I had a dear friend visit me this last week. She’s one of my few friends I totally trust with movie and TV suggestions, so I let her show me one of her favorite shows: Doctor Who.

Now, to say that Doctor Who is strange doesn’t nearly cover it. (Please bear with me, I’m not a Whovian, just someone who is learning more about it.) Some of the concepts the writers come up with are, well, really really “get me out of your nightmares” weird.  (Example: Beings that want to kill you, but once you see them, you forget them, and can’t see them again. That qualifies as creepy, yeah?)

But after watching just one episode, I understood why people who do have problems with scary stuff can sit down and watch this often-creepy show:

The connection between the characters. Oh man, can I just say… the connection they have is powerful.

In our romance/lust-filled culture, it is refreshing to see characters who feel deeply for one another in a true friendship. Characters who trust one another, when all others say you shouldn’t trust, characters who give themselves up to protect each other, and characters who never say that saving a friend is too difficult.

The Doctor’s also got this way of teaching certain concepts each episode (yeah, it’s the writers who are writing it, but for some reason, having a fictional alien teach you lessons about being human is incredibly effective).

Lessons like:

  • You don’t have to be afraid of things you don’t understand — you can poke them with sticks and find out more, if needs be.
  • Best to carry a screwdriver to do the poking/scanning/fixing.
  • If you are brave, you are the best kind of person.
  • If you are scared, don’t let fear paralyze you. Keep going to best of your ability. That will make you brave. (Thus, see previous bullet.)
  • There’s a reason for everything. Especially if it doesn’t make sense.

There you have it. A non-Whovian’s view on the show I’ve known about but was too weirded out to watch. Honestly, I’m still a little weirded out by it. But I think that might be the point. Weird things have a way of commanding our attention.

Are you a fan of Doctor Who? Which Doctor is your favorite? What’s the next episode I should watch? Which is your favorite it lesson learned from your favorite television show?

Published by adavis

Amy Davis is a writer, mother, lover of hot drinks and nerdy things. She occasionally bakes, reads, knits, crochets, practices yoga, paints, and generally has enough hobbies to keep her occupied from doing what she should actually be doing.

10 thoughts on “Meeting Doctor Who”

  1. Haha, I was definitely weirded out by the first and only episode I ever watched, so I can appreciate your attitude towards the show. I will have to try and watch it again and pay more attention.
    Have you watched more since posting this? I’d like to know if one can “acquire a taste” for this series.

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    1. I initially watched it on my own a few years ago, thought it was fine, and then one particular episode *really* weirded me out. (Probably shouldn’t have watched it at home, alone, in the dark, overactive imagination – yeah.) My friend this last time just showed me certain ones, with particular characters, and with main storyline arcs. During daylight hours. I found it much more enjoyable than the first time! Still, I have to admit, I haven’t watched since then. There are some shows I enjoy more when I have a friend to watch (and explain) things to me. DW is one of those shows for me. Let me know if you do watch more and what you think! (I have heard that if you like the Doctor to be angsty, watch Michael Ecclestone’s season; silly and sentimental, watch David Tennant; and spastic and poignant, Matt Smith. I definitely recommend finding a friend who knows all the lore to sit and explain random things to you as the episodes go along, too. 😉

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  2. Maybe some day when I come visit you, you can introduce me. I’m still kind of weirded out by it (and I’m afraid I’ll have an X-Files experience where I got so creeped out I still think of sewer creatures at really unfortunate and inappropriate moments). Still, I trust you that much and I could totally get into the lessons…so we’ll see. I remain on the fence 🙂

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    1. The fence has a nice view. Amy W. guided me thru some of the creepier ones necessary to the story. Like, majorly odd and creepy. It’s not that their special effects are that great – more that the concepts are just, weird. I’ll have to see if I can get a written guide from her, haha! I still get creeped out by some things I’ve watched with that show, but I suppose that means the writers and actors were doing a good job, yeah? :\

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  3. The first time I watched Dr. Who with my husband and stepson, I was not prepared for the violence with the aliens. Chuck kept saying, It’s just a TV show; it’s not real. That didn’t help. I’ve enjoyed the Christmas episodes, slept through one episode, and now that it’s over, we need to find something else to watch with Z. 😉

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  5. I’m dying to watch it! I haven’t let myself because I know I’ll become hooked and then I’ll have to binge-watch every iteration ever made…. The only one I’ve ever heard all the way through was the episode Neil Gaiman wrote. I’ve heard the Daleks are quite terrifying, at least for the kids who watched it growing up.

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  7. Oh my goodness, what Roslynn said. Exactly what Roslynn said. From everything I’ve heard about Dr. Who, I am afraid I’ll become hooked, and I don’t have time for that right now. I dearly love ensemble pieces. I blame daily after-school reruns of Gilligan’s Island and Star Trek!

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    1. Haha! If I didn’t get so freaked out by some of the themes and things that happen, I could easily become addicted, as well. For what started out as a low-budget show to teach history to children, it can be thrilling!

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