The Return of Doctor Mysterio

264 – "The Return of Doctor Mysterio"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional poster
Cast
Doctor Peter Capaldi – Twelfth Doctor
Companion Matt Lucas – Nardole
Others Justin Chatwin – Grant Gordon / The Ghost Charity Wakefield – Lucy Fletcher Adetomiwa Edun – Mr Brock Aleksandar Jovanovic – Dr Sim Logan Hoffman – Young Grant Daniel Lorente – Teen Grant Sandra Teles – Reporter Tanroh Ishida – Operator Vaughn Johseph – Soldier
Production
Directed by	Ed Bazalgette
Written by	Steven Moffat
Script editor	Nick Lambon
Produced by	Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s)	Steven Moffat Brian Minchin
Music by	Murray Gold
Running time	60 minutes
First broadcast	25 December 2016 (2016-12-25)
Chronology
← Preceded by "The Husbands of River Song" Followed by → "The Pilot"

"The Return of Doctor Mysterio" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. First broadcast on BBC One on 25 December 2016, it is the twelfth Christmas special since the show's revival in 2005. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Ed Bazalgette. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics.

The only episode of 2016, it stars Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, and is the first to feature Nardole (Matt Lucas), who was introduced in the previous – Christmas 2015 – episode "The Husbands of River Song", as his companion. The episode is set in New York City, and involves the Doctor and Nardole linking with journalist Lucy Fletcher (Charity Wakefield) and a superhero called The Ghost (Justin Chatwin) to combat brain-swapping aliens.

Plot

In New York City on Christmas Eve 1992, an 8-year-old named Grant wakes to find the Twelfth Doctor dangling outside the window of his family's apartment and helps him come into his bedroom. Taking Grant to the rooftop, the Doctor reveals he accidentally set off a trap for a device he was building, and he enlists Grant to help complete it. However, Grant mistakenly swallows a wish-granting gemstone needed for the device, believing it to be medicine for a cold he has, being granted his wish to be a superhero. Abandoning the device, the Doctor makes Grant promise to not use his new superpowers before he leaves.

The Doctor returns to New York in 2016, with Nardole, to investigate Harmony Shoal, a multinational research company. They encounter a news reporter, Lucy Fletcher, who is conducting a similar investigation. The group discovers that it is being secretly run by a group of living alien brains that transplant themselves into any living creature they need for their plans. Dr. Sim, an employee the brains already took over, attempts to kill the group when they are suddenly rescued by a masked superhero named the Ghost. Returning to her apartment before her, the Ghost transforms back into Grant, who works for Lucy as a nanny.

Lucy returns and interrogates the Doctor, forcing him to reveal that the alien brains colonise planets by taking control of their prominent leaders, with Earth being their next target. Leaving Lucy to prepare for an interview with Grant's alter ego, the Doctor and Nardole track down the alien's ship in a low orbit and board it via the TARDIS. There, they discover that the ship's reactor is in a critical state and realise from Dr Sim that he intends to drop it on New York. The Doctor realises the city would be vaporised except for the Harmony Shoal building. World leaders would then take shelter in the company's other buildings within each capital city, believing Earth was under attack, allowing the brains to take them over. After Dr Sim lets slip the ship is to be dropped at a designated time, the Doctor forces its descent ahead of schedule.

Ghost and Lucy are captured by the brains during the interview. Ghost flies away, but returns as Grant to protect Lucy. Unable to change the ship's course during its descent, the Doctor sends Grant a message requesting his help. Grant manages to stop the alien's ship from crashing into the city, but reveals himself as the Ghost to Lucy in the process. Lucy is won over and Grant takes her in tow as he disposes of the ship. The Doctor alerts UNIT and they shut down Harmony Shoal.

Development

The costumes of Nardole, The Doctor, The Ghost and Lucy in this episode, on display at the Doctor Who Experience.

Filming

"The Return of Doctor Mysterio" was directed by Ed Bazalgette. Bazalgette previously directed the series 8 episodes "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived".^[1]

The episode was filmed in Sofia, Bulgaria and Cardiff, Wales.^[2] Various sets were built for the episode to match the look of New York City.^[3]

Writing

The episode was written by Steven Moffat.^[4] Bazalgette stated in an interview that the script "barely changed" from the first and final drafts.^[1] It contains several references to comic books, most prominently Superman. Grant has roughly the same standard powers of Superman, including flight, super-strength, super-speed, being bulletproof, and possessing X-ray vision.^[5]

While the episode served as the 2016 Christmas special, it featured very few Christmas elements.^[6]

Casting

The episode is the first to feature Matt Lucas's Nardole as a companion. Lucas previously appeared as the character in the 2015 Christmas special, "The Husbands of River Song".^[6]

Release

"The Return of Doctor Mysterio" was first broadcast in 2016 on Christmas Day on BBC One.^[6]

The episode was revealed and the first trailer was shown at the 2016 New York Comic Con on 7 October 2016.^[3] A preview clip was shown as part of the Children in Need broadcast on 18 November 2016.^[7] The episode received cinema screenings in Australia and New Zealand on 26 December 2016,^[8][9] in Canada on 26 and 28 December 2016,^[10] and in the United States on 27 and 29 December 2016.^[11]

Ratings

The episode had an official rating of 7.83 million viewers in the UK with a 31.2% share, making it the 6th most watched show on Christmas Day 2016.^[12] The overnight rating was 5.7 million.^[13] The episode received an Appreciation Index score of 82.^[14] It also received 1.7 million viewers on BBC America and became the networks top telecast of the year across all key demographics. It was the most talked about Christmas Day television programme on Facebook and Twitter.^[15]

