Who Trashes Who?

Excuse me, but shouldn’t that be “Who Trashes Whom?”

No, it shouldn’t.

Well I think it should because . . .

Well, I say it shouldn’t.

Do you even know what a pronoun is?

A noun that gets paid?

Funny. Subjects and objects?

No, I don’t know.

But you write.

Not now; people are watching. Just read on.

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How can I criticize Doctor Who? Doctor Who, one of the most enjoyable, entertaining and fun science fiction/fantasy shows I’ve ever watched. In truth, I can’t. But can I be critical without criticizing? I hope so . . .

I just finished watching Doctor Who Series 1. Series 1 is the 2005 series that marked the return of Doctor Who to television after a 16-year absence. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed because the 13 episodes in Series 1 never really felt like Doctor Who to me. There was a lot more humor than I was used to (I had the same problem with the late Tom Baker years) and I thought Christopher Eccleston lacked the innocent charm and vulnerability I felt with the earlier doctors. Yes, he had a great smile, but that didn’t disguise the fact that he was bold and brash and a bit of a showoff. Also, rather than planet-hopping around the universe, just about all of the action was limited to Earth and except for the Daleks and the Autons, we saw none of the fascinating aliens/villains we saw in earlier seasons. And for whatever it might be worth, despite the make-up special effects, I thought the original Autons from thirty-five years ago were a lot cooler and scarier than the new ones in 2005.

Most important to me it felt to me like the charm of the show had been lost and I blame that on the relationship between the Doctor and his companion Rose. From William Hartnell on, for 26 seasons, the Doctor always had a special relationship with his companions. He’s served as grandfather, father, teacher, mentor, friend and guardian, but in Series 1 there was an added romantic spark between the Doctor and Rose and I didn’t like that at all. I don’t mind if the Doctor becomes a sexual being, but just not with his companion.

I don’t mean to come off like I’m trashing the series because I didn’t hate it, it was just different and new and not what I was used to, or what I was expecting. In some areas it was maybe even a little better. The Daleks were very cool, especially the Emporer Dalek, and the Dalek invasion force flying into Satellite 5 in the two-part finale was fantastic. The scene with Captain Jack standing alone against three Daleks, ammunition gone and arms outstretched was one of the best scenes in the entire history of the series.

So where does that leave me? Updates or not, Doctor Who is still a rollicking, time travelling space opera and a lot of fun and I’ll continue to watch the show until I’m caught up, but I do – at least for today – sort of feel like I’ve lost a good friend.