Why I Love Wednesday: Doctor Who

So last night Craig Ferguson had a Doctor Who themed evening of absolute wicked awesomeness. Seriously, best episode ever. It also reminded me why I love:

*Craig Ferguson: Not only did he have a Doctor episode, but Matt Smith was decidedly charming which is frustrating because I am still grieving over David Tennant leaving. *sniffles* But seriously Craig Ferguson…frakking hilarious. His explanation of Doctor Who = priceless. Scottish blokes make me smile.

* Daleks: Not the new pastel/Technicolor ones, but the old school Daleks. Like the one he had on set. I wonder how I can get one for cheap and how geeky would it then make me. I could dress him up for the holidays. Would be priceless.

So lets discuss why I love Doctor Who as a whole. For those who haven’t seen or heard of Doctor Who….really? Shame on you. In a nutshell it is a series that has been on since the early 60’s about a Time Lord named the Doctor who travels throughout time and space in his policebox shaped Tardis which is a spaceship and time machine all in one. He is the last of his kind and he spends his life standing up for those who don’t stand up for themselves, in righting wrongs and saving the world…or mostly Britain from the Big Bads. But a life can be lonely, thankfully he has a knack for meeting companions who travel with him and who tend to be as adventurous as he is.

Why do I love Doctor Who. Well here is Why.

1. The Doctor: I remember watching Doctor Who when I was a kid with Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor. What do you mean there is four? You see, our good Doctor has the ability to regenerate, it helps with the whole bummer of death. In this way the Doctor is immortal. When one body dies, he simply regenerates into another. It came about when the first actor decided to leave the show, so they came up with the brilliant plan of why there was a new face, but the same Doctor. It also gives the sctors some leeway with the portrayal. With the revivals starring Christopher Eccleston (the 9th Doctor), David Tennant (The 10th Doctor) and now Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor) all of them are the Doctor and the character as a whole is essentially the same at the core, however each is distinct. Which in a way makes sense. New teeth, new hair…a chance to have a different style, try out new catchphrases and make it your own. Which is probably would I would do if I had the ability to regenerate.

Anyway, so I watched Doctor Who with Tom Baker as a kid. Loved it, but then I strayed away. What can I say, I am a Gemini and things like Battlestar Galactica, the Bionic Woman and Amazing Stories lured me away. When the show came back five years ago, I was a happy camper. While not a hard core fan throughout the ages, I had a fond appreciation and was excited to see where they were going to go and how they were going to play it.

While the Tom Baker Doctor Who and the Christopher Eccleston Doctor Who are two different creatures, they are still Doctor Who. The Doctor is a good man. He knows that there is more out there in the world and the universe. In fact he was the one that said “Outside these doors, we might see anything. We could find new worlds, terrifying monsters, impossible things. And if you come with me… nothing will ever be the same again!” He has a lot of love for mankind (he has two hearts in fact) and his compassion never seems to cease. He is a hero who doesn’t use weapons, relies on his intellect and his sonic screwdriver.

Which brings me to David Tennant’s 10th Dcotor. Yep, he’s my favorite. Not only did he make me laugh, but I finally understood how heartbreaking being a Time Lord must be. Even though he found true companionship with Rose, it wasn’t meant to be. And the last episode had me in tears, big giant sobbing tears. Not only was Tennant fantastic when it came to his brilliant acting, but he made the Doctor very human for me. In fact he felt the most human to me. There were amazing episodes with Tennant and I miss him. Allons-y!

2. The Tardis: She stands for “Time And Relative Dimensions In Space”. She can travel in any point or time in space and she is a hell of lot bigger than she is on the outside. But she is an old girl as well which is how she got stuck in the police box mode. Normally the TARDIS would disguise itself, a sort of built in camouflage so that it would blend in to whatever time and place they were in. But then it got jammed up and the TARDIS has been stuck ever since.

I love the Whooshing sound. Or the fact that there is a Wardrobe room with any conceivable costume known to…well I guess the Time Lords. I would have a hey dey in there as well as a library and a swimming pool and did I mention I love the whooshing noise?

3. The Monsters: Lets see we have the Daleks, the cyberman, the Slitheen, the Weeping Angels, the Ood and the Krillitane. I love the monsters and there are even cute ones like the Adipose.

4. The Companions: The Doctor’s life is a lonely existence and how much fun is it to travel time and space by yourself? So he finds someone else to share that existence with. Companions who keep him grounded, who make him just a little bit more human, and who share his crazy sense of adventure. Luckily for him most of them have been rather comely. Rose has been my favorite, but I love Donna Noble for calling him on his absurdity some times and for her humor. And I actually quite like Amy Pond, mostly because I think she thinks like me and has my non linear train of thought sometimes.

5. The Grandness of it All: Doctor Who is a great show that can make you laugh and cry. Can scare you (Blink anyone?) and can be quite clever. Plus it also spawned Torchwood which I could also talk about for hours. It’s a great show that you should be watching.

So are you a Who fan? What do you think about Matt Smith? Of bow ties and Fezs? Of River Song and the 10th Doctor?