Home media

The episode was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2017,^[16] with a U.S. release following on 21 February 2017.^[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)	7.9[18]
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)	89%[18]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	B−[19]
SFX Magazine	[20]
IGN	7.0[21]
IndieWire	A−[22]
PopMatters	5/10[23]
Vulture	[24]
Radio Times	[25]
The Daily Telegraph	[26]
SciFiNow	[27]
The Times	[28]

"The Return of Doctor Mysterio" received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 18 reviews are positive for the episode, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's consensus reads "The Return of Doctor Mysterio is a welcome return of Doctor Who after a year's absence, with the added fun of seeing Steven Moffat take a heroic swing at his version of a Superman story."^[18]

The Daily Telegraph gave a positive review of five out of five stars and praised the performance of Peter Capaldi and described the episode as having a fun "classic feel".^[26] Andrew Billen writing in The Times gave the programme four stars out of a possible five. Billen said that Capaldi was at his warmest and said that Matt Lucas as Nardole brought a "panto brio to an already exuberant episode".^[28] The Guardian gave a positive review of The Return of Doctor Mysterio naming the episode "Cosmic baddies are inserting alien brains into world leaders’ heads in the Christmas special. It’s timely, top-of-the-tree fun – and Peter Capaldi and Matt Lucas are a pantomime treat".^[2]

IGN said "'The Return of Doctor Mysterio' is a pretty lightweight entry in the Twelfth Doctor's oeuvre, which considering the events of last season isn't necessarily a bad thing. But the different elements of the episode don't come together as smoothly as they could, and the emotional through line for the Doctor is treated mostly as an afterthought" but gave it 7.0 out of 10.^[21] The A.V. Club's Alasdair Wilkins described the special as "jolly" and "goofy".^[29]

References

1. Mulkern, Patrick (24 December 2016). "Meet the man who directed Doctor Who at Christmas – and Aidan Turner's topless scything in Poldark". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
2. Lawson, Mark (26 December 2016). "Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio review – Capaldi takes Manhattan!". The Guardian.
3. "Doctor Who Superhero Adventure for Christmas Day". Doctor Who. 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
4. Bibby, Daniel (15 March 2024). "Why The Time Is Finally Right For Steven Moffat's Doctor Who Return". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
5. Dillon-Trenchard, Pete (25 December 2016). "Doctor Who Christmas special: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio nerdy spots & Easter eggs". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
6. "8 big teasers for the Doctor Who Christmas special". Digital Spy. 17 December 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
7. "The Return of Doctor Mysterio: The Sneak Peek!". Doctor Who. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
8. Foster, Chuck (22 November 2016). "The Return of Doctor Mysterio to be shown in Australian cinemas". Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
9. Foster, Chuck (2 December 2016). "New Zealand cinema outing for The Return of Doctor My"sterio". Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
10. Foster, Chuck (23 November 2016). "Canada added to Doctor Mysterio cinema outings". Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
11. Foster, Chuck (17 November 2016). "The Return of Doctor Mysterio to air in US theatres". Doctor Who News. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
12. "The Return of Doctor Mysterio – Official Rating". Doctor Who News. 3 January 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
13. Addley, Esther (26 December 2016). "Strictly Come Dancing triumphs in Christmas Day TV ratings battle". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
14. "Doctor Who Guide: The Return of Doctor Mysterio". doctorwhonews.net. Archived from the original on 30 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
15. Petski, Denise (30 December 2016). "'Doctor Who' Christmas Special Breaks BBC America Ratings Record". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
16. "Doctor Who – The Return of Doctor Mysterio [DVD] [2016]". Amazon. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
17. "Doctor Who DVD news: Announcement for The Return of Doctor Mysterio: 2016 Christmas Special - TVShowsOnDVD.com". Archived from the original on 11 December 2016.
18. "Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio (2016 Christmas Special)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 8 February 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
19. "Doctor Who takes a jolly detour to superhero goofiness". The A.V. Club. 25 December 2016. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.
20. Setchfield, Nick (25 December 2016). "Doctor Who Christmas Special review: "Charm, imagination, and wit: these are the show's superpowers"". SFX Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
21. Collura, Scott (25 December 2016). "Doctor Who: "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" Review". Archived from the original on 26 December 2016.
22. Nguyen, Hanh (26 December 2016). "'Doctor Who' Christmas Special Review: River Song Isn't Forgotten in Heartwarming Retro Superhero Adventure (Spoilers)". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
23. "The Doctor (Finally) Returns to TV in the Serviceable "Doctor Mysterio"". PopMatters. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
24. Ruediger, Ross (26 December 2016). "Doctor Who Christmas Special Recap: Man of Feel". Vulture. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
25. Mulkern, Patrick (25 December 2016). "Doctor Who Christmas special review: "a beautifully packaged hour of uplifting escapism"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
26. Hogan, Michael (25 December 2016). "Doctor Who, The Return of Doctor Mysterio review: the happiest, most heroic Christmas special in years". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
27. "Doctor Who: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio – Christmas Special review". SciFiNow. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
28. Billen, Andrew (26 December 2016). "Forget the Midwives, the Doctor was the real star". The Times. No. 72103. p. 14. ISSN 0140-0460.
29. Wilkins, Alasdair (25 December 2016). "Doctor Who takes a jolly detour to superhero goofiness". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016.

External links

• "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" at the BBC Doctor Who homepage
• "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
• "The Return of Doctor Mysterio" at IMDb