Doctor Who - The Church on Ruby Road, on BBC One (UK) / Disney+ (USA)
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streaming sites: Disney+

Caution: spoilers

This is the fourteenth Christmas special of the revived Doctor Who series, and the seventeenth "Festive Special", coming after three New Years' specials. It first aired on Christmas 2023. It takes place between the 2023 specials and season 1 of the (softly) rebooted series (aka series 14). Toward the end of the final 2023 special (not counting this one, of course), the 14th Doctor regenerated into the 15th Doctor. So, this Christmas special is Fifteen's first full story of his own. He meets a 19-year-old woman named Ruby Sunday, who is experiencing a run of bad luck. It turns out this is being caused by goblins (which as far as I could tell were never revealed to be aliens, which might be a first for "Doctor Who"; it reminds me more of something that would happen on Torchwood). Still, the goblins aren't exactly from our world, and only manage to slip into it due to coincidences happening. (It's a pretty fuzzy explanation, but it works, I think.)

Anyway, on the night Ruby was born, Christmas Eve, she had been left outside a church, and was later adopted by her foster mother, Carla. Carla has fostered 33 children over the years, but Ruby is the only one who's stayed. The two of them live together with Carla's elderly mother, Cherry. And this Christmas Eve, the goblins abduct a baby named Lulubelle, who had just come into Carla's care. Ruby chases them, and runs into the Doctor, who helps her reach the goblins' sailing ship, which is above the clouds. One female goblin sings an actually pretty fun song about eating the baby, which is what all the goblins plan to do. So, after being caught and then escaping, the Doctor and Ruby must rescue Lulubelle and bring her back to Carla's flat. Subsequently, Ruby disappears and Carla and Cherry don't remember her, and their lives are much different than they were. So the Doctor realizes the goblins have gone back in time to abduct Ruby as a baby, and he goes back in time to rescue her from them. When he returns to 2023, everything is back to normal, so he leaves. But Ruby suddenly puts a bunch of clues together to realize the Doctor is a time traveler, and runs out to find him, soon joining him in the TARDIS. I should also mention there's an old woman named Mrs. Flood, whom we see a few times throughout this special, and at the end of the special, after the TARDIS disappears, it's revealed that she's aware of the existence of TARDISes. (Which definitely makes me wonder how she knows, and why she didn't recognize the TARDIS when she first saw it earlier in the special.) I believe at least the first question will be answered in the next season of the show.

So, what else can I say? So far I've just described the plot, but I feel like I should mention more of my thoughts and feelings about it. I'd say this incarnation of the Doctor seems pretty fun-loving, and possibly a bit of a detective (which makes me hope someday we'll see him reconnect with the Paternoster Gang). He and Ruby are both pretty likeable, but so far I can't think of much else to say about Ruby. I look forward to getting to know both of them better in the coming season. I thought the goblins were a fun enemy. And... I'm sure I'm forgetting numerous things I might have wanted to say while watching the special, but the whole thing was fun.

Followed by season 1 (aka series 14)