BBC / 2011 / 58 mins / NR

THE EPISODE:
The Christmas specials for DOCTOR WHO have become a tradition since the series re-launched in the mid 2000’s. With the exception of the first one (“The Christmas Invasion”) they have been stand alone stories that anyone, long time fans or viewers who have never seen the show before, could jump on board with and just have a great time with The Doctor for an hour. Over the past few years, the quality of the stories have been superb with such episodes as “The Next Doctor” and the hugely popular “Voyage of the Damned” standing out as some of the most memorable of their seasons. You really have to wonder how long the show could continue its run of outstanding and excellent Christmas stories.

This year’s story, “The Doctor, the Widow and The Wardrobe,” is sort of a take on C. S. Lewis’ THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, at least in title and several key plot devices. Think of it as a companion piece to last year’s Charles Dickens’ themed “A Christmas Carol.” The Doctor (Matt Smith) crashes to Earth in 1938 England, locked backwards in a space suit. Kindly mother of two Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner) helps him back to his TARDIS and off he goes. Three years later, he returns to repay the kindness as Madge and her children Cyril (Maurice Cole) and Lily (Holly Earl) are evacuated from London during the blitz and sent to live with relatives in Dorset. The Doctor greets the trio calling himself “The Caretaker” and shows them around the huge (and apparently abandoned) mansion he has “repaired” especially for them with all sorts of fun things. Under the Christmas tree is a large box addressed to the family, wrapped in blue and glowing from within. Cyril can’t resist and opens it early to discover it is a portal to a snowy forest where the trees grow their own Christmas ornaments. However, tree harvesters from Androzani Major soon appear to melt the entire forest down with acid rain, threatening not only the lives of the family, but of the living souls in the trees themselves.

“The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe” is the most intimate Christmas story we’ve yet had from DOCTOR WHO. While there is the impending doom of the forest and its inhabitants, the real focus of the story is the Arwell family’s happiness. It is a nice story; a very enjoyable episode. However, it never really grabs you the way other Christmas specials have done. It all feels a little too light and airy; it lacks the real emotional weight that other Steven Moffat scripted stores have had in abundance. I think this is due to The Doctor never being anything but manically happy. Even when he is faced with a serious issue (Madge’s horrible secret she is keeping from her children, the acid rain beginning to fall or Cyril possibly being under the spell of tree people) he doesn’t for a second acknowledge there is a problem that he isn’t in control of. If The Doctor isn’t showing the slightest bit of concern, why should we be worried at all? I’m not saying this episode is bad at all, it just isn’t the best we’ve had.

THE DISC:
The anamorphic 1.78 transfer follows suit with previous Blu-rays of DOCTOR WHO, very rich colors and strong detail. Textures are extremely well defined in both the dark mansion and the bright snow filled settings. Nothing to complain about here.

The DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1 surround mix is also very nice and full sounding. Atmospheric effects (always important in the new series) are clear and deliver a nice immersive soundscape. Murray Gold delivers another excellent score which is perfectly presented here.

THE EXTRAS:
The extras are… interesting if a bit on the weak side.

First up is the great “Prequel” to this episode. One of the best things to come out of the new series are all these excellent little shorts like the “Meanwhile in the TARDIS” and the “Night and the Doctor” pieces from the full season sets. These are pure joy for Whovians and I hope they never stop being made.

Three 45 minute-long television specials are also included: “The Best of The Doctor,” “The Best of Companions” and “The Best of Monsters.” These are fun little clip programs where celebrity Doctor Who fans (like actor Mark Stoppard and The Dresden Dolls’ lead singer Amanda Palmer) chime in on their favorite moments of the series. The thing that completely killed me on these is that they focus ENTIRELY on the Matt Smith era; a whopping two seasons worth of episodes to talk about. Needless to say, every single episode is discussed in some respect over the course of the three shows. With titles as all encompassing as they have, I was expecting a far deeper look at the show; maybe not going all the way back to the William Hartnell era, but at least the best bits since Christopher Eccleston and the re-launch of the show. They are fun, fluffy and disposable.

MY SAY:
Not the best Christmas special by a long shot, but a very sweet, very fluffy bit of holiday confectionary from the best science fiction television series of all time. A must own for all Whovians and a definite story worth seeking out for everyone else.

Reviewed by Jeff Allen