First off: this post has nothing to do with books (although I will mention a library later, see above). I'm bending the rules a bit for the sheer pleasure of writing about something I really enjoy: Doctor Who.
A little background, since I'm well aware that Doctor Who appears to be just about the geekiest thing out there, being not just a sci-fi show, but a cult sci-fi show. The Doctor is a Time Lord, who travels through time and space with a companion, has lots of adventures, and battles loads of dread beasties. He is also able to regenerate when he is dying, which is a convenient way to let a series of actors play the role. Doctor Who has been on since the 1960s, but the modern era began in 2005, when Christopher Eccleston took on the role of The Doctor*. Eccleston played The Doctor for one year, then David Tennant took over.
Tennant, who plays the 10th incarnation of the Doctor, is ending his run on Saturday. Doctor Who can be an uneven show, I'll admit**, but Tennant has been pretty uniformly brilliant, and I'm going to miss his Doctor terribly. So, as a bit of a salute to him, I'm going to do a spoiler-free rundown of my top five favorite episodes, in chronological order. So, without further ado:
The Christmas Invasion (Season 2): Tennant's first episode proper, and he spends almost the entire time in his jammies while London is under attack.
Why? In this episode, The Doctor is figuring out what sort of man (well, Time Lord, I suppose) he is. It turns out he's brave, righteously angry, manic, funny, and, to a point, merciful. In short, he's (to borrow Eccleston's favorite word) fantastic.
Human Nature/Family of Blood (Season 3): The Doctor and Martha are at an English boys' school in 1913 in this two-parter which slowly unfolds into one of the show's most heartbreaking stories.
Why? I just rewatched these two episodes (yes, I'm cheating a bit) last night, and they're every bit as great as I remembered. It also reminded me that you really want to know as little as possible about these episodes before watching. So why are they great? The end. And Baines's fairly terrifying scarecrow demonstration. Oblique enough?
Blink (Season 3): Resourceful Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan) must solve the mystery of her friend's disappearance by piecing together clues The Doctor has left for her.
Why? Definitely one of the scariest episodes - you'll never look at statues the same way. Plus, Carey Mulligan is the Next Big Thing, and you can say you knew her when.
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (Season 4): The Doctor and Donna (my favorite of the companions!) stumble upon a mysteriously deserted library, and discover the secret that lies in the shadows.
Why? "Hey...who turned out the lights?" is about the scariest thing I've ever heard. Also, I love the relationship between The Doctor and River Song (played by Alex Kingston, pictured above).
Midnight (Season 4): The Doctor hops on a bus tour that quickly takes an alarming turn.
Why? [Edited months later because I just rewatched this episode and I'm able to offer some more specific thoughts.] Knock knock. This one is so simple in its essentials that it could be an episode of The Twilight Zone. The monster is very effective - chilling, really - and Tennant gives a very vulnerable performance.
Honorable Mentions: The Girl in the Fireplace (Season 2), Army of Ghosts/Doomsday (Season 2), The Runaway Bride (Season 3), Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords (Season 3), and pretty much all of Season 4 (minus The Doctor's Daughter, which I didn't care for) and the subsequent specials.
All that writing, and I didn't even tell you how every season finale is somehow devastating, or how John Simm rocks my socks off as The Master (that platinum dye job!). Anyway, next season Matt Smith will take over the role of The Doctor (though odds are he will actually show up in Saturday night's finale, The End of Time: Part Two). Fingers crossed that he's as good as his predecessor, who is going to be a tough act to follow. Tennant is filming an American pilot, Rex is Not Your Lawyer, and I'm optimistic that it makes it to air (though I wish he could use his natural Scottish accent, as I assume he will not).
Links for your enjoyment:
Alan Sepinwall on Doctor Wh0: Alan Sepinwall is one of the finest tv columnists out there, and it is always worthwhile to get his take.
Television Without Pity Doctor Who Recaps: Jacob's recaps are long and philosophical and frequently over my head, but really, really good.
*I'll fully admit I know next to nothing about any pre-Eccleston stories.
**Though when it's good, boy, is it good; when it's bad, it's campy - which can be fun, too.
I didn't really like his doctor when he regenerated into David Tennant.
ReplyDeleteUntil i watched Last of the Time Lords.
It just took me a while to get used to him.
I don't know how i'm going to like the next guy...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHaving now watched The End of Time Part II, I still don't have any idea how I feel about Matt Smith either. We definitely didn't have enough time to see how his spin on The Doctor will be different than Tennant's. We'll see next season, I guess!
ReplyDelete