The Return Of Dr Mysterioso
(Christmas Special, Dr 12 with Nardole, 25/12/2016, producer/showrunner: Steven Moffat, writer: Steven Moffat, director: Ed Bazalgette)
Rank: 294
In which the Dr Who equivalent of Superman meets the Dr Who equivalent of Lois Lane but without the krypton factor...
I really don't understand the sudden surge of popularity in superhero films the past decade. I mean, they're all so bland and blooming boring. Half the time you can guess where the plot goes just from the superhero names (and if there's an incredible hulk, does that mean there are lots of credible hulks around?) Not like our Dr: unpredictable, fallible, saving the universe not with special powers but a screwdriver, sometimes a robotic dog, maybe a pocket vegetable. Anyway, DW's predictable attempt to cash in on this phenomenon is pretty lame to be honest. It's basically Superman with childcare issues. The plot hinges on a 'wish granting gemstone' swallowed by an 8 year old nerd who dreams of having super-powers, which is a downright silly plot even for a Christmas special. The love story is, if anything, worse. We haven't had one this unconvincing since Sheila Hancock was dressed up as an alien Thatcher. There are some great little lines that keep this episode moving though and things perk up a great deal for the ending, which is back on far more comfortable territory.
Positives+ Dr Mysterioso is what Dr Who is called in Spanish-speaking countries. Very meta and one of DW's better in-jokes!
Negatives - Why are so many men in 21st century DW scared of babies and children? (And why is it never mothers?) Most male fans I know love kids, if only because they have an entire audience to bore with episodes they won't ever have seen before and they can buy them DW replica toys and Easter eggs and K9 slippers. It's becoming something of a trope by 2016...
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