{"id":26967,"date":"2014-10-08T06:30:09","date_gmt":"2014-10-07T17:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=26967"},"modified":"2014-10-04T17:39:30","modified_gmt":"2014-10-04T04:39:30","slug":"big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-discusses-dr-who","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2014\/10\/08\/big-worlds-on-small-screens-rebecca-fisher-discusses-dr-who\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Worlds On Small Screens: Rebecca Fisher Discusses “Dr Who”"},"content":{"rendered":"

~ by Rebecca Fisher<\/em><\/p>\n

Introduction:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I had put off talking about Doctor Who<\/strong> simply because the franchise is so enormous that I was rather intimidated by it. I feel the same way about Star Trek<\/strong>, and it took a while to come up with observations about the show that didn\u2019t feel as though they\u2019d been said a thousand times before. But with the show now into its eighth season, the time is right to explore what makes Doctor Who<\/strong> so special.<\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a><\/p>\n

Doctor Who<\/strong> first premiered on 23rd November 1963, originally conceived as a children\u2019s science-fiction show that would teach them about history by dint of a time-traveller as its main character. This modus operandi didn\u2019t last long, for it was soon being written (and embraced) as an action-adventure show.<\/p>\n

The show originally ran from 1963 to 1989, followed by an ill-conceived miniseries in 1996 that was meant to revive the series, but only put it on permanent hiatus instead. It was not until 2005 that producer Russell T. Davies spearheaded a concentrated effort to bring back the show, one that was ultimately successful in introducing a new generation to Doctor Who<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Of most interest was the fact that the new series was not a \u201creboot\u201d of the show in the way that Batman Begins<\/strong> rebooted that respective franchise, but rather a direct continuation of the old series. Thus Christopher Eccleston\u2019s Doctor was referred to as the Ninth Doctor, an immediate successor to Paul McGann of the 1996 miniseries (well, at least until a recent special shook this chronology up a bit \u2013 it\u2019s a long story).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been prime time television ever since, and the longest running science-fiction show in the world, its 50th<\/sup> Anniversary Special having aired in 2013.<\/p>\n

Premise:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Perhaps the longevity of the show lies in its impossibly simple premise: a time machine that can transport a person anywhere in time and space. Just think about that for a second. All of time and space<\/em> is the venue for the writers to play in. That\u2019s a staggeringly massive proposition, for there\u2019s literally nowhere that the characters cannot go if they so choose.<\/p>\n

\"DOCTOR<\/a>Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor<\/em><\/p>\n

This particular time machine is known as the Tardis (an acronym for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) and is owned by a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, an alien who goes by the moniker of The Doctor. The show follows his adventures through history and into space, almost always with a human companion by his side, as he fights the bad guys, helps those in need, and outruns everything else.<\/p>\n

One episode can deal with the Doctor meeting a famous historical figure such as Queen Elizabeth I or Vincent van Gogh; the next can involve a visit to a far-flung planet where aliens are preparing for a full-scale invasion of the galaxy. And of course, no review of Doctor Who<\/strong> is complete without mention of the Daleks, demonic little life-forms inside armoured pepper-pots (seriously, their designs were inspired by pepper-pots) that are well-nigh indestructible and bent on exterminating all other life in the universe.<\/p>\n

Story:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As it\u2019s impossible to discuss this show in its entirety and do it justice in such a short column, we\u2019ll limit this article to the first season of Russell T. Davis\u2019s rejuvenated series. The arc of Season One took its time in re-establishing the basic elements of Doctor Who<\/strong>: that he\u2019s a Time Lord with two hearts, that the Tardis has a faulty chameleon circuit that makes people see it as a 1960s police box, and that the Doctor was in possession of a sonic screwdriver that could do… well, pretty much whatever the plot required of it.<\/p>\n

Here the Doctor and his nineteen year old companion, Rose Tyler, journey back and forward in time \u2013 from Dickensian England and World War II, to distant space stations and the implosion of Planet Earth itself. Along the way they are faced with a number of moral conundrums (for example, is it right to send an unrepentant killer to certain execution?) yet everywhere they go they are followed by two mysterious words that pop up everywhere: Bad Wolf.<\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a>\u201cTwo words…following us through space and time…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

In comparing Russell Davies\u2019s tenure as show-runner with that of Stephen Moffat (the current overseer of the series), it\u2019s interesting to note the differences in tone and structure. Davies would use the thirteen episodes of each season to create \u201cmyth arcs\u201d that were wrapped up in the finales. On the other hand, Moffat prefers to write puzzle box plots, which can be immensely rewarding when they\u2019re limited to a single episode or two, but often become too convoluted and nonsensical when they\u2019re stretched out over the course of an entire season (or more).<\/p>\n

