Last Christmas, Gallifrey Gals Get Wibbly Wobbly! S8 Xmas Special

This episode was clearly written as Clara's swansong. Note that she's living in a different home than the tower block apartment that is shown in other episodes. It was supposed to be her home as an old lady a few decades in the future. However I think you're being unfair on Moffat in blaming his ego for changing the ending. According to more than one interview, it got as far as the first table read before Jenna Coleman admitted, in tears, that she wasn't ready to leave the show. The BBC rightly viewed her as a rising star that they wanted to hold on to for as long as possible, so the ending was changed. Narratively it's a cop-out, but Moffat's failing is one of compassion for his leading actress rather than one of ego. Likewise the 'gone forever' ending for Amy Pond is something that Karen Gillan requested in preference to simply stopping travelling with the Doctor. I believe that Steven Moffat is less egotistical and more accommodating of his actors' wishes than you give him credit for.

Paul Flux

Oh how naive we were when we thought Moffat was the bad one

BiPolar HoneyBear

You're entitled to your opinions, but equally we're all entitled to ours about the reactions.

Mr K

Just muddle through till Moffat is out of the picture.

Mr Kitty

I still get notifications for replies to comments the placed in posts from patreons I unsubscribed from over a year ago. You can't see the original post or your own comment if you use the alert link. But you can read the reply in the notification before you dismiss it. Can be confusing if you don't remember what you originally wrote. lol

Daryl

I don't get it. Every single episode lately (and a few in the past series+) there are always at lease 3 or 4 or 7 comments where some says something like, "Don't get me wrong," or "I really do enjoy your reactions BUT," or something to that effect followed by the same exact concern over and over: your grating and, honestly, irrational abuse of the character Clara. I know you are nearly absolutely certain to not care, but I'm done. I'm actually leaving this Patreon...and I'm really sad about it. This sucks. But the blatant and unnecessary, unreasonable aggression toward this character is bad enough BUT THE HYPOCRASY is just too much, I mean for real. And I have given very specific examples of this hypocrasy on past videos but this childish picking at her character in this episode was just, there's no other way to honestly say this, stupid. It was dumb and pointless and, probably worst of all, absolutely no fun to watch. And isn't that the point? I don't understand so many people forgiving this over and over and over. You can give an honest reaction and share your genuine point of view without being so very.... just mean and, as my grandma would say, ugly about it. We get it! We know! You don't like Clara. We really don't need you to beat it into our heads every 2 minutes of the episode. Like I said, I know you won't care, but your just refusal to give even an inch to your audience who has tried to let you know in both subtle and not so subtle ways that its just not fun to listen to you snipe and pick at her episode after episode. Don't like her. Whatever, I promise most of us wouldn't care. But man do we get tired of hearing about it. So yeah. I won't be here to answer any replies. I don't know how Patreon works once I leave a community. I don't know if I'll get notifications about comments and things. But if you really want to reply I'm sure there's a way.

Brandon Scott

Yeah, honestly I hate that story, so I never re-watch it either.

Nicole Mazza

I normally love your reactions, don't get me wrong I did like this reaction, but I don't really get the negativity for Clara in this particular episode and it did make it hard to watch at times, but I still love your reactions!. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but your problem shouldn't be with Clara as a character but with the way she's been written in these last few episodes. Looking forward, I do believe Clara is better written in series 9 for the most part (It probably would've been a good idea to tell Paula that Clara would be staying on!!) Series 9 is certainly Peter's best series and without giving to much away, there are some episodes that I am very much looking forward to seeing!!

Daniel French

"when you shut up long enough" ... Dude? Really? 🤨I'm sorry they weren't likeable enough for you but if you think two female reactors need to "shut up" in order for you to benefit from their point of view, maybe rethink your attitude. Sorry if my reply comes off as harsh I've been in a terrible mood the past couple days and your phrasing just hit me hard.

Robert Hill

Right, Paula ranted over the episode, then wondered why she didn't understand what was going on. Bless ya, Paula, but you didn't hear half of what was being said, of course you got confused!

Scribbles

I don't think they remember Clara risking her life to save the Doctor (TWICE, as you mentioned) based on what they said in this reaction. "But would Clara do the same for the Doctor??" Uh...yes, yes she would, ladies. She already has.

Scribbles

Hate has a habit of blinding people, doesn't it?

Scribbles

They OVERreacted. I'm fine with people not liking a character, but it's not a reaction when you're shouting too loud, long and often to even hear what's going on, and then when you shut up long enough to listen to the the dialogue, you're now so far behind that you keep complaining that you don't understand what's going on.

Scribbles

This next season is, very oddly, my favorite of Capaldi's seasons. His arc for the Doctor is my favorite. Even though Clara stays on, what they do with their relationship by the end of it feels right to me. BUT as Clara goes, she doesn't really improve in my eyes. I think Moffat writes Capaldi nearly note perfect in every moment of this coming season. And I don't feel Clara gets better. But since I watch the show for the Doctor, and apart from a couple stand outs like Donna, the companions I tend to care less about it, I consider it a welcome trade.

