There are two absolute truths to life lately;
1. The newest episode of Doctor Who premieres Saturday night on BBC America here in the states.
2. I’m kind of obsessed.
The Doctor has run across some pretty badass friends in his adventures. Here are some that never got to travel with him in the TARDIS, but made a major impact anyway.
Caution: Spoilers in the reply.
While some opening credit sequences function on both a musical and visual level (I’m looking at you Six Feet Under, Twin Peaks), the following 15 examples should never have seen the light of day, let alone entered our living rooms. Continue reading
Some of you are aware that I’ve become slightly obsessed* with Doctor Who in the last month and a half or so (thanks MP! Mwah!).
Well, guess what? THE SEASON 6 PREMIERE OF DOCTOR WHO IS TONIGHT! BBC America is running an all-day marathon of season 5 (which I believe started 3 hours ago), Matt Smith’s first as the Doctor. If you’re a fan, tune in for a referesher. If you’re not and you’re willing to admit you’re a nerd, give it a go. Though it’s probably more satisfying to start from the first season of the rebooted series, the fifth season was written to bring in new viewers so you shouldn’t have too hard a time picking things up. In much sadder news, actress Elisabeth Sladen–who played the Third and Fourth Doctor’s companion Sarah Jane Smith in the ’70s–died of cancer on Tuesday. She last appeared on the show in 2008, reprising her role as Sarah Jane with David Tennant’s Doctor. She will be missed.
Continue reading
We all have them. The TV shows we missed out on when they originally aired because we didn’t know about them until ages later, or hadn’t heard of them because they’re on the real BBC, but BBC America won’t air them because they want to show the non-BBC Star Trek, TNG at the same freaking time as Syfy. But I digress.
Your solution is Netflix. We all know Netflix and we should all have Netflix, because, well, it’s eight damn dollars a month for streaming only, and if you can’t shell that out for some awesome entertainment you missed out on the first time around, there’s nothing I can do for you here.
*ahem*
Speaking of the BBC, my first suggestion is no surprise to anyone who knows me or has asked for TV suggestions on or off the internet: Doctor Who.
If you’re not familiar, Doctor Who is about a humanoid alien who travels through all of space and time, having adventures and saving the day (or all of eternity). Not bad for a lonely Time Lord.
Doctor Who is a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and a little bit of British wit and is always fascinating, exciting, and never boring. The show provides a fantastic mix of serious, heart-wrenching episodes as well as those with the perfect balance of suspense and humor. Each incarnation of The Doctor has his own personality and sense of style, and creates his own reality that seamlessly ties who he once was to who he is now.
The show also tells multiple stories as the series goes on. Some are complete after a few episodes, and others continue through seasons and between incarnations of the Doctor. There’s plot development with most episodes, even if it’s in a minute amount. There are some that are great episodes seemingly independently of the rest of the series, but then the theme or character turns up unexpectedly in another storyline and another time. It’s not as complex as Lost* was in that you don’t have to keep a database updated with every line of every episode, but it does require some attention to detail – and the end in the stories of the Whoniverse actually make sense!
Doctor Who, as it exists now, is going into Season 6 this spring. However, it’s technically season 32, which requires an explanation that I’ll give…. now. The show originated in 1963 via the good people at the BBC. An older gentleman by the name of William Hartnell played the role of the Doctor, and the show became so popular that by the time he wanted to retire, the producers decided to give the Doctor the ability to regenerate. Per the show, when the doctor is so sick or injured he cannot recover, he has can regenerate into a completely new person. He gets a new look, personality and fashion sense because the Doctor is never a jeans and t-shirt type, the man’s got style, dammit.
In any case, the show premiered in 1963, went off the air in the 80s, and was re-launched as an American version in 1996 which failed miserably. In fact, that might be the origin of “epic fail”, but then was finally relaunched by the BBC, as it should be, in 2005 with the introduction of the 9th Doctor.
The Doctor gets lonely, so he usually has at least one companion with him on his adventures to add a human element, give him company, and most conveniently for the sake of exposition. Typically the companions are young and female. It seems the 900 year old Doctor is probably secretly a dirty old man, but we don’t get to see that on camera. Only his genius, charm, and distinctive sense of style are visible to us, the lowly human audience.
Season 1 of the relaunch, (or season 27 if you prefer), stars Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, and Billie Piper plays his companion, Rose. You might be familiar with Piper from Secret Diary of a Call Girl, and Christopher Eccleston because he’s awesome, and also because he sort of recently played the invisible guy on Heroes. I mean, when he wasn’t invisible at least.
Seasons 2-4 brings about the 10th Doctor – one Mr. David Tennant of Barty Crouch Jr (and some of those Shakespeare guy’s performances) fame. At a young age, Mr. Tennant decided to be an actor and would tell people that one day he would grow up to play Doctor Who on TV. Now, my childhood plan of living at Disney World never panned out, but I’m happy for him anyway.
The newer series has plenty of nods to the original, so there’s still the Doctor Who familiarity for those who have seen the older ones but not this new set. There is a variety of original series villains, such as the classic Daleks, Cybermen, and the living plastic Autons. New villains and characters are introduced, such as Lady Cassandra O’Brien Dot Delta Seventeen, the Face of Boe, the (farting) Slitheens, and my personal favorite the Weeping Angels.
Since the BBC employs approximately 37 working actors, there are some familiar faces through the series such as Billie Piper of Secret Diary of a Call Girl as the Doctor’s first companion, Rose, Simon Pegg in a delightfully creepy role, Freema Agyeman, now of Law & Order, UK, and Catherine Tate, of the hilarious Catherine Tate show (which you should also watch). You’ll also be able to pick out a variety of Harry Potter actors; Rita Skeeter, Barty Crouch Sr, Moaning Myrtle, and freaking DUMBLEDORE (not as Dumbledore). Also, Carey Mulligan, some actors from the British Being Human, and some kick-ass Shakespearian actors.
Seasons 1-4, plus all the applicable specials are on Netflix streaming. Unfortunately, though season 5 is out on DVD, it has not yet been added to the streaming queue. BBC America will likely have a season 5 marathon someday soon before season 6 premieres though, so you’ll be able to catch up then if you so desire.
Still not sure? Maybe this will help:
In the meantime, happy Netflixing!
*that show will never end up in this series