Matt Smith Christmas Specials, if our countdown list wasn’t making clear, offer quite a lot of variation in terms of storytelling. On the scale of Christmassy-ness it ranges from The Time of the Doctor (low) to A Christmas Carol (very high–and yet to show on the list). The Snowmen, #4 on our countdown list, attempts to split the difference between the two.
On the one hand it’s very much a bridge episode between Series 7a and 7b and it brings back the Great Intelligence to set up Series 7b. At the same time there are definite dream-like qualities as Clara ascends the staircase to the stars and such. Those parts were lovely. And since The Snowmen is Jenna Coleman’s first proper story, it’s certainly an inflection point for the Matt Smith era.
With twelve specials to look back on, it’s understandable for them to begin to blend in after a while. Of course some stand out (namely the last three on our list) more than others but it’s also possible, even two years later in the case of The Snowmen, that some could be overlooked, the Tour suspects this is the case here. It’s certainly worth another look.
#3 coming tomorrow.