Jonny Moonsliver

Usually, I want reactors to be spoiler-free, but I think this reaction could have benefited from Paula knowing in advance that Clara is staying. Her reaction here is basically, her waiting for the ending of an overly long epilogue to a storyline she didn't like. If she knew it wasn't the end, maybe she wouldn't have been so impatient with the episode.

tal goren

Alternatively, it might have been like that because she was suppose to be an old woman dreaming about being young again, so they made her face look not quite right.

tal goren

Never mind, it was in End of Time wasn't it? I hardly ever re-watch that which is why I forgot.

Paul Mason

Is that Donna "fail safe" thing from Big Finish story because I don't remember it?

Paul Mason

Yes to both those suggestions! I do love Shona but I also know, as great as Faye Marsay is, she's given a lot of great lines. If they had decided they wanted Ashley or Bellows as the next companion then maybe they would have had some of those lines.

Paul Mason

My goodness; Fingers crossed for you :)

Ian Smith

I'm sad that Jodie is leaving. I liked Chibnalls Who more than Moffats. But I'm not sad, that he's leaving, but also not thrilled. I would like the next Doctor to be whatever fits the story the new showrunner wants it to be. Androgynus, Man, Women I don't care, although I always thought Richard Coyle would be fantastic as the Doctor.

Red Claw

Its not about agreeing or disagreeing with their opinions. I don't agree, but Paula's views on Clara have helped me understand why some people don't like her so much, and Paula has a way of explaining how she feels that really helps me understand what is going on in her mind. My problem is, I want her to keep doing that-telling me what she likes and dislikes about what is playing in front of her right now- instead of calling back to something from episodes ago over and over. tl;dr version. I don't think the complaints here are about differences of opinion; they are about presentation.

Greg Schuster

To be fair, RTD pretty much undid all the things he did to companions (and some other characters) as well -- Rose was lost in an alternate universe never to return and then not only comes back but gets her own souvenir Doctor to take back home with her, the Master kills 1/10 of the population of Earth and terrorizes the survivors for a year, but then the Doctor hits a reset button and it all goes back to as if nothing ever happened, Donna gets her memories wiped and can't under any circumstance remember her time with the Doctor...except for when she does and she's okay, because the Doctor put a 'fail safe' in her brain. And I could go on and on and on. There were many moments of No Consequences during that period on the show (that I don't remember you guys ranting about with the same vitriol). It's not just Moffat. And I mean, I TOTALLY get biases and I'm cool with people having differing opinions, but I'll never get the constant bashing of Moffat for things that RTD did as well -- especially when people don't seem to have the same issues with RTD. Maybe it's Moffat-hate fatigue on my part, but it's just so tiresome for me. Sorry. I still love you girls and I'm not going anywhere (especially as S9 is my fave series of New Who), but it almost feels at times like you're just looking for things to rant about right now and finding issues where there may not even be any and it honestly just makes me sad to watch. But oh well. YMMV and all that.

Nicole Mazza

"Would Clara do the same for him?" You mean, like when she sacrificed herself to save him by jumping into his time stream? Yes, she would totally put her life on the line for the Doctor. She's shown that pretty clearly quite a few times. 🤷‍♀️

Nicole Mazza

Really not sure how to "constructively air anger" about an exact moment. Like I said: I've posted constructive criticism elsewhere in these comments. The reaction-video had a viceral effect, I've aired my anger. All's well again.

Patrick Armbruster

I know a lot of people LOVE Shona, but I would've loved Ashley or Bellows as a companion, myself. <3 (Also, if you're a Tennant fan, the actress that plays Shona -- Faye Marsay -- is in a really odd rom-com with him called 'You, Me, and Him', where he knocks her up, even though she's one half of a lesbian relationship. Yeah.)

Nicole Mazza

This was a tough one. I feel every single time Jenna spoke there were eyes rolls or scoffs or a tirade and some of the best moments got steamrolled in this reaction, and the last one as well. I think Im going to have to take a break from these as well. Did love seeing these in long form until the last few and good luck to you going forward.

Xen Martyrzade

I'm no Clara fan but I love this episode, it's creepy and silly in the right amounts.

Nate

You're right that we aren't here to validate their feelings, but they also aren't here to validate ours...

Brendon Waldron

I'm pretty sure I remember Paula saying she's not a big fan of marvel

Grelk

Thank you, I so appreciate you taking the time to provide additional feedback on folks comments because it was needed. I've been reading the mountain of responses, reacting to your reaction, and although there's an appreciation for your honesty there's also big concern to continue seeing you react to something you clearly no longer enjoy. It was very hard to watch and not any fun. Please take a break to hopefully restore your joy for the show. Cheers.

Henry from CO

Yes please, by all means take a break and watch Classic Who before moving on to series 9, although I'm uncertain if that will change anything. From what I see it's not just Clara that's the issue here, it's really Moffat, and he will still be the showrunner through Capaldi's run. After this very negative reaction to a very popular Christmas special, which they absolutely have every right to feel, I just don't see how they can carry on. It just might be time for all to just move on to something new for a bit. Did the ladies ever react to "WandaVision"? Would enjoy seeing that .....

