Tread Perilously is a podcast in which hosts Erik Amaya and author Justin Robinson watch the “worst” episodes of popular TV shows, attempting to determine if they would continue to watch the series based on the most off-key moments.
This Week: Doctor Who’s “The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe”
Tread Perilously becomes “Tread Merrily” for another Doctor Who Christmas special! This year: “The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe.”
Several years after helping the Doctor out of a jam, Madge (Claire Skinner) receives word that she and her children must evacuate London. She also learns that her husband, a WWII bomber pilot, died while trying to fly across the English Channel. Despondent, she hides the truth from her children in the hopes of having a happy Christmas. Then, the Doctor appears to add whimsy and delight to their holiday plans. But when one of his whimsical gifts leads young Cyril (Maurice Cole) to a planet filled with Androzani Trees, Madge has mere minutes to save him, her daughter Lily (Holly Earl), and the Doctor from a flash-harvest.
Justin and Erik discover a fairly delightful Christmas special despite Erik’s tendency to fall asleep during it. Erik describes “Christmas Blows” movies and the notion of “brothership.” Justin calls out the improbability of Sinbad’s survival in Jingle All the Way. The whimsy The Doctor employs puts both on edge. Justin remembers that James McAvoy emerged from Narnia itself. The discussion leads, inevitably, to Phantasm and Erik and Justin’s hate for Tom Bombadil. Also, because of the presence of a lighthouse, Justin makes several references to Bioshock.
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