To be more specific, the more recent regenerations.
In case you haven’t heard, the Doctor and his companions, Amy and Rory, are returning for the last half of their current series (or as we call it, season) this Saturday, and about 4 months ago I would not have given a flying Tardis about that. Clearly, things have changed, and I’m going to tell you why. [BEWARE: Spoilers ahead!]
When it comes to science fiction, I generally consider myself open to various ideas, you know, time travel, aliens, zombies, all that kind of stuff. I’m not perfect though, and when I’m stubborn I generally do my best to not let my mind get changed. Hence, when I first ever got a glimpse of Doctor Who, years back when it was on SciFi (now Syfy), I was confused and not too thrilled with the show. Nor did I have any idea who the Doctor was.
My time in the Tardis
Fast forward to 4 months ago. My brain was working under different circumstances, which allowed me to be properly introduced to the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston. Yes, he was number nine, which might make you think that I was already far, far behind, and I was, but thankfully the relaunch of the Doctor Who series in 2005 allowed new Whovians to get hooked on the show. Perfect for someone like me. Sure, Eccleston’s Doctor is no match for David Tennant or Matt Smith, but he is where it all began for me, and you never forget your first.
From there it was a slow jaunt through series 1, stumbling along with the Doctor and Rose as they made their way through space and time, encountering problems everywhere they went. At the end of the series, the Doc faced a challenge that he often ran into, death. He went through his regeneration, a sort of rebirth where the Doctor is rejuvenated and given a new face and body, this time in the form of universally favored David Tennant. Tennant would go on to give audiences some of the best performances and best episodes yet seen out of the last Time Lord’s life. Following number 10′s appearance, I sped through series 2, and was frustrated with the ending, the mark of a good television show in my opinion (if it’s all rainbows and unicorns there’s no real emotional attachment).
As time passes with the Doctor, so do companions. Rose was soon replaced by Martha, who in series 4 was replaced by Donna. But no companion ever gets forgotten, and in the end it was evident who was the Doctor’s favorite. Still, things can’t be simple for the Doctor, which is a good thing for audiences, because simple can be boring.
Eventually, even David Tennant’s Doctor had to pass the torch, facing death as Eccleston had and regenerating to take the youngest form ever, Matt Smith. Smith took on a new companion, Amy Pond, on the day before her wedding. Crazy right? Not as crazy as the Doctor. Smith brought a younger energy to the role, which is interesting since he plays a character who is over 900 years old. Things get wild and dangerous as they do when the Doctor’s around, which eventually led into an exciting series finale and has brought us to to series 6. I’m not going to give away anything from 6, since if you’re interested, you still have some time to catch up (and you should).
Why the Doctor is awesome
So I described my journey with the Doctor, but not why I like him and the show. So here goes. To me, Doctor Who is the “every scifi”. There are elements from all forms of scifi in the show: time travel, aliens, superhumans, space travel, epic villains, heroism, anger, happiness, love, and so much more. Sure, the show revolves around time and space travel, but there are episodes for any occasion. Plus tons of Christmas episodes. There are old and new enemies popping up all the time, and danger lurks around every corner.
Much like the Tardis itself, this show is much bigger on the inside than it appears to be on the outside. Between the actors and the characters, Doctor Who delivers on all fronts. When he’s angry you get scared, when he’s happy you feel like a kid, and when he’s scared, well you honestly have no idea how to feel.
The Doctor: “There’s one thing you never put in a trap. If you’re smart, if you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap.”
Bob: “And what would that be, sir?”
The Doctor: “Me.”
I’ve always been a fan of TV shows more than movies in terms of telling stories. Movies have limits, time limits to be precise. There’s only so much that can be accomplished in about 2 hours. You give a writer like Steven Moffat and actors like David Tennant and Matt Smith 13 hours and you better strap seat belts on your eyes and ears because they’re gonna go on the ride of their lives.
I had my doubts at first. In fact, I was still stubborn before I actually watched the first episode. You might wonder why I changed my mind. The same reason that drives anybody to change their mind about something, a girl (hence the different circumstances). Okay, so really it was also about what she had to say about the show, that all the possibilites of time and space are open. How could you not want to watch that? I wouldn’t mind being one of the Doctor’s companions, though it seems he only takes on female ones.
There is so much open in the Doctor Who universe. In fact, the whole universe is open, everywhere and everywhen. Don’t take my word for it alone. Watch an episode and decide for yourself (series 1-5 are on Netflix instant). It took me one or two to get sucked in, but there’s plenty there to be enjoyed. So grab a sonic screwdriver, plop down in front of the TV with a friend, and hop in the Tardis because the Doctor will see you now.
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In case you haven’t heard, the Doctor and his companions, Amy and Rory, are returning for the last [...]](http://www.1amgeek.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/like_doctorwho-36x36.png "Why I like Doctor Who"){kind=small}