Henry from CO

I will always support Paula and you, Kat. I understand about mental health.. I am getting ready for heart surgery on the 1st I need to stay as calm as possible for that, so I need to be stepping away from season series 9 reactions for a while. ❤❤

Amy Chlebus

I agree with you wholeheartedly, Ian. Right now in my life, however, I'm I am going through quite a bit right now. I'm getting ready for heart surgery very soon, and I have to do everything I can to keep calm. It's nothing against them, and I love them and their opinions. I always have and always will.

Amy Chlebus

My reply was largely about the 'paying customer' remark. You are not a paying 'customer'. Just because you are giving them money to support them doesnt give you or anyone else free reign to berate or belittle them. And about the contstuctive communication; Can you honestly tell yourself you couldnt have made your distaste for their opinions less confrontational? Its not "being fluffy bunnies" to be respectful. I never implied you shouldnt air your problems out, nor will i. The way youve done it here however didnt offer any resolution and was just intended to belittle and patronize Paula. Thats not constructive or heathly.

DeathSwitch

A neat little moment at the end of this with Shona: #5 on her list is "Thrones marathon" a series she would later appear on as 'the waif'.

Brett SF

The Gallifrey gal profess to love Strax the Sontaran, but wheres the love for Ian the Elf?

Mark Ten

And also, just because you didn't like his ideas doesn't make them s**t. I may not agree with all his ideas, but i liked alot of it, yours is just your opinion, not a stone cold fact.

mark saunders

Lol if you think the next showrunner is going to retcon CC era just to please a bunch of butthurt fans, then you're living in cloud cuckoo land!

mark saunders

A lot of other people have pointed out Jenna Coleman's status was up in the air during this episode. I'm pretty sure that also accounts for the washed out/soft focus filter effect you noticed throughout the episode. She's very often framed by herself and not in the same shot as other actors in a lot of scenes, so I'm fairly certain much of her performance in this episode was green-screened in.

Joe

I made the mistake of reading the comments before I watched the reaction. Wow. Some of Y'all are being HARSH. I liked this reaction. I've always been indifferent to Clara, never really disliked the character, but I appreciate an alternate viewpoint. That's why I watch reaction videos, to get a different perspective. It's a reaction channel. They reacted. That's literally what we're paying to see. I enjoyed this reaction. It wasn't -nearly- as negative as some of these comments make it out to be. They complimented the effects. They complimented the scene with the chalkboards. There was laughter! It's okay if they have strong feelings. No need to drag them...this isn't YouTube... Paula, Kat, I adore your reactions. Don't ever change.

Robert Hill

Okay. I guess I really glossed over most of those. (Although I think the type of "this ain't your real reaction"-comments should truly just be ignored.)

Patrick Armbruster

I'm really not sure why you think I'm not aware of what Patreon's for. It's _because_ I love the reactions that I've been here for many months and will continue to be here. However: I hope that voicing an opinion is still allowed here. My comment, like I previously said, was just how I honestly reacted when Paula was surprised near the end of the episode that the episode didn't work for her. How would I constructively have aired my mouth being on the floor having just endured so many minutes of Clara/Moffat-bashing? I gave more general comments elsewhere under this reaction-post, this was just about that specific moment. I don't think you mean I could've aired that "more constructively". Rather, it feels to me you think I shouldn't have voice my flabberghastedness about the self-unawareness of that specific moment. And that, sounds to me, like "you're entitled to your opinion but keep it to yourself". I just don't think that's healthy communication. Not everything has to be fluffy bunnies 100% of the time.

Patrick Armbruster

(i think that patreon stole my comment lol) I think that I've always had an issue with the fairytale and "this companion has to be so important" feel that Moffat had during his run and it goes back to S2 with the girl in the fireplace. I couldn't enjoy Amy or River for this exact reason, but I do really love Clara and she's on my favorite companions together with Martha. I def understand why people don't like her or why she isn't their favorite however I don't really agree with her character being back and forth or inconsistent. Clara in S7 is the same character that we have in S8 and during her whole run, the only difference is that she had this 'impossible girl' 'born to save the doctor' arc. But when it was done and even during it, it all came back to Clara just being a human being who as we've seen in S8 is flawed and she's selfish, and can be self centered. She's so much like the Doctor and they have this power balance and this back and forth pull because no matter how much they'll challenge each other or betray each other - they also will do everything and anything for each other and they love each other. And their relationship isn't healthy at all but I feel like when Missy "paired" them up she kind of expected this, or maybe even saw Clara in herself. Anyways i'm sure that i'm making no sense and I'm not sure if I actually replied to your comment lol, i'm sorry but I'm not really that knowledge in what happened behind the screen and with the contracts. And even if Jenna deciding to stay for another season, after having Moffat and Peter asking her to stay, I don't think that it made her inconsistent as a character or that her character didn't make sense. Her characters has made sense to me since S7, even if S8 was SO frustrating and there were even moments when I didn't like her. lol The Doctor stays with Clara because she is his friend and he loves her, and Clara stays with the Doctor because she feels the same. I think that even if Clara had this "impossible girl" arc her character wasn't that she was this perfect and amazing companion that did everything right. It was a companion that was so like the Doctor and she mirrored him. (sorry for the long post that made no sense lol)

