10 Reactions To Doctor Who: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio

10. Great Entertainment For The Whole Family

A common and somewhat disingenuous criticism of Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who episodes has been that his plots are far too convoluted and require the viewer to know a great deal about the show’s mythology. It’s an accusation that certainly cannot be levelled against this year’s Christmas special. There are more nods here to the comic book worlds of DC and Marvel than there are to the Doctor’s recent and distant past.

There is the tiniest bit of name dropping to remind us that this isn’t the Doctor making a guest appearance on an entirely different show, such as to UNIT and Osgood. We also have a much needed, though brief explanation as to why Nardole, last seen decapitated, is back to life here, but the plot is as straightforward as they come. This is the nearest to a standalone episode that Moffat has ever come.

The tone is very much written with the casual viewer in mind, peppered with plenty of cross generational humour, from the Mr Huffle toy and pokemon reference, to the adolescent Grant’s innuendo laden levitation. A heavy reliance on stereotypes helps to maintain the pace and fluff by not getting too caught up in backstory and characterisation.