Too early for me to properly assess. But it’s definitely my favourite Christmas / NY special in at least 9 years.
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Loved it, felt really doctor who and delved into some really interesting sides of the doctor. Also by the end my brother was watching along animatedly, so maybe I’ll convert him yet
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OK so I, like most others, absolutely loved that!
AND THEN THE TRAILER AT THE END ASDGAJD D AHDIFLSBSVFBROXBFGPGOGKGBGNFKDKB
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I thought it was okay, 3.5/5.
But my dad and step-mom both said that the COVID thing was insensitive. They don’t really explain why though.
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I do wonder what the public, and the ‘fans’ are going to make of that.
Also the Bethlehem thing… That might stir up some controversy…
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I’ve already seen some people questioning Bethlehem, as if that hasn’t been a running gag in the show for years now
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Oh dear…
I’m glad I’ve only been looking at this site to see what people thought of the episode.
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And that, dear friends, is how we lost @DontBlink.
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Well I watched it and boi do I have a lot to say…
To be honest, my excitement for this was almost non-existing and maybe because of it my Opinion is so positive, but my God this was excellent. Perfect? Probably not. But my God, this hit so many right notes for me.
Of course there is a Discussion to be had with how it handles two Things: One of which being the Ending with Bethlehem, which I didn’t mind personally but then again I am not really religious. Although the Ending with Joy becoming this Star was probably the one Part which makes me unsure if I would rate this Episode so highly, it’s hard for me to properly articulate why, but I don’t know.
The other Thing is Covid, which I can see why People would find it insensitive, it hasn’t been too long since it, but personally I really thought that Part was done well, in particular how Joy vents about it to the Doctor. Coughlan plays it so well and in general is just a blast to watch as this one-off Companion, she is very sweet but portrays the Emotions quite well.
The big Star of this Special is Ncuti, my God. I must admit while I already really liked the Energy he brought to the Role, for me, he kinda didn’t click yet, but my god, he clicked now. Maybe I am the only one with that, but while I think every Doctor has something unique about, I absolutely adore those Moments, where it feels like a past doctor is taking control again, and I think we get quite a few of those in these Specials. Prominently when he talks down to Joy, that reminded me a lot of 7. And in general, I love how he acts in this Episode, he still has the Charm and the Energy from the previous Episodes, but it feels like he has found his footing here for sure.
There are a lot of charming or sweet Moments to be found here. Moffat hasn’t lost a bit with his dialogue. I do want to highlight the Moment where 15 talks to the Silurian, it’s just quite lovely.
I also really liked the Supporting Cast, especially 15 and Anita are a Highlight. You’d think having the Doctor have a normal day job might be annoying, I mean looking at you Care Taker, but no it works so well here! Maybe I am alone with this, but usually NuWho doesn’t get me emotionally, and yet the Speech 15 had towards Anita got me a bit teary.
The first Half of this Special is REALLY fun, presenting the Concept in a fun way and giving out a lot of Exposition without feeling boring at any Moment.
I love how those other Rooms we see at the beginning gets used throughout this Story! That being said, if I had to hear somebody say “Ham Cheese Toastie and a Pumpkin Latte” again, I will go wild!! 
Overall I loved this Episode, which is rare for me with a Christmas Special, but this just hit all the right beats, it’s by far not flawless, but it’s fun, emotional and gives me easily my favorite Ncuti Performance so far. Oh, and the whole Time Travel Aspect gets used here so well, which is always a big plus in my Books.
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Wanna get back into the habit of writing reviews more frequently again, so here’s my full (surprisingly serious) thoughts on the episode to clarify my above post!: Review of Joy to the World by BSCTDrayden · TARDIS Guide
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It was an absolute delight. Not a 10/10 but a damn close 9.5/10 for me. Ncuti continues to absolutely dominate as the Doctor.
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I cried through almost the whole thing!
That was beautiful.
Standout was definitely the Anita bit of the episode!
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She was so good!
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Very good. I was surprised that Joy wasn’t in it as much as I expected. I loved Anita, thought she would make a great companion. If this is Moffat’s last story, it’s a good one to go out on.
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I enjoyed most of the episode. Anita has already been mentioned. Absolutely loved her!
As a quite religious person I felt quite uncomfortable with the ending though. I already saw it coming the moment Joy was standing in that kind of terrain, but really hoped they wouldn’t go through with it.
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As a Christian, I bloody loved the ending and it actually pushed it to a 4/5 for me. It was a beautiful final shot.
(Other opinions from ‘Christians’ will no doubt be available on the internet…)
More thoughts from me in due course.
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Been thinking about this more (I still need to watch Unleashed) and I absolutely loved this episode, best “winter” special since 2015 (which was Husbands and was also Moffat).
I don’t really understand why anyone would be offended about Joy being the Christmas star. I also especially liked the “no wonder there was no room at the inn” joke.
Also I nearly punched the air when Joy criticised our government throwing parties during lockdown restrictions when she couldn’t even see her Mum in the hospital (this may have been lost to non-UK residents, but it was a huge slap in the face to Boris Johnson and our right-wing Conservative Party… this is the Doctor Who content I need!!)
Anita was a highlight. The whole montage with the Doctor working for a year was brilliant. Like a much better written Power of Three.
I need to watch it again to get all my thoughts together but wow it was brilliant!
And that trailer! Squeeeeee
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I read your comment after posting mine - so please know my comment about ‘other Christians’ was in no way directed at you!
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Yes - that was a great gag!
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