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Eleven Thoughts About Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio

Spoilers. Some.

1. Time Again For New York

Once upon a time, Doctor Who had a problem with time in New York . He broke it. And as a result Amy and Rory Pond were trapped there, lived their lives there, the long way round until they died. The Doctor was never able to visit there without desytroying all of reality. And now the Doctor is back and trying to fix it.

Well, everyone needs an origin.

2. Doctor In The Byrne Ward

Steven Moffat has never written a comic book, but he has surrounded himself by people who do. Indeed, Paul Cornell who write previous Doctor Whos and was a close part of the Fitzrovia set has written the Superman comic book Action Comics. Could that have been a link to using the John Byrne Superman comic as the on-screen reference point here? One in which Lex Luthor was reinvented as a businessman with a strong interest in alien technology…

3. A Panel About Doctor Who

The comic began with a comic book page, moved into showing real comic book pages, and ends up using split screen to replicate such panels – note one even gets broken, just like in a comic book. He may not have written comic books before, but Steven Moffat is definitely playing with them here.

4. Little Boy's Room

I remember the first time I few to America and a woman asked me if I knew where the bathroom was. My reaction was… "A bath? On a plane?" So I do have a little sympathy for Nardole here. Note he has been reconstructed from the body of Hydroflax (but no sign of River Song's other husband who was also part of that suit) and not only does he know about the history of Time Lords but can also fly the TARDIS (ish). Did he learn this all from River Song or from another source? As part of the new series, I do hope we find out more about his mysterious past as well.

5. It's A Sequel Stupid.

So, yes, as well as Nardoleand references to River Song and their final night together, the villains here are also the same race that were loyal to King Hydroflax in the previous Doctor Who Christmas Special, The Husbands Of River Song. And who could do that thing with their heads to hide both bank device details – and guns. As for the Doctor being away for a while, it's true for the show, the night at the Singing Towers that lasts for 24 years – but it's true for us as well. A year is a long time.

6. He's Super, Man

The Superman references come thick and fast but very specific ones such as the date on the roof, and the questions about whether the superhero has a girlfriend is straight from the Christopher Reeve movie. Although with the more recent acceptance that he may have a boyfriend as well… but this Lois Lane has a child, and a secret identity as a nanny brings this Clark Kent even closer to his true love. If much of this episode is about the restraint of super powers as well as their use, that's a pretty big example. However the phone conversation with both arranging a date with each other without full knowledge of identity and who is speaking to who, was right out of Steven Moffat's Joking Apart.

7. Levity And Levitation

John Byrne may be the Superman artist of choice of this issue, but odds are he won't like the jokes, especially the X-Ray vision for an adolescent teenager and the levitation/erection parallel. And the secret identity jokes, especially "there are some situations which are too stupid to be allowed to continue" would usually rile him. But you never know, it is Christmas, he might be generous.

8. And Mr Huffle Makes Four

Mister Huffle reminded me directly of Steve The Pencil in Community. The Doctor can't help respond to his plastic screams. So much so, that this is actually a torture scene, Mr Huffle being used to extract information from the Doctor. Huh, who'd have thought, torture does work. Byt now he is on the TARDIS with Nardole and Bill to come, will we see his return? Maybe he could taje revenge on not-Lois?

9. Weaponising Fear?

This does feel rather apt. Beneath the fun of the superhero, the dalliance of the secret identity and the responsibilities of power (we all but had a Stan Lee cameo) is the idea that the aliens are using the selfish fear of the powerful who would use their power selfishly to preserve their lives, yet lead to their death and the defeat of everyone in the process. Seems somewhat more resonant for the Christmas Special of 2016….

10. A Promotion?

The UNIT call into Osgood? Has someone gone up in the world?

11. I Want Chips.

Bill serves chips? There's no chance she served the Doctor and Rose after their third episode back in 2005 is there? It might be a fun tie up…

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