Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special - Last Christmas - Review

Starring: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Nick Frost & Faye Marsay

Written By: Steven Moffat

Directed By: Paul Wilmshurst

Just a few weeks on from 'Death In Heaven's broadcast, we pick up in quite an interesting place with 'Last Christmas'. The last time we saw the Doctor and Clara, they parted ways both lying to the other about what was next for them. But as the Doctor left, who should walk into the TARDIS but Santa Claus? It would seem that it's not quite the end for the Doctor and Clara yet, and one of the biggest questions many people will have going into this special, is whether this will truly be Clara's swansong. Even more exciting, I'm actually liking the look of 'Last Christmas' so far. Not only is Nick Frost here, but there appears to be a much darker tone than previous Christmas specials. Dare I get my hopes up that Steven Moffat is about to turn in his first good Christmas episode?

When Santa Claus appears on Clara's roof, it's not the only surprise waiting for her, as she is soon reunited with the Doctor. The TARDIS brings them to a research base at the North Pole, where they find it under attack from the Kantrofarri, known as dream crabs. The creatures induce a dream state in their victims and slowly feed on their brains. It falls upon the Doctor and Clara to save the crew of the research base, but unsure whether they can trust the reality around them, they may need help from the hero of Christmas. 

I was right in assuming that 'Last Christmas' would generally be much darker than a lot of previous Christmas specials. This feels like one of the least Christmassy specials, and it benefits massively from that. Even with Santa himself putting in an appearance, this doesn't feel like it's going out of its way to be Christmassy. The 'Doctor Who' comes first, as opposed to most specials where it's Christmas that takes priority (if that makes any sense at all?). Instead of festive shenanigans, we have a scientific research base, dream crabs and not-so-subtle influences from films like 'Alien' and 'Inception'. Seriously the influences of these films is obvious to the point of self-recognition, as one of the characters points out the similarities between the dream crabs and facehuggers. Is plagiarism still plagiarism if you acknowledge it's plagiarism? The dream within a dream set-up borrowed from 'Inception' is the kind of thing I'd normally expect Moffat to start overcomplicating as he pretends to be cleverer than he actually is. But to his credit, the way he handles it is pretty clear to follow and never gets ideas above its station. It is said that there's nothing more disappointing than a "It was all a dream" ending, but thankfully 'Last Christmas' dodges that bullet. 

In fact, Moffat uses the dream angle of this episode to explore some really good ideas. There is some recycling of ideas going on, as has become usual now. I could've done without the "Don't think about them" element with the dream crabs; after all, it's not been that long since the Teller in 'Time Heist'. However, concepts like Clara not wanting to wake up from the dream that's killing her, because she's happy and with Danny: that's some brilliant stuff. It's the most I think I've been invested in Clara and Danny's relationship, and the kind of thing you could really centre a whole episode on if you wanted. The influence of 'Alien' also inspires some genuinely creepy moments here and there. It's a great horror-tinged image when the dream crabs descend from the ceiling. One scene features one of the crabs menacing Clara as she hides underneath a table. Clara's scream as it breaks through the tabletop might be one of the best performances I've seen from Jenna Coleman - rarely do we ever get to see Clara scared to such a degree. With more scenes such as the professor being grabbed and sucked through a screen, or the moment with the blackboards in Clara's dream, this is the closest any of the Christmas specials have ventured into horror territory. 

