# The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe : Doctor Who Christmas Special 2011 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389 "2011-12-26T01:30:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/41 "2011-12-27T01:19:31Z")
Very meh. This was my least liked Christmas Special of all of them. Way too sappy and there really wasn’t much if any conflict. The Doctor didn’t even really _do_ anything. This would have been lame enough as just a regular mid-season episode but as the Christmas Special it was even worse. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/42 "2011-12-27T01:27:58Z")
Here is what I like about it as a Christmas special. The Doctor was just trying to be like Santa (and of course crazy scary shit happens instead). Trying to show kindness and joy and excitement to some strange kids for one day. For one day, kids get to dream and have kid like fun rather than suffer the shitstorm (or future shitstorm) life can be. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/43 "2011-12-27T01:32:40Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Here is what I like about it as a Christmas special. > > The Doctor was just trying to be like Santa (and of course crazy scary shit happens instead). Trying to show kindness and joy and excitement to some strange kids for one day. For one day, kids get to dream and have kid like fun rather than suffer the shitstorm (or future shitstorm) life can be. yeah - he just happened to pick (or have picked for him) the wrong day to visit the safest planet in the universe - conveniently about to be strip mined by humans for some power source. I liked it, I hated it - it seemed to hit all the needed cliche aspects that were expected of it - Its trees disguised as a building - with a door, cause people have to open doors! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/44 "2011-12-27T02:23:17Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Doctor Who is litterally one huge Deus ex machina Well, of course the Doctor is always going to save the day, but it’s more fun when the resolution flows naturally from the set-up. The wrap up this year felt really arbitrary. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/45 "2011-12-27T03:24:59Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Its trees disguised as a building - with a door, cause people have to open doors! A people trap! ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/46 "2011-12-27T04:17:11Z")
Last year’s Christmas Carol was, IMO, the best of the Christmas specials, with The Next Doctor in a close second and this one a distant third. I liked it okay. The Doctor was appropriately mad cap (and a little more manic than usual, which I liked, seeing as how he’s been without a constant companion for about 200 years at this point). The “monsters” were a lot of fun. The little boy and girl were appropriately adorable and not annoying. But the story seemed a little overly rushed, and the ending was nearly unforgivable. They could have cut so much unnecessary fat (the padded begining, the stupid ending, and, I’m sorry to say, Bill Bailey, who was wasted) and written a story about a woman trying to come to terms with her husband’s death and paralleled it with the Doctor’s loneliness. But still, it was good for a Christmas special. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but Doctor Who Christmas Specials tend to be kind of awful. I’m not sure how much of it stems from me being an American and not getting the “zaniness” of UK Christmas (for example, Panto plays, or nativities with lobsters 😃 ) but I _hate_ the first three Christmas specials. Killer Christmas Trees? Robot Santas with trumpet guns? Angels attacking fat people in gaudy western wear? Uh, no thanks. They’re just too silly, and not in any good way. So I can almost forgive The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe for being smalzy, because at least it could be taken seriously. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/47 "2011-12-27T05:14:31Z")
That sums up the Doctor’s life very well. I feel sorry for the guy. He invites somebody along for a nice day at the beach and something horrible happens. Life never gives the Doctor a break from tragedy. I think since faking his death the Doctor really is trying to avoid trouble. He choose the safest planet in the galaxy and bad stuff still happened. It all worked out and they even saved the dad that was about to crash. > [@billfish678](#): > > Here is what I like about it as a Christmas special. > > The Doctor was just trying to be like Santa (and of course crazy scary shit happens instead). Trying to show kindness and joy and excitement to some strange kids for one day. For one day, kids get to dream and have kid like fun rather than suffer the shitstorm (or future shitstorm) life can be. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/48 "2011-12-27T06:51:24Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > But still, it was good for a Christmas special. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but Doctor Who Christmas Specials tend to be kind of awful. I’m not sure how much of it stems from me being an American and not getting the “zaniness” of UK Christmas (for example, Panto plays, or nativities with lobsters 😃 ) but I _hate_ the first three Christmas specials. Killer Christmas Trees? Robot Santas with trumpet guns? Angels attacking fat people in gaudy western wear? Uh, no thanks. They’re just too silly, and not in any good way. So I can almost forgive The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe for being smalzy, because at least it could be taken seriously. If it helps, I am British and think all the Christmas specials rank amongst the worst Who ever. Last year’s was a low point for Who all round. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/49 "2011-12-27T08:54:37Z")
