The Snowmen (S07E06)

Carnivorous snow meets Victorian values. The only problem was the length, which didn’t provide enough room for both layers of the story. And so, although there is the dismal Victorian "Winter is Coming" part with evil snow and the Paternoster gang (Doyle’s ethereal muse!) ingenious, chilling and functional, but on a sideline. The most important storyline is how the (un)returning Clare draws the Doctor out of his distant “come and eat me up, flies" shell. The Christmas special mixing together, in the same way as Christmas pudding, the unmixable (including a talking midget “potato" who looked like Nikki Lauder after the accident on the Nürburgring and murderous snowmen) in a tasty dish which, in terms of the Doctor’s one word test, deserves to be described using a word that reflects the essence and is catchy... I vote for the word Doctorridge. (24/01/2014)

The intertwined plotlines suit holidays in the Tardis as much as the childlike excitement from the previous two adventures, but they slightly distract from the actual essence of Christmas that characterizes the last Gallifreyan in this particular era. The circumstances then almost force me to label it the "weakest special," but that is probably due to the apparent hopelessness and sadness that even the Doctor cannot avoid and which this time remains deep in his heart. (26/12/2015)