CPB Writes

Nicola Coughlan got shafted by the marketing, let's make that clear. All the promos sold this as a spotlight piece for one of the beloved stars of Derry Girls,  a Doctor Who Christmas Special in the vein of The Runaway Bride , The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe , or The Return of Dr. Mysterio , where the Doctor crashed into a guest actor's story. Instead, we have a special in the vein of The Waters of Mars or The Time of the Doctor , which are ultimately character pieces with the Doctor at the center. With Coughlan's Joy only present for around half the episode, she remains largely an unknown quantity until late in the game. She nails all of her big moments, especially her building rage and grief as the Doctor attempts to free her from the happy bubble of her mind control, and she and Ncuti Gatwa have great energy in their interactions. But there's still a sense of missed opportunity to the casting. Part of the problem is the ending, which is mis-pitched. Joy's...