There are two things you should know from the start.
1. Though I have diverse tastes, some genres leave me cold. Whether movies or books, I just can't into certain things, fantasy and science fiction landing fairly high on my list of movies/books/shows to avoid.
2. I'm married to a man passionately loves fantasy and science fiction.
Truth be told, my husband is a huge geek. He's been reading comic books since he was a kid and has inhaled more sci-fi books than I even knew existed... at least two at a time, every single week, since we met nearly 15 years ago. Along with my Danielle Steel books, he added the likes of Jim Butcher.
Within the first month we started to hang out, Steven was flabbergasted that I, at the grand ol' age of 29, had not seen the original Star Wars trilogy, which he corrected with a movie marathon within a few days of my startling confession.
When I met Steven, he was balls deep in Magic: The Gathering. His room was filled with long boxes full of comic books and movie collectibles. His time was spent between competitively shooting darts, playing Magic or adding weekly points to his AMC rewards card. He was essentially Leonard from The Big Bang Theory. So I got a quick education in all things Geek long before Geek became en vogue. I learned quickly that there is no enthusiasm that quite matches the intensity of fanboy enthusiasm. They passionately love these worlds that capture their interest, which meant Steven was going to immerse himself in every Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, DC, comic book, sci-fi and fantasy movie/book/show that came along.
Like I said, I'm way more selective when it comes to choosing movies/TV shows/books, having done my fair share time in Super Girlfriend mode with my first husband watching action guy flicks, war movies and westerns. (ICK.) But... I did try my level best to wrap my mind around my new love's interests. We actually spent our first date in Hollywood, where he saw that Tron (the original) was playing at the El Capitan. This became the very first movie we saw together.
Despite this, there was a second date.
As much grief as I give my darling hubby, honestly I love the fact that he is a geek. The things he loves are things others have created, and I dig that. I don't understand competitive sports, but I get the art of storytelling, which is found in every single one of his interests - WWE aside. (I had to draw the line somewhere.)
The better the storytelling, the more likely I am to follow my happy hubby into Geekland. Without him, I likely would have never been able to appreciate The Bang Theory as much as I do, often out-geeking every single female on that show. (For instance, I know why The Red Hulk should have never been able to pick up Thor's hammer, and can pretty well give you a heavily researched commentary on the matter.)
If I hadn't met Steven, I might not have met and fallen in love with Tony Stark...
Or the entire cast of the Avengers...
....Daryl Dixon...
....and a man who goes only by "The Doctor."
When I wrote an article on my top 10
Groundbreaking TV Characters, this Doctor came in at #1.
A character known only as “The Doctor” hit the ground running in the 1960s and has long endured as Britain’s (and the world’s) favorite alien. This humanoid Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey traverses about the galaxy in between different planets and pockets of time, saving multiple races from dire menaces such as the Daleks and Cybermen. What makes the Doctor so completely original is that this character is not dependent upon any specific actor, though by 2010 eleven different actors have played the part. Thanks to a crafty writing provision, the Doctor can regenerate up to twelve times – becoming essentially a new person with each regeneration. Not only has this enabled the series to run for so long, it also frees up the writers with countless possibilities how to tell the Doctor’s stories. He can be an old man or young, stodgy or dapper; the interpretation of the character is often as unique as the actor who portrays him. The original series ran from 1963 to 1989, and was successfully relaunched in 2005. Though his face and his companions may change, the sci-fi television world is a little safer knowing that the Doctor roams the galaxy in his trusty TARDIS, protecting what is good and righting what is wrong.
Steven met The Doctor in the first installment of the series, during the unparalleled reign of the scarf-wearing, curly-haired Fourth Doctor through the late 70s, early 80s.
