Who's on First?

Hey gang!

It’s a natural human condition to pick a thing you love above all others then fiercely defend it to those with differing opinions.  Such is the case with Doctor Who.

Linda and I are both late bloomers when it comes to the Doctor.  We discovered him (oddly at about the same time) through the new incarnation of the series.  There were already 7 seasons of new Who at that point, so neither of us have had the chance to explore the original doctors yet.  So just know that Linda and I are only revue-ing the Ninth through Twelfth doctors.  We are, in no way, dissing the former doctors, we just can’t speak to them.

That being said, we are girls with opinions and we like Who we like.  We've been discussing the Doctors as we've been watching, and now we want to share that with you guys.

Also:  there are some spoilers below if you haven’t watched any Doctor Who.  Read at your own risk.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce my Blogguest, Linda Moore.  Arguably, the most interesting woman in the world.  

Linda:  Thanks for inviting me!  If only we were together and drinking while we do this.  Of course it would never get done, or be hi-larry-us, but only to us.  

Sue:  Amen, Sister!

LM:  As Sue mentioned, I do not consider myself a sci fi (or syfy) fan, so completely wrote off the Dr. Who phenom when it started.  I can’t say what made me start to watch other than pressure from Netflix, and a long sewing project looming in my future.  I figured a couple of episodes could keep me company while I worked.

I was not hooked on the first episode.  There were mannequins and I couldn’t follow the storyline, but Netflix kept playing and so I stuck with it.  I’ve been a Whovian ever since.  But not one of those rabid kind that actually know all the rules of being a Doctor and remember the names of the enemies and keep it all in sequence.  That hurts too much.  I like the arc of the stories, and the characters and the silly lines (“it’s a timey wimey thing”).

SHE:  I actually did like the first episode (mannequins…creepy!!).  I fully agree about not being able to keep the entire Who universe (Whoniverse?) straight, but each Doctor has been compelling in a different way.  I love the idea of getting a variety of actors and character interpretation within the same world.  The element that KILLS ME about this show are the Dalaks.  Clearly they were designed in an era of low budget/no cgi television.  I know they are representing a sort of Nazi-like enemy in their single-minded pursuit of extermination, but a giant tin can with a toilet plunger arm?  C’mon guys…we couldn’t upgrade when we moved into the new millennium??  

LM:  Let’s start with the fact that I don’t have a favorite Doctor. I think that Christopher Eccleston has gotten short shrift in the whole deal because he only got one season.  And while David Tennant was arguably the most popular “modern” Doctor, it would not have happened if Christopher hadn’t gotten it all moving in season 1 MD (modern doctor).  He also is the only one to have a more contemporary get up, and had a very nice bad boy aesthetic going with his black leather. Apparently he wasn’t happy with the working conditions so made his exit and returned to the theatre.

SHE:  I DO have a favorite Doctor (so far, anyway) and he is David Tennant.  It’s not that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy Eccleston and Matt Smith (I’ll get to my thoughts on Capaldi later) but there was something about Tennant’s portrayal that completely drew me in.  He was a series of contradictions:  Goofy and serious.  Fractured and whole.  Social and lonely.  He had the longest run (as well as having both Russell T Davies AND Stephen Moffat writing episodes!) so there was a lot of time to give him some serious depth.  I think during his run we really got to flesh out the pain the Doctor feels about being the last Time Lord left.  Which is what makes the “Master” coming into the picture even more intriguing.  Tennant not only finds another Time Lord but the guy’s a dick. Bummer!!

LM:  What I think is odd about the Doctor is that when he regenerates he can remember all kinds of valuable information about his enemies, previous battles, and how alien technology works.  But he has no idea who is companion is and has no memory of their recent history (as in, like 10 minutes ago).  There was one exception- when Doctor the Tenth ran into Sarah Jane, who was a past companion along with a robotic dog, K9.  She figured in a couple of episodes- enough apparently to spin off her own short-lived show in the UK.

I did enjoy the Tenth (Tennant) a lot.  He had a nice range of funny, loving and vengeful (especially when he was without a companion).  Some of these episodes were kind of awkward because we were introduced to River (spoiler alert- his wife that was raised by aliens as an assassin to kill him in the future) while he was still managing a budding unrequited love interest with his companion Rose.  I’m going to say something controversial here- I’m not a fan of Rose.  Sure she’s plucky and all, but she strung her boyfriend along for ages when she clearly had a thing for the Time Lord.  He was a nice guy and she was a shit for being so calloused.  I also thought that the writers really wussed out in giving her a knock-off version of her Doctor to keep.  I think they wanted to figure out a way to make fans happy that wanted to get them together.  Get over it people.  He’s already got an assassin wife.

SHE:  Oh, I love the Rose!  Added bonus for me is that she’s married to Laurence Fox who plays DS Hathaway on Inspector Lewis.  Anyone who likes tame BBC mystery series should check it out.  He’s adorable.  She’s also currently in Penny Dreadful PLUS when she was young she was a pop star!  Love her!

I also really enjoyed her relationship with the Doctor (both Eccleston and Tennant but mostly Tennant).  She was fearless and determined and took no shit.  And I know she kind of threw over her BF for the Doctor…but come on.  He took her time traveling.  Who’s head WOULDN’T be turned?

