First of all, I’m not going to answer the big question from this episode, that being whether or not David Morrissey is the eleventh Doctor. I imagine, now that the episode has aired, there will be official press releases in the next couple of weeks that will provide the answers. The other big question is was this a good episode? I can answer that with an emphatic yes!
The Doctor (David Tennant), in need of some emotional uplifting after finding himself alone once more, arrives in London on Christmas Eve in 1851. The joyous atmosphere is cut short by the one thing that makes the Doctor happiest of all, a cry for his help. Arriving at the scene, he is confronted by a damsel in distress and then the triumphant arrival of…the Doctor (Morrissey)? The two Time-Lords manage to subdue the immediate threat with the help of the not-so-distressed damsel, Rosita. Then the current Doctor is puzzled that his future self doesn’t recognize him, until he finds out the other Doctor has memory troubles.
Meanwhile, an ambitious local, Miss Hartigan, is conspiring with the Cybermen on a plan that doesn’t sound like it bodes well for the population at large. The Cybermen? In 1851 London? Yes, and unfortunately it’s the by-product of a previous act of the Doctor, despite the fact that it saved the world. What follows is an exciting romp through the streets as Miss Hartigan’s plan with the Cybermen is revealed and the Doctors try to discover why the newer Doctor has lost his memory. Along the way we see another TARDIS, get a glimpse of all nine previous Doctors, discover what a steampunk Cyberman would look like all while witnessing some rare emotional insights into both Doctors.
This is a well-written story and is a very fun adventure. I particularly like that series Executive Producer, and writer of this episode, Russell T. Davies manages to give further emotional insight and depth to the Doctor. Some of the dialog concerning Tennant’s Doctor speculating on what leads to his regeneration and his feelings concerning what could be his immediate successor are especially poignant now that we know he is leaving the role. Oh, and the end credits tell us that the Doctor will return in “Planet of the Dead” in 2009. I, for one, can’t wait.
[Editor’s Note: How many nods to Charles Dickens can you find in this episode? Also, bonus question: is it possible to be a British writer and set a story at Christmas in the late 1800’s and not make things overtly Dickensian? Discuss.]
