Love Letters (part eleven in a series)

A few weeks ago, Little Red was having a bad day, so I decided to cheer her up in a very unique way.  I started to write her a story via email.  It was the beginning of a story in which the two of us went on an incredible adventure with Doctor Who in ancient Greece.  She continued this story, and we went on taking turns writing until we came to an ending.  As it turned out, this little fanfiction we'd created was something she'd been wanting to write all summer, but she'd never had anyone to write with.  And so, this all leads me to the point of this post:  to express my love of Doctor Who.

Like many people of my generation, my first experience with Doctor Who was when they brought back the series in 2005, starring Christopher Eccleston.  I'd seen the advertisements, and knew that Doctor Who was one of the most venerable sci-fi series out there, and had a massive following in Britain, so I tuned in to the Christmas special (now a well loved tradition) to see what all of the fuss was about.

This new Doctor was somewhat different from the scarf wearing Tom baker version I was aware of.  He wore a leather jacket and had short hair, and a somewhat aggressive streak, but that was what made him interesting.  Eccleston's Doctor is probably best described by his opening line "I'm the Doctor...RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" (he said this with an almost maniacal grin)  I was also introduced to the TARDIS.  (Time And Relative Dimension In Space)  Simply disguised as a common blue police box, it can travel anywhere in time and space, and it's bigger on the inside!  If that's not a cool concept, I don't know what is!  Not only that, but this series also introduced me to one of the greatest sci-fi villains of all time, the Daleks.  They may look a bit stupid, but I still curl up into a fetal ball in terror when I hear that creepy robot voice say "EXTERMINAAATE!!"

   After Christopher Eccleston basically ditched the show (worst career move ever), there came the even better David Tennant.  His Doctor was much different from Eccleston's.  This was a more enthusiastic, clever Doctor, but also one who had a secret sadness in his heart(s).  On the basis of pure acting, there may never be better than Tennant.  He could make you laugh hysterically one moment, and then command godlike aliens to save the Earth after that.  Also, he had better companions.  Eccleston had Rose (former pop star Billie Piper), who was okay, but not all that interesting in herself.  Tennant's Doctor had Martha Jones, who had a little more personality to her, and then Donna Noble, who was one of the most interesting companions up to that point.  Also, Tennant's run introduced River Song, who would go on to become a much more important character than I realized.  As for villains, I never thought there would be anything scarier than the Daleks, but then I saw the weeping angels.  I'll let the photo explain things for this one.

Don't blink

After the incredible run of David Tennant came the current Doctor, Matt Smith.  I was unsure of him at first, but his slightly naive, bowtie-wearing, boyish charm rubbed off on me pretty quickly.  Also, he had the greatest companion ever in Miss Amy Pond, who we got to know as a little girl in the first episode.  Oh, and she's also super-hot.

   One of the most brilliant things about Doctor Who is the regeneration device.  For the uninformed:  whenever a new actor takes over, the Doctor regenerates, taking on a new physical appearance.  It's sort of similar to the different actors who have played James Bond over the years, except, it all makes sense within the Doctor Who universe.  When you pick your favourite Doctor, you're picking ALL OF THEM!  What's even more astounding about this is that sometimes actors like Matt Smith do things that remind you of previous Doctors, which completely reinforces the mythology of the series itself.  Even if it's unintentional, it's there, and it makes the show that much cooler to watch if you've been watching from the start.
The writing on this show is probably one of the best in sci-fi ever.  Pro writers like Russell T. Davies, Steven Moffat, and even Neil Gaiman have contributed episodes, and it really shows.  When a writer can turn something as innocuous as a statue into something utterly terrifying, they really know their stuff!
In short, if you haven't seen it already, you really need to watch Doctor Who.  I promise you, you will not be disappointed!