Game Of) Thrones element, I wonder? I didn't really spot anything in that vein...

 

[Guy Gardener]

King of Thrones is a reality TV show on Discovery about installing toilets.

http://www.destinationamerica.com/tv-shows/king-of-thrones

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Or maybe Clara and the Doctor were the only dreamers?

I thought that was plausible.

This episode is a first for me for completely fooling the spoilermongers. I thought Jenna was gone for good. I'm not upset that she's not. As Santa said last episode, "you can't have it end like that."

Anyway, I liked the episode. It's not a Doctor Who Christmas unless you're bloody terrified.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Does the tangerine at the end show they are still in a dream state?

Whether they are or not, the Doctor and Clara made a big mistake - they didn't make the book test. They should have, given the Doctor's instructions from earlier on.

Wasn't the volcano where the Doctor awakened the same where he induced Clara's dream state two episodes earlier? That was... weird. The ending here was ambiguous enough that you could get away with making half the season a dream state. Scratch that, you could get away with Guy's suggestion and making Clara's entire time with the Doctor a dream state.

Also, I need to watch again, but I thought I saw old Clara's hair underneath one of the dream crabs earlier. It was probably Shona's, but it seemed too long to be hers. Although it was a sleeper from the infirmary, so it was definitely Shona.

 

[Photoman15]

I think the tangerine at the end was answering the Doctor's question on who to thank for the second chance.... Santa Claus. I always look at the Christmas episodes as more fantasy than sci-fi/Doctor Who episodes. AND they have to end it for the young kids watching that there IS a Santa Claus.