All that being said, the broad, welcoming energy that makes “Joy to the World” effective on a macro level also makes it slightly sickly on a micro level. From an emotional perspective, the episode is at its most winning when it’s being quiet, allowing space for the melancholy that so often coexists with happiness during the Christmas period – and that made “A Christmas Carol” and “Last Christmas” such standouts in the pantheon of Who specials.
But too often it goes for the big swing, and over extends itself as a result. The Doctor’s year-long friendship with Anita, for example, is played wonderfully by Ncuti Gatwa and guest star Steph de Whalley, but what works about it is how low-key, almost mundane it is. The massive swelling tearful goodbye – and the implication that Anita’s feelings for the Doctor are romantic – feels overblown where it should be quietly bittersweet.
See also Joy’s big outburst revealing why she checked into the hotel alone, and why she’s bubbling with rage. Again, Nicola Coughlan plays it very well. But it feels like it’s grasping for a level of emotional impact that hasn’t really been earned, and the references to the pandemic and Partygate feel somewhat heavy handed. Cutting to Joy’s mum in hospital at the end is also tonally awkward, shifting that plot thread from a memorial for an intimate family tragedy – and by extension all the millions of other intimate family tragedies suffered during that horrible period – to a bit of hand-wavey sci-fi magic. It’s undoubtedly well intentioned, and perhaps some will find it cathartic, but for me it left a slightly odd taste in the mouth.
And then there’s the matter of the Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa is wonderful, of course. But there is a slightly uneasy feeling that the show is unsure of what to do with the character, emotionally. We’ve seen the Doctor moping around and missing their departed companion before. We’ve even seen it at Christmas. We’ve also seen them experience and appreciate a period of normal living among humans, and we’ve heard them advised by other characters that they shouldn’t travel alone. The beats all feel very familiar.
And it’s not like Ruby’s even dead! The Doctor can pop in and see her whenever he likes! Considering the terrible events that separated previous Doctors from beloved companions like Rose, the Ponds and Clara, a companion choosing to stay at home and spend time with her mum just doesn’t have the juice to support this level of hand-wringing.
But OK. Speaking of hand-wringing – enough. It’s Christmas, and Doctor Who is on TV, and the episode is good. Elements of it are even great! And it brings a message of hope – something that, however heavy handed and ingratiating, is sorely needed here, halfway out of the dark. It’s lovely to have it back.
