With a new incarnation of the Doctor onboard, the venerable British series continues to provide its unique brand of escapist fun with a healthy dose of horror elements as well.
BBC America, Saturdays, 9 PM EST
By John J. Joex
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 Stars (after five episodes)
Where do you start with a television series that has lasted for 31 seasons and running (including the original version and the recent revival)? There’s a lot of history and a lot of ups and downs in a show that has been on the air that long. For the uninitiated, Doctor Who is a British series that follows a Timelord called the Doctor who travels through time and space, often along with human companions, and who does battle with various nefarious entities and species and who can regenerate into a new incarnation when mortally wounded. The series originally aired from 1963 to 1989 then returned with a revival in 2005 which picked up where the original left off (and you can read more about it in my recent reviews of Season 1 and Season 2 of the new series).
In Season 5 of the 21st century Doctor Who revival, currently airing on BBC America, Matt Smith takes up the reigns of the lead role (the eleventh incarnation), previously held by the immensely popular David Tennant who portrayed the character from 2005 to 2009. Smith is the youngest actor yet to take over the role, beating out Peter Davison (who played the character from 1981 to 1984) by two years at the age of 27 when this season started filming. As always, the Doctor is joined on his journeys by a companion, usually human and typically female, and this time he shares the TARDIS (his time/space machine) with Amelia Pond, played by the equally youthful (Karen Gillan).
Now to fully grasp and enjoy Doctor Who, you have to know/accept a few things. First, this is a 100% escapist entertainment. It lives in its own universe separated completely from our own reality (despite frequent adventures on current-day Earth) that follows it own laws and flow of logic that can change depending on the demands of the story. Second, this is a very British show that includes an ample infusion of that country’s particularly dry, off-beat sense of humor, along with flights of fancy and flirtations with the absurd. Third, this show is not Science Fiction, it is Science Fantasy (and you can see Terry Pratchett’s thoughts on that at this link). That is, it plays very fast and loose with scientific principles to the point that it veers into the world of fantasy. The show does not demonstrate the utter contempt for universal laws that a show like say Space: 1999 did, but it’s definitely not going to help anybody on their upcoming science exams. Fourth, the special effects are pretty cheesy in comparison to most stateside productions. Not nearly as bad as during the show’s original run, but definitely a step down from what we are used to (though I personally do not knock it much for this). Fifth, and most important, don’t ask too many questions! How does the Doctor always manage to be in the right place at the right time across the vast universe and time/space continuum to stop the latest evil manifestation from destroying that episode’s featured race, planet, universe, what have you? Just don’t ask because there’s no logically palatable answer forthcoming (I do believe at one point the series suggested that the Doctor may have some sort of “cosmic alignment” with the universe controlling/guiding his actions, but I may be completely off-base with that).
So if your suspension of disbelief can handle the conditions above, then jump on board for Doctor Who and enjoy! Because despite all of its implausibilities and fits of whimsy, it’s quite a fun show. And the latest season has continued very much in the vein of the previous four seasons of the show’s revival. Unlike in David Tennant’s first season as the Doctor, the writers have not misfired and have delivered several decent stories across the first five episodes (maybe not quite top-notch, but at least no flubs thus far). The series has also so far continued to re-explore the Horror roots of Doctor Who. Not the slasher-type Horror stories, but more of the creepy, psychological, what’s-lurking-behind-the-door tales that feed upon our inner fears (which includes the threat of a shape-shifting alien, menacing statues, and a return of the Daleks).
And of course, Doctor Who lives and dies by the actors playing the Doctor and his companions, and this season the two newbies seem up to the challenge. I have to admit that I had a hard time accepting Matt Smith at first. When I looked at him, I just did not see the Doctor with his youthful, square-jawed almost grotesque features. Of course I had a hard time accepting David Tennant at first as well, especially after Christopher Ecclestons’ stellar, but brief, stint with the role. But Tennant pretty quickly won me over and Smith seems to be doing the same as well. His depiction of the venerable character gives us a very egocentric version of the Doctor, but perhaps that makes sense based on the direction Tennant’s portrayal was going toward the end of his run. And Karen Gillan has done an excellent job of holding her own next to the more colorful persona of the Timelord as she gives us the Doctor’s latest travelling companion. And her character has more of a connection to the Doctor than previous companions as he visited her when she was young (right after his transformation) then disappeared for several years after which others dismissed her claims as nothing more than an imaginary friend. I have heard of complaints about her character over in Britain as being too sexy because she runs around in short skirts, but for that matter, go back to the 1977 to 1978 episodes and take a look at Leela’s garb (she was played by Louise Jameson and is one of my all-time favorites among the Doctor’s companions). In the latest two episodes we also get an appearance by the mysterious River Song (played by Alex Kingston who also showed up in as Inspector Fiona Banks in FlashForward). She first showed up during the David Tennant era and has as yet unspecified future connections with the Doctor, perhaps as his wife.
Ratings-wise, the fifth season of Doctor Who has given BBC America its biggest hit to date, so American viewers are definitely still intrigued by the show despite its whimsy and very British nature. And the revival of the show has remained popular in Britain as well so it should be around for a while. Which is good news for those of us looking for an enjoyable hour of entertainment that does not over-task the brain but that also does not offend our sensibilities either.
