Doctor Who, Redux

In this post, I exhorted everyone to watch the “new” Doctor Who series that’s been airing on BBC America and the Sci Fi Channel. Since the fourth season ended a few weeks ago and there will be no new episodes (save for the occasional special) until 2010, this is a perfect time to catch up.

After over a decade off the air, the series was “regenerated” in 2005 with Russell T. Davies as the show runner and Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. I think Eccleston was a fantastic Doctor (he’d tell you so himself) and the chemistry with his companion, Rose Tyler, became a focus of the show. Like the third Doctor, Jonathan Pertwee, episodes, much of the action took place on Earth, with only occasional trips back in time or to other planets.

In addition to modern special effects, the new show differs from the old show in several ways. The structure of the show is now an hour long format; the multi-episode stories done in previous Doctor Who seasons are limited to the occasional two-parter. However, the new producers have been quite good at season-long story arcs that pay off in the season finale.

Another change has been shifting the focus of the show to include the families of the Doctor’s companions. Rose traveled with the Doctor to different planets and times, but whenever they returned to modern-day England, they encountered Rose’s Mum, Jackie, and Rose’s pseudo-boyfriend, Mickey. It’s the first time we’ve really gotten to see the backgrounds of the Doctor’s companions. And this trend continued with subsequent companions, Martha Jones and Donna Noble.

At the end of the first season, Eccleston left and David Tennant took over the role. Tennant’s Doctor is crazier than Eccleston’s and probably the closest in temperament to the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker. Tennant is a joy to watch. He has a wide range and is obviously having great fun with the role.

The old Doctor Who has its classic episodes but I don’t think it has ever hit the emotional highs reached by the new series. Episodes like “Father’s Day”, "The Doctor Dances", "The Girl in the Fireplace", "Forest of the Dead", “Midnight”, are all ambitious, tight stories, and even better, great science fiction. The episode “Love and Monsters” is funny, touching and sad, and managed the amazing feat of turning ELO’s classic, “Mr. Blue Sky” into a song of total heartbreak. "Turn Left" was a fantastic twist on "The City on the Edge of Forever" involving poor, tragic Donna Noble. The episode “Blink” by writer Steven Moffat, is one of the greatest episodes of science fiction television of all time.

One episode from the recently concluded fourth season reunited Tennant’s Doctor with a companion from the 1970's whom I won’t name. The scene where the Doctor encounters her for the first time is just great; the sheer joy on the Doctor’s face is awesome. He’s undercover, though, and can’t reveal who he is. When she eventually realizes that he’s the Doctor, it’s a wonderful moment.

The only negative is that the season finales tend to go way overboard. They’re mostly great episodes, but they come across almost fannish in the way they bring back old enemies or friends. But it’s a minor quibble. What’s more, Davies is turning the show over to Moffat when it comes back for the fifth season. It should be awesome.

I really can’t praise the new series enough. It’s simply brilliant.