Doctor Who
For those of you don't know or have never heard of the television series "Doctor Who", you have missed our on some of the best British science fiction program ever. And do NOT dismiss this show solely on the basis that it is science fiction -- trust me it is nothing like American science fiction like Battlestar Galactica or something. For this blog, I will essentially give a brief overview of the program and then illustrate why the show has captivated me and I have watched every single recent series.
Doctor Who depicts the incredible adventures of the Doctor, a humanoid alien, as he travels throughout time and space in a little blue policebox known as the TARDIS (an acronym for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). He gathers companions throughout the series and goes throughout time to fix events due to his extremely generous nature and compassion. His race is known as the Timelords, a superior race known for their ability to travel and manipulate time with advance technology. Much of the recent series involves companions who help the Doctor save the Earth because many other aliens are interested in concurring our planet due to our abundance in lives and resources.
But before the show takes a turn for focusing on science fiction, the reason I love the show is for two main reasons.
1. The show (for me, an American who sadly does not know enough about British culture) is quintessentially British -- the quirky eccentricity and dry humor makes the show completely different from American shows.
My favorite actor as the Doctor, David Tennant, is completely amazing because he depicts a modern British superhero. He doesn’t have incredible superpowers such as super strength or speed, but actually makes numerous mistakes in landing the TARDIS, spends half the time trying to get everyone to find a peaceful solution, and in the end comes through with some brilliant thinking just so he can go home for a nice cup of tea. American television shows center around one thing usually: drama. In order for an American show to take off, either the show centers around incredibly stupid comedy, have classic car chases or fighting scenes, or a dramatic plotline which the audience in unable to relate to (this is a generalization for emphasis, I actual love many shows such as Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, and Burn Notice). End point: this British television show captures an amazing culture.
2. The show addresses unique philosophical and moral questions about the nature of all life forms, purpose and meaning of life and the universe, and stretching the mind beyond the impossible.
I do not want to tell too much about the brilliance with which the writers create these episodes (because it will be necessary to watch some), but I can tell you as a Philosophy major this show is cleverest and philosophically engaging/questioning show I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It addresses the morality of conquest, the determination of fate on our lives, scientific questions such as time as a fourth dimension and time in flux, the brilliance and inspiring power of mankind, and so much more. Just to give one example, the episode “Blink” featured a race called “Weeping Angels.” Their perfect defense mechanism (inspired by actual physics) was whenever someone viewed them they froze in quantum lock, becoming a statue. They are called “weeping” angels because they cover their eyes so they don’t look at another of their race and become eternally frozen in stone. They destroy their enemies by carrying them away through time in the past and let them die of old age, essentially the person never existed during that time period. Anyway, the Doctor gets trapped in the 1960s and records himself on a series of VHS tapes until a girl in 2006 gets them and follows the instructions to save the Doctor by sending the TARDIS back through time. I realize this must seem really convoluted but just imagine the brilliance and genius it must have taken to create this idea! I would highly recommend watching this episode.
Anyway thanks for reading my comments on my favorite series Doctor Who! Hope it was interesting.
Doctor Who depicts the incredible adventures of the Doctor, a humanoid alien, as he travels throughout time and space in a little blue policebox known as the TARDIS (an acronym for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space). He gathers companions throughout the series and goes throughout time to fix events due to his extremely generous nature and compassion. His race is known as the Timelords, a superior race known for their ability to travel and manipulate time with advance technology. Much of the recent series involves companions who help the Doctor save the Earth because many other aliens are interested in concurring our planet due to our abundance in lives and resources.
But before the show takes a turn for focusing on science fiction, the reason I love the show is for two main reasons.
1. The show (for me, an American who sadly does not know enough about British culture) is quintessentially British -- the quirky eccentricity and dry humor makes the show completely different from American shows.
My favorite actor as the Doctor, David Tennant, is completely amazing because he depicts a modern British superhero. He doesn’t have incredible superpowers such as super strength or speed, but actually makes numerous mistakes in landing the TARDIS, spends half the time trying to get everyone to find a peaceful solution, and in the end comes through with some brilliant thinking just so he can go home for a nice cup of tea. American television shows center around one thing usually: drama. In order for an American show to take off, either the show centers around incredibly stupid comedy, have classic car chases or fighting scenes, or a dramatic plotline which the audience in unable to relate to (this is a generalization for emphasis, I actual love many shows such as Scrubs, How I Met Your Mother, and Burn Notice). End point: this British television show captures an amazing culture.
2. The show addresses unique philosophical and moral questions about the nature of all life forms, purpose and meaning of life and the universe, and stretching the mind beyond the impossible.
I do not want to tell too much about the brilliance with which the writers create these episodes (because it will be necessary to watch some), but I can tell you as a Philosophy major this show is cleverest and philosophically engaging/questioning show I have ever had the pleasure of watching. It addresses the morality of conquest, the determination of fate on our lives, scientific questions such as time as a fourth dimension and time in flux, the brilliance and inspiring power of mankind, and so much more. Just to give one example, the episode “Blink” featured a race called “Weeping Angels.” Their perfect defense mechanism (inspired by actual physics) was whenever someone viewed them they froze in quantum lock, becoming a statue. They are called “weeping” angels because they cover their eyes so they don’t look at another of their race and become eternally frozen in stone. They destroy their enemies by carrying them away through time in the past and let them die of old age, essentially the person never existed during that time period. Anyway, the Doctor gets trapped in the 1960s and records himself on a series of VHS tapes until a girl in 2006 gets them and follows the instructions to save the Doctor by sending the TARDIS back through time. I realize this must seem really convoluted but just imagine the brilliance and genius it must have taken to create this idea! I would highly recommend watching this episode.
Anyway thanks for reading my comments on my favorite series Doctor Who! Hope it was interesting.
posted by Narcissus at
6:44 PM
1 Comments:
Sounds like it would be an interesting show and I might try and go see it some time. I’m not sure if you mentioned it or not, but did you say where we could see it? I don’t think I’ve heard of it or seen it on a program guide, so I was just wondering if I would have to go watch on some website. I also have a question: Does the main character, the Doctor, speak British and do the aliens that he encounters speak foreign languages? Just a random question and not really important, but I was just wondering. I also have a favorite show now that airs on Starz and can be accessed on Netflix as well. The show is Spartacus: Blood and Sand and it is unlike any other series I have ever seen. Every episode is unique yet they are all tied together. It is much like the movie Gladiator except a million times better. In a lot of movies and a lot of other series, many people can usually tell what is going to happen next, but in this series, the unexpected always occurs and leaves the audience begging for more. For real though, you need to check it out!
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Anonymous, At
April 18, 2010 at 5:40 PM
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