When this series relaunched in 2005 with decidedly more impressive technology, he was completely on board. In fact, he was a bit like a kid on Christmas morning. I was a little slower to follow. The story picks up with The Ninth Doctor, played by Chris Eccelson, who wore leather and looked far more like a superhero than his predecessors. Still, it remained mostly background noise every Saturday. Like I said, sci-fi often leaves me cold so I usually found other ways to spend my time. Despite the much cooler visuals and a budding romance between The Doctor and his lovely traveling companion, Rose, this show really didn't start to grow onto me until #9 regenerated into the Tenth Doctor.
Instead of the brooding action Doctor that Christopher Eccelson often brought to life, David Tennant's Doctor was every bit as cute and funny as he was smart and strong. Like so often in my life, I started to pay attention the minute he made me laugh. During his five-year tenure as The Doctor, I ended up falling down the rabbit hole of fangirliness without even knowing it at the time. I really didn't know how far I had fallen until I learned that David Tennant would be leaving the role. Not only did I skip his last episode and his regeneration (if I didn't see it, it didn't happen,) but I couldn't bring myself to watch the entire first season with his successor, the Eleventh Doctor played by the boyishly charming Matt Smith. He wasn't MY Doctor, so I couldn't bring myself to watch another in his place.
See, that's what they don't tell you about Doctor Who. It'll break your heart, repeatedly. Whether The Doctor must say goodbye to his faithful companions or we say goodbye to him, the entire series is built upon one simple premise:
This man has no limits within all of time and space... except those limits of his own two hearts.
He is a character tasked to save the Universe and all its inhabitants, a job he's had for hundreds and hundreds of years. Those brave souls who join him in this noble quest are usually bound by the constraints of mortality that he simply does not have. This makes his road even lonelier. Just as he cannot stay in one form, neither can his companions stay with him for more than their season.
And as it so happens, The Doctor hates goodbyes and endings every bit as much as we do.
He must love enough to save entire worlds... yet this abiding passion often leaves him completely alone.
This is the heart and soul of the Doctor Who universe, and this is why I fell head over heels for the most tortured and lonely character ever penned. His is the epitome of our human condition. We risk the inevitable pain of loss just for those few moments of genuine connection with one another. We want it. We need it. We long for it... even though we risk our very heart to have it. I have wept openly in front of my TV at every triumph and every disappointment, every moment of hope and every moment of loss. He is us and we are him, which you know for a fact the minute you meet a fellow fan. When it's all said and done, this character binds us to one another every bit as much as it connects us to this fictional character.
What a wonderful, beautiful, impossible achievement for any storyteller.
Doctor Who inevitably became a weird kind of cornerstone for our marriage. It is something that I never, ever would have found without Steven, and something he can totally share with me. In a way, he is my Doctor and I am his companion. I even enlisted my wonderful, talented friend
Chris Bonno to immortalize us as such to commemorate Steven's 40th birthday.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of this groundbreaking series. This Saturday I will tune in to watch the 50th anniversary episode,
The Day of the Doctor, in a historic simulcast that will broadcast in 75 countries across the globe. I'll get to see my Tenth Doctor again, and likely lose him again, in what will surely be a love letter of this amazing franchise to their legion of fans.
This takes what makes Doctor Who so special, this power of connection, and spans the entire world for one epic moment in time. We Whovians instantly bond with those who understand and appreciate the special magical language of this fandom. No one will understand the mourning process following a regeneration, or the exquisite heartache of saying goodbye to beloved companions like another Whovian can. Only they will understand why I'm sitting here BLUBBERING at the end of "Journey's End" as I write this blog.
If you have not yet been introduced to the storytelling power and tremendous heart of this sci-fi show about a shape-shifting alien, I recommend two episodes that capture the brilliance and genius of this show:
You'll quickly learn the same two things I learned courtesy of my wonderful hubby's shameless passion for this time-traveling alien from Gallifrey.
1.) No matter how fun the adventure or how charming and entertaining the doctor, your heart will ultimately shatter. Repeatedly. 2.) It will be totally, completely and wonderfully worth every single moment.
