I’ve been closely following television since I was a freshman in high school, and have heard time and time again how good Doctor Who is. I don’t know what kept me from checking it out, but I never actually saw an episode until earlier this year. Like Audrey, I took Professor Holland’s Shakespeare and Film class, so we watched the full episode of “The Shakespeare Code”. At the time, I remember thinking the show was good, but it didn’t quite live up to all the hype. However, after watching both “Blink” and “Vincent and the Doctor” I may have been a bit quick to dismiss it. I found “Blink” to be a legitimately creepy hour of television, and I thought “Vincent and the Doctor” was an example of a historical episode done right.
One thing I found particularly impressive in both episodes was the creators’ ability to get me to care about a one-off character who realistically isn’t going to show up again. Both Sally Sparrow and Vincent van Gogh were the real stars of the episodes, and I felt just as much of a connection to them as I did to the Doctor and his companion. Obviously Sally was the star of her episode, but the combination of acting and writing for van Gogh’s character allowed him to really steal the show. The fact that I cared about his character made the ending all the more poignant and tragic.
Like Maija, I’ve been trying to wrestle with why Doctor Who wouldn’t appeal to an American audience (other than American audience’s natural ambivalence towards foreign entertainment). Even if the show were remade for an American audience, I don’t think the show would succeed, and that all comes down to its tone. Like it or not, Americans expect “quality” shows to be dark and depressing. All of the critical favorites, like Mad Men, Breaking Bad or Homeland deal with pretty dark stuff on a regular basis. The closest American equivalent I can think of for Doctor Who is Parks and Recreation, a show that is at its core very hopeful and fun, but the audience still has an emotional connection with the characters. Maybe I’m overthinking it; maybe all it boils down to Americans not being able to accept a sci-fi show that doesn’t take itself completely seriously. Either way, I look forward to catching up on the show on Netflix to see if I can figure it out.
You bring up a great point about becoming invested in one-off characters. The prestige of the show allows the creators to bring aboard some great actors (like Carey Mulligan and Tony Curran) that can lend their talents for one show that can fit in their schedules between some of their bigger projects. Since these characters are really the stars of the particular episode, it gives the name actors a reason to be there which in turn gives the viewers a talented actor to connect with throughout the episode. Although I was not the biggest fan of the series, I would definitely say I connected to Sally and Vincent more than the Doctor and his companion.
I also wanted to point out my emotional connection to Sarah and Vincent in the two episodes we viewed. Of course, I did not know what to expect when pressing the play button, but it sort of amazed me how little the notorious Doctor was in “Blink”. Professor Becker said that was going to be the case, but still, a show called Doctor Who that gives only a few minutes of dialogue to the Doctor perplexed me. I later decided I think that adds to the entertainment value of the show. The fact that audiences can connect with episodic characters gives the show another emotional element it might otherwise go without.
The wide array of characters featured on the show are also from different backgrounds, which attracts more viewer investment. Vincent might not have been relatable to every one, but perhaps Sally formed extra strong ties with other young women viewers. The range of characters featured on individual episodes are one of the strongest aspects of the Doctor Who series, in my opinion.