Last year, I was introduced to Doctor Who. I'm not sure what idea I had about the show before starting it. Most likely, it was that it was some cheesy copy of Star Wars (gosh, it even hurts to type): a feel good, teenage-ish version of it. Of course, the series has its goofy moments, but once you grasp the entirety of it, the main themes and all the wonderful ways in which they can be developed, the fake aliens don't matter anymore. Let me make a small introduction before beginning the analysis.
Doctor Who is a British Tv-show created in 1963 (yes, 14 years before Star Wars). It tells the story of the Doctor, a mysterious alien who looks just like a human, only he has two hearts and can regenerate when mortally wounded, changing face and personality. He has a spaceship, called the TARDIS, that is bigger on the inside and allows him to travel in time and in space - and that's basically what he does. He's very fond of humans (especially if they're British) and is accompanied by one of them most of the time, but they're always tragically separated. That's the core; and from this, I believe I can begin the persuasion.
When the Doctor meets someone and asks her/him to come with him, he's offering all of time and space (one of his catchphrases). All of history, the answer to all the mysteries, unexplored planets, unknown civilizations, unimaginable beauty, everything from the beginning to the end of the universe. It's dangerous, but irresistible. The deepest desire of anyone in whose heart burns the tiniest flame for adventure, knowledge, and wonder. It's the ultimate forbidden fruit of human kind, and that's what the Doctor loves in us so much: our curiosity, our constant search for understanding, our necessity to explore. He feels the same way, and even after hundreds of years traveling, plus much more advanced physical knowledge, he never ceases to be dazzled by the smallest things, nor gets tired of it. The Universe is constantly being rediscovered by him, and it calls us to our own realization of how incredibly fantastic Life is. The Doctor wakes us to a world of possibilities, in which our human perseverance, a quality that lacks in him, is our own TARDIS.
Doctor Who is the dream of a little blue box that brings the Universe within, but most of all it's about human potential. The Doctor's companions are ordinary people; he doesn't ask them to be bright, only to be good, to be caring. And, with him by their side, they are capable of the most courageous actions, of coming up with the most brilliant plans. The Doctor shows us the flame we have inside, and lights it up. When the companions go back to their life on Earth, they're conscious of their own importance, and know that each and everyone of us has the capacity of changing the way of things. The Doctor might be the main character, but the story is about the companions. Their development and growth are reflexes of the human nature, and as magical as the TARDIS is for us, we're magical for the Doctor.
Beyond all that, the entire series is an anti-war speech. The Doctor has two hearts, his only weapon is a sonic screwdriver, and he has a strict no-killing policy. This side of him is better developed in the New Who Series (all the episodes from 2005 onwards), as we find out that he has a dark past, unstoppably haunting him. His care for all forms of life, his constant admiration for all kinds of species, are contagious and make us wonder about the world we live in. He doesn't make assumptions about anyone (except the military - he still has a lot to learn from his own ideals) and, being the last of his kind, is extremely compassionate. Though the amount of light and darkness in him varies from regeneration to regeneration, the main beliefs are always there and it only makes his character even more interesting and faceted.
"What are you - coward or killer?"
I hope I have convinced some people to give it a try, and helped them to see beyond the aliens, costumes and (eventual) plot-holes. Doctor Who is a series that sums up the wonderfulness of existence, the desire to explore, the ever-burning flame inside each living-being, and so many other things. It leads our eyes towards the stars, and at the same time shows us the importance of our life on Earth, the responsibility we have over it. It's magical, and sad, and beautiful. The Doctor doesn't always understand it, but we do, and take this knowledge with us.
Ps: Yes, Maisie is there, in case nothing else convinced you.
Pps: I didn't mention any of the brilliant quotes because, in case you start watching, it's better to be directly impacted.
