It’s 11 pm. on a Sunday evening in 1984. I’ve just returned home from my job at Papa’s Pizza Place, where I load pizza all night into 500-degree ovens. I’m wired from drinking gallons of pop and goofing around with friends all night. And I’m excited, because the TV is tuned to WTTW channel 11. It’s Doctor Who time!
Sprawled out on the couch in an oregano and sweat infused t-shirt, I’m chugging more pop, probably chowing on some pizza and reveling in the opening theme song. If it’s a good night, it will be Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor, although it really could be any of the 2nd – 4th incarnations. On a few rare occasions, you even get an episode with the first Doctor. I lived for these Sunday nights back then, the episodes were a joy to watch, as campy and cheesy as they sometimes were, and Baker was a master.
The years go by and we get a 5th and 6th Doctor, but I’m now in college and don’t often get to watch much. Eventually WTTW takes Doctor Who off the schedule as the show gets cancelled in the UK. The Doctor fades out of my life like a lost friend. And that, my friends, was a bummer.
It’s 1996, and there’s a made for TV Doctor Who movie. It will have the Timelord’s old nemesis, the Master in it! I’m excited. I watch the US premier, and it’s not the Doctor I remember. Turns out it’s a one-off and the show passes from memory yet again.
The "Modern" Doctor Who returns with the 9th incarnation
Almost a decade later, the Doctor gets a reboot with the 9th incarnation. But I have no way of watching it. I hear about it, but life is busy. The show becomes popular again and I begin reading about it all over the place. They say it’s good again. Finally, I get the BBC on my cable package, and I get Netflix hooked up to my Roku box – and I can finally see what the hubbub is all about. I got a chance to see a couple David Tennant episodes, and I was liking what I was seeing. But it wasn’t until I began seeing the Matt Smith episodes on the BBC until I began to really get hooked again.
The 10th Doctor, David Tennant
I know that in recent times, Tennant is spoken of as the greatest modern Doctor – maybe the best of all time. In some ways it’s hard to compare the old vs. the new. I like David Tennant a lot. I’ve watched a handful of episodes (including “The Library” with the first appearance of River Song, and his first incarnation) and they are really great. I’m looking forward to watching more.
What I loved about Tom Baker was that he was Doctor Who. It wasn’t like he was an actor playing Doctor Who, it was like Baker was really him. I know that sounds odd, but a lot of people who love Baker will tell you the same thing. He could be really funny in many ways, but he was just so darn believable amongst all the Styrofoam and plastic scenery. The writing wasn’t always that great, but you could always count on Baker. Moving forward to Matt Smith, that’s exactly the thing I like about him – he IS The Doctor, period. He’s just so believable that he’s actually that person.
Matt Smith as the 11th - and best - Doctor
Sure he’s funny, but it’s more than that. You seem to hang on his every action, and you really believe when he is in trouble, or he is in emotional distress because of Amy, or River or whoever. Not that Tennant wasn’t believable either – he was. But Smith seems to just have that little extra. Plus, he so looks the part. He’s got just an odd enough face, that slim and tall body and wave of hair, he looks the part of a Timelord. The way he whips around the sonic screwdriver, you’d think it actually works!
But maybe the key to Smith is the writing of the series, which is absolutely brilliant. Steven Moffat has put together a run that is just captivating. It’s more than just a jaunt here, a jaunt there – it’s the bigger stories that really keep you engaged. The Silence, River Song, the death of the Doctor – all supremely played out (so far at least.) The episode written by Neil Gaiman (“The Doctor’s Wife”) was brilliant as well, and personifying the Tardis was genius and fun.
Maybe the best thing about all this for me – aside from reconnecting with a show I loved as a teenager – is that my family enjoys it, too! Even my wife, who used to fall asleep bored to the old episodes, has enjoyed the Matt Smith episodes. My daughter Sarah is as hooked as I am, and together we have caught up on all the current episodes except last week’s. I am really looking forward to this weeks installment, and seeing how (spoilers, sweetie, spoilers ahead!) – how the whole issue of River killing the Doctor plays out.
As for revisiting the Tennant episodes – oh yes. I plan on eventually watching the whole run on Netflix. I really like Billie Piper’s character a lot, she’s a great companion. I watched a handful of the Christopher Eccleston episodes already, where she was really good. Eccleston is odd, he doesn’t really look the part, and I didn’t think I would like him, but I actually warmed to him quite fast. He’s different from Tennant and Smith, but he’s good. His last episode was really great, and quite emotional, tying into the first David Tennant episode, where Rose had this close tie to the Doctor who has now changed and she doesn’t quite understand what is happening.
