Watching The Wheels

Saturday, January 2, 2010

John Smith meets Matt Smith: Doctor Who Comes of Age


just saw the second half of The End of Time, which marks the end of the David Tennant era of the famous British science fiction show Doctor Who. It goes without saying that I saw the first half last week.

I’m not going to do a synopsis. If you want to see it, see it. I have, however, had to endure some puerile pseudo-reviews from fanboys, but I disregard them automatically. Children should be seen, and not heard.

That being said, as a fan of Doctor Who for 35 years, I must say I loved it. I absolutely loved it. It was pompous, yes, but that is Russell T. Davies and his romantic crush on David Tennant. While I loved David Tennant’s Doctor, it became too Messianic for my tastes and this goodbye was too drawn out. It was a great story, though, with TONS of depth; more so than any other Doctor Who episode in its history. There was true tragedy and sadness in the character of the Doctor, and the character portrayals throughout the two-parter were classic.

What I do want to remark on is Matt Smith’s few moments as the doctor at the end. I adored those moments. When I first saw Smith’s first interviews after getting the part, I knew he would make a great Doctor. I was right. I especially, as a musician, loved the music that accompanied his arrival as the new Doctor. The departure mechanism was truly artfully executed. Bravo to all involved with keeping this wonderful series alive.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant execution. Wonderful transition! I watched it 15 times. The best EVER.

I probably should apologize for the brevity of this review, but I won’t. Too many reviews are mired in the ego of the reviewer. One has but to read anything by Harry Knowles to become nauseated. On a very intuitive and even nostalgic level this Doctor Who special resonated with me, and I so look forward to Matt Smith for years to come.

Cheers, Matt.

Copyright 2010 by Andrew T. Durham

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