sara

Not trying to be mean here or anything but I'm not liking the "blame" being put on Jenna for deciding to stay in the comment section, after she was being asked by Moffat and Peter, just because people don't understand Clara's character or like the character. I'm sure that it's not intentional and it's just people trying to explain and understand why Clara as a character felt inconsistent or back and forth, but as someone who is a fan of Clara I didn't see her as back and forth. If Clara's last episode had been the christmas episode the people who don't like Clara and don't understand the character would imo still think that she was inconsistent, and that isn't on Jenna --- or her decision to leave or say. BUT this could also be me reading into things and this not actually being the case.

sara

I'm in Discord now, thanks Kat 😜

Sufyaan Kazi

100% agreement not all opinions have to be full of fluffy agreement with the reactors. And I see LOTS of opinions on here that are not 100% fluffy nor agreements with the reactors. I see more posts that disagree than agree with them, to be honest. I'm not having a go at those. "Now you're just being obnoxious about it" "this isn’t even your genuine reaction" "This whole reaction was super unprofessional" "paula finally feels the way you do about clara and part of that idk feels like you are pushing it along" " how you reacted with danny was absolute trash absolutely terrible and you totally missed the point" Those types of things I have problems with. There are more in TNG reactions, too.

Firefly24601

It's an honest reaction, and you can't really ask for more than that. Hopefully things won't descend in to issues with too much/too little tears/laughs. Anyone would have their patience drained watching a character you liked being underserved or worse, simply mis-used, and thats been Clara with the seasons starting well and then not quite landing. (Things do get better, and the break in time between this episode and the next series helped me not mind as much). :^)

Funny That

Patrick, i say this respectfully, but patreon is optional to support creators you love. Its really not supposed to be a buisness/customer thing. Of course you are entitled to have your opinions about the reaction but there are more constructive ways to go about airing them. Take care

DeathSwitch

I don't see any personal attacks.

Grelk

Also, I know Paula didn’t know this at the time of recording, the fact that Jenna Coleman changed her mind about leaving didn’t help, otherwise Clara’s departure wouldn’t have been fixed by being another dream, since that was a last minute rewrite.

Ben

That's true. It really got to me at that point in the reaction.

Patrick Armbruster

Here Here

Sufyaan Kazi

I'm just saying ... The abundance of question marks in this first post give it a very accusatory tone Patrick

Sufyaan Kazi

I will say some thing that really bothers me a little bit is just the fact that when you guys were talking about when the doctor went in to go see Clara and all of that stuff and you guys go with Clara do the same for her and it’s the answer is yes Clara would do the same for him car literally jumped in his time stream killed herself doing so it was only because of who the doctor is that he was able to save her he had to basically go into his own time stream to do so so she’s already done that she’s already committed she’s already sacrifice yourself for him she gave him everything and I feel like you guys just kind of forgot that. she is like everyone else saying the impossible girl I feel like you guys forgot her original story arc with Matt Smith and I don’t know how you could forget those episodes because those were amazing episodes

Kenzi

Excellent post firefly

Sufyaan Kazi

Terror of the Zygons would be a really good choice 👍🏼

Sufyaan Kazi

Thanks, I'm on a mobile so I think that's my problem, will log on my laptop later 👍🏼👍🏼 I cast reactions from the mobile to my TV 🧐

Sufyaan Kazi

I get that you don’t like Clara, and by extension you’ve disliked Moffat’s style as well. I get that and agreeing to disagree. But the part of your statement I really want to question was the “why are Donna’s, Rose’s, and Amy’s departures set in stone but everything else can be fixed?” Well, we know that. It’s reality. It’s contracts. The Doctor can fix everything in his universe, but when ours intervenes, we get a new Doctor or companion. Part of choosing to suspension of disbelief has to include realizing that there are limits and accepting them as things beyond the control or the characters. If Amy and Rory were ripped away in a series of novels and never shown again, I’d be pissed. But when the actors have moved on, and they’ve still made an effort to have old books written by Amelia Williams in the story we can see that they’re trying. One last observation that we may disagree on (sorry). You asked “Why Clara? What’s so special about her?” Well, we were fine with Eleven’s fascination with Amy because it was “the first face this face saw.” That’s enough for me, and is it’s backed up by the Impossible Girl risking her life for him at Treenzalore… Twice. That buys a lot of acceptance and patience, to my mind anyway.

Doug C

If I came off as angry I apologize. I'm just disappointed that a plot point from 2-3 episodes ago is still coming up and being a hinderance to enjoying anything at all. I really love the upcoming story arc and am just worried that this one flaw in a character that has lived and died for the Doctor god knows how many times is going to keep being brought up until she's gone.

