The Doctor Is In: The What, When, Where, Why & How Of Who

BY BLUE KAUFMAN

I’ll get right to the point on this one; I love it. I absolutely freaking love Doctor Who. And this is me being restrained. And by restrained I mean with genuine restraints. I am currently being strapped down Hannibal Lector style and  probably shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a keyboard because everything I write is going to end up  being a mass of overly excited gibberish.

Doctor Who is a British science fiction program that follows The Doctor; a 900 year old alien that travels though time and space in the TARDIS, a police phone box that is, as they say, “bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.” The show originally debuted in 1963 and quickly captured the hearts and minds of children and science fiction fans worldwide. In 2005, it was rebooted, making Doctor Who the longest running Science Fiction series on television.  Now, 50 years and 11 doctors later, the show remains a staple icon in science fiction. The 50th anniversary special was released on Saturday, November 23 and with Season 8 of the rebooted edition confirmed by BBC, the show still continues to grow in recognition.

Whether you watch it or not, you’re probably familiar with the idea of Doctor Who and the crazy wonderful adventures that constitute its story. However, beneath the superficiality of its plots, what’s really  impressive about Doctor Who is the amount of ethical ground it covers. Metaphors that shed light on the real world we live in often serve as a foundation for episodes. Using nothing more than his friends, his intellect, a sonic screwdriver, and an occasional pad of psychic paper, the Doctor defeats his enemies without ever turning to violence as a solution. True, a lot of science fictions use allegories to convey moral convictions, but Doctor Who does it without ever being preachy. Subtlety is interlaced into the fabric of the show,   Doctor Who has kept me engaged in ways that other popular Sci-Fi franchises, like Star Wars and Star Trek never could.

With a setting that takes place in time and space, Doctor Who is technically considered “science fiction.” But even so, the actual science of it is left at a point of such ambiguity that it requires this complete faith in the made up science exclusive to the show. Situations  that would typically be explained with extreme depth  in a standard science fiction series, such as regeneration and time paradoxes,  are often left blurred and vague as though they are simply events that take place beyond our own understanding. Remarkably though, this technique is not only accepted by its audience – its embraced. Traveling in the TARDIS, you have to come to terms with the fact that this is simply about a man in a time machine that can go wherever and whenever he wants. You have to accept the notion that in Doctor Who, there are no rules. Well there are some rules, but the laws that would logically govern time and space are often bent in ways that are completely ridiculous and, well, wibbly wobbly.

He’s just a madman in a box.

Granted, this sort of technique does require leaps of faith. Yet, it also allows total freedom and a sense of possibility that few other TV series can truly compare with. Much like the Doctor does with his companion(s), he doesn’t ask them to make sense of his adventures, but to just come along for the ride.

A normal episode can feature anything from aliens to pirates to dinosaurs. We, the viewers, get to see the explosions of Pompeii, vampires in Venice and even get to meet historical figures like Shakespeare, Agatha Christie and Vincent Van Gogh. In a television scope  polluted by shallow reality TV and grim plot lines, Doctor Who is not only entertaining but also a  breath of fresh air.

But even saving the Earth takes its toll, and when the fun fades away, you see that at its core, Doctor Who is not only entertaining, but also a gripping drama. Take the Doctor for example. His character radiates optimism wherever he goes and yet scratched beneath the glossy surface, it cannot mask his  astonishing depth.  He is alone.  He is a man rendered homeless by an ancient war between the Daleks and the Time Lords.  As the last of his kind, he carries both the burden of losing his home and people, but also the responsibility-a survivor’s guilt- an underlying sense that he somehow could have stopped it. This subplot weaves its way through the course of the series and works brilliantly.  This way, no matter how random the location or episode is, beneath always lays that familiar force that is directing the audience forward.

Still, the fun premise and the emotional stakes only encompasses a part of it. The biggest reason why I, and so many like myself love Doctor Who is because it embodies the very idea of freedom and escape. Each day we plod through school with tired eyes and battered spirits,  so in step with our daily routines  that the motions become practically robotic. We long to be so much more.

Rose, Sarah Jane, Jack, Martha, Donna, Rory, Amy. These are the companions, the humans- the ordinary people that the Doctor takes in the TARDIS and shares his journeys with. Med Students, Shop workers, temps, they don’t have any extraordinary abilities but are rather just average people moving in sync with everyone else.  That is, until they meet the Doctor. He flies in with his TARDIS and shows them exactly how brilliant they really are. Saving planets, fighting evil, and protecting others, they are so more than just meager sidekicks. Giving the show charm, wit, and something to relate to, we get to live though these genuinely likable characters, even if just for a little while.

Starting off the rebooted addition in 2005, the 9th doctor was originally played by Christopher Eccelson but was almost immediately replaced by David Tennant after one season. Shifting from sad and painful to funny and adventurous, it was Tenant’s broad emotional range that made Doctor Who truly engaging.  Then there’s Matt Smith, an actor whose role as the 11th doctor should have collapsed under the sheer pressure of David Tennant but somehow didn’t. Remarkably he was able to channel a new eccentric approach to the Doctors character without at all seeming like he was copying or discrediting his predecessor.

Still, no matter who plays them, one thing is for sure. The Doctor is a great character. He’s not perfect by any means, but he’s great. He defeats his enemies decisively, but not without first marveling at their accomplishments and offering some sort of peaceful resolution.  He doesn’t always do the right thing and he doesn’t always make the right choices, but he does try do his best with the situations that he is given. He wears his individuality as a badge of honor rather than a ribbon of shame and he trudges on, he keeps fighting even when he has every right to give up. He is forever an example to the rest of us, the strongest, the bravest, the kindest and absolute best of us.

The Doctor is not only someone that I can relate to, but also someone I can strive to be.  And it is this aspect and this aspect alone that makes Doctor Who trump other science fiction characters (at least for me). Because I am not a Jedi master. I am not Captain of the Starship Enterprise.

I am a mad girl in a box.