Here we are. The end of the 60th Anniversary. ‘The Star Beast’ had some issues, but as a whole, it was a great start. ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ was fantastic, a character drama that stands among some of the show’s best horror episodes. Both were a delight to watch.
Now we reach ‘The Giggle.’ Of all three specials, this is the one the BBC most heavily leaned on for all the marketing. This was the one the team really wanted people to get excited for. Did it live up to the hype? Or has the big celebration ended in a dud?
Let’s find out. Step into the Toymaker’s shop with me and be ready to run. This is Doctor Who’s final 60th special: ‘The Giggle.’
Our story begins on a rainy day in 1925. A man enters a toy shop run by a strange man with a slippery German accent. He’s here to buy a doll: Stooky Bill, the first ever image to be transmitted via a television broadcast. The shopkeeper drops some creepy ominous lines, then the man is off to deliver his purchase to his employer: John Logie Baird. Now why did we see that?
I love this. It sets up a great mystery for the episode going forward and brings an interesting little slice of real-world history to the forefront. This is classic Doctor Who goodness!
Play the intro, then we return to the 21st century. The people of London and the world are rioting for no reason beyond that they feel they’re right to do so. Logic, empathy, and reason are gone. Something is driving the human race to violence and madness. But what?
Boy howdy, if you got mad about Doctor Who being ‘woke’ before, this is gonna get your blood boiling! It’s a pretty blatant commentary on the online/political discourse we’ve seen in the last few years. It isn’t even trying to be subtle about it.
Which is starting to become a trend.
UNIT quickly swoops in and picks up the Doctor and Donna, taking them to HQ (which is just Avengers Tower: British Edition, but whatever) to tackle this mysterious threat. Kate Stewart (played again by the fantastic Jemma Redgrave) and Shirley Bennet (again played by the equally amazing Ruth Madeley) are both there, along with a weird robot/alien/thing called the Vlinx. No, they don’t explain it. It’s just there. They’ll probably touch on it in the next season. For now, it’s just a cool-looking robot/alien/thing.
Also working for UNIT is 6th/7th Doctor companion Melanie Bush, played by Bonnie Langford. I have mixed feelings on this. On one hand, it’s always awesome to see classic characters return. Bonnie Langford is a great actress and her dialogue is well-written. But she doesn’t really contribute all that much to the plot. Most scenes, she’s just kinda there. Well, at least she isn’t screaming anymore.
After some investigating, the crew narrow down the cause of the worldwide riots. While UNIT prepares to take care of it, the Doctor and Donna head back in time to find the person responsible. It doesn’t take long for them to find him: the aforementioned German toyshop keeper. But the Doctor immediately recognizes him for who he is: the Celestial Toymaker.
On that note, let’s talk about our main villain. The Toymaker is an amazing antagonist in this episode! A mad god who treats time, space, and life like a game, a highly energetic madman who flip-flops between a German accent and a deep, menacing voice. Neil Patrick Harris is perfectly cast; his energy brings this character to life in every scene! Fun and terrifying, bound only by the rules of games and play, he’s a delight! He even has a god damn dance number!
The Toymaker presents an interesting threat to the Doctor. All the rules of science and reality that the Doctor fights with, the Toymaker’s god-like powers make null and void. In the face of this, our hero is forced to confront a difficult truth: he is tired. All his trauma, all his losses, and his mile-a-second lifestyle is finally catching up to him. Can he and Donna save the day before he reaches the end of his rope?
For most of the runtime, this special is fantastic! The visuals are amazing, the story is engaging, and it’s got some super creepy scenes sprinkled throughout the run. Donna gets ambushed by creepy dolls, Kate goes on an Alex Jones paranoid tirade, and the Toymaker turns some dudes into screaming balloons. Great stuff!
Unfortunately, the climax of this story is really disappointing. Things get real weird real quick, and the Toymaker’s defeat is extremely underwhelming. They literally dropped the ball!
Am I upset? No, not really. Remember, this is written by the same guy that turned the Doctor into God with the power of prayer back in 2007 and put Donna next to the ‘Destroy all the Daleks’ button in 2008. I’m used to Russell’s anti-climaxes. But that doesn’t make them any less disappointing.
The main reason I can forgive it is the ending. I won’t spoil anything, but I will say: as a lifetime fan of the 2005 series, this ending makes me unreasonably happy. It puts the show’s past to rest in a satisfying way and sets the stage for its future perfectly. After so many heartbreaking farewells and tragedies, this happy conclusion is well deserved.
Finally, this episode brings the stories of David Tennant’s Doctor and Catherine Tate’s Donna to a close. Speaking as someone who grew up with both of these characters, I’m super happy with what we got! Getting them back was glorious, and seeing them get the happy ending they deserve is very satisfying. It’s a perfect send-off!
We also get our first taste of Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor in this episode, and so far: he’s fantastic! He perfectly balances the happy-go-lucky carefree traveler with the wise and kind old man. The Giggle only offers a little appetizer of what is to come, but if the main course is as good, Doctor Who is looking at a bright future!
Of the three 60th specials, ‘The Giggle’ is my least favorite. Not to say it’s bad; it’s still a great episode all around. If the climax weren’t such a massive letdown, it would have been the best of the trilogy! But as it stands, it’s an imperfect and enjoyable slice of Doctor Who goodness!
And with that, the 60th anniversary comes to an end. Overall, I really enjoyed all three specials! It brought back the fun, terrifying, silly adventures that I knew and loved as a kid! They weren’t perfect, but Doctor Who never is! I had a blast from start to end!
See y’all this Christmas for the start of a brand new era!
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