As the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) returns again to foil yet another invasion attempt at Christmas by yet more pesky aliens - really you'd think they'd have learnt their lesson by now. This time hanging upside down from a building on the 60th floor and helped by a boy who's allowed to let him in cos his parents wouldn't believe an old man would be dangling around there. Thus he's Santa, it's logical. The boy brings him milk and cookies and he enjoys them as he glances over to the Christmas tree. Even the Doctor gets the connection there. Then reads a Superman comic and if it hadn't really happened this way you'd forgiven for thinking it was all from the imagination of some man!! Or a fantastic dream. Anyway the Doctor works out that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same, after drawing some glasses on Superman. The boy telling him that everyone knows that. Well everyone except Lois Lane and she's a reporter the Doctor replies.
As Grant (Logan Hoffman) takes him to the roof to let him out, he chances upon the Doctor's new invention, yes another one and as we know he likes to make and build things on top of towers and tall buildings. it's just what he does. He gives Grant a glass of water and also a gem to hold but instead of telling him to hold it, he says "take it" which he literally does and swallows it. It won't hurt him but will have the opposite effect of making his wishes come true, as Grant begins to levitate.
Grant (Justin Chatwin) wakes up older and holding a baby. As we jump to a press conference with Mr Brock (Adetomiwa Edun) [Elyan from Merlin] at Harmony Shoal as he gives credit to Shuster and Siegel and we all knwo who they are. The creators of Superman for those who didn't (what planet have you been on ha?! Joel Schuster was the artist and Serry Siegel was the writer.) It's attended by Lucy Fletcher - reporter (Charity Wakefield) and also Nardole (Matt Lucas) who asks for the little boy' room. Not the bathroom but the actual little boy's room. Lucy goes snooping and ends up hiding round the same corner as the Doctor - snacking on sushi. He loves his snacks this time round - maybe his eating is a way of getting over River. More on that later. (How many thought he'd say Clara when asked who he's getting over?? Even if he's not meant to remember her. Think somehow he still does.)
Inside the vault where there are stores of brains Dr Sim (Aleksander Jovanovic) tells Brock how he counted 24 but now there's 36 brains in the jars and he didn't see any deliveries arriving. Brock peers at the jar and sees the brain has eyes and isn't really a brain but an alien waiting to exchange bodies with a human "vehicle" as they later call them. Brock is operated on by surgeons emerging from behind the jars and becomes an alien too. As the Doctor and Lucy head to the map room. She tells him who she really is and he says he's Dan Dangerous from Scotland Yard and is a Doctor. The map shows an invasion of all the major capitals of the world, what am I saying major, all the capital of the world and also New York and as Nardole points out, New York isn't a capital city. No it's not but it's one that's always the focus of attention when it comes to invasions, attacks and the like.
Sim turns up holding a gun to them with lots of head splitting in the episode (splitting headaches and as many jokes as could be gotten within the hour about minds and keeping an open mind etc.) The Doctor turns his back to him and tells him to shoot them in the back and then he can say he killed unarmed intruders in self defence. Just then the window smashes as superhero: The Ghost makes an entrance. Though you could've substitute Grant for the letter 'G' too. As Sim comment on how the glass was to withstand four times a nuclear explosion. (Clue for later or now if you were paying attention.) So he rescues Lucy and takes her home in the classic Superman scene of where he flies with Lois. He has an emergency to go to as he takes out his baby monitor, if you hadn't realized it was Grant and he's the nanny to Lucy Lombard - her married name. Her husband left after the baby was born.
The Doctor and Nardole also arrive, who then plays with the baby elephant toy and Lucy arrives asking how the Doctor got here before here if they were here to check up on her. With a flashback to Grant (Daniel Lorente) when he was at school and miserable. As they sit on the balcony and the Doctor sips a drink casually from a bottle. (See binge eating! ha) Well kind of.) The gem didn't 'pass' through him but bonded instead. He's got X-ray vision and hates it cos he likes Lucy. Older Grant leaves on on an emergency and Lucy quizzes the Doctor on who he really is using her squeeky toy, Mr Huffle. on whom she'll inflict pain if he lies. Of course he doesn't tell her and she knows he's not with Scotland Yard. He points to the TV where Grant is being interviewed after his rescue of two children from a fire. She's aware the Doctor knows who the Ghost really is and he can introduce her cos she wants to interview him. Being right under his nose and he says the same to her, that he could be really close by her too. He turns up and they speak on the phone as he calls her. She wants to have dinner with him, just business and an interview and he agrees. He'll pick her up on the roof. As she heads to the kitchen where Grant says he has a date too and so he can't babysit. She didn't realize he's dating and he has to forego his plans for his date.
