Our take
A festive Dungeons and Dragons night that puts the show's nerd comedy and its Christmas warmth in the same room. The host's tinsel-strewn campaign is a clever frame, and one player's turn from hero to Santa-hating villain is a good joke about a man with a grudge against the season. The girls' night out with Raj along feels short of room, but this is one of the more purely enjoyable Christmas episodes of the later run.
What happens
Leonard organises a boys-only Saturday night: a Christmas-themed game of Dungeons and Dragons for himself, Sheldon, Howard and Stuart, with Leonard adding holiday touches to his campaign. Sheldon first plays the hero, saving the day with his deep knowledge of Christmas, then turns villain when his long-buried dislike of the holidays surfaces, a grudge that goes back to his Pop Pop, and he takes it out on a fictional Santa, ruining the game for everyone. In retaliation for the boys' night, Penny organises a girls' night out for herself, Bernadette and Amy in their most daring clubbing outfits, and Raj joins them. Santa gets a little payback in the closing scene.
Can the kids watch it?
Rated 12 by the BBFC for moderate sex references; best for 12 and over.
Cast and crew
Starring
- Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter
- Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
- Kaley Cuoco as Penny
- Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz
- Kunal Nayyar as Raj Koothrappali
- Melissa Rauch as Bernadette Rostenkowski
- Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler
Guest stars
- Kevin Sussman as Stuart
- Dakin Matthews as Santa
Writers
- Chuck Lorre
- Eric Kaplan
- Steve Holland
- Steven Molaro
- Jim Reynolds
- Maria Ferrari
Director
- Mark Cendrowski