Doctor Who/Recap/2010 CS A Christmas Carol: Difference between revisions

And [[Charles Dickens]]' [[Doctor Who/Recap/NS/S1S27/E03 The Unquiet Dead|biggest fan]] has a magnificent lightbulb moment when he decides to re-enact "[[A Christmas Carol]]" to change Sardick's life.

Old Sardick is amazed, then angry, when the Doctor plays that video in his living room, and even more amazed when the Doctor steps out for a moment and appears ''in the video''. The Doctor travels back in time to meet young Kazran, thus changing history -- andhistory—and, much to his bewilderment, Sardick's memories. Although the psychic paper fails to convince Young Kazran that the Doctor is his new babysitter (apparently "the Doctor is universally recognized as a responsible and mature adult" is one [[Blatant Lies|blatant lie]] it is just not capable of supporting), the Doctor nevertheless manages to entangle Young Kazran in a scheme to lure in a fish. He learns in the process that Kazran's issues stem from loneliness and isolation, and befriends the young boy. Old Sardick, mesmerised by the video, is horrified to realise that his memories are being altered while he watches.

According to her built-in pod holograph, Abigail is very grateful to be among the fish that float happily among the fog in the pod chamber, feeling an affinity for them. The Doctor's screwdriver indicates that its other half is nearby, which means that the fish have woken up. And has followed them down. The pod is opened, and Abigail is freed -- andfreed—and she has an incredible singing voice, one capable of lulling the shark into a calm state. The Doctor realises that her singing can directly cause the ice crystals in the clouds to resonate. Kazran insists that it's just magic. With Abigail free, a pod is available, and soon Mrs. Shark is safely locked up and ready for transport.

Abigail and Kazran, of course, are delighted by the TARDIS, and by the Doctor giving them a trip to the skies to see the shark freed into the beautiful schools of fish that swim freely in the upper air layers. Having enjoyed a rare sojourn from stasis, Abigail happily asks the Doctor and Kazran to visit her again, and Kazran -- quiteKazran—quite enamoured of Abigail -- isAbigail—is eager to make it a yearly thing. And so begins a tradition where every Christmas, the Doctor collects the two to take them on a Christmas Eve adventure. A flying-shark guided carriage ride one year, a trip back in time the next. One year, Abigail watches her family prepare for Christmas dinner through their window (in a very sweet mirror of the Christmas Past scene in "Christmas Carol"). She's delighted when she sees that the Doctor's already sauntered into the house and befriended her whole family. She's invited in, and she spends an idyllic Christmas with her family, who even welcome young Kazran.

Unfortunately, there's a timer on the front of Abigail's pod, and it ticks off one number less every year -- andyear—and at a Christmas bash thrown by Frank Sinatra, while the Doctor [[Accidental Marriage|accidentally gets engaged]] off-screen to a certain [[Marilyn Monroe]], Kazran learns exactly why that is. He won't tell the Doctor, however, and just keeps on kissing Abigail endlessly, as if he'd never see her again. (The Doctor goes off and marries Marilyn just to spite them.) Much to the Doctor's confusion, the news Kazran receives is enough to make him bitterly spurn the Doctor's offer of further Christmas adventures. Which, of course, means that he falls ever further under the shadow of his ruthless, avaricious father, who has completed the device that will allow him to control the skies of their world and, through that, the people.

In the present, Kazran Sardick remains the bitter, twisted old man he was before. Only the reason has changed. The Doctor is forced to change his plans. He calls upon the Ghosts of Christmas Present -- AmyPresent—Amy and Rory, communicating from the ship via hologram to show Sardick exactly what his cruelty is resulting in. The ship is not weathering the storm, and the people aboard are resorting to Christmas carols in a desperate attempt to control the skies and the creatures in them. Sardick hears them and sees them, but doesn't budge. Amy and Rory desperately plead with Sardick to clear the skies and spare the people aboard. But Kazran is still not inclined to acquiesce -- becauseacquiesce—because many years ago, he learnt that Abigail was dying when she entered that pod, with only a few days to live, and each time the Doctor and Kazran took her out of that pod she lost one more day. She only has one left now. Railing against the Doctor's manipulation of his life, where he replaced loneliness with heartbreak, Kazran values the one day of Abigail's life he has been miserly saving. He's spent his whole life unable to decide when he has the right to take it from her, and the 4003 people who will die due to his callousness are still not enough of a reason.

Finally aware of what has transpired, the Doctor regrets the pain he has inadvertently brought Kazran, but has no intention of letting him allow the deaths of the people aboard the ship. Time for the Ghost of Christmas Future. Confronting him once again, Kazran rails against the Doctor's manipulations of his life, challenging him to show any evidence that Kazran will not die bitter and alone, as he is convinced he will. However, it's not the old Kazran that the Doctor is playing the Ghost of Christmas Future for -- itfor—it's the younger Kazran, brought forward in time to see exactly what kind of man he will become. A man exactly like [[Generation Xerox|his own hated, cruel father]]. Old Kazran is about to hit his younger self, but has a massive [[Heel Realization]] when his younger self says, "dad?". Overwhelmed by the new memories he has been given now, Old Kazran breaks down and hugs his younger self. He finally agrees to clear the fog and save the lives of the people on the ship. Unfortunately, the Doctor has changed history too much -- themuch—the controls of the machine no longer respond to Kazran's touch, as he is no longer the man his father would have allowed to access them. This means they cannot clear the fog with the device. However, they know of someone which can clear the fog, just as she controlled the fish. Someone who can save 4003 lives with the power of her voice. Someone who has only one day of life left to her. Kazran is torn about releasing the woman he loves to her death. But Abigail has her own thoughts on the subject, and would rather face the last day of her life with the strange old man she loves than have it stored away forever.

=== Tropes ===

* [[Back Fromfrom the Dead]]: The [[Memetic Mutation|fez]] makes another appearance.

** One of Kazran's photos is of the Doctor excitedly pointing to [[Doctor Who/Recap/NS/S3S29/E04 Daleks in Manhattan|the Empire State Building.]] You can practically hear him saying, "...And there were Daleks ''in the basement!'' With ''pig soldiers!''"

* [[Doing inIn the Wizard]]: The Doctor ''attempts'' to scientifically rationalise Abigail's singing calming the fish, but the fish disagree.

* [[Everybody Lives]]: The first Doctor Who Christmas Special ever where no one dies on-screen! <ref> Ok, there was that one little fish, but we'll let that go... </ref>

* [[Noodle Incident]]: It's interesting to speculate who the Doctor is referring to -- ato—a young Rani (or [[Foe Yay|The Master]]?) on Gallifrey, or an adult Romana?