Opalescence

TV Shows That I Love – Doctor Who November 23, 2010

I wanted to sit down and write about some of the television shows that have had a profound impact on my sensibilities, both as an armchair critic and as a writer (never mind that I’m not published, I blog dammit! ). I of course like to be entertained, so a good story and interesting characters are very important, but as a writer I’m also interested in logical plotting (whether that logic is internal or external), creative use of narrative structure, good dialog, and clever, memorable characterization. Not only do I want to love these characters and stories, but I want to know how to make the material I write resonate in such a way with an audience.

This is the effect I hope to achieve with any audience that sees my material, be it my fiction or nonfiction, and the shows I cover here have inspired and will no doubt inform the sensibilities of any fiction I write. While I don’t watch a LOT of TV these days, there are quite a few that have given me more than their fair share of joy and marvel. I rarely discover a favorite show while it’s on TV; usually friends introduce me to them and get me hooked, but then I usually have the advantage of having plenty to enjoy at that point.

These programs all came to me in different ways, and over different time spans. Some were, of course, shown to me by friends. Others I’d watched with vague interest at first, and then became absorbed.

Others seemed like I’d never enjoy them at first, and a few just won me over at first viewing. And I think it is appropriate to start with one such program, particularly since today marks the anniversary of a long run it’s had since its beginnings. I speak, of course, of the BBC’s ingenious program Doctor Who.

Anyone who knows this show and who knows me may be surprised that I’ve never even seen a full episode of it until earlier this year. This, of course, is my habit. I discover something that’s brilliant, and realize I get to spend weeks, months, in this case YEARS, catching up on the source material.

Doctor Who was first broadcast on November 23, 1963, though technically I’ve never seen that particular series, which ended in 1989. The current one is a direct continuation of that series, started in 2005. It’s ostensibly science fiction, about an alien man (who looks human) with a police-box-shaped spacecraft that can traverse time and space, but I’ve heard more than one person call it fantasy as well. In my opinion, it takes elements and tropes from both genres and works them into a narrative that is dark, humorous, intelligent, cheesy, and witty, often all at once.

My first experience with the Doctor involved the literal last five minutes of David Tennant’s life as the title character. He was regenerating into someone else, though he clearly didn’t want to and was grieving about the process even as it slowly overtook him. An alien, scary-looking at first, appeared to the Doctor, telling him the Universe will sing him to his sleep, and ending with a line of dialog that sticks with me to this day: “This song is over. But the story, never ends…”

The Doctor put himself in his ship, the TARDIS, and went into orbit around Earth for the final stages of his regeneration, stating, “I don’t want to go,” before a violent surge of energy engulfs his body and turns him into the Eleventh and current Doctor, played by Matt Smith. After quickly and rather humorously searching himself to make sure he has legs, arms, hands, fingers, nose, throat, and several other necessities we tend to take for granted, he realizes the regeneration is causing his ship to crash into the earth, and that he has to stop it somehow. Gripping onto the console of the falling TARDIS, he lets out an enthusiastic yell of, “GERONIMO!” and the end credits start rolling.

Needless to say, that five minutes got me hooked enough to want to watch more. Here’s a quick list of why:

• David Tennant got a HUGE send-off, I later discovered. He got to say goodbye to his former companions. He was a well-loved Doctor, and it showed, even in this endgame. The emotion on his face, the music played as he “died,” and the overall tone of the moment said it all.
• Matt Smith won me over in less than a minute. He was goofy, spirited, enthusiastic, and geeky from the get-go. The expression, “GERONIMO!” made me want to see how he handled challenges. I would not be disappointed.
• The premise of the regeneration was very intriguing to me, and I later found it to be a very clever device the BBC would use to keep the continuity of the show, even as other actors vacated the part over the years.
• Finally, it was obviously science fiction, and it looked like science fiction that had a lot of fun. I had to see if that was true. It totally was.

Fortunately, we were able to watch the next episode starring Matt Smith immediately, and after I managed to pick my jaw up off the floor, I looked over at my girlfriend and said, “Well, thanks. Now I have over 30 years worth of material I have to catch up on now!” Which of course I meant as a compliment. I also asked how it was possible that I’d never watched this show until now. She simply smiled and shrugged, and watching it became a new regular obsession of mine.

As we progressed through the current season, I found myself more and more engrossed in the series for many different reasons. Clever, snappy dialog. Imaginative use of time and space travel. A professed disdain for techno-babble (which I love at times, to be fair). Characters you immediately loved, hated, or were intrigued by. And, not least of all, bravado: unbridled, unapologetic, get-in-your-face energy that made the entire season a fun-filled, if sometimes intense, romp that I didn’t want to end.

When we finished that season, I ecstatically found myself wanting to see more of the past ones. And so I do. I went back to the beginning of David Tennant’s run, to see the predecessor Doctor in action, and get a look at why he was so well-loved. And believe me, I can see why. He’s been nothing but a joy to watch, and even as I near the end of his run with some sadness and trepidation, I am looking forward to seeing how Christopher Eccleston fairs as the Ninth Doctor.

As my first “real” Doctor, Matt Smith is my favorite. He is, quite simply, Supergeek, and damn proud of it. Stay out of his way, because he doesn’t take anyone’s crap, be it the Daleks, the humans around him, or even the whole of the Universe.

Throughout the show, or at least this second launch of the show that I’ve seen, the writing has been top-notch and made for more than a few memorable episodes. Werewolves and the simultaneous gratitude and disdain of Queen Victoria; a black hole that contains the being purported to be the Devil; a DVD that dialogs only with one specific person about killer angels and time travel; the tragic workings and visions of an artist whose fame and genius were far ahead of his time. These are just a few of the wonders I’ve seen, and I can’t wait to see more.

Doctor Who is one of only a handful of shows that has profoundly affected me on an emotional level from the get-go. I don’t just admire the writing and characters and plots. I love them. I want to write more because of shows like this. I want this show to go on for decades and centuries, that way I might someday have a hand in it. I want the characters to live on, and the story to never end, because I’ve already been told that it never will.

What I find most clever about the show:

• A spaceship that’s bigger on the inside than on the outside.  That’s right, you read it correctly, non-fans.  TARDIS means Time and Relative Dimensions In Space.  Quite simply, it’s Time Lord (the Doctor’s species) technology.  No more explanation needed.  Brilliant!
• The Doctor is a (mostly) non-violent hero.  He solves problems and handles confrontations with knowledge as his first line of defense.  His most utilized portable gadget, the Sonic Screwdriver, can open almost any lock, scan things, heal minor wounds, any number of things, but it’s not a directly offensive weapon.  It’s a tool that happens to serve the Doctor well.  Also brilliant!
• The Doctor’s use of intelligence and knowledge of a weapon.  At one point, he is confronted by an alien that is taking the appearance of one human being and his dog, but barking out the man’s mouth.  Which could be pretty scary to look at (and is, to the human with him).  But the Doctor just kind of smiles and goes, “Muddled the voices, didn’t you?  That requires a psychic link with a dormant host, how’d you do that?” And you just can’t help but admire that kind of bravery.  Or curiosity.  Or stupidity.

So keep it coming, BBC. Keep broadcasting the Doctor, and I’ll be there every chance I get. Because even though I’m relatively new to the Whoniverse, I’m already one of its most ardent fans.

Oh, and to Steven Moffat, the current executive producer of the series and scribe for some of its darkest, most memorable episodes: Good on you, mate. You’re quickly becoming one of my gods of writing, and not just for this show. But more on that for another entry…