I, an American, Watched Doctor Who for the First Time; Here Are My Thoughts
Hello friends. As you can see by the title of this post, we’re going to be talking about “Doctor Who”! I got myself an HBO max subscription for Christmas to watch “Wonder Woman 1984”( a total flop, but that’s another story).
As I scrolled through HBO max, I saw that they had “Doctor Who”, and my curiosity was piqued. Although I had heard about it before, I really knew nothing except for a few things, and so, for the most part, I went into it blindly. However, here’s what I did know before I started watching:
This is a British show (probably why I haven’t heard Americans rave about it)
There’s an old police box called a Tardis (although I was unsure what this was or what it meant)
I had no idea who or what the Doctor was, but I did know that the current one is the first-ever female Doctor and she is played by Jodie Whitaker (seen in the GIF below)
And that’s about all I knew….
Clicking through each season on HBO max, I learned something new; the Doctor changes every few seasons and it’s basically a new series when that does happen so I did not have to start from season 1 (there are 12 seasons total so far) to understand what was going on.
Since I was unsure if I was going to like this show, I started with season 11 (where Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor comes in) to get the feel of it.
Unsurprisingly, after watching the first episode, I was hooked! If you’re like me and have no idea what “Doctor Who” is all about, I will explain what I currently know and understand. Since I’ve only watched 8 episodes, this could be a little sparse!
I truly don’t know why the Doctor is called the Doctor (nor do I think it’s ever revealed in any season). What I do know though is that the Doctor is a time-traveling alien who goes on adventures through time and space, using the Tardis (a time machine) with three friends she’s made on earth.
In each episode, she and her squad (as I call it), travel the universe to correct injustices throughout the past, and sometimes, the present.
Besides the time-traveling aspect, something else I found interesting is the fact each episode (at least in season 11) is a standalone story. Every episode has a new plot and location, which I personally think keeps things even more fresh and entertaining.
But, let’s talk about the Doctor's companions. In season 11, there are three, Graham (an older man), Ryan, and Yasmin (both who are in their twenties). I was very happy to see that Ryan and Yasmin are POC. Graham is a white man, but he is Ryan’s step-grandfather and refers to Ryan as his grandson.
Personally, I think American TV shows/movies still have an issue with representation. In my experience, British TV shows do a better job.
For one, we see a multi-racial family (with Ryan and Graham). In general, though, it’s nice to see a group of people of different ages and racial backgrounds, working together to save the universe and care about each other on-screen.
I did not intend for that to sound so corny, but I think you can agree that when when you think of an American superhero on film or TV, you’re most likely not thinking about a POC.
There’s talk that Jodie Whittaker will be leaving after the end of season 13. If so, I’m excited to see who will play the next Doctor. That being said, I’m so glad I gave this show a chance! As I said before, this only applies to season 11 (and the current season 12 since it continues on with the same cast and characters).
I would love to watch previous seasons to see what it’s like with a different Doctor. If you guys are fans of “Doctor Who”, let me know what season I should watch next!
Thanks for reading and if you’re big into the show, I hope I didn’t butcher this explanation of the series. If you haven’t watched it before, I hope this makes you want to check it out if you have HBO max!
Side note: If you’re into the time-traveling genre, I recommend…
“Outlander” ( you can find all seasons on Starz or the first few on Netflix),
“Always a witch” (Netflix),
“The Umbrella Academy”, specifically season two (Netflix),
“11.22.63” (Hulu).
These are all vastly different from "Doctor Who” and each other but have time travel in common.
