Doctor Who, Some Thoughts

Recently, my youngest son got sick in a miss-six-days-of-school kind of way, and he got me sick. So I spent most of last week in a haze of illness and lethargy. Without the energy or motivation to do anything, I ended up watching a lot of online television shows (woo TekWar!!).  On Saturday, I went ahead a popped in the dvd I got for Christmas of the first season (“series”) of Doctor Who (2005) starring Christopher Eccleston.

And I watched it. Then I immediately watch season 2. I’m about done with season 6 now. And I figured I’d share some of the thoughts I’ve had so far.

1. Christopher Eccleston is my favorite Doctor. Before him, Tom Baker had been my favorite. So much so that when 4 regenerated into 5, I gave 5 a couple of episodes to grab my interest, but he wasn’t 4 so I quit watching the show*.  When I heard they were making new episodes of Doctor Who, I looked up some info on them, saw Eccleston in his black shirt and black leather jacket, thought “What the fuck? That’s not how the Doctor dresses”, and almost didn’t bother with giving it a shot. And I’m glad I did. I enjoyed the first episode (Rose), but I wasn’t sold on him until the second episode (The End of the World), specifically the scene where Jabe is talking to him about how her computer initially refused to identify his species. Eccleston doesn’t say anything, but with a look, he conveys all of the pain the Doctor feels at the loss of his people and his world. From that scene on, he has been my favorite.

I was so angry at the end of season 1 when he regenerated. I almost gave the show up again. But I stuck with it.

2. David Tennant did an absolutely amazing job of portraying a Doctor who slowly bought into his own myth, that of The Lonely God. The Time Lord who could decide who lived or died regardless of what Time had to say about it. I loved his performances.  In The End of Time, his expression on hearing the four knocks, after The Master and the Time Lords disappeared, well, it broke my heart.  His realization at the end, “I don’t wanna go,” brought a whole god damn bunch of tears to my eyes.  At the same time, I was glad to see 10 go, both because he had gone too far in general, and for what he did to Donna Noble.  

3. Donna Noble. . . is the best companion ever. Period. My goodness, when she showed up in The Runaway Bride, she was so obnoxious and loud (which I think was why they hired Catherine Tate), but she was alright. Decent enough for a Christmas special at least, but she did not grab me. She was pushy, loud, astoundingly clueless, not a young hottie, and utterly not interested in the Doctor in that way. Nothing like Rose or Martha, or many of the Doctor’s older companions. I didn’t know what to think of it when I read that she was going to be his regular companion in season 4. And I admit, I got a huge kick out of the silent reconnection of her and the Doctor in Partners in Crime. I loved how in The Fires of Pompeii, she asked questions like what do they hear if I actually speak Latin? (The answer is Gaelic apparently).

Two scenes sold me on Donna Noble and Tate’s performance of her.

The first was in the pod, when the Doctor had to choose whether or not to cause the eruption of Vesuvius, and Donna just put her hands on the switch with him. She added her shoulders to the task of carrying that burden so he wouldn’t have to do it alone.

The second was this scene:

Donna Noble: You can't just leave them!

The Doctor: Don't you think I've done enough? History's back in place and everyone dies.

Donna Noble: You've got to go back! Doctor, I am telling you, take this thing back! It's not fair.

The Doctor: No, it's not.

Donna Noble: But your own planet, it burned.

The Doctor: That's just it. Don't you see, Donna? Can't you understand? If I could go back and save them, then I would, but I can't! I can never go back. I can't. I just can't. I can't.

Donna Noble: Just someone. Please. Not the whole town. Just save someone.  

Of all of his companions, Donna Noble was the first one that ever truly felt (to me) like she was The Doctor’s friend.

And then he betrayed her. To save a life she didn’t want anymore, he took away everything she had become. I think that moment is when he truly started to believe in his own myth. That set the stage for the events of The Waters of Mars.

4. Captain Jack is a lot more fun on Doctor Who. He was way more broody and less fun on Torchwood. And boy howdy, do I want an episode with Him, 9, 10, and 11 all in the same room.

5. Amy Pond/Rory Williams. I know people just looooove Amy Pond. I don’t. I don’t care for her very much at all. She’s better than Mel Bush, but then, a root canal might be better than Mel Bush. So that’s not saying much. But really, I just don’t find the character or actress that compelling. Rory, on the other hand, I enjoy quite a bit, though we wouldn’t have him or his development without Amy Pond.

6. River Song. River Song was an interesting character idea that should have stayed in the scripts for Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead. She never should have been brought back for additional episodes, and especially not for the number that she has shown up in. She seems to be a fan favorite, and I don’t get it. Every time she’s on the screen, it’s like there is a black hole sucking all the fun and charisma out of everyone on screen with her, and sending it away from the viewers. And it’s a combination of actor, character and overexposure. She comes off a bit too much like an author insert in a fanfic story.

7. Fun. It’s not hard SF by any means, and the time travel aspect pretty much exists just to get us to the next trouble spot (in fact, the TARDIS seems to function much like the Troubleshooter power from MSHRPG UPB), but I’ll be damned if Doctor Who isn’t one of the most viscerally fun shows to watch.

Well, that’s all I have for now.

Go watch, and enjoy yourself and yours.

* A couple years back, I went through and re-watched all of Baker’s run, and the Doctors following him. And the guys after Baker weren’t that bad, except for 7. I hated that guy.