I also loved Donna.  Tennant’s Doctor sort of shunned relationships after Martha Jones (she fell in love with him and got kind of needy, frankly.  He was like “Nope, not hurting another woman!”) so he insisted upon a platonic relationship with Donna.  Tennant and the actress, Catherine Tate, are friends in real life so their chemistry on screen was really fun to watch.

LM:  One thing I really enjoyed about this Doctor was the process he went through when he knew his time was coming to an end.  The Ood kept singing to him about it, and he wasn‘t ready to go.  I thought that was touching.  Towards the end he was definitely more profound, and more “human”.  “We’re all stories in the end.  Make it a good one.”

SHE:  You’re right, that was great.  I cried.

LM:  Then we come to Matt of the floppy hair, and bow tie.  At 26 he’s the youngest Doctor. Most of his stories are intertwined with Amy and Rory who both Sue and I love.  Because of that, I do really like his episodes.  I thought it was interesting that the writers made him a lot more huggy and kissy than the others. His predecessors were much more PDA-averse and now the new Doctor is the most PDA-adverse of them all.  What does it mean?

SHE:  We also both enjoyed that he would make comments about being relieved that he wasn’t a ginger.  Funny, because Eccleston’s Doctor WANTED to be a ginger. Nice touch.  One of the things I enjoyed about Matt Smith is that while he’s very silly and energetic, he also shows some profound depth.  At one point, probably in his second season, I remember thinking “wow, he’s a REALLY good actor”.

LM:  Each of these Doctors also have an arc throughout.  His is the crack in the universe.  For some reason, I really liked that theme.  Though in the end, I didn’t like that it included the Time Lords on the other side wanting to get through.  Keep your own universe people.  You’ve already expired in this one!

And now we come to Peter Capaldi.  As with all regenerations, I had to observe a respectful period of mourning before I could even deign to watch the new one.  Each time I felt very loyal to the old one and was ready to hate the new one.  And each time, I couldn’t.  They each have something very compelling.  Well done, casting agent!  I like his sartorial aesthetic for the most part.  And I like that he changes his clothes.  The others wore the same damn thing all of the time.  He’s also spending more time contemplating who he is, why he chose this regeneration, and if he’s a good person.  I think it’s interesting that he acknowledges that in some way, he chooses his face (Apparently this incarnation really likes that guy in the Pompeii episode…).  He tells Clara that the Doctor she first met (loved!) chose a face that either he thought others would like or reflected who he wanted to be.  By that, I would guess this one is here to be serious and grown up about these things.  I’m also a bit curious if they chose an “older” doctor just to take the “will they or won’t they” question out of the mix, and let us concentrate on other things.  He lets Clara be a strong character, which is fun. However, he does do a lot less talking about what he’s going to do and then dishes out the lessons afterwards.  I’m not sure I like that part. He is lonely as always, and I think this one might be the worst if left alone too long.  Also, so far, I don’t like his overarching arc because it’s not very subtle- yes, yes, everyone is ending up in the Promised Land with the creepy lady.  Got it.  I’m not sure I really care.  

SHE:  Linda, we are similar in that we mourn the loss of each Doctor before embracing the new one.  Capaldi has been a struggle for me to get on board with, quite honestly.  I think part of that is because it’s also been a struggle for Clara as well.  I like Clara as a companion a lot.  She’s darling and smart and adventurous.  She seemed VERY reluctant to embrace this Doctor (I read, actually, that Capaldi and Moffat had to team up and convince her to stay.  It kind of shows.).  She does finally decide to stick with him, but I honestly wasn’t sure I was ready when she was.  I think it took me a few more episodes to really get on board.  I do, however, love his sense of humor (he has some good under-the-breath one liners) and I’m always a fan of the Scottish dudes. David Tennant is actually also Scottish, but as Linda has pointed out to me, they didn’t want a Scottish Doc when he was on.  Whatevs.  I love the Scots.

LM:  I think the key question is-which Doctor would you most like to travel with? I think the Eleventh (Matt) might be the most fun, but if we got into some serious shit, I think I’d prefer to be with Tenth (David).  How about you Sue?

SHE:  Tennant is my fave, so I’d have to go with him.  I agree about Matt Smith, he WOULD be fun to travel with.  He’s super cute and seems like a goofball.   But yeah.  Tennant.

(My drink pairing suggestion:  honestly I’m not even sure if the Doctor drinks or not – and it’s been debated on the interwebs – so I’d suggest a pint or two of Brewster’s Brewing Company Britannia’s Brew.  Apparently it has “truly national flavours, including English Boadiciea and Sovereign hops as well as seaweed and heather to represent Wales and Scotland”.  Pretty much sums it up.)

Our takeaways:

#1 – We have become TOTAL Doctor nerds!  

#2 – I’m clearly living up to the Erokan motto “We’re funny…to us!” with my titling lately.  Sorry about that, folks.

#3 – We both realized that it’s not about being a “Syfy” fan necessarily…this is all about good writing and acting.  And as Linda said to me - it’s reassuring to know that when the Aliens do come, there’s always a Doctor out there to save us.

xoxo…hashtagSueslife