The Snowmen
- Episode aired Dec 25, 2012
- TV-PG
- 1h
London, 1892. Snow is evolving, turning into icy monstrosities, but this is no concern for the Doctor who has given up trying to save the universe, leaving it to a clever young governess nam... Read allLondon, 1892. Snow is evolving, turning into icy monstrosities, but this is no concern for the Doctor who has given up trying to save the universe, leaving it to a clever young governess named Clara to save the day.London, 1892. Snow is evolving, turning into icy monstrosities, but this is no concern for the Doctor who has given up trying to save the universe, leaving it to a clever young governess named Clara to save the day.
- Clara
- (as Jenna-Louise Coleman)
- Ice Governess
- (voice)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Doctor first met the Great Intelligence in his second incarnation in the story The Abominable Snowmen: Episode One (1967). He battled against them again in the London underground in The Web of Fear: Episode 1 (1968). A map of the London underground appears on the top of the lunch box The Doctor gives Dr. Simeon.
- GoofsWhen The Doctor and Clara are running away from the ice-governess and climb the stairs to his Tardis, they start climbing the stairs clock-wise, then climb it anti-clockwise when they get near the top, even thought the ice governess is still climbing them clockwise. The stairs literally flip the opposite way.
- Quotes
Strax: Sir, permission to express my opposition to your current apathy.
The Doctor: Permission granted.
Strax: Sir, I am opposed to your current apathy.
The Doctor: Thank you, Strax. And if I'm ever in the need of advice from a psychotic potato dwarf, you'll certainly be the first to know.
Naturally the Doc is still in a period of mourning for the loss of Rory and Amy and indeed takes some time to make an appearance and snap back into his old self but when he does the action picks up and of course he gets to save the world again. The meeting with his new co-traveller Clara (in fact a reunion, for those who saw the previous series' Daleks episode) was neatly got over with the crisp sharp dialogue we've come to expect and some clever in-jokes too, not least the references to Moffat's other recent successful creation Sherlock Holmes and later the nod to Amy Pond. It shouldn't be forgotten that a Christmas perennial in the UK at this time is Raymond Briiggs' animated story "The Snowman", "Walking In the Air" and all that, Moffat making a monster out of a snow-hill to good effect.
The special effects were excellent, especially the "Stairway to Heaven", ice-monster governess and Richard E Grant's transformation into a freezing ghoul just before the end. Along for the ride are Vastra and wife, plus potato-head Sontaran Straxa for comic effect. I must admit I got a little lost with how Clara came back to life and by crying a tear destroyed the alien menace, but I'll allow Moffat his McGoffin.
Everyone acts well, Matt Smith far from bored and boring and Coleman, with her crush on the Doc, adding even more sexual chemistry than Karen Gillan's Amy Pond. This one-off episode bodes well for next year's new series, where interestingly the preview trailer showed no sign of River Song at all, but thankfully the return of my favourite Who monsters the Cybermen.
- Lejink
- Dec 24, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- Portland Square, Bristol, England, UK(Square where the secret ladder to the TARDIS is located)
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color