In other words, when Moffat is at the top of his game, he writes the best Doctor Who<\/strong> imaginable (in this season, his two-part The Empty Child<\/strong> and The Doctor Dances<\/strong> is considered one of the best episodes not only of the season, but the show as a whole) but Davies can usually be counted on to write episodes of more consistent quality.<\/p>\n

He also places a much greater emphasis on humanity and earthiness. That is literal<\/em> earthiness, as most of the episodes take place on Earth, whether in the past, present or future. Even when the show does<\/em> end up in space, humanity\u2019s existence will usually hang in the balance in one way or another.<\/p>\n

Characters:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the wake of David Tennant and Matt Smith\u2019s tenures as the Doctor it\u2019s easy to forget that the 2005 reboot was headlined by Christopher Eccleston, who only lasted one season before moving on to other projects (no one is quite sure of the reasons behind his departure; most claim it was creative differences with the producers).<\/p>\n

But another significant component that ensures the show\u2019s longevity is the concept of \u201cregeneration\u201d and the way it allows for different actors to play the role of the Doctor. Whenever the Doctor succumbs to mortal injuries, it is the regeneration process that allows him to transform into a new body. Over the years he\u2019s had twelve different faces (well, technically thirteen \u2013 it\u2019s a long story) and every actor brings something different to the role; every incarnation given a slightly different personality.<\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a>The Ninth Doctor and Rose have their first adventure: living plastic mannequins<\/em><\/p>\n

Eccelston\u2019s Doctor is chipper and enthusiastic, but with a hint of uncanniness that reminds us he\u2019s not entirely human. Joining him as his companion is Rose Tyler, a shop girl from a housing estate who impresses him with her quick thinking and embraces the adventure he offers her. Too young to be her father, yet too old to be a viable romantic partner (though that would change in the next season) the two of them portrayed an indefinable connection that no one could ever quite pin down.<\/p>\n

At the time Billie Piper was best known as a pop starlet, and certainly not someone that anyone thought belonged in a sci-fi series \u2013 and yet she was essential in providing new viewers with an audience surrogate who could learn about the mysterious Doctor at the same rate she did.<\/p>\n

Among the supporting cast are Rose\u2019s mother Jackie and hapless boyfriend Mickey, both of whom become more integral to the show in the following season. Season One also introduces Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a pansexual con artist from the distant future who would prove popular enough to get his own spin-off: Torchwood<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s been almost ten years since Doctor Who<\/strong> returned to our television screens, and though the essentials of the show remain intact, much has changed. Companions have come and gone, and the Doctor has changed his face three times since Eccleston. In the past decade the quality of the special effects has certainly gone up (watching the transformation of the Slitheens is a rather cringe-worthy sight) and the plots have grown ever-more complex.<\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/a>A rubber suit<\/span> Slitheen attacks<\/em><\/p>\n

But some things never change, so engrained are they in the central mythos of the show: a blue police box, a sonic screwdriver, and a time-traveller who can never stop journeying.<\/p>\n

Next Time: Da Vinci’s Demons<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

In one of the strangest combination of plots of all time, Da Vinci’s Demons<\/strong> melds the highly fictionalized biography of the famous inventor with the internal politics of Renaissance Italy with a worldwide conspiracy that pits two mysterious cults against each other. It’s all a bit of a mess, but it’s certainly an interesting mess.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

About The Reviewer:<\/h3>\n
\"\"<\/a>Rebecca Fisher is a graduate of the University of Canterbury with a Masters degree in English Literature, mainly, she claims, because she was able to get away with writing her thesis on C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman. She is a reviewer for FantasyLiterature.com<\/a>, a large website that specializes in fantasy and science-fiction novels, as well as posting reviews to Amazon.com<\/a> and her They\u2019re All Fictional<\/a> blog.<\/div>\n

To read Rebecca\u2019s detailed introduction of both herself and the series, as well as preceding reviews, click on:<\/p>\n

Big Worlds On Small Screens<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

~ by Rebecca Fisher Introduction: I had put off talking about Doctor Who simply because the franchise is so enormous that I was rather intimidated by it. I feel the same way about Star Trek, and it took a while to come up with observations about the show that didn\u2019t feel as though they\u2019d been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-big-worlds-on-small-screens-with-rebecca-fisher"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26967"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26976,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26967\/revisions\/26976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}