Episode Discussion: Doctor Who 2024 Christmas Special: Joy To The World
Steven Moffat does it again (derogatory).
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2mia4ED059CJzHsIDPOh0h?si=m8q3TWnTRSS0-BfPeqFjog
There was a Tumblr post about a decade ago that perfectly encapsulated the problems with Steven Moffat's writing style, aside from his general inability to write female characters. The general argument was that he was great at writing individual moments but the connective tissue (like the rest of the episode) between the moments didn't always make sense or just weren't very good. Joy to the World is almost designed to make the case as to why I'd like Moffat to stay as far away from this franchise as possible.
There are two really cool concepts at play for this episode. The general conceit of the time hotel is pretty interesting, especially when juxtaposed with a gentleman who is entering the hotel on a mission with a mysterious suitcase chained to his wrist. The idea of The Doctor, without a companion, being stranded without access to the TARDIS and being forced to live a year as just a normal person is also an interesting idea that could have been a full episode. The problem is that because both of these concepts are crammed into an hour that's also shared with trying to explain (and largely failing) what the star seed is, Joy's backstory and death, and thoughts on the collective trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This episode is two and a half stars because, at times, the good outweighs the bad, but it's about 50/50. I'd have rather watched an entire episode about The Doctor solving a mystery in the time hotel or an entire episode about The Doctor being stranded and learning who he fundamentally is beyond the time traveling adventurer, but the episode tries to split the time between the two so neither fully develops properly. It ultimately feels like two massive missed opportunities with a few solid moments stitched in.
Really what this episode did was make me realize just how good a job 73 Yards did selling me on Ruby Sunday because her absence here was noticeable. Hopefully we end up with two companions next season.
★★★
Doctor Who
Showrunner: Russel T. Davies
Starring: Ncuti Gatwa, Nicola Coughlin, Jonathan Aris, Phil Baxter
Streaming Service: BBC and Disney+
Release Date: December 25th, 2024
