Friday, April 24, 2015

Fandom Friday: DOCTOR WHO!!!!!

Allons-y!

It is time to talk about one of my favorite fandoms ever in the history of all time and space: Doctor Who!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This fandom completes the trio of famous fandoms that have captured the hearts and souls of thousands of fangirls everywhere, including my own.  Together, the three combine to form the powerhouse of feels, the deadly combination of tragic and addicting storytelling and is known across the fandom world as...SUPERWHOLOCK!!!!!!!!!!



Opening Sequence 2005 - episode 1

Doctor Who was kind of like the gateway drug into my obsessions with fandoms.  Yes, I had been a huge fan of several books, movies, and TV shows for years, but the Doctor changed the game for me.  It is hard to remember what I was like before watching the show, it has changed my life so much and I am so grateful everyday for its existence everyday.  At the end of my freshman year of college, I had just acquired Netflix on my laptop and was looking for something to watch.  I had seen so many people gush about the show Doctor Who on Pinterest, so when I saw it on Netflix I decided to give it a shot.  It did not take very long to become addicted to the show.  In fact, I finished all 6 seasons that were on Netflix in less than 2 weeks.  The show made me laugh, made me cry, made me cheer, and made me think.  This whacky sci-fi British show managed to reach me in a way I was not used to and altered my life...for the better!

*********WARNING! SPOILERS SWEETIE!*********


A Madman with a Box
Here is what you need to know about Doctor Who. The main character, the Doctor, is a Time Lord from Gallifrey.  Currently, he is on his 12th regeneration, well technically 13, but he wasn't the Doctor for one regeneration; its complicated.  Any who, so the Doctor is an alien and he's old, like 1,200 years old.  Time Lords have this neat "get out of death" ability to regenerate all of his cells at once and completely regenerate into a new man.  This is why there have been 12 Doctors.  So, I will be sticking to the New Who storyline because it is the most current version of the show (10 years strong!) and since the Classic Who is not all on Netflix, I can't speak from experience about every Doctor, sadly.  So when we meet the Doctor, he is fresh from the Time War - a giant battle for all of reality and existence hanging in the balance between the Time Lords and the emotionless enemy the Daleks.  While the Time Lords fought and the Daleks exterminated, the war was ended by the Doctor and a terrible and unthinkable choice: destroying the all the Daleks and consequently wiping out his own planet and people as well.  
Now the Doctor travels through time and space, alone, the last of his kind.  Did I mention he could travel ANYWHERE in time and space?  When the Doctor fist set out, he stole a TARDIS - Time And Relative Dimension In Space - and ran off into the stars.  His TARDIS is permanently stuck on its chameleon circuit to look like an old blue British Police Phone Box.  It's bigger on the inside. Some quick facts about Time Lords: they have two hearts, they regenerate, they know everything that ever was, everything that is, and everything that could be, and they can speak every language.  Oh, and the Doctor is a genius - eccentric - but a genius all the same.  So the show is about the Doctor traveling through time and space, usually with a companion, helping people righting wrongs and going on adventures.



 
 







Fantastic 9
Characteristics: sassy, smart, PTSD, kind, selfless, and traumatized.  But he is healing and getting better.
Companions: Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness, and Mickey Smith (ish)
Memorable Moments: meeting Charles Dickens, WWII, Bad Wolf, the Doctor and Rose's relationship building, and Rose absorbing the Time Vortex in order to save the Doctor.
Regeneration: Absorbing the Time Vortex from Rose in order to save her.



 








Brilliant 10
Characteristics: sassy, smart, emotional, funny, a bit sexy, and self-important.  He can be scary when he wants to be.
Companions: Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith (ish), Sarah Jane Smith (ish), Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness, Donna Noble, and Wilfred (ish).
Memorable Moments: Alternate/parallel universe, Rose "leaving", meeting Shakespeare, human Doctor, the Master, the Face of Boe reveal, Pompeii, meeting Agatha Christie, River, Earth being stolen, the birth of the Doctor Donna and actual human copy of the Doctor, Time Lord Victorious, and Gallifrey trying to come back.
Regeneration: Absorbing an extreme amount of radiation to save Wilfred. 





