«This is no small task»
What? Me? You want me to review The Complete Fourth Series of Doctor Who? I'm not worthy. Okay, enough of that, but this is no small task. Where do I begin?
First things first. Let's NOT presume that you're familiar with Doctor Who (which is or at least once was) the world's longest running science fiction television program. Let's not take for granted you're aware of the fact that despite his outward appearance, Doctor Who or "the Doctor" as he is known to friends and foes, is an alien. Let's also not presume that you know about the Doctor's TARDIS (a time machine that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside) which permits him to travel backwards and forwards (sometimes even sideways) in time. Head spinning yet?
The program is still relatively new to many even though the Doctor has been around for a very long time. How long? Factually speaking, as the central character of a television show which began in the early '60's, he's been with us for more than 40 years. Fictionally speaking, the Doctor is over 900 years old, so it is safe to say he's not the new kid on the block.
While the Doctor tends to favor the human race, he values all life. At first glance what sets him (technologically) apart from the rest is his ability to time travel. When his writer's hit the mark, time traveling is not some far fetched farce but rather a closely guarded secret that members of his race do everything in their power to keep secret, otherwise chaos would reign. Time traveling technology in the wrong hands has many potentially negative consequences, but that's another subject for another day. Back to The Complete Fourth Series, which is what I have set my mind to review.
What about the production? First rate. There, that bit's done. No? You want more? Okay, here goes... whether you're a newbie to the show or a seasoned fan, the current production standards are in step with the latest, and I do mean the latest technology. Doctor Who has seen leaner days, when monsters were little more than creative Halloween costumes, sometimes less, and the sets wobbled, yes, wobbled. Hopefully those days are gone (and for good) however they do give one a certain appreciation for today's Who. It's real, very real, in your face real and not afraid to get even closer. Got it?
If you want to be scared, Series Four delivers plenty of reasons to hide behind the sofa. If you want to laugh, you will, just as you will weep, and sometimes all in the same episode! That's why it's tough to pigeon-hole any given episode and why I will not attempt to do so here. Call me lazy if you like, but others have beautifully summarized each episode and with far fewer words than I could, so instead I will ramble on in my own wordy way, hoping to strike a chord, one that you will hear again and again until you give in and at least test drive the program to see what all the fuss is about.
Doctor Who makes more sense when viewed episode to episode (from the very first to the most recent) so that you get to know the Doctor, his companions, and the inside scoop on what to the untrained ear sounds like sci-fi-techno-babble but is in actual fact just the show building on it's own lore, lore which spans the cosmos and all of time. Having said that, today's Doctor Who does an admirable job of bringing new viewers up to speed without inducing a group coma amongst long time loyal fans. Apart from the occasional cliff-hanging, cold-sweat, white-knuckled, tear-jerking, weak-in-the-knees, laugh-out-loud, and hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-is-standing-at-attention two part season finale, each episode is a standalone adventure. Say that about your favorite sit-com or soap.
The Doctor (a Timelord) has two hearts and possesses the ability to regenerate. Regenerating is sort of like morphing, but not exactly. He doesn't become someone or something else, he does however get a new lease on life each time he undergoes the process of regeneration. Throughout as well as after his regeneration or rebirth he retains his memory though it is somewhat muddied at times. His outward appearance changes, as does his demeanor and his voice, etc. A very handy tool, one that permits creators and producers of the Doctor's adventures to keep things fresh by replacing an outgoing or current Doctor (or rather the actor that portrays him) with a new one.
Step into the TARDIS and you step into a reality that is, always has been, and always will be all around us, just hidden from plain view, a reality that's magical, mythical, defies the laws of physics and even good old common sense at times. This reality is inhabited by a (fictional) force for good in the form of a being that is not of this planet, not of this time, though his appearance and manners say otherwise. Stay with the Doctor until episode's end and you may well be introduced to a completely new life-form, or perhaps plot with him to once again defeat a rather small but formidable number of long-time, if not life-long enemies. Maybe you will travel back in time to discover the truth about a particular fact of history, then again you might arrive at a place where the stuff of fairy-tales becomes real. It's all inside that wonderful blue box.
I won't delve into each episode of the Fourth Series, I wasn't asked to write a book, but a review. Some might ask, "Has the review started?" I will leave it to your curiosity to determine if this is the type of entertainment which is (at the very least) worth a look. Don't take my word for it. Search the web. The Doctor is all over it. Then come back here and get your goodies!
And what about the purchase? Flawless. Amazon does it right. And if you ever have a problem with a purchase, count on them to be there for you to make it right, they did for me.
Happy Travels!
[Thursday, January 08, 2009]
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