Greg Schuster

I don‘t see any real personal attacks, no name-calling etc. Maybe I just glossed over them? But I don‘t think so. I find it‘s perfectly okay to voice opinions when something‘s irking about a reaction-release. And not all opinions have to be 100% full of fluffy agreement with the creators we support, do they?

Patrick Armbruster

Well,I for one enjoyed their reaction! If I want to watch fully appreciative Who reactions,there are literally hundreds out there on YT. I don't always agree with Kat and Paula's opinions,but I'm always interested in what they have to say, because diverse opinions are always useful to hear.

Ian Smith

Looking forward to the classic reactions, really hoping Terror of the Zygons is one of them.

Jade Ellis

I enjoyed this one for the novelty of it. The dream crabs were a fun concept. Nick Frost was great. I will just say, when the Doctor put the sleep patch on her last series he explained they make you "very suggestable" and he was curious about how far she would go. I think the point of that scene was that she *wouldve* gone that far to save Danny because she realised she loved him too late. I dont doubt for a moment that Amy wouldve done the same for Rory, had she remembered him after he went into the crack. It definately wasnt portrayed in the best way but when you lose someone, your mind can and does go to extremes. It was a bit difficult getting through this one, honestly, but its understandable considering how you guys felt about Clara last time, so i dont blame you. The fakeout old Clara at the end pissed me off too. I cant say i disagree with a lot of the critisism either about how she treats the Doctor, it was just a bit much. Imo, Clara is special to the Doctor because shes the only new who companion to willingly sacrifice herself for him by jumping into his timeline, that incurrs a lot of guilt for him and respect for her that paints their whole friendship. If my friend sacrificed themselves for me id hold them a little closer too if i ever got the chance to see them again. Its a bit crap some of the comments are using the option to support you two as a way to make you feel bad about your feelings towards her rn. If they intend it or not, thats the end result and it must suck. Im sorry you have to deal with that. I hope you both are looking after yourselves & come into series 9 with optimism about where Moffat takes Clara and Doctors relationship; i think its really a great and well told story.

DeathSwitch

Amy, I've known you on Patreon for a few years now. Two reasons to keep watching: 1) I love reading your comments; 2) Classic Who reactions! You do NOT want to miss the gals doing those.

Ian Smith

Hi Katrina, guess which of Santa's helpers plays Strax

Brian Gilliver

on the Main Page of the Gallifrey Gals you should see a My Membership tab, click on My Membership and you should see a button that says Discord. Hope this helps, let me know if you need anymore help connecting to the discord.

Time Lord

Clara’s not one of my favorite companions, but I don’t hate her as much you gals do, so I’m glad you’re gonna take a little break before series 9. It’s one of my favorite series of the show, and it’ll be nice to not have to deal with constant vitriol toward Clara for 12 episodes. I’m definitely not saying don’t feel what you feel, and don’t react honestly, I’m just saying I couldn’t get through all of this one because the episode itself is just fine, not particularly good or anything, but the constant complaining about Clara made it hard to watch

Jobard

For me, it looked like Paula was trying to like how Clara was written, hoping each time she'd like it. Sometimes she did but mostly kept being disappointed. Over and over. I don't think she was looking to hate Clara, just expressing her opinion every time Clara's actions were disappointing. I think that a lot of people are forgetting that the Gals are actual living human beings. Sure, they might not like how a character is written, and then express that disappointment (which btw, we're all PAYING to see them do.) But people can't just SHIT all over them and call them names... they aren't characters in some show. Like Clara is, like Danny is. If you don't agree with their opinions that's fine, but there are ways of disagreeing that don't personally attack others.

Firefly24601

Since I'm a bit thick... How do you join the discord chat? It says I need an invite code, I can't find a Gallifrey gals chat ?

Sufyaan Kazi

Well that was uncomfortable and less enjoyable to watch than I'd have prefered. But an expected one by this point. You're rolling your eyes at Clara and I'm rolling them for different reasons. 🙄 I do however appreciate the continued honestly even if I don't understand your veiwpoint or share in it. For some context. Definitely Not the least enjoyable DW reaction by far, that I've sat through. From one channel Likening the writing of a Matt Smith episode to.... How can I put this. The writers self appreciation fantasy, among other provocative statements. Another channel. Hating Rose so much that the reactor was disappointed that she wasn't killed in a gruesome manner. So the bar has been dropped real real low in the past from Other Channels. This isn't that by any stretch imagination. But it wasn't a lot of fun either. These types of moments become subscription evaluation points. When it stops being fun for me. That's just my honesty.

Daryl

I think most people don’t have an issue with their opinions, it’s just the fact that it’s coming across like they’re not even trying to enjoy the episode, which I don’t think Paula and Katrina would ever try not to enjoy and episode, instead it feels like they are taking every opportunity to criticise Clara (which, again, I don’t think they are intentionally doing and would never intentionally do.), it just feels that way is all. I think it may have been best to have a break to watch the classic eps before watching this ep as it seems Paula may be still a little annoyed/hurt over Clara’s actions in the last 2 eps which is having an affect on her reaction here.

