It’s taken me a long while to think of all the reasons why Dr Who is the best thing on television for me. Yes, I’m aware that House of Cards exists. I’m also aware of Game of Thrones, thank you very much. To say Dr Who is numero uno for me isn’t saying the aforementioned shows are lacking in their respective genres/technical brilliance.
The world-building, political tension and, dare I say it, humanity presented in both Game of Thrones and House of Cards is brilliant and merits a class of its own. But Dr Who differs from them in one crucial aspect; it’s assumption/core belief that humanity is more than the sum of its parts. That humans, whatever our flaws, have an innate potential for being good.
It’s a difficult view to subscribe to, yes. Especially in times like these where we pelt cricketers’ homes with stones just because they didn’t perform well in a match or are ready to dismiss an entire country as ‘terrorist breeding ground’ because of a handful of bad seeds. To live in that environment, it’s very easy to lose sight of the beautiful things. Nowadays, every one of us is a cynic.
And then there’s the Doctor.
He travels through all of time and space in a blue box. He helps when he can. He gently holds people’s hands and brings them back from the verge of insanity. He gives people around him that extra nudge that they require to achieve greatness. He can be your best friend; he can be your worst enemy. But what he never is, is cynical.
Oh, and on occasion, he likes wearing a fez.
Enough with the sappy part though. Yes, it’s a show that is optimistic in its very nature. Yes, The Doctor is amazing, but what else?
1) The Women
The Doctor, in his ~1300 years of travels around the universe has had his share of female companions (no sex, companions = travel buddies), all of whom are etched into every Whovian’s memory. Not because they did cool stuff or stood there looking pretty, but because all of them were pretty effin’ badass. Not only do they save the Doctor’s ass multiple times in-season, and sometimes, in-episode, but they also ground him and remind him of his duty. The show’s women are the strongest female characters I’ve ever seen on television.
Also, did I mention how Dr Who is probably the only show on the planet that doesn’t give a fuck about who its characters fall in love with?
2) The Writing
You’ve watched Sherlock, haven’t you? You know Steven Moffat, right? Now imagine that guy controlling a team of writers, and his canvas is all of time and space.
Yes. I just blew your mind.
You’re welcome.
Not to forget the man who ran Seasons 1-4 of Dr Who, and gave us plenty of reasons to love him, Russell T Davies. Where Moffat shines story by story, Davies’ specialty was bringing in the big guns. Huge set pieces that brought out the best from David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston.
3) The Production Value
This is a show that has some of the grandest ideas about the universe, human morality and everything, in general. Everything would fall by the wayside if the production didn’t live up to it. Watch the spoiler-free clip below to get an idea of what I’m talking about.
4) These guys
Look at all those pretty faces. JUST LOOK AT THEM FOR GODS’ SAKE. OR BEER’S SAKE. OR SAKE’S SAKE.
I could write about the show, post gifs and link you to videos all day long. So would any other person who’s ever watched the show. So ask yourself, if a tv show could make fully grown men act like teenage girls on their first week of Tumblr,
WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT TO WATCH IT?
Also, I don’t think I can wait for Capaldi to tell the Daleks to fuck off.
Disclaimer: This post is just about the rejuvenated Who that started from 2005. Because asking someone to catch up on 60 years’ worth of trivia is too much for a first date.
