The Christmas special will be going out on 5:55 pm December 25th GMT, so I thought I'd get the thread for discussing it ready now. Looking forward to it!

--Sweetie Belle

I am so ready!

Okay, I'm ready for more 15th Doctor episodes now...

--Sweetie Belle

Okay, so, some thoughts:

Ncuti Gatwa is immediately the Doctor. This episode was Ruby's, not the Doctor's, but the two of them have chemistry, and Ncuti is very much the Doctor in every scene he's in. Things are pretty fantasy, but I like fantasy, and the show's done fantasy before.

Love the musical scene.

I was kinda feeling like something was up with Mrs Flood, and the last scene pretty much confirms that.

Overall, an enjoyable episode. Kind of a basic plot, and it would have been improved by having David Bowie as the Goblin King, but he is, unfortunately, dead. Big thing for this was establishing the setup and characters for the series, though, and I think it does that well.

I think Mrs Flood and the question of who Ruby's mother is will be going on for a while, as will, apparently, mavity. Seems like the fallout of the Toymaker and things being more fantasy then normal will be a thing, too.

All in all, I enjoyed it, and I can tell I'll be liking 15, at the very least.

--Sweetie Belle

Oooooh that was a good Christmas Special. Bit of panto, bit of the Yule Lads, even a bit of It's a Wonderful Life. The erasing Ruby from history bit really got me, ngl.

I'm immediately in love with Gatwa's Doctor, he's so fun to watch. That bit with the policeman really reminded me of Eight in the TV Movie, predicting other people's futures randomly, which is something I adore. His energy is unparalleled, and he just always seems like he's having a great time.

Ruby is also good! If I'm being honest I didn't get quite as much character out of her other than cheerful and clumsy-but-not-actually, but the episode really went out of its way to show her impact on the people around her. Her family is fantastic -- I know it's hardly a new observation, but RTD really revels in the family unit. I hope we get to see more of them soon.

Doctor and Ruby!! Together!! LOVE THEM!! I'm really glad that RTD is keeping on with the Timeless Child stuff, vis-a-vis the adoption. Flux was good for getting the Doctor to confront that, but I do look forward to seeing what RTD does going forward (please have an actual confrontation with Tecteun please please ple--)

Best bits of the episode itself -- the Goblin Song, obviously. I did my best to avoid listening to it ahead of time, and I'm glad I avoided spoilers! I also loved the 'language of knots' bit. I always love when Doctor Who just shrugs and says, "yeah, it's basically magic" and I adore when the Doctor is delightedly encountering something they've never seen before. Obviously the Wonderful Life bit was also phenomenal, but I don't quite know how to express my feelings there.

Really looking forward to the start of the season proper in May!