Ben

I'm sorry, but screaming over the top of the episode and making gagging noises like a ten year old catching their parents kissing is far more than just an "honest reaction". That's ramping the reaction up for effect. I *know* they're capable of better than this, which is part of why I'm so pissed off at this reaction. I KNOW they can do better. You can react without OVERreacting.

Scribbles

I think taking a break with some classic Who would be a good idea, and then approach series 9 clear of your frustrations with the last couple of episodes. As the Doctor himself said at the end of this episode, they've been given a second chance, and it would be good if you could do the same for Clara. I agree the character has been inconsistent till now, but I feel series 9 is where things really settle, and has some of tbe best episodes in Capaldi's run. I'm sure my opinion doesn't really matter in the scheme of things, but I don't feel bad-mouthing a character while watching the show based on your feelings about actions taken previously and how that character had been written in past stories is healthy, and would spoil your enjoyment of the story in front of you. I personally love this episode. I like the whole dream within dreams idea, and the supporting cast are great. Nick Frost is perfect as Santa, and I do really like Shona. Incidentally, the elf called Wolf is played by the same actor who plays Strax, Dan Starkey (minus prosthetics, so easy not to recognise him).

Lloyd B

Stating an opinion: Sure. Stating it again, why not. Stating the very same opinion 55 times in 20-30 minutes… I‘m guessing that‘s what Greg means with „unprofessional“. Being a paid reactor may not be a classic profession, but it‘s still a job we‘re paying for here.

Patrick Armbruster

Nope...sorry, had to stop the reaction. I couldn't take it anymore. Hell, I had to pause it and step away from it now and then just to get as far as I did with it.

Scribbles

Well said Sara :) Personal i think, 10 is overrated, he is 10 on my Doctors list. My top 3 Docters are 1. Tom Baker by lightyears 2. Paul McGann / John Hurt both are brilliant in their Big Finish Storys not a single bad performance. 3. Sylvester McCoy the dark chessmaster ... on 4. comes Capaldi the first modern Doctor^^ The main Problems with Clara have been the "back and forth" ones. Clara was written to die in season 7, Moffatt backed down and brought her back for season 8. Season 8 was written to move away from Clara, because Jenna Coleman wanted to leave, so they set up this episode to give us Shauna (was that her name) but on the last days of shooting, Coleman said she would stay, so he rewrote it again. You cant feel for a character if you write seasons like this. Personal i also think that season 9 wasnt as bad as 8 ...however the Clara storyline was WAAYYY to strong into the "most important person ever" yes she is important, after all she is the only one exapt River, who knows all incarnations. Fell free to answer or debate over it, my mind is always open :)

Thomas88

Apropos to this episode.... what if they brought back Shona? :)

Firefly24601

Did you mean that one of the elves had this big space between his teeth like someone else we love? Hmmm

Mark Ten

Jenna changed her mind about leaving a couple of different times and this was one of those instances

Mark Ten

Not sure how it's unprofessional. They aren't trying to be professional critics, writing critiques on review websites. They're literally watching a show and giving their personal opinions on it. You don't agree with their opinions, that's cool. I don't agree with their opinion on Clara either. But they're not saying FUCK YOU if you disagree. They literally said at the end that if you don't agree with them, then that's ok! They're just asking for people not to be assholes about them having opinions that differ from their own. Some people are are so not ok with the reaction, they're leaving, and that's ok too! Some people disagree but are staying. Some people agree with them. There's all sorts of opinions going on here.

Firefly24601

I'm giving my honest opinion about this reaction and am entitled to my opinion. As a paying customer who doesn't complain much, I feel I'm obliged to complain when there is something to complain. This one really was much too much. If you don't agree, don't agree.

Patrick Armbruster

I don't want to leave. But this wasn't just some eye-rolling here and there. This was basically talking over most of the episode repeating again and again that Steve Moffat bad and Clara bad and something about Jenna's make-up and lighting around her. It seems to me that the two of you should've taken a break from Who before this episode, try and find a way to go at it from a fresh perspective, maybe. It was really, truly hard to watch. I understand that both of you have problems with how Clara's written, and you're certainly free to feel how you feel about it. Just be aware that we're also free to feel quite a bit appalled by this reaction. (By "we" I mean those of your viewers that are.)

