No computers this time and no games. Just a few words about why I dig the British show Doctor Who. I'll go ahead and admit I had never heard about it except for the title itself until really quite recently. So perhaps ironically this over-40-year-old franchise is a new discovery for me. Naturally, though, I'm talking about the current, "modern" incarnation of the show, currently in season 3 in the UK (and, quite obviously, on the intarwebs). I have not seen any of the old series and frankly I'm not sure I would like to right now.
So why do I like it this much, having no background knowledge of the show's tradition? For one thing, because it's British. No, really. There's something about British TV, when compared to American, that makes it fresh somehow. Maybe that's simply because it gives you a different experience than what you're used to. (Note that I don't watch that much British TV at all, otherwise I suppose that effect would be gone.) It's low budget, unavoidably tacky, cheesy--and yet all that makes it appealing. It's almost like theater; you don't expect great visuals and you know you will have to use your own imagination and suspension of disbelief to piece it all together. All this means that we focus instead on the story, the main asset being the writing. And what I like so much about the show is that the writers are able to take all of the most conventional, old-school, old-fashioned and nowadays unused science fiction themes and motifs--the kind of themes that just shouldn't work in year 2007 without coming off as downright ludicrous--they pay homage to them (and, obviously, to the old Doctor Who series), they process them and what comes out is a thoroughly entertaining experience of the kind you don't really see on TV anymore, with a specific kind of atmosphere that is really incredibly enjoyable. I really love the fact that the most fearsome foes, like the Daleks and Cybermen, have barely changed in design from the old days, so now they look like they belong nowhere near 21st-century science fiction. Tacky, cheap and pretty hilarious-looking under different circumstances, they still don't spoil the show, which holds together and doesn't for one moment become it's own parody. And that's good stuff, I say.
I've already written here before that I'm a big fan of Battlestar Galactica (even if it really did have its downs in Season 3). So if BFG is one extreme of what a cool sci-fi show can be--this serious, layered space drama--then Doctor Who lies at the exact opposite end of the spectrum, where fun, adventure and British accents are what keeps you watching.
Currently I'm just finishing catching up, with the last two episodes of Season 3 to go before I'm up to date and ready for the next one, which should be available on the net tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken. I've also just started watching the more adult-themed Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood, and I suppose I'll say a few words about it in the future as well. Over and out.
So why do I like it this much, having no background knowledge of the show's tradition? For one thing, because it's British. No, really. There's something about British TV, when compared to American, that makes it fresh somehow. Maybe that's simply because it gives you a different experience than what you're used to. (Note that I don't watch that much British TV at all, otherwise I suppose that effect would be gone.) It's low budget, unavoidably tacky, cheesy--and yet all that makes it appealing. It's almost like theater; you don't expect great visuals and you know you will have to use your own imagination and suspension of disbelief to piece it all together. All this means that we focus instead on the story, the main asset being the writing. And what I like so much about the show is that the writers are able to take all of the most conventional, old-school, old-fashioned and nowadays unused science fiction themes and motifs--the kind of themes that just shouldn't work in year 2007 without coming off as downright ludicrous--they pay homage to them (and, obviously, to the old Doctor Who series), they process them and what comes out is a thoroughly entertaining experience of the kind you don't really see on TV anymore, with a specific kind of atmosphere that is really incredibly enjoyable. I really love the fact that the most fearsome foes, like the Daleks and Cybermen, have barely changed in design from the old days, so now they look like they belong nowhere near 21st-century science fiction. Tacky, cheap and pretty hilarious-looking under different circumstances, they still don't spoil the show, which holds together and doesn't for one moment become it's own parody. And that's good stuff, I say.
I've already written here before that I'm a big fan of Battlestar Galactica (even if it really did have its downs in Season 3). So if BFG is one extreme of what a cool sci-fi show can be--this serious, layered space drama--then Doctor Who lies at the exact opposite end of the spectrum, where fun, adventure and British accents are what keeps you watching.
Currently I'm just finishing catching up, with the last two episodes of Season 3 to go before I'm up to date and ready for the next one, which should be available on the net tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken. I've also just started watching the more adult-themed Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood, and I suppose I'll say a few words about it in the future as well. Over and out.
