The Doctor's back for a sixth season.
With this being my last Voice issue as a writer (my last as an editor was weeks ago), it would seem predictable for me to take this time to talk about something I consider to be really important. Maybe what my experience at Conn has been like, or perhaps how it’s changed in the last four years. Fortunately, what I have to say is far more exciting: Doctor Who is, at last, back on the air.
For those of you unfamiliar with the British sci-fi series, the main character, known only as the Doctor, is a time-traveling alien detective. While many British shows, such as the original Office and John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers, have decided to end their runs after only a season or so, Doctor Who has, on and off, lasted for almost forty years and, as of now, 772 episodes, making it the longest-running sci-fi series in history. This longevity is made possible through the Doctor’s ability to “regenerate” upon dying, which basically allows one actor playing the Doctor to be seamlessly replaced by the next, continuing the story without interruption. The current Doctor, played by Matt Smith, is the eleventh Doctor in the show’s canon.
When we last left him, the Doctor caused a second Big Bang by sending the Pandorica into the exploding TARDIS. Also, Rory and Amy, the Doctor’s current companions, were married. Oh, and they also saved Christmas. Following me so far?
As the new season premiered with the episode “The Impossible Astronaut,” Rory and Amy have joined River Song, the Doctor’s potential wife, and the Doctor for a picnic, where he discusses his plans to take them into outer space in the year 1969. Again, my apologies for not making any sense, but Doctor Who’s convoluted back-story is what makes the show so engaging.
Circumstances lead the group to materialize not in outer space but the Oval Office, where they encounter Richard Nixon. Watching Doctor Who play around with historical figures is always fun; the Agatha Christie episode is incredibly well done and the Vincent van Gogh episode made me cry my eyes out. I expected them to have more fun with Nixon as a historical character, and while the actor looked the part, he just sort of sat behind the desk and looked cool. Considering that our main characters come from the future and they’ve just arrived in pre-Watergate times, the least they could have done was hinted at what makes Nixon the pop culture fixture he is.
Of course, this wasn’t my only criticism of the season premiere. Simply put, the episode was not a good example for introducing new viewers to the series. If I were to describe what else happened in the episode, it would be so confusing and uninteresting that it wouldn’t persuade anyone to watch. Besides that, the episode is the first of a two-parter, which makes this review especially frustrating because I have no closure. There are amazing one-off episodes, such as “Blink” or “Midnight,” which I think would be great introductions to new fans, but “The Impossible Astronaut” asks you to already accept so much that it becomes hard for non-Who fans to become attached.
For Who fans, on the other hand, it’s a fine episode. It’s got great twists, fantastic humor and they got to film on location out in Utah (for a show that got its start filming in front of the same flimsy background every episode, this is a huge improvement).
The Silence, the villains for this episode and the next, are fantastic. They are horrifying to look at, but once the characters choose to look away, they have completely forgotten they were there. This makes the anticipation for the next episode, “Day of the Moon,” all the greater, because I am curious as to how the Silence can be defeated if you can’t turn your back. Their appearance reminds me of the Gentlemen from the Buffy episode “Hush” and right about now they are just as scary, although their motivation is still primarily unknown. Why are they on Earth? Specifically, why 1969 Earth? What do they want? They don’t appear to talk and the Doctor himself has yet to encounter them, so hopefully these answers will be answered not too far into the next episode.
As for the rest of the season, what I’ve seen in articles and trailers piques my interest. The third episode will feature the gang on a pirate ship, which should be cool, and the Ood, a popular alien species on the show, will return. Even though he always claims to have gotten rid of the last of them, I fully expect the Doctor to encounter the Daleks, his greatest foes, once again. I’d be disappointed if he didn’t.
Doctor Who has yet to disappoint me and it continues to entertain me. As far as sci-fi shows go, this one is not worried about leaving anytime soon. The detailed backgrounds of the characters stay underneath while the adventure, humor and excitement are kept in the forefront. I recommend the show to everyone, but I recommend that you start with series one, starting in 2005. Just make sure that you catch up quick so you know what I’m talking about. •
Best historical episode is definitely The Girl in the Fireplace.
10th Doctor FTW!