Today, I’m diverting things completely away from politics and such (because there’s way too much to write about and I have about 4 pieces already started)…to television, specifically Doctor Who.
I’m sorry, but I am an unapologetic Doctor Who fan of the first order. Ever since the announcement this past weekend that Matt Smith, age 26, will be the youngest actor ever to play The Doctor; I have been watching every DVD I own (along with my wife and daughter) because of the excitement and well…we just love the damned program. This doesn’t mean everybody’s happy. The Internet is buzzing about with various complaints that the actor is too young and will not be right for the role…and the guy hasn’t even said a line of dialog in front of a camera yet.
I for one am looking forward to seeing his portrayal, and am more than willing to give the guy a chance. It’s not going to be easy, mind you. The current actor, David Tennant, is widely regarded as the best actor to play the Time Lord since his 4th incarnation when Tom Baker had the role in the mid-70’s and early 80’s. In some quarters, he’s even seen as THE best Doctor. Many people forget that playing a good role takes some time to get into the character, let alone one as iconic as this. This is most particularly true in the first episode of a new Dctor’s appearance, because after the previous Doctor’s body “dies”, it is “regenerated” into a new form…and sometimes with a whole new personality attached as well. This leads to a little “instability” in the character for an episode or two. So, rather than explain how the previous incarnations of The Doctor regenerated (and the circumstances surrounding them), here are four You Tube videos that explain wha has gone on before:
THE SHORT VERSION: (A short explanation of what happened, and the process itself) Doctors 1-10:
THE LONGER VERSIONS: (What happened, along with reactions and dialog from the other characters in the show)
Doctors 1-4:
Doctors 4-6:
Doctors 6-10:
Intersections In Real Time 