Doctor Who is easily my favorite television show. So many
times, people have asked what it is about. But the problem with that question
is that there is no good way to answer it.
You see, essentially Doctor Who is a kid’s show. It’s about
an alien who travels time and space, fighting monsters for the purpose of
protecting Earth and saving lives. And let’s be honest – that’s a pretty basic
concept. It’s not new. It wasn’t new 50 years ago when Doctor Who first began –
there’s absolutely nothing extraordinary about it. But why, then, has Doctor
Who survived so long?
My uncle had heard me proclaim my love countless times, and
he happened to be at the house when the 50th was airing live and of
course, I was going to watch it. I remember him occasionally glancing at the
television and I didn’t have to look to know that he was judging it critically,
as he does. I knew he wasn’t amused by the silly antics of Matt Smith alongside
David Tennant. I knew he was less than charmed by the subplot of the Virgin
Queen. And when he finally cleared his throat and said “I just don’t think I
could get into this show”, I wasn’t surprised. But still, the comment stung a
bit.
On the surface, Doctor Who IS a silly show. Sometimes, the
effects are a bit cheesy. A lot of the time, the dialogue is a bit cheesy. And
for any good fan, this isn’t a bad thing. But for someone who knows that the
show in its entirety is so brilliant, it’s frustrating that someone’s first
impression may not see it in the same light. And while my uncle was undermining
my show, I brought up the same question: If Doctor Who is so bad, why is it one
of the longest-running shows in the history of television?
And the answer is simple: It’s not bad. At all. If you’ve never
seen it and you aren’t one to give something a fair chance, you may not see it.
But Doctor Who is and always was an insanely relevant commentary on humanity as
a whole. It views humans through an intelligent lens that isn’t human itself,
and shows the audience a different perspective and or world. Doctor Who has its
silly moments, yes, but it also has intense moments of harsh truth.
When the Doctor stands at the edge of the pit where “Satan”
lies, as he grapples with his curiosity or his sense of safety, the audience is
on the edge of their seat because we’re grappling with the same questions. As
the Doctor watches fear turn to hostility in Midnight, the audience is forced
to watch the very primitive instincts we have betray us. And as the Doctor and
Donna stumble upon the Planet of the Ood, humanity is put into question time
and time again on our ability to let our impeccably biased reason justify the
enslaving of a race that is not our own.
How can anyone say that these themes – these incredibly
complex, difficult to face and even more difficult to discuss themes – aren’t
saving this show from being some silly British sitcom? How can anyone watch The
God Complex or The Waters of Mars and walk away without some deeply-rooted
sense of unrest? Doctor Who is so much more than a kid’s television show. It is
an important commentary on life, on ourselves. And while we generally get to
ignore our faults, the Doctor doesn’t, and he is quick to test our character in
the ways that matter most.
Doctor Who is my favorite show by far.
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