Doctor Who-The Christmas Invasion

                           As Jackie Tyler prepares for the Christmas Holiday here daughter Rose suddenly reappears with the TARDIS,with a freshly regenerated doctor who is weak. While nursing the doctor and reacquainting herself with life with her mother and boyfriend Mickey,who still wants Rose to return to Earth with him,a puzzling series of events occur. As Earth sees itself in a new golden age as the Martian probe Guenevere approaches it's destination,the first transmissions reveal an alien life form of unknown origin. While walking outside  Rose and Micky encounter metal Santa decorations with flame throwing horns. Upon escaping back home they,along with Jackie fend off a spinning,murderous Christmas tree. Awakening the doctor in desperation,he uses the metaphor of a "pilot fish" to describe what is occurring. Upon doing an online search for the meaning of this phrase,Micky convinces Rose and Jackie that a far larger threat is afoot. At this time Prime Minister Harriet Jones soon consults with UNIT,the same organization the doctor helped found,in order to deal with the threat coming upon them. Just as UNIT translators begin to make sense out of the alien language,a blue light beam engulfs the heads of some of the personal and they,along with as it turns out many people all over the world,are in fact going to their rooftops en mass-prepared to commit mass suicide. 

                         After UNIT concludes the one commonality these people have is an A+ blood type,the director of the Guenevere project confesses that he himself was involved in including information on humanity,including blood type for A+ on the probe and that the entire disaster is his fault. Despairing that the still unconscious and regenerating doctor will not be able to help them,they trio take refuge with the doctor in the TARDIS and find themselves transported inside the giant spaceship that has approached Earth,belonging to the Sycorax race who have been sending the message. A violent warrior race,the kill off the project director while apologizing for his error as well as another high up officer of UNIT. After a failed attempt by Rose that the Sycorax find amusing,the translation matrix in the TARDIS activates and the now regenerated Doctor emerges. By the laws of the Sycorax culture,the doctor challenges their leader in a sword duel to the death. The doctor wins,though barely avoiding losing his hand due to the last parts of his regenerative energy. Upon arriving on Earth Harriet Jones orders the Torchwood organization to use a new bit of alien technology to destroy the Sycorax vessel,much to the shock and dismay of the inherently pacifist doctor. After celebrating Christmas with the Tyler's,Rose comes to except the new doctor and decides to continue her journey's with him.

                      This is probably one of the very best regeneration stories in the entire Whoinverse. And although largely absent from the first half of the story,once David Tennant swings into action as the tenth doctor,his personality as the doctor is as fully formed as an actor playing the role for years. Particularly important is during the tail end of the story when the doctor,disappointed in Harriet Jones' decision to destroy the Sycorax ship,is able to create a scandal by telling the man next to her that she looks a bit tired. Another example of the doctor "trolling" humanity with their weaknesses,in this case the hunger for gossip. As a Christmas story is functions a lot more than one might think. In the presence of the Sycorax,ornaments become snipers and Christmas trees become stealth assault weapons.  There's plenty of drama and dark comedy in and around that as well. One particular element is that,even as Rose and her loved ones all come together to save their planet when the doctor cannot be there to help them,Rose for her part is frightened that she will not be able to do the time lord justice. And for his part,David Tennant probably couldn't have had a better debut story as the doctor if he'd tried. A very cinematic and eccentric example of one not so typical holiday miracle.