**Amanset** - you need to put the crack pipe down. If you think last year’s was the worst ever you clearly didn’t see that foolishness with the space Titanic and Kylie Minogue. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/50 "2011-12-27T12:48:50Z")
But what happened to the two other guys on the plane? Were they just left somewhere over the Channel? Did I miss that? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/51 "2011-12-27T13:59:30Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Well, of course the Doctor is always going to save the day, but it’s more fun when the resolution flows naturally from the set-up. The wrap up this year felt really arbitrary. No, I meant it literally. The Doctor is a God in the Machine. If ever there was a Deus ex Machina, it’s Doctor Who. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/52 "2011-12-27T14:36:42Z")
> [@MickNickMaggies](#): > > But what happened to the two other guys on the plane? > > Were they just left somewhere over the Channel? Did I miss that? It was Christmas. They had to bail early to go see their own families. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/53 "2011-12-27T14:41:39Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > If it helps, I am British and think all the Christmas specials rank amongst the worst Who ever. Last year’s was a low point for Who all round. Largely because you’re an adult, I suspect. Of all the Who episodes, the Xmas Specials are the most specifically designed for kids. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/54 "2011-12-27T15:18:43Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > **Amanset** - you need to put the crack pipe down. If you think last year’s was the worst ever you clearly didn’t see that foolishness with the space Titanic and Kylie Minogue. I may have blocked it out. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/55 "2011-12-27T15:20:55Z")
> [@Candyman74](#): > > Largely because you’re an adult, I suspect. Of all the Who episodes, the Xmas Specials are the most specifically designed for kids. Yet I can enjoy other stuff targeted towards kids. It is more the sickly sweetness of them and the stunt casting (see Kylie as mentioned earlier and that Opera singing lass from last year). As a kid I doubt I would have liked them and friends’ kids (I am childless myself, most of my friends seem to have kids around 12 years old) seemed to be disappointed as well. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/56 "2011-12-27T15:35:21Z")
> [@MickNickMaggies](#): > > But what happened to the two other guys on the plane? And wasn’t Anderson “in a bad way”? When the bomber showed up on the lawn I yelled “Quick! Someone get Anderson to a hospital!” but no one did. I guess he was already dead. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/57 "2011-12-27T15:41:16Z")
It reminded me in a lot of ways of Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories” from 1985, where a B-17 bomber was set to crash land until something “magical” happens (the episode “The Mission”). ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/58 "2011-12-27T16:10:54Z")
> [@JohnGalt](#): > > It reminded me in a lot of ways of Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories” from 1985, where a B-17 bomber was set to crash land until something “magical” happens (the episode “The Mission”). is that the one with the cartoon wheels? i loved the ep - until \*\*those \*\*appeared. :rolleyes: completely and utterly took me out of the story. very disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/59 "2011-12-27T19:11:15Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Here is what I like about it as a Christmas special. > > The Doctor was just trying to be like Santa (and of course crazy scary shit happens instead). Trying to show kindness and joy and excitement to some strange kids for one day. For one day, kids get to dream and have kid like fun rather than suffer the shitstorm (or future shitstorm) life can be. Nitpick - This being a British show, shouldn’t that be "the Doctor was just trying to be like “Father Christmas”? That’d also fit in with the theme of the Doctor trying to fill the void left in the family when Madge’s husband went missing. I liked it. I wouldn’t want some dark weighty intense episode on Christmas day of all times. I liked that it was a lightweight, breezy story with an obvious but still effective outcome. Although I was trying too hard to guess the ending, since I had some notion that Cyril (who had red-hair) would somehow turn out to be the grandfather (or great grandfather) of Amy. And speaking of Amy, she & Rory are aging extremely well for humans. Every time the Doctor pops back into their lives, it’s been a year, two, six…and yet they never seem to get older. Granted, they’d probably be in their late 20s / early 30s by this time in the series chronology, so she woulldn’t look like “the Girl Who Waited”, but Amy still looks she’s barely 20. I suppose it’s all that Time Lord DNA they absorbed while fornicating in the TARDIS. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389/60 "2011-12-27T20:50:02Z")
I’m surprised that the reaction is tilting so negative on this one! I thought this was the best Christmas special so far, and an excellent Who episode all around. I came here expecting to compare all of our favorite bits. This had such good dialog! Especially this bit (paraphrased from memory): MOTHER: What are you doing with your telescope? BROTHER: Astronomy! SISTER: You make words up! You’re always making things up! MOTHER: Where’s your father? BROTHER: In the garden. MOTHER: What’s he doing there? BROTHER: Agriculture. SISTER: You’re not fooling anyone! I loved the kids, especially the girl, who was did some great acting when she and the doctor were looking at the “stars” forming on the trees. And the look she gave when the Doctor asked “Who opens their Christmas presents early? . . . . Oh, shut up! Everyone!” I usually don’t like the Christmas specials nearly as much as the other episodes, but this one was just about perfect, IMO, and made up a lot for the last season finale, which was a big, big disappointment to me, though a lot of people liked it. Oh, well. I loved Victory of the Daleks, too, and no one else did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-the-widow-and-the-wardrobe-doctor-who-christmas-special-2011/607389.md?page=4)