 







Cool 11
Characteristics: funny, awkward, sad, kind, and old.  The Doctor is about 1,00 by his 11th regeneration.
Companions: Amy Pond/Williams & Rory Williams, River (ish), and Clara Oswald.
Memorable Moments: The crack in time and space, the TARDIS exploding, River, Amy and Rory and Melody, the Doctor's death, Weeping Angels in NY, "Run you clever boy and remember me.", Madame Vashtra, Jenny, and Strax, time within the TARDIS,  the Doctor's grave and time stream, and Gallifrey Falls No More.
Regerneration: Old age




Whovians Unite!
I really just grazed the surface of this amazing show.  It is so complicated, fun, serious, funny, and terribly heartbreaking and I recommend it to anyone who has not seen it.  Thanks to the Doctor, I have a few new philosophies on life and this show produces some of my all time favorite quotes.  This show may be one full of aliens and space and time travel and craziness, but at its heart there are themes of humanity, compassion, duty, friendship, love, and freedom.  
 






 



















Have you seen Doctor Who? If not, EDUCATE YOURSELVES IMMEDIATELY!! Just kidding, but really, watch it - it is amazing!  Which Doctor is your favorite or are you like me and love all of them equally but for different reasons?  Comment down below and grab your sonic screwdrivers and bow ties - the Doctor is waiting! 
    

9 comments:

  1. I heard about "Doctor Who" really a lot of times and each time I put a mental note saying I have to watch it when I'm free. I am definitely going to watch it this summer!

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  2. I keep hearing about Doctor Who, but I have never gotten around to watching it. People keep telling me that I would like it, so I guess I'm going to have to find time to try it out over the summer. Arn't there lots of different versions with different actors? Where would I start?

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    1. Well on Netflix there is Doctor Who - which is known as the "New Who" that starts with 9. There is also some Classic Doctor Who but the content of those episodes is pretty sketchy. The episodes are set up differently and they span several different Doctors without tying them together like they originally aired. This is due to episodes being lost or for other unknown reasons because the show stated back in 1963.
      I would recommend watching New Who because it does a great job of acting as a starting point for new viewers, but there are still connections to previous Doctor Who projects that the new viewers would not really notice while watching it. Start with 9 and go off with the Doctor in his TARDIS, I would give anything to watch the show with fresh eyes again!

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  3. It's hard to choose a favorite doctor, I think mine is either 10 or 11. My favorite companion is definitely Captain Jack, I LOVE him! Have you watched Torchwood? It's great to follow Captain Jack's adventures and his relationship with Ianto is beautiful.

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    1. Of course I have seen Torchwood! I loved it so much! I miss everyone on the team and I was shipping Captain Jack and Ianto HARDCORE!

      And here come the feels...thanks Lea!

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  4. I'm a 9 girl, all the way. I liked Tennant, but, he just wasn't the same, and I really wish they would have continued with 9 a bit longer, even though I know they had planned to switch to the 10th even before they started filming.

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    1. 9 will always hold a special place in my heart for wooing me into a relationship with this crazy and wonderful show! 10 was so emotional and tended to make me very emotional too and his acting was superb! 11 was a dork and he was the Doctor I actually had to wait for new episodes for, so his complex character made me interested in this show even more! Now 12 is so corky and grumpy yet lovable and the show has darkened which I am OK with and I am excited to see what else 12 brings to the table!

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  5. Yeah, let's be really honest, I have not even heard of any of this . . . apparently it is indeed "a thing" because I see six other comments, I feel disconnected . . .

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  6. I've never seen Doctor Who, but I've only heard great things about it. And, I'm more interested in checking it out for myself after reading your post. Thanks!

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