An ode to Doctor Who
01/24/2025
Oh, what it is to be a stranger in this space, a wanderer in the fourth dimension. To change faces like a squid changes colors. May the face we wear reflect something true about our hearts. Perhaps then we can be true to ourselves as we are true to others.
The year was 2012. I was barely into adulthood, still putzing around community college, finding my way through school and relationships. One fateful day, my mother turned on a Doctor Who marathon that was leading up to the conclusion of a series long arc; the truth of River Song. The woman who would kill the Doctor; a time travelling shapeshifter with a seasoned tenure of saving the innocent almost as high as his body count. An enigmatic and eccentric stranger. I was Hooked at my first glance.
The first story I saw was one where the Doctor and his friends Amy and Rory Pond find themselves in an apartment complex. They become embroiled in a supernatural upheaval, being sucked into a dollhouse and being chased by the dull, ragged dolls as they try to figure out the cause of the chaos. I was enamoured with it. Watching through the (admittedly underwhelming and confusing) season finale, caught up on a show I had never even heard of before in any meaningful way, I went to find the entire (modern) series and watch it through. Since then, I've watched the revival several times through from start to finish, getting back to the point where I have no episodes left. I've watched some stories of the classic show, seeing the bizarre aloofness of the Fourth Doctor and the cunty swag of the Third Doctor. I've watched the TV movie, I've dabbled in the comics, and even listened to several hundred hours of Big Finish Doctor Who radio stories. It is by far my most cherished and favorite ongoing television show. Here, I can gush (and complain) about everything I love and hate about it.
Wet little Galifreyan Meowmeows
6/12/22
Thinking about the friends, companions, followers, lovers, and the like is always a conversation starter. Who's my favorite companion? I don't know if it's easy to pin down. Is it the Revival's sweetheart, Rose Tyler? A tenacious and capable working class girl that defined the revival's Doctor for years? Would it be Ace McShane? An enthusiastic, tough and devoted ally to the 7th Doctor? Looking through all the ones I've seen, I'd have to say my favorite has to be...Evelyn Smythe. A sweet but sharp witted elderly woman that travelled with the 6th Doctor. I listened through years worth of the Main Range of Big Finish DW, and she stood out. She sort of defined Sixy for me, humbling him and making him kinder before Mel Bush showed up. She was funny, had stories galore to tell, and ended up having to confront more dangerous threats than you'd expect a character like that to meet. I love that character, and it's a shame the actress who played her passed away as they can't really use the character anymore. They've more or less retired the character, killing her off in a distant future as part of a plot for a nearly unrelated storyline. Shame.
I do quite like a lot of the other companions. Some I liked immediately, such as Rose or Bill. They were charming and relatable from the beginning, not needing much to build up. Romana was a delight in every story I've seen of her. Even Ace was a cheesey delight from the very beginning. It was more long running, complex characters that took more growing on. Clara was someone I felt distracted from the adventures I wanted to see, her "mystery box" storyline feeling unjustified (She's a living deus ex machina in her introduction and that's more or less left unplummed since outside of some rare comic appearances.) Her and Danny Pink were obstacles for good stories to me, people whose personal drama made it harder to enjoy the show. Later on though, they started to grow on me. There were layers of those characters that were easy to miss for me at first. Clara was turned into a sort of co-dependent foil for the 12th Doctor, an unhealthy element that made them regress. 12 essentially had a Timelord Victorious arc in Series 9 because of her, breaking all his rules just to get her out of a mess she put herself into in being like him.
Some companions I've grown to dislike some over time. Amy Pond used to be a sort of archetypal companion for me, but over the years her attitude, treatment of Rory, and unashamed negative behavior (pushing herself on the Doctor and being fully prepared to raw that skinny big chinned man and cheat on her fiancee). Rory invested so much energy into Amy but I honestly started to feel like she never truly showed herself deserving of his devotion, beyond small gestures "in her way". Hell. At least they aren't Adam Mitchell.