Patrick Armbruster

If people are upset with your true reactions then they don’t want to watch a reaction video; they want to watch the reactor respond the same way they did- feeling the same as them-validating their own reactions. Your reactions are your reactions (valid af reactions as well imo) and you both keep on being you. That’s what brought us here…. Kat and Paula and their reactions. Not some acting to appease the loud upset ones. You both rock. Can’t wait for more honest reactions from you guys! ❤️

Lori Feeney

Also the thing is that most of Clara's reactions now are after she experienced someone that she loved die. She's grieving and tbqh, I don't see much change in Clara and 12's dynamic. It's always been there. Also, 10 was such an ass towards Martha in S3. I love him so much and he's my fave doctor but S3 is mostly excused because he's upset over Rose leaving or he's grieving, so I'm not sure how we can be okay with the Doctor being mean after losing people (10 with Rose and 11 with Amy) but then absolutely hate on Clara for the same thing.

sara

Paula is giving an honest reaction she is intitled to her opinion . Been reading peoples comments here and on youtube for weeks most people are great but theres a few people who are getting alittle carried away they need leave her alone and stop there bitchin

Brendan Reid

Its not watching "people not enjoy.." it that is the issue. I think the issue is paying to watch people not even try to enjoy something, then tell you to go fuck yourself if you disagree. I get there are people that are super toxic toward people online (especially females) when they disagree, but at the same time, we aren't here to validate all your feelings an opinions. This whole reaction was super unprofessional, which is hard to pull off during a casual viewing of a television series.

Greg Schuster

No, I can respect those opinions. I didn't really like Clara at this stage either and that did cloud my judgement on series9 until I re watched it at a later date so it's going to be interesting to see your reactions to it.. This is my favourite Christmas story so far though, just the right blend of surrealism, comedy and horror.

Jade Ellis

Gals, you're entitled to your opinions, I watch you for your opinions, not to be entertained by you 'putting on a fake reaction', so I for one am very happy to watch you both as you are 👍🏼

Sufyaan Kazi

I read all comments, every single time, even when they hurt. But for my own mental health I have been stepping away from them recently but doesn't mean I don't read them. Anytime you see that your comment has been liked from the Gallifrey Gals page, It's me (Kat). I posted a comment above that I had also put into Discord this week about this reaction. I understand if anyone needs to also step away, I respect that. Trust me, moving forward to series 9 we'll be much less reactive to Clara being there. We're also taking a break between series with some Classic Who reactions which I think will help a lot between series. Best, Kat.

Time Lord

Oh, so you're wondering near the end of the episode why the episode's not working for you, Paula? After basically sh?!ing on everything for 4/5 of the episode? That's... erh... hard to believe that you're surprised.

Patrick Armbruster

great thoughts about season 13 and beyond ...Jodie suffered the same problems Colin Baker had. A bad showrunner who wants to ruin the show with his bad scripts and ***** ideas. I hope the next showrunner will redcon morst of C.C.s doing. Also i hope Jodie gets a chance to show how good she is, in Big Finish. On the casting side. I really hope Joe Martin is taking over. The problem they face is exactly what Paula said. If the cast a male, all the crybabys will come out "i told you so" but one other woman and after that, they can cast a pink unicorn, for all i care.

Thomas88

I think someone else has already ruined that moment 😭

Sufyaan Kazi

I respect your opinions and enjoyed the reaction. My only note would be that the last minute rewrite wasn't fully Moffat's decision; Jenna Coleman was having cold feet about leaving. Peter Capaldi has said he was also struggling with losing his scene partner and requested that she stay on. So I appreciate that you don't like the decision but as ever I have to be the Moffat defender... They basically strong armed him into making the decision. Having said that Clara was popular with the audience and Moffat has always been gracious about how things turned out

George Baxter

Kat mentions Mr Troughton, but no one brings up Dan Starkey as one of the elves.

Firefly24601

This episode used to be my second-least favorite Christmas special. I felt it made no sense, was derivative, etc. Over time and rewatches, I've come to love it. It's probably my fav out of all the Xmas specials. The Gals and I do not share the same opinions about Clara. She's not my favorite companion, but I do like the stories 12 gets to do when he's with her. I don't see any inconsistencies, and I think she and the Doctor treat each other the same way: they care for each other, but trade insults and don't always treat each other in the best way. Clara treats him slightly worse, but I think that's consistent with her treatment of Danny. But that's me! And no one is paying to see MY reaction. :) Keep on keeping on, Gals! We each have our own takes on things, and that's OK!

Firefly24601

Oof, well that was a slog and a bummer. I had to start skipping scenes to avoid souring an episode I love. I respect the honest reaction, but given season 9's maybe my favorite, I think I gotta tap out here. You guys are cool, and work hard with your vids and fans. Best of luck, keep Trekkin, gals.

ScotchBeard78

OK Paula and Kat. You know I love you both, but I can't continue watching if all you're going to do is bad mouth Clara and eye roll at everything she says from now until she leaves. I understand people are entitled to their own opinions and reactions when they watch shows, and I don't particularly care for a lot of what she did last series, but what's been going on has become very uncomfortable for me to watch. I personally like Moffatt, and again it's very uncomfortable for me to watch. I've been watching you from the very beginning , but I am going to have to take a break and come back, when Clara is done. I don't even know if you read the comments here anymore because I haven't seen you reply to any of them for quite a while. It's nothing against you, but I can't handle what's going on right now.

