But shop assistant Shona’s plea to stay in the dream a little longer to avoid waking up alone in her flat was heartbreaking. The reveal that Professor Bellows’ “real” self is in a wheelchair felt patronizing – it would have been easy to have had the character in a wheelchair throughout the entire episode, so it felt maudlin, manipulative and more than a little ableist. Of course, the North Pole scientists aren’t really scientists – in fact, they’ve never met, just four strangers who wound up in the same dream. Peter Capaldi calling fellow Scot and old pal Maureen Beattie (Professor Bellows) “sexy” is both sweet and right on the mark – it would have been nice to see both Beattie and Gumede given a bit more to do. Joining the jolly fat man in the red suit is a terrific ensemble cast that includes Dan Starkey, liberated from his Strax costume to play an elf (always a welcome sight), and a team of scientists at the North Pole led by Natalie Gumede. Nick Frost makes for a gloriously grumpy Santa and the rivalry between he and Capaldi’s Doctor is worth the price of admission alone.
So it’s a relief to have Clara sticking around now that dream!Danny gave her some much-needed closure. After a rocky start at the beginning of the previous season, Capaldi and Coleman have hit their stride as a partnership, especially now that they’ve both come clean about the lies they told in the season finale – that Danny is alive and Gallifrey is found.