The Doctor is the Man

Alright, part 2 of my analysis of television. I'm actually not totally sure what exactly is expected in this blog so, I've decided to just write about what's been of interest to me and try to somehow tie it in. So I've spent way too many hours watching Dr. Who this year. I mean it too, way too many. I've finished 3 1/2 full seasons of it! I didn't even start til mid-October. Yesterday alone I watched 4 episodes. That's when it dawned on me, how does it keep my attention?! On top of that, how has it kept an audience since 1963?! That's quite the accomplishment, especially because most of the plots are recycled!

Yep, there he is. The 11th actor to portray the Doctor, along with his most recent companion, Amy Pond.

Anyways , what's amazing is how it holds my attention so well. In fact, while writing this, I really want to go watch an episode! So here's what I've discovered, the way that it works is through familiarity and difference. That doesn't make much sense yet, I know, I'll get to it a little bit later.

So lets begin with the familiarity bit. Every episode is pretty much the same: The doctor ends up somewhere, usually Great Britain, that a species of Aliens is trying to kill all the humans so that they can populate there since their home planet has been destroyed. There you go! You know know the basics to every episode of Doctor Who. So what can keep your attention? The characters! The companions change throughout the seasons, and each act differently. On top of that, Doctor Who has done something very smart in allowing the Doctor to change appearances and characters (when the actor changes) which creates a new Doctor with brand new traits and ways of solving problems. As much as I loved David Tennant playing the Doctor, having a change to Matt Smith (pictured above) is very refreshing. Although the plots are the same, the characters (especially the Doctor) are able to attract the audience.

Speaking of the characters, the Doctor is what provides the difference from most of the rest of TV. Most heroes who never resort to violence to solve problems are outgrown. Doctor Who, however, is geared for an older audience. In fact, one of my favorite descriptions of the show is: "The TV show that everyone in Britain grew up watching from behind the couch." Its nice to have a deeper show that has a protagonist that is just clever instead of violent.

Another technique used is, of course, leaving the endings hanging. This isn't unique to Doctor Who, but its used as well.

Well I do recommend this TV show to anyone who likes Sci-fi. It's a little lighter than Star Trek, but still a lot of fun.