For years friends have been telling me I have to check out Dr. Who, but I resisted it like , um, like something that resists another thing a lot. Then on a long airplane ride I discovered a few episodes were among my in-flight entertainment options. I watched one, then another, and another until I had spent most of my flight on adventures in the TARDIS. More recently, Hassan and I have been working our way through the new incarnation of the show from the very start. I love the unabashed over-the-topness of it, the Doctor’s wonderful combination of glee, confidence, and goofiness in the face of intergalactic danger. A few of my favorite moments so far are…
- Captain Jack Harkness is captured by androids who disintegrate his clothes live in front of a global television audience. Captain Jack: Am I naked in front of millions of viewers? Android: Absolutely.
Captain Jack: Ladies, your viewing figures just went up. - Harriet Jones explaining, “There’s an act of Parliament banning my autobiography.”
- David Tennant pulling together his outfit shortly after he regenerates as the new Doctor. Tennant pulls it off the combination of self-discovery and casual wardrobe-searching beautifully and I am officially attached to him as my favorite incarnation of the Doc (though my sample is admittedly small so far).
Jack Harkness is an especially fun character and I’m looking forward to the Torchwood marathon that will follow close on the heels of the Dr. Who marathon.
Of course, the show’s not perfect. The endings often seem rushed and tend to rely on deus ex machina a bit too often, and the “science” makes Star Trek technobabble look like rigorous scientific inquiry. But these are minor forgivable foibles for a show that offers such a fun ride almost every time.
Bread & Magic 
For four years I forgave the somewhat middling episodes and wobbly science of New Who using the phrase “But they bring me Stephen Moffat Episodes, and that forgives anything.”
These days, I forgive it with “season five has Stephen Moffat as a showrunner and that’s freakin’ awesome.”
I had no idea who Stephen Moffat was but just checked him out. He did indeed write a few of the best episodes I’ve seen so far (e.g., The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances). Pretty awesome he’ll be taking charge with season five!