The Snowmen

Christmas trees, Santa, and now snowmen. Doctor Who really wants us to be scared of Christmas, doesn't it? This year's Christmas special introduces us to quite a few new things: new companion, new title sequence, new TARDIS control room.

The Doctor has become a grumpy, sad, angry old man, after losing his companions. He stays in his TARDIS, alone, still watching the people of Earth but refusing to help. He is a thousand years old; you'd think that he'd figured out how to deal with losses. But I quite like this new Doctor; he has every right to lock himself in his TARDIS. He's mad at the universe. Everyone he loves always leaves him in the end. I think he's trying to protect himself from getting attached to a new companion, and also saving said companion from actually becoming one because it never ends well.

By chance, while aimlessly walking around, The Doctor meets Clara. He does his best to avoid her, in my opinion. He doesn't even give her his name. But of course, even without trying, no person can resist The Doctor. Even after he tells her to stay away from him and to not look for him, she does it anyway. Wouldn't you? This mysterious man appears, hiding his name, and tells you to stay away.

I don't understand why she says "pond" though. I get the not-so-subtle nod to Amy and Rory, but if you get only one word to grab The Doctor's attention and make him help you, I doubt "pond" would be the rational word of choice. There's a woman who died frozen in the pond and now a little girl has nightmares about it all the time. Sure, "pond" is the word to choose. But of course that's the absolute right word to say, and it worked.

The Doctor is still the most curious person he always was; he can't help himself but to investigate, it's his nature. No matter how upset he is with the universe, he just has to go down to Earth and take a look around.

The Doctor has parked his TARDIS in the clouds, hidden from view. And we get to see the new TARDIS control room. I really like this new look. A somewhat retro look, an homage to the classic series I assume, and yet modern and uncluttered.

"It's smaller on the outside"

The most important piece of information in this episode, in my opinion, is that Clara is "souffle girl" from "Asylum of the Daleks." She was a Dalek, somehow, and got killed at the end of the episode. Yet, here she is. It's the same woman, twice, and she died, both times! Clara Oswin Oswalt –– She's impossible, so he's intrigued. It's definitely gonna be an exciting second half of the season! Is she gonna be a new Clara in every episode, and dies in every episode?