Gamenomics & Comicology

With four days left until the series 8 premiere of Doctor Who—the “Final Countdown” by Europe plays in the background—fans are gearing up with constant reruns to calm the anticipation of the “oncoming storm”. Hold onto your seat, there’s going to be dinosaurs.

*Warning: the following contains Doctor Who spoilers and many obscure Whovian references throughout. Geronimo.

Doctor Who, the long-running series, debuted on the BBC in 1963 with the Doctor in his whirling TARDIS. A larger than life series– both in character personality and the blue “phone booth’s” internal dimensions. The Doctor travels through time and space with the occasional spunky companion demonstrating to viewers the beauty of life and the extraordinary importance of humanity.

The Doctor appears human but hails from the destroyed planet of Gallifrey. He is the only surviving Time Lord who after many years of jumping through time and space can generate a new body when near death (luckily for producers)… So basically you sound like you’re speaking gibberish when explaining the premise to new comers. If only I could provide general background to non-viewers with a swift forehead to forehead smack like Eleven and Craig in “The Loger“.

One of the best parts of Doctor Who fandom is figuring out who is your favorite doctor. Usually viewers have a soft spot for the first Doctor they watched—whether it be 9^th with his fantastic dances moves and leather jacket, the sixth Doctor and his colorful attire, the whimsical humor of the second Doctor, or even the “sand shoes” of the tenth Doctor.

Doctor Who fan base compasses over countries throughout the world and the Whovians span from the fanatics of the classic black and whites, Tennant fan girls, Eccelston lovers, Moffat die hards and more. The beauty of this united love is the versatile connection Whovians share.

Once at a restaurant where I worked, a young girl said “Allons-y” to her friend as I brought her to her table. I noticed her 4^th Doctor scarf around her neck and replied “Allons-y Alonso” (a quote from “Voyage of the Damned.”) Almost instantly, I became the coolest waitress around and was sucked into an in-depth Doctor Who fan girl freak out over burgers.

The new series of Doctor Who stars Peter Capaldi who came crashing in with a rather abrupt regeneration, displeased with the color of his new kidneys. This was after Matt Smith broke our hearts with his farewell as the Eleventh doctor—balled like many fans when his old companion Amelia Pond briefly made an appearance—and retired his beloved bow tie. Matt Smith was a fan favorite and there was some apprehension with Capaldi, which is common with every new doctor. No one wanted to say goodbye to David Tennant, the gloriously messy-haired 10^th doctor. 

According to Capaldi, the 12^th Doctor is a “more grown up doctor” who is “still mirthful” which could be because Capaldi is the oldest-ever doctor at 56. The only reservations I maintain is how dark the show appears. Yes, Matt Smith much like the doctors before him emotionally wrecked me throughout the series but there was humor and laughter that is lacking in the new trailers. Twelve’s serious demeanor makes me nervous as he asks Clara, “am I a good man?” Ah, BBC sure knows how to send out the “feels”.

The season’s premiere episode is “Deep Breath” (perhaps indicating to mega-fans to take the suggested calming method).This upcoming season includes teaming up with Robin Hood, going inside the mind of a Dalek, visiting “the deadliest bank in the cosmos” and more. The adventures of the Doctor will continue for many years to come and whatever this series brings, fans still remain with high hopes. Tune in 7:30pm on BBC One this Saturday or on BBC America.

Allons-y.