Nobody gets it. Well, nobody except my daughter, my mom and a tiny handful of special people. Nobody else gets the magic that is Doctor Who.
Why? I don't know, it's such an amazing television show. A BBC original that started way back in the late 60s, had an incredibly long run - over 20 seasons - and was very popular in Britain. I'm sure it was mainly a kids show but my mom and I watched it faithfully every Saturday night on PBS, usually right after Benny Hill and right before Monty Python's Flying Circus, neither of which my mom let us watch.
Now, BBC has completely revamped Doctor Who and is taping the 4th season. I have carried on the tradition with my daughter, Vienna. She and I just finished watching the 3rd season and were distraught that the season was over.
It is definitely a campy sci-fi with lots of special effects and unbelievable aliens and plotlines. But, it's not about any of that - it's all about the Doctor. He is one of the most complicated characters that I have ever encountered in a TV show. The depth of his personality rivals that of any human I know. The last episode of this season illustrated that to me.
The Doctor is the last of his kind - alone in time and space - and lives much longer than humans so his existence is based on escaping his lonliness. He constantly finds companions to travel with him, who inevitably fall in love with him (usually a platonic love that transcends any affection we are used to) and then eventually has to leave them so as not to be devastated by losing them to decay and death.
In this last episode, he found one of his own - a time lord named the Master who had once been the Doctor's friend but has much longer been his enemy. The Master had become insane and intent on destroying the earth. After torturing the Doctor, keeping him hostage for a year and killing many people, the Doctor had only one thing to say to the Master. "I forgive you". This was defeat to the Master.
And, finally when the Master was shot and faced death, the Doctor told him to regenerate - a trait that time lords have that gives them their longevity. The Doctor was willing to take the Master with him to care for him and be responsible for him. The Master refused realizing that dying was how he could hurt the Doctor the most. When he died, the Doctor just held him weeping for his lost, insane companion.
How many TV heroes have this many facets to their personality? And I haven't even touched on his relationships with his travelling companions and the enemies he defeats on a regular basis. Or his childlike excitement when faced with danger. Or his incredible brilliance or his arrogance, both of which are irresistible. All of these things along with his incredible love for those around him make him, in my opinion, the best, most interesting character in all time and space.