Surprisingly, 'Last Christmas' also features one of the more memorable supporting casts from any of Moffat's recent works. If there's one thing I think everyone can generally agree on, it's that Moffat, while fully capable of giving us some excellent characters, is more invested in story than he is in character. This has been more and more so the cast in recent years, but there's actually some really nice character moments among the supporting cast here. Nick Frost is … Nick Frost, he's brilliant. He goes for a very down-to-earth kind of Santa, the likes of which I can't honestly say I've seen before. Credit where it's due again for Moffat finding a plausible way of bringing Santa Claus into 'Doctor Who'. And this Santa may as well be a bloke down the pub, and his interactions with the Doctor really made me laugh. Faye Marsay as Shona leaves a lasting impression too, with plenty of people calling for her to take over as the new companion. She's funny, gobby and not about to let anyone boss her about. The moment towards the end of the episode where all the scientists wake up in their real lives, also has some really bittersweet, human touches. Bellows waking up to find she's in a wheelchair, or Shona's To-Do list with "Forgive Dave" written on it - these are nice bits of attention to detail, and tiny characters moments that Moffat usually doesn't deliver. 

This isn't to say all of the supporting cast are great. Of the scientists on the base, Michael Troughton's character draws the short straw. Nice as it is to see another of Patrick Troughton's sons appear in 'Who', if it weren't for that casting the professor would be instantaneously forgettable. Although the professor's death does inject some actual high stakes, and serves to remind us that the people in the dream can still die in the real world. Also while I like Nick Frost's portrayal of Santa, the two comedy elves that accompany him didn't do anything for me. It's a shame 'cause much as I love Dan Starkey, who plays one of the elves, their comedy moments repeatedly fell flat on their face here. 

On the production side of things … there's something about the way this episode looks which really helps it to stand out. It looks stunning, and visually is one of the most impressive episodes in a while. Paul Wilmshurst's direction is great and fully embraces 'Last Christmas's horror elements, but I'd argue it's the lighting which is most impressive here. The lighting and use of colour is amazing. The subtle blue-green hues of the research base, the bright orange/yellow light given off from the flare when they evacuate etc. The out-of-focus Christmas lights in Clara's dream help to give it an idyllic, ethereal feel. Heck, even the lighting inside the TARDIS looks gorgeous. The design of the dream crabs is simple but effective - they're slimy and gross and do the job. And of course, Nick Frost not only has the perfect name to be playing Santa, the outfit and dyed beard help him to look the part too.

(Skip ahead to the conclusion now to avoid spoilers!) Perhaps the biggest thing we can take away from 'Last Christmas' is where the Doctor and Clara go from here. Series 8 ended with the two lying to each other, and while on paper I think this would've made a decent conclusion for them, there was a general feeling that there was more of their story to tell. 'Last Christmas' toys around with the idea of this being Clara's last story, but leaves the eventual answer to the end. Watching this story, I realized that even though I'm fairly lukewarm when it comes to Clara, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman have developed such a good rapport together by now. I was left grinning like an idiot when we got to see the Doctor lighten up and pilot Santa's sleigh. But when Clara seemed to take longer coming out of the dream, and then we eventually saw the Doctor reunite with a much older Clara in the real world, I did think this was going to be it for them. At least until Santa shows up again! Personally I perhaps might've been happier with this being Clara's final story, and Santa showing up again to confirm they were still in a dream … it is a bit of a cop-out, but hey at least it's one that works. Maybe my enjoyment of this episode has melted away some of my cynicism, or maybe it's just Murray Gold's gorgeous score during their reunion that gets to me, but seeing the Doctor and Clara excitedly make their way to the TARDIS, I couldn't help but smile. I'm not sure where else we can really go with Clara, but for now it feels like two good friends going out to see the universe again. It's a lovely feeling to have that dynamic back again, and if Series 9 can capture any of the spirit in these final scenes, we're in for a good time. 

Woo-hoo! The first actually good Christmas special in about five years! It's a miracle! 'Last Christmas' is easily Moffat's best Christmas special, and one that I have developed quite a soft spot for. In many ways, it's completely unoriginal. It practically rips off 'Alien' and 'Inception', and it's a base under siege story that cliché to the point of discovering aliens in icy caves. But for once, it's unoriginality works really well in its favour. It's far from perfect, but enjoyable nonetheless, and hopefully we can keep this upward trajectory going as we enter Series 9.

Last Christmas

7/10