Complex Numbers

Who

So... I've seen every episode of Doctor Who.

I mean, as much as I could, anyway. A great deal of the early material has been lost, probably forever. But a few years ago, before the 50th anniversary, I went and found every episode, including the lost ones that were re-created from stills and audio tracks (and a few that were redone in animation), and watched them. Old Who, new Who, all of them. Didn't get to the 90s movie until later, but eventually watched it (almost wish I hadn't).

Well, I haven't gotten around to watching the recreated 4th Doctor episode Shada yet, but as it never aired when it was made, it doesn't really count. Still, I'm going to watch it at some point, because Tom Baker will always be "my" Doctor.

There's been a lot of hype about the most recent incarnation, which premiered Sunday. New Doctor, new companions, new composer, new showrunner... lots of new stuff there. In a way, that's good - it's accessible to viewers who haven't gotten into it before and don't want all that baggage. I was, I suppose, cautiously optimistic (because far be it from me to be completely optimistic about anything).

Don't be scared. All of this is new to you, and new can be scary.

Well, I'm here to tell you that the 13th Doctor *is* The Doctor. Thoroughly, completely, without a doubt. She nailed it. The other actors nailed it. The writers nailed it. The composer... well, jury's still out on that, but no complaints.

We're all capable of the most incredible change. We can evolve while still staying true to who we are. We can honor who we've been and choose who we want to be next. Now's your chance. How about it?

I would say that if science fiction / fantasy / horror / adventure aren't your thing, you probably still won't like it. But if they are, and you haven't seen Doctor Who yet, and have been intimidated by the weight of 55 years of history attached to it... now's your chance.

Of course, now that I've posted this, the rest of the season might very well suck. Many episodes do. You can't be a show like that and not sometimes have your experiments fail. But that doesn't take away from this first episode, which, as I said... nailed it.