Anyway, I know it’s old news, but Doctor Who is back and I couldn’t be happier! It brings back great memories, and it has already forged some new ones. So who’s your favorite Doctor?
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I gotta go with Tennant, Smith, Baker. but number one and two are pretty close.
Don’t get two excited about this last episode “night terrors”. it’s a standalone episode that doesn’t do anything to advance the big story.
I think for people who got into the modern stuff when it all started, Smith is obviously “the new guy” so it will take awhile to really make that decision. For me, I was introduced to them both at the same time (really, all 3 of them) so my decision isn’t colored by watching 4 seasons of one guy first.
I don’t mind having stand alone stories either, they are still fun. Frankly that’s the core of what the show has always been anyway.
You know . . .
Heh, yes, yes! I know Mike! Tennant is your man. So who’s your second?
I have to admit, I’ve not seen a lot of Matt Smith yet. Just one season. (Maybe I can’t get over the “Bow Ties are Cool” thing. Ha ha . . .)
)
So second would be Tom Baker. Loved the scarf! (Though I guess they’re not that cool either.
Well, it was his first season that hooked me. I love it when he says “Bow ties (or Fez’s) are cool.” Because they are, right?!
Season 6 pt. 1 is just amazing. It really ups the game, and The Last Astronaut is an awesome episode.
The scarf was great – and the Jelly Babies of course. I kind of miss him offering jelly beans to the most dangerous beings in the universe!
i’d go with the scarf. but childhood memories gave a pinkish hue to all old episodes, which are all rubbish imho. only the sweet memories remains. also back then i didn’t speak (and understand) english pretty well, but the weird man with the scarf captivated me.
i don’t have an opinion on the new episodes, preuming the two high cheese, corn and camp content.
It is tough to go and watch the old stuff in lieu of the new, now. For the Baker stuff, I’d pick and choose some of the top episodes and watch them, but unfortunately those don’t seem to be available on Netflix.
Yes! Another Smith supporter! I hadn’t analyzed my reasons on the subject like you but even having watched from the start of the revival I fell in love with Smith’s depiction almost immediately. He is absolutely my favorite thus far.
While I generally agree with all you said I also personally feel like he does the best job of balancing eccentricity with the darker side of things. The others always ended up with a kind of action hero feel to them in the end for me and while Smith certainly has his “bad ass” moments in the current story, he hasn’t turned into an action hero in Doctors clothing to me, he remains pure in his Doctorness.
I started out a Tom Baker fan too…you will love Tennant so definatly catch up on those episodes. Fans generally have frowned on Smith but I like him quite bit – not as much as Tennant and Baker but still he’s pretty good, and being younger will hopefully get younger generations hooked as much as I was.
KC, I wouldn’t say smith has been generally frowned on by fans. in my experience, most fans like him but just don’t think he’s as good as tennant.
How is it that I’ve missed the Dr. Who boat? I never was too interested in the old ones growing up and as such never gave the new ones a try. The buzz seems to be growing about the show so maybe I’ll take a gander.
Of the old Doctor, Pertwee and McCoy. Pertwee possibly because he was my first contact with Doctor Who – in a magazine photo of him and the “hovercraft” he used to drive around London. Talk about living the part! The PBS affiliate here didn’t start carrying the Doctor until around 1980. I think they began with Tom Baker reruns and, when they would have paid more for the new series, fell back to the surviving Hartnell, Troughton, and Pertwee shows.
All the new series cast has been good. (Hint: alt.binaries.drwho) The full orchestra performing Murray Gold’s music helps the show as much as the improved special effects. The Davies years certainly set high standards for the future – e.g. “The Girl in the Fireplace.”
Even though Stephen Moffat has written some great episodes, I worry about him planning too long a story arc and failing to ‘regenerate’ new viewers who feel lost at coming into the middle of the arc. (The current one goes back to “Silence in the Library” if not further.) Time will tell.
@Kaz – agree about the badassery and dark moments, which makes him more complete. There’s a really intense moment, it might have been with the whole Amy/Almost People thing, where it becomes clear that he wasn’t being honest with Amy and Rory, and he sadly says, “rule one. The Doctor lies.” It was really good.
@Chris – you really ought to give it a go, I think you’d like it. Great characters, great writing, lots of fun.
@Dvon – PBS in Chicago did lots of reruns too when they couldn’t buy up newer stuff, so I saw a lot of old stuff. Agree the music is definitely part of it. I don’t worry about the longer arc, the episodes are still mostly self contained even with the running threads, and there are still one-offs, too.