The new Who

I have always been a lukewarm fan of the long running British science fiction show Doctor Who. I haven't seen many of the earliest shows, some of which have been lost to TV history because the BBC used to tape over old television shows when filming new ones. I've caught more of the newer ones, the ones since the (I think it was) 2005 reboot.

Tom Baker, the one with the absurdly long scarf, was for the longest time my favorite Doctor. The cheesy sets and plot lines of the seventies were, in their own way, pretty cool. I liked David Tennant a lot, and perhaps he is a better Doctor than Baker. My jury is still out on that.

I have a soft spot for Peter Cushing's version of Doctor Who, from two 1960s movies, but that comes partly from the RIFFTRAXes of them and the fact that I like Cushing. I suspect they're not canon anyway. But my head was turned when I learned that the latest incarnation of Doctor Who, the thirteenth, would be a woman.

I resisted watching it at first. I don't like the PC game and initially saw the whole thing as entirely PC and I did not want to support that. Yet in a month or so I warmed to the idea. I finally thought, why not give it a chance? Even if it is PC, it isn't wrong as a plot device to have a character who habitually morphs morphing into a woman. So I began watching the series on BBC America over the weekend.

I'm glad I relented. Jodie Whittaker, who is the new Doctor, is personable and comely. Her acting is pretty much spot on so far as I expect a Doctor to be. The backing cast who aid her in her adventures are likable, the three of them, and all four roles have the potential for good development. The three shows I've watched so far have been a solid mix of drama, action, pathos, and nearly the perfect amount of comic relief. They've been enjoyable romps through time and space, as are the best of the older shows.

So I'm glad I've given the new Who a chance. And I think I've developed a bit of a schoolboy crush on Jodie Whittaker.