C+Q - The Snowmen (2012)

The Snowmen is pretty weird as far as Christmas specials go. It takes place right in the middle of a series, so unlike other specials like The Runaway Bride, Voyage of the Damned, A Christmas Carol, or The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe, which are all light adventures that don't contribute much to the plot, The Snowmen is definitely required viewing. As well as introducing a bunch of aesthetic changes like a new opening title sequence and a new TARDIS, it also introduces a new companion (for the second time), shows the Doctor's reaction to the events of Series 7 Part 1, and kicks off the mystery for Series 7 Part 2.

Where to begin with this one? The casting of Richard E. Grant and Ian McKellen make the villains pretty damn memorable, although Richard E. Grant's character has exactly one expression he uses for every emotion. It's a real shame because I know for a fact Richard E. Grant can be a lot more charismatic and emotive than this. The Name of the Doctor for example lets him be slightly creepier and more expressive. The threat of the snowmen is also kinda limited given that they're always rooted to the spot. Or at least I THINK they are; we never see one explicitly move. That sums up a big issue I have with this episode: it's not clear enough. Everything is just a bit too muddy and choppy to tell exactly what's going on.

For example: the scene where the Ice Governess enters the bedroom and starts threatening Clara and the children. The only door in the room that we've been shown is the one the Ice Governess is standing in front of (the one she used to enter). Clara and the kids see the monster, there's a close-up shot of their feet running in a forward motion (towards the Ice Governess), and the very next shot shows them exiting the room. How in the holy mother of fuck did Clara and the kids escape?! Did they just run straight through the Ice Governess? The editing would seem to suggest so. But here's the thing: was that a fault of the director, or a fault of the writer? How was that scene transition written in the script? What physically happened in the world of the show? Are we to believe Clara and the kids just ran forward and squeezed past the Ice Governess on their way out of the room? Okay. So in what way is the Ice Governess a threat if three people can run right through a door its guarding? I said The Snowmen had damn memorable villains, I didn't say they were good villains. This is just one moment, but the whole episode is full of shots that are too restrictive and editing that's too muddy.

Let's talk about something I liked about this episode, because I think I do like it overall. The Sherlock Holmes thing is fun and you can tell Matt Smith is having a ball with the dialogue ("Do you have a goldfish named Colin?" "No." "Thought not."). The Snowmen is full of great exchanges and one-liners ("There are two refreshments in your world the colour of red wine. This is not red wine.").

This episode introduced some new design changes to the show, mainly in the title sequence and TARDIS interior. The new title sequence is a great change of pace, with the camera flying through open space instead of a confined, claustrophobic time tunnel, and the reintroduction of the Doctor's face was an excellent subtle touch to celebrate the start of the show's 50th anniversary celebrations. That being said, the effects look terrible and murky, and in this particular version of the opening there were many sound effects played over the music that detracted greatly from the iconic theme tune. The big stand-out of the episode though is the new TARDIS, which looks gorgeous. Designed by Michael Pickwoad, it's definitely my favourite interior design to date. It's a wonderful tribute to past designs but instead of completely reverting back to basics, the new set retains all of the New Who developments and trimmings, such as the time rotor that stretches from the console to the ceiling and the multiple walkway levels. It's stylish, sophisticated, and I hope it's used by many Doctors to come. The reveal of the new interior is excellent, with the camera panning around the police box before following the Doctor and Clara through the doors to give the impression of it actually being bigger on the inside.

The script has some incredible moments, like the use of the memory worm. It's first established when the Doctor wants to use it on Clara but he can't or else she'll forget what to do in the event of evil snowmen, and then comes back at the end as a way of defeating the main villain. It's things like this that really make me wonder how Moffat did it. What came first, the idea of the memory worm that deletes the villain's memories, or the fact that the snow can feed on memories? Both of these things are connected and both of them are vital to the special. Either way, it's some great writing.

The Snowmen overall is a fun adventure story, perfect for family viewing at Christmas. However, it has some serious problems with logical inconsistencies caused by bad editing. Despite its problems, it's an easy watch as the script clearly doesn't want you to think too hard about anything that happens, and the ending that sets up Series 7 Part 2 is brilliant. Not the best Christmas special but not completely irredeemable either.