A little stereotypical in that he was ordinary looking and wore glasses so he couldn't score a date. I should say geeky looking it's easier than putting my foot in it. Sim and Brock watch footage to work out who the Doctor is and they think they're watching footage, but in actual fact he's really in the room with them. Telling them about all the other aliens who've attempted to invade Earth and he's always put an end to it. Yeah don't mess with the Doctor and especially not at Christmas. He realizes that they plan to take all the brains of the world leaders and substitute them with aliens. (Nothing new then, maybe an aside to the President elect!! Yeah brain substitution needed desperately there!! ha.) As the Doctor comments: "Brains with minds of their own, no one will believe that, this is America." Okay leaving politics out of it here though it wasn't left out of the ep! Anyway he leaves him with his burger as Brock opens his mind and removes a gun to shoot the Doctor with. Hmm connotation for the only place to store a gun, for those people who have guns on their minds in the US or something along the lines.)
He whistles for the TARDIS and he leaves there with Nardole. Apparently he rescued Nardole from the metal monster he was a part of in the last Christmas episode (see below) and oh meant to say when the Doctor was reading Superman's comic I was looking at Superman's head inside the helmet next to him, like it was inside a jar, never mind, close enough to a brain in a jar. They head to the ship that's orbiting outside of Earth and he thinks they should take a look inside cos the lights aren't on so there's no one there. Where he heads to the flight room and finds that the ship is actually a a bomb. Cue Sim on the screen and the Doctor finally clicking that the building of the Harmony Shoal can withstand the nuclear blast and how the leaders will clamour to come into the building after the explosion. That's how they'll get their brains. But hello there won't be many humans left, at least not that many after an explosion and then gets why New York was on the map. Not a capital city but will be when they take them over. He thinks he can disarm it as security finds them on the ship.
Lucy and Grant on their date, he brings a picnic basket to the roof since he hates restaurants. She changes into her red dress finds she's jealous of Grant and his date and he says she's jealous of herself too. Realizing what she feels for him. As the Doctor said: "you're jealous to you" to Grant and he responded, "technically she's jealous of her." Wouldn't you think she'd know who he really is and recall him from school. Come on she must've checked out his references for the nanny job, at least you'd recognize someone from your past. Anyway he decides to come clean with her and takes off his mask but she doesn't look at his face. The Doctor gets the notion that when the ship is armed its shields will be lowered and thus he can direct it straight to the roof where Grant is. Well Brock arrives and holds her at gunpoint cos they figured out they need the Ghost as he's unlike any other human they've seen and threaten her. He escapes and comes back as Grant - the nanny. And the Doctor resets the frequency on the bomb/ship so only Grant can hear it, telling him what to do: which involves balancing the bomb on his one hand. As Lucy realizes who he is. They can contain their feelings no longer and the Doctor tells him to take the bomb and destroy it into the sun, as he carries her off with him and the bomb still kissing.
As the Doctor leaves, Nardole tells them about River, he lost her as she died in a library after they had 24 years together. Same number of years Grant's known Lucy.
(See last Christmas episode
http://mila255.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/doctor-who-christmas-special-2015.html )
Grant tells him he's not a Doctor Who but a Doctor Mysterio (the show is called this in Mexico which Peter loved and wanted to get that in, so Moffat wrote it for him) at the beginning which he likes and will take the name! A little of a cop out in taking on the Superman story cos everyone knows Superman. So a bit of a feel good one this time round. Okay grant-ed (no pun) we needed it cos of the yukky year that was 2016, so we needed make believe and escapism and being saved; all rolled into one. And the Doctor's excellent line of "Mrs Lombard there are some situations which are too stupid to be allowed to continue." Any takers? Ha.
Hoever Steven Moffat said that he was referring more to Clark Kent here rather than his alter ego of Superman. Grant is the hero as opposed to The Ghost. Which if you really think about it doesn't say much, cos they're both one and the same. Who else thought of Amelia Pond and how the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) chanced upon her too as a child and then returned later (here 24 years later) when she was all growed up. (Yes my use of growed instead of grown - sounded better.) Also thought they're in Manhattan, where are the Ponds? Wishful thinking remained just that!)
Also as Nardole reminds the Doctor about the Time Lords agreeing not to interfere in other's business. No surprise that the zip heads or the creatures with the opening heads were also in The Husbands of River Song and how they were overpowered by King Hydroflax. As they made a return in another Christmas episode. As Nardole mentions River and 24 years are also said, we know that the events here take place after their 24 year dinner at The Singing Towers.
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