Joy To The World is this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special which stars Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor. This will contain spoilers.
General Thoughts on Joy To The World
I feel like this episode had left me loving Ncuti Gatwa’s acting yet again. He is such a good Doctor. I also want to praise Nicola Coughlan as Joy, who was amazing despite mixed feelings about the character she played.
Outside of acting, I loved the appearance of Villengard just occasionally appeared as this weapons manufacturer. They serve as a great antagonist and it a great evil corporation for the Doctor to oppose.
Characters
To start of with, I loved Trev (who I know as Frenchie from Our Flag Means Death). I was devastated at his death and was so glad he got a bit of time at the end when he’s part of the star seed interface. It gave him a nice little moment and he really did try his best.
I loved Anita. I loved all the scene of that year with the Doctor. Part of me wished they had made her be the original owner of The Time Hotel, or left it open so she could become a companion. Anita seemed like such a nice and chill person that could have made a great and different companion for the Doctor.
However, Joy felt very shallow. Her entire presence could be described as ‘sad and lonely and trying to hide it with a smile’. I loved when the Doctor broke her out of the star seed’s possession because the regret and guilt over her mother’s death because it felt so real. So many people have experienced the exact same thing and understand the raw emotions Nicola Coughlan conveyed so perfectly. I wished I could have seen more it, and some kind of resolution to Joy’s grief. I didn’t not like the way the show handled it, and moving onto that…
Joy’s Death
Having Joy choose to end her own life felt like a strange ending to me. In the brief time we knew Joy as herself, and not possessed by the star seed, she hated her life and had nothing to live for, so why should we care that she died on a personal level? I cared more about Trev’s death than Joy’s.
Even beside that, as someone who lost a loved one last December, it seems like a strange message. I wish that the Doctor could have convinced her that she had a life to live, that she could go and enjoy her life even if she feels depressed and has these feelings over her mother’s death. Because we do all have life to live, even if we lose someone close to us. We are allowed to feel sad and grieve and have regrets, but we still have lives to continue on with, and the Doctor should have tried to convince her of that.
If Joy was someone genuinely trying to live life despite their problems, or was convinced that her life was worth living, the sacrifice would have felt earned. I’m not even sure why Joy needed to die, was there was no way for them to create the star without Joy dying? Or was it just because the plot said so and they wanted her to be the star above Bethlehem?
Overall Thoughts on Joy To The World
Overall, I loved seeing some familiar actors in this episode, and I loved the Doctor and Anita’s interactions. However, the episode left me kind of depressed with how it treated Joy and her struggles with her mother’s death.
I am not sponsored or affiliated with the BBC or Disney, but watch Doctor who on bbciplayer or Disney+. Enjoy!Want to read another of my blog posts about Doctor Who? Check out my thoughts on the finale of the last season of Doctor Who here.