Amy Chlebus

Uh... That's a bit muuuuuuch negativity. Spending more than half the episode basically ignoring the story, blaming Clara heavily and simply accepting that the Doctor lied just the same: Okay. But twenty minutes of talking over an interesting episode... A bit much.

Patrick Armbruster

I posted this in our Discord this week and figured I should post it here as well - - - -Alright I'm giving a disclaimer here and now for the Christmas special react coming up this week. It's gonna be upsetting for some of y'all cause Paula and I were still feeling... some type of way about Clara and the storytelling. Even after waiting a week to sit and watch it, the spicy feels are still there. I will say that in the discussion afterwards I talk about the fact that this was technically supposed to be Clara's exit as a companion. In the discussion I say that I'm unsure as to why she stuck around and why Moffat wanted to keep the character around. Just in this last week of discussions in Discord with y'all I learned that Jenna Coleman was part of the reason for the wishy washy, back and forth of Clara's character being present. So for that I thank you all for talking about it so that I could know! But it's just not gonna be present in the discussion because well.. I didn't know when we recorded it lol. I will also admit here and now that I definitely roll my eyes maybe more than I should because at that point I felt a little more free around Paula to let my true feelings about Clara out. I understand that it can be frustrating watching people watch something you enjoy and them not enjoying it. So I apologize ahead of time if my eye-rolls cause any annoyance or discomfort while watching the reaction. It's crazy to be sitting here feeling so much anxiety about a reaction releasing but I know there are going to be a lot of people ready to jump at us and I felt this might help soften the blow a little bit or maybe it won't, who knows. And please please please I hope you all know that just because we don't like a certain thing about this show doesn't take away our absolute love for it. I mean, obviously because I'm still a huge fan of Doctor Who! It's one of my favorite shows! If you need to leave, we understand. Always with love, Kat.

Time Lord

💯 I feel their going to ruin the emotional scenes from Face The Raven & Heaven-Sent

Wajid-Ibrar Haq

I really do respect your opinions and I understand that we all have different ones. I'm however not sure if I can watch reactions of Clara's run if it's gonna be eye rolling and mocking everytime Clara says or does something, and not even trying to understand her. I'm not sure why Clara has been put in such a pedestal and why something that she did in a DREAM STATE can't be understood or just put behind. And I don't understand how everything she's done before, including DIE for the doctor, has been forgotten. Anyways, I might watch some reactions here and there but I'm honestly struggling to finish this one because your absolute hatred and eye rolling and mocking towards Clara is exhausting. And tbqh it's a bit weird how the Doctor's actions, cruel as they can be are overlooked. I also do get that we all have our favorite companions, doctors, characters and I struggled with 11 A LOT because i loved 10 so much and I just could never get into River or River/Doctor but I do enjoy watching episodes with them and reactions, and even if i don't like River I try to understand her and her character. With that said, I do love this episode a lot

sara

Okay PLEASE stop. Yes, we get it. You don't like Clara, but come on. Now you're just being obnoxious about it and it's getting uncomfortable. I know, we can all hate whatever companion we like. For instance, I detest Amy Pond. However, I think even I would have gotten the cringe vibes if every sentence that came out of Amy's mouth, you kept shouting over the episode screaming at her for what she said.

Scribbles

Also, the guy trying to "well, ACTUALLY" you, Paula....was an idiot. The Classic seasons are named SEASONS. Only the New Who stuff is labeled "series" rather than "season", so you were right to begin with. So NYEH to him. :-P

Scribbles

Valkyrie

You have to remember that Clara is not a normal person. She's the Impossible Girl inextricably woven into the Doctor's timeline. Her original self is divided into splinters that appear to have their own lives but actually just follow the Doctor around in all his incarnations. All as explained in the Name of the Doctor. Her attempt to break free and have her own life with Danny was doomed from the start. She can't leave the Doctor. She's trapped. No spoilers. This has all happened already.

Bob Hughes

Paula and Kat holding back on their thoughts? It will never happen. :-) That's why I love'em, I wish had their conviction. I always end up biting my tongue. We've seen plenty of well founded Moffet rants from Paula. I'm waiting to see if we'll ever get a Berman rant from Kat with these remaining episodes of ST:TNG

Bruce Bromley

Just about to watch this, anyone mentioned Strax yet, or second Doctors' son? 😜 Just getting it out of the way

Sufyaan Kazi

Katrina are you just going to roll your eyes every-time Clara speaks now? I’m 15mins in this episode & it’s exasperating, & this isn’t even your genuine reaction as you’ve seen this before! Even other reactors who weren’t Pro-Clara aren’t this ranty as Paula

Wajid-Ibrar Haq

Ah, now this one I love...mostly. (Wish they didn't shoehorn Danny in there, giving Clara orders like the controlling boyfriend he was, but I suppose it works for the narrative.) It's just a bit of silliness tinged with sadness that Doctor Who does best.

Scribbles

Clara is my favorite companion. Yes, they made some choices with her this season that was not the best.

Jon

Any plans for a short series while waiting for Rick and Morty season 6?

Grelk