“Joy to the World” is the 2024 “Doctor Who” Christmas special episode. It’s available in the UK and Ireland on BBC channels and in many other countries on the Disney+ platform.
Note. This article contains some spoilers about “Joy to the World”.
The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) arrives at a hotel in the year 4202 that offers access to different moments in history. He sees a strange man at the reception with a briefcase attached to him with a chain and becomes suspicious. He starts investigating with the help of security guard Trev (Joel Fry) but the briefcase is passed from person to person until a Silurian takes it to another hotel in 2024. The Doctor follows him and arrives at a room recently rented by Joy Almondo (Nicola Coughlan), much to the confusion of her and manager Anita (Stephanie de Whalley).
Note. Almondo can be translated from Italian as Totheworld.
After the events of “Empire of Death“, the Fifteenth Doctor is traveling alone again and certainly can’t go on without some adventure. In this case, following the person in possession of a mysterious briefcase takes him to Christmas 2024.
The first part of the episode is very funny, especially thanks to some hilarious moments. In 2024, the Doctor ends up arguing with himself, complaining about everything his companions complain about when they deal with him. In an episode where there are no evil aliens, he has an understandably worried reaction when he sees a suction cup.
In his first season, the Fifteenth Doctor showed his emotions much more openly and more often than his predecessors. In this episode, this characteristic was exploited perfectly to handle the tone of the story, which gradually included bittersweet or downright sad moments.
The Doctor is traveling alone, Joy is alone, Anita seems to run the hotel alone. It’s not a coincidence, and various explicit references to the Covid-19 pandemic take the audience back to periods that for many people were terrible also due to the forced isolation.
The solstice hiliday, in the various versions that have existed throughout the history of humanity, represents a moment of birth and/or rebirth. This theme is central to this episode where the protagonists have the opportunity to reconnect and form new relationships. Stuck in 2024-2025, the Doctor and Anita become great friends and the Doctor later forms a relationship with Joy as well.
The plot is developed consistently using many moments between the characters very well in my opinion. I saw a very good balance between lighthearted and profound moments, between happy and sad moments. There are references to Villengard, a weapons manufacturing company already dealt with by the Doctor that are understandable even for viewers who haven’t seen the previous season. From that point of view, the plot is vague, in the sense that it’s not exactly clear how they get from Villengard’s plans to the ending: that’s the case in which the Christmas theme requires you to turn a blind eye.
The plots of Christmas episodes must be simple enough to be followed by viewers who are chatting and perhaps even eating with family and friends. From this point of view, “Joy to the World” seems to me like a success, even more so because it still contains profound and intense moments.
The last part of the episode, when so to speak, all the cards are on the table, is really emotional in my opinion. I suppose that the effects of the final events were also seen by Giotto, who was the first to paint the star as a comet that became part of Christian iconography in his “Adoration of the Magi” in 1303.
In the end, “Joy to The World” is a Christmas tale but it’s not cheesy and not everything ends well. The theme of friendship and connections in general against loneliness is very strong, and this means that there are also bad moments that can mark people’s lives. The plot has some moments that can be defined as poetic license but overall, this special reminded me why I prefer Steven Moffat to Russell T Davies. In my opinion, it’s one of the best Christmas specials ever produced.
