Doctor Who Series 7, Episode X Review: The Snowmen

What did you think of this episode?

• Sonic!
• Good!
• Bumpy-wumpy!
• Exterminate!

The Snowmen is one of my favourite Doctor Who Christmas specials, and it has one of the great scenes, a scene I have been excited about watching again ever since I started my reviews.

The Snowmen gives us mystery, we have wonder, we have got some heartbreak and some of the best looking visuals to date. I will wait whilst you make a list of anything that looks more magical than the TARDIS alone on a cloud - I'm still waiting!!

"Doctor? Doctor who?"

From the moment it begins, it feels like a new era, with a beautifully cinematic Victorian London setting, a distant Doctor, and a sense of intrigue surrounding the newest companion, Clara. Oh and we also got a new title-sequence, and the Doctor's face is back!! All I needed was a little wink from Matt Smith and I would have been right back in my parents living room preparing to watch the Doctor and Ace.

That is all I need as an excuse to pop this iconic version of the theme tune here.

Jenna Coleman is incredible, she immediately has a great chemistry with Matt Smith. Clara’s mystery is woven throughout the episode, keeping us hooked and leaving us with more questions than answers by the end - standard Moffat. Obviously the first time watching it left me with some fears, I had not been convinced with some of the reveals by Moff up until this point.

Now don't hate me for this, but I don't really like Strax. I love a bit of Jenny and Vastra, but Strax continually getting sexes wrong and wanting to throw a grenade at everything gets a bit tiring after a while. The Paternoster Gang would have made a great CBBC show in my opinion though. That isn't me belittling them by the way, I really think them investigating old crimes and aliens would of been fab.

I cannot go on any further without talking about the scene. It really is one moment I would bottle up and show to anyone who was thinking about watching the show. Matt Smith nails it, I love how he just comes straight out with all the information needed and has a little laugh. Love, love, love, love! A new interior as well, an upgrade from the last one if you ask me.

A new TARDIS, the Doctor on a cloud, Clara, the Paternoster Gang, there is a lot going on here. This does mean the villain is a tad in the background. Which is a shame as Richard E Grant is obviously having a great time playing Dr Simeon. The snowmen also look great, and their slightly smiley look is pretty damn scary.

I had heard of the Great Intelligence, but I didn't know much about them, so it all went a bit over my head.

"I never know why. I only know who."

I guess the villains aren't the main point of this episode, and this Christmas special is intriguing in that you almost needed to watch a bit of the series before to fully get it. Christmas specials before are one-off romps! This is all about the Doctor and Clara.

Clara pulls the Doctor out of his grief and gets him to care again, back to having adventures and putting on his bowtie again, only for fate to cruelly intervene. Now I know I have to suspend some disbelief watching Doctor Who, but Clara must have cat-like landing skills to fall from that far and not get a scratch on her, still be breathing, and just generally not be splattered!

"The green woman, she said you were the saviour of worlds once. Are you going to save this one?"

Her two deaths left me looking forward to what was to come though! Even if a trend had been set for an overuse of bloody tears.

Overall, The Snowmen is a bloody delight. With stunning performances, a fantastic new TARDIS, and one of the best companion introductions in Doctor Who, it’s a Christmas special that stands the test of time.

RATING: Sonic!

BEST LINE: "It’s called the TARDIS. It can travel anywhere in time and space. And it’s mine."

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