Family Movie Night
By Karyn Bowman
With the new year comes resolutions to be better, to do better.
We all have some goal we want to accomplish. Maybe it is losing weight or gaining more muscle or learning a new skill or getting rid of clutter.
I usually set goals for how many books I will read throughout the year on Goodreads.com. I would like to do that for movies but I tend to watch quite a few without a goal. Another goal I like to set is trying to figure out better nutrition for myself and my family. That and getting rid of clutter. I am always trying to get rid of clutter.
Change is inevitable in some things.
Such as Dr. Who.
Jodie Whitaker as the latest Dr. Who
Some of you may have been watching the British show since the 60s when nit first came about. Others might have started in the 70s when Tom Baker was the enigmatic Doctor. My children have watched the show with Matt Smith and David Tennant. The current doctor is portrayed by Jodie Whittaker, the first woman to portray the Doctor.
Everyone I know seems to have a favorite doctor and not all agree on who is the best. For me, it is Tom Baker. He started the super-long scarf craze and seemed just wacky and tough enough to be a great doctor. But there is a part of me that loved the last doctor portrayed by the Scottish Peter Capaldi.
The basic story line is that the Doctor is an alien humanoid who travels through time and space, trying to help whatever group he/she may encounter. Some episodes find us in the past, some find us exploring the future. The setting might be a spaceship in distress or a countryside facing evil from other aliens. The Doctor always has an human companion, some more skillful than others, some more dear than others.
Like the Doctor, companions have changed out over the years. Sarah Jane was one of my favorites. But I also grew to love Rose and Clara. My kids loved Amy Pond. It wasn’t really that hard to like her or her husband, Rory.
How do we forget the villains? The salt and pepper shaker inspired Daliks? The weeping angel statues? The creepy cybermen? My favorite was the robot who eliminated people if they showed any signs of sadness.
There have been many enjoyable moments as some of my favorite actors have appeared on the Doctor. I loved it when Michael Gambon starred as a scrooge-like character. Not too long ago Alan Cummings portrayed King James. Alex Kingston portrayed Riversong to unpredictable perfection. To list them all would take too much time.
Doctors come and go. The back story, especially that with Riversong, is long and complicated. And yet, the Doctor draws people in to a certain level of fandom that is only equaled by Trekkies and Star Wars fans. I recently read that there is a warehouse/store/museum in Indiana filled with Doctor Who memorabilia. To me that sounds like a road trip in the making.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
If you do make that road trip, please tell us about it. Inquiring Whovians want to know! 😉