What Doctor Who means to me

I was three when Tom Baker retired from playing the Doctor. I was five when David Tennant's father in law, Peter Davidson, resumed the role. I guess it is safe to say my formative years would be watching fragments of both these men either in reruns or current programming. My parents were in control of the television and neither liked science fiction. The brief moments I did see before one of my mother's shows started on the telly would scare and confuse me. I didn't like the creatures and the rest seemed so foregin from anything I had seen, I never had reason to want more. 

I've tried going back to the start with William Hartnell. I guess every good story should start with the beginning. I now believe classic who is best seen through the lens of nostalgia. 

I grew up watching Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman and as a young girl I found her character empowering and each episode was sheer awesome. I can't count how many times I closed my eyes and twirled hoping to be Diana/Wonder Woman. These feelings of nostalgia are so powerful that I bought the first season on dvd and put in the first disc with eager anticipation. I was sorely dissapointed when I watched it as an adult. The same has happened to me with other shows and cartoons from the late seventies and early eighties. The reality of the matter is they aren't good shows. They might have been popular or entertaining enough for their time, but their not timeless in the way classic Twilight Zone is timeless. 

I have the same sentiment when I watch classic who. I try not to make comparisons to the original Star Trek series as that came out later and in a different country. I try watching the classics in context, but for the most part they are simply too mind numbing for me. I have seen parts of stories and on the rare moment the full stories comprising of multiple episodes. From the first two episodes of various stories, I find I like Patrick Troughton the most. 

When the franchise was rebooted with Christopher Ecclesston, there were more people in my life and a few wanted me to try the series. The request became greater as my group of friends grew and my family started liking David. The requests became greater and greater when Matt took over. 

I couldn't shake my initial reaction of Doctor Who and my prejudice towards science fiction. My closest friends and husband shared my scorn and general disdain of the series. We all associated it with the worst science fiction had to offer.  In the worst case scenarios, it was an abomination of what science fiction should be and best forgotten and ignored. 

My passion for television and faith in my other family and friends got the better of me. I tried opening my mind to it and watched the pilot with Chris and Billie. I liked them both, but not the carniverous garbage cans and other equally stupiid things in the show. I gave up way too easily and tried watching David's first episode with the cat nurses. 

I rely heavily on an actor's interpretation of a character for me to get involved with the story and characters. I had trouble with the Doctor's motives, gestures and actions. He seemed to spaz out without a clear motive or shall I say he seemed to be overreacting or reacting in a way that didn't seem consistent with the context of the situation. I actually found the impersonation of Cassandra offensive. It seemed to portray women in a demeaning and superficial manner. Although the episode entertained me enough, it was just too much for me to continue watching the series. 

I was about to give up when I remembered there was a third and incredibly popular option. I could watch Matt. As soon as I heard the music and saw the Tardis whizzing above London with the Doctor clamouring to get back inside, I knew this incarnation deserved a chance. I wasn't sure if I would stick it out, but it deserved a chance. 

I watched all of Matt's tenure in two weeks and the rest of his filmography in two days. It was complete and utter madness. I could tell what I had seen was an ode to the franchise and I wasn't willing to watch Matt on a continous loop. I decided if I only got two more episodes with Matt, I would make them count. I would go back to the beginning and make my way back to him so that I could rewatch the episodes with a greater appreciation and get a better experience with the last two. 

During my visits to the past, I saw all the pieces fall together like a puzzle. Everything linked into itself creating a more glorious picture. When I got to Chris, I liked him well enough that I resented David in the same way Rose is mourning her Doctor and wanting her love back. 

By the time I got to David's last episode and so close to my original goal, a part of me was scared to watch the episode. I wasn't ready to let David go and a part of me wanted to stuff Matt back into David's body just so I could have more adventures with David. Surprisingly, I had taken a couple weeks off before I could try rewatching Eleventh Hour. I just felt the need to mourn David's doctor. 

Life got busy and so there was more of a wait before I could revisit Matt again and watch Eleventh Hour once again. I started the blog to keep track of my progress working through it again. 

I guess if I were to answer what does Doctor Who mean to me, I would say letting go of prejudices and childish notions. It taught me sometimes the greatest treasures are ones you might need to discover on your own. Although life had given me these lessons in the past, there is something kinder relearning it through Doctor Who. 

First impressions can be wrong and it is up to us to find a certain element of truth behind it. I genuinely like the franchise and even own a Doctor Who shirt and couple of buttons, which would have been unheard of even a year ago. 

I have met some new online friends and started creating genuine relations and rapports with these people. I have met people in person who quickly transformed from stranger to friend. I couldn't have done any of it without letting go of some old ideals and ideas. Doctor Who has opened a whole new world to me and one I embrace kindly. I'm thankful for finally coming to it. 

Next post or so will be on Matt