By Chantel Delulio
Lifestyle Editor
It’s so easy (too easy) to resort to cynicism. And the current climate of America makes the temptation to embrace that negativity all the stronger. For anyone looking for escapism that is not so weighted down in dour pessimism the pop culture landscape isn’t exactly brimming with offerings, especially when “darkness” and “grittiness” are so en vogue. It’s gotten to the point where it’s starting to look like the television lineup is suffering from collective Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Sounds like what we need is a doctor. Or, rather, the Doctor.
Last week saw the premiere of science-fiction staple and BBC hallmark “Doctor Who’s” sixth season premiere. And, for the first time in the show’s 50-year history, the current season will be shown in America on the same day as it’s shown in Britain. The advertising campaign has heavily emphasized the American setting of the season’s first two episodes. (And while there have been “Who” stories in the past that took place in America, this is the first time they were actually shot in America.)
The show has always had an American fanbase that has only grown with the premiere of the new series. But it still hasn’t been able to crack its cult phenomenon status by crossing over into the mainstream. (Stateside, that is. Across the pond, it’s considered to be as British as the royal wedding.) The show, in brief, follows the misadventures of an alien (presently being portrayed in his 11th incarnation by Matt Smith), who is simply called the Doctor, as he travels through time and space in his police box shaped time machine. (Where do you think Bill and Ted got their phone booth?)
It’s a fairly straightforward and, at times, silly premise as far as science fiction series are concerned. So what’s all the fuss about? Traveling through time and space is great and everything, but how exactly has its popularity extended over nearly half a century?
Perhaps it is Craig Ferguson, host of “The Late Late Show,” who said/sang it best during his “Doctor Who” themed episode, “it’s all about the triumph of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism.” It’s a simple enough sentiment, but it is also one that is not expressed as often and as earnestly as it is on “Doctor Who.” There’s nothing wrong with being dark and gritty, plenty of great television shows are dark and gritty but you can suffocate in the stuff.
And, even with its central theme of “intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism,” the universe of “Doctor Who” isn’t all sunshine and daisies. Sometimes the good guys lose. Sometimes innocent people die. After all, brute force and cynicism make for powerful opposition.
In one episode from the previous season, the Doctor and his companion Amy (Karen Gillan) pal around with Vincent Van Gogh. In an effort to reassure the deeply depressed Van Gogh about the value of his art, they bring him to a present day exhibition to prove just how great and beloved he is. After returning the painter to 1890, they go back to the same exhibition with Amy believing that since they gave Van Gogh a glimpse at his legacy they will have dissuaded him from suicide and there will be scores of new, wonderful paintings to enjoy.
Only it turns out that history takes exactly the same course. The Doctor then explains to the despondent Amy, “a life is made up of a pile of good things and a pile of bad things. We just added to his pile of good things.” It eloquently expresses a sentiment so illustrative of the series’ tone. You can’t fix everything. As much as you might want or need to, injustices and tragedies are natural, inescapable parts of the universe. But you can always strive to make things better. You can always do your best to contribute to peoples’ pile of good things.
In a sea of television so preoccupied with turmoil and hardship it’s refreshing to return to (or discover) a gem as lighthearted but grounded as “Doctor Who.” There are plenty of cheesy looking masks and low-budget CGI that keep the show true to its campy, science fiction roots. But it remains a show with incredible heart, and that’s not just because the Doctor has two of them thanks to his alien biology.
April 29, 2011
Volume LXXXI Issue 24