NOTE: This is my original review of this episode that I made on GateWorld Forum in 2014.
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Last Christmas is the first half-decent Moffat script in a while. However, it's still let down by an awful first act and a horrible mainstream feeling.
PLOT
Alien dream crabs latch themselves on the Doctor, Clara and a bunch of random Londoners and send them into an ever-maddening dreamworld where anything is possible - even Santa Claus.
As I said above, the first half, which tries to convince you that Santa is real(or maybe the opposite - when it's written by the Moff, you can never tell) seems to be catering to an audience, who would actually find jokes like "Your mom and dad bought you presents? Wake up, kid." funny. They're not funny, they're sickeningly smug and self-centered. It's like the story thinks I'm an idiot because I haven't figured out what the story is before it actually tells me.
On the other side, the dreamworld works beyond expectations and I actually enjoyed the sleigh scene at the end. The Old Clara scene was a waste of time, since she ain't leaving.
(2015 Note: I understand this was a last minute thing, but if Moffat had enough time to write in an extra scene of the Doctor and Clara going off together, then deleting the previous scene altogether wouldn't be a stretch. The only reason it was kept in was because he realised he could do another pointless twist with it.)
CHARACTERS
Peter Capaldi did a great job with the subpar material he had to handle - again. It's like watching a Shakespearean actor in Teletubbies. It's sad. But he has his character completely figured out now and the Twelfth Doctor is on fire.
Jenna Coleman was tolerable, which is a big upgrade from last season. I didn't like her blaming the Doctor for her own lies, but the rest was actually pretty good.
For once, the "random Londoners" thing worked out. Everybody felt like real people and it was a joy to watch them interact with one another.
Nick Frost as Santa Claus suffered the worst, as most of his dialogue composed of "in your face, sucka" stuff. He was great in the sleigh scene, though. However, the annoying elves(I swear, every word they said made me want to punch them) were just bad. Pointless and bad.
NOTES
*I'm a moderate fan of My Little Pony, but that's exactly the kind of mainstream joke that disrupts the atmosphere and takes you right out of the story. In a few years, it'll be as dated as The Enemy Of The World's depiction of 2018.
(2015 Note: Doctor Who isn't the only one guilty of this. Popculture references seem to be a thing in TV shows now. Sometimes it works, mostly it doesn't.)
*The title of the Series 9 premiere sounds really cool. I hope it's something unique and not a ripoff of Once Upon A Time.
(2015 Note: BOY, was I wrong. I was actually expecting some kind of new magician character to show up, or the Doctor getting superpowers or something.)
*It's kind of funny to see the Eleventh Doctor's giant green sonic screwdriver downplayed like that. It's like using a lightsaber just as a welding tool.
*Boy, those lies from last episode were sure resolved fast.
*"Who ya gonna call?!" Nobody thought of the Ghostbusters?
*The Doctor wearing a hoodie... what's he gonna wear next, a bathrobe with Gallifreyan symbols on it? Sure, he looks fine in it, but sometimes, JNT gets it better than you do.
*Who the heck doesn't like tangerines?! I can't get enough of them.
CONCLUSION
A surprisingly decent effort, but only if you can look past its many flaws. Merry Christmas.
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