The Fifthteenth Doctor
6/12/22
Oh, my sad squishy boy with the perfect skin. 15 is a constant joy, Ncuti kills it ever episode he's in. He's charming, high energy and fun. As a black transfemme, seeing this little chocolate drop man strut around put stars in my eyes omg
His first series was so good! I know people were upset about Ruby's storyline feeling like it had a disappointing ending, but I loved it! The Doctor, accidentally allowing fantastical elements into his world, having to confront Gods again??? Ruby's entire season centered about myth, fantasy, and rules. The Sutekh twist and her mother being a regular person makes perfect sense. It is a direct comment on the hubris of Sutekh, a being so powerful and immense that he could get obsessed over something he couldn't wrap his head around in his adventures hidden on the tardis. Ruby's mother being a mystery so unplummed that it actively began to take on power. All these people seeking to figure out who this woman is, just for her to be ordinary is so fascinating! The sheer mystery of the myth of her mother gave power! Like a god gaining strength as it gained followers! Her real mother existed, sure, and was an ordinary woman. But her "mother" in the story was more than that! The myth of this woman gained so much strength that we as an audience get to witness the myth be written in real time! Ncuti played it all like a king omg
Oh my god I just finished watching The Well and the implications! A formless, nameless, malicious entity who knows the Doctor's name! Where will it go? Is it truly defeated??? Ncuti continues to act his ass off on command lmao
I watched The Interstellar Song Contest the other day. It's a particularly interesting episode considering the politics of Eurovision, I think. The episode plays not just as an allegory for the ongoing Israeli destruction of Palestine, but as a parralel of the West's reaction to the conflict. Belinda Chandra acts as a sort of Millenia, internet age viewer surrogate. Being introduced to the struggles of a victimized people directly by a survivor, forced to relocate and assimilate by her oppressors. She is able to hear directly from a surviror of horrors as to what has caused the circumstances at hand. Adversely, the Doctor opperates as the older less exposed Western surrogate, unaware of the conflict or the victims (like many of people in America who hadn't heard about the conflict due to censorship and Zionist propaganda in the states). He violently retaliates upon stopping Kid (a survivor of said genocide), essentially toruturing him under the impression that he is just like every other bloodthirsty antagonist he has encountered, only to be confronted with reality after. Unable to undo what he did, and still aware of the utterly reprehensible actions Kid was going to enact as "revenge", it all comes across as the sort of "old guard" news-press dialog of the "Evils of Hamas". Either way, the episode is very divisive in the fandom, some larger DW Youtube creators seemingly calling it quits and saying the show should be cancelled. I think they're overreacting a bit, oversimplifying the somewhat muddy but complex metaphor the episode is using. Ncuti is still acting his ass off. I have no broader complaints.
The Fourteenth Doctor (A sneaky trick by Davis to go full circle)
6/12/22
I think it's really interesting for RTD2 to decide to bring Tennant and Tate back for a TV event. I think it's even more interesting that they do so piggybacking off of one of the most divisive eras of the Revival.
The 14th Doctor is as much his predecessors (11, 12 and certainly 13) as he is 10. He's tech savy, on his toes, surprisingly affectionate, and delving halfway into his own mystery. It's a really surprising direction for the character, essentially treating them as a symbol of the revival, looking at all of their eons of suffering and functionally retiring them in favor of a more "healed" Doctor. I also think it's fitting that they make him much more obviously attracted to men. With no emotional support blondes to keep him focused, it's clear he wouldn't have been easily locked down by women when hot men were around lol. I just know Rose Noble's "Uncle" uses Grindr to find guys to chat with.
The Thirteenth Doctor
6/12/22
Oh 13. My precious hot ass mess. She runs around hoping for fun and is constantly hampered by the universe just shitting itself. She fakes a smile, surrounds herself with distractions and refuses to elaborate on any questions about herself. She's the epitome of someone who is using every bad coping mechanism they can find to feign being okay.
She gets to see such fantastic things on and off, between the horrors. The solitract, the wedding of Yaz's grandmother, the Quaranx, etc. But for every bright flash of wonder, she keeps being sat in front of misery and misfortune that really shows her struggle to uphold the standard the 12th Doctor left for her to carry. She was disillusioned and worn out that when she was regenerating, she basically just went "hey new guy, have fun with all the baggage! Good luck" lmao. What a fucked up legend she was. I can't wait for the Big Finish range with her to start.
The Twelfth Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Eleventh Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Tenth Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Ninth Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Eight Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Seventh Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Sixth Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Fifth Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Fourth Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Third Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The Second Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.
The First Doctor
6/12/22
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris mollis rhoncus tellus quis sodales. Curabitur porttitor vel leo quis porta. Vestibulum justo nunc, finibus vel eros non, egestas vehicula risus. Donec a eros in ligula suscipit luctus id sit amet nulla. Sed nec odio ipsum. Maecenas elementum mattis commodo. Praesent maximus neque in lorem sodales, et fringilla erat ornare.
In velit nisl, eleifend placerat odio eu, finibus fermentum dui. Pellentesque pretium vestibulum scelerisque. Donec ac nulla iaculis, volutpat dolor sit amet, tristique urna. Aliquam dolor diam, elementum at feugiat a, fermentum non massa. Donec a porta lacus, non ultricies velit. Suspendisse commodo orci nec nunc interdum, non bibendum orci posuere. Cras nunc eros, pharetra sed bibendum a, dignissim id felis. Nulla vehicula neque vulputate interdum pellentesque. Etiam scelerisque eros condimentum turpis varius, ac posuere ligula auctor. Nunc feugiat tempus leo sit amet tincidunt. Pellentesque porttitor dui quis purus pharetra lacinia. Nunc at diam porttitor, dictum nisi at, pellentesque turpis. Vestibulum gravida pharetra ligula non accumsan. Integer eu nulla tellus.