Matt Smith, Doctor Who, and I
It's time for another Doctor to go, and before he does, I have to reflect.
For the past four years, my life's been through many changes. I'm sure lots of you have similar stories that start in a similar way, and mine's no different. Many changes that started from moving to a different place (not for the first time), meeting new people, graduating, missing said people, meeting other new people, finding/discovering new things, hard and difficult times, getting to talk to Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone etc.
Nothing new, I'm sure most people reading this (if anyone, maybe it might be just me) has gone through some of this at least.
And the one constant through all of this (besides my faith) has been as you may have guessed, Doctor Who.
The show means so much to me. It's done so much to me, and when I think about it really, it's fascinating to see just what it's done and how many ways it's affected my life for the better.
Let's see, those days after I first moved here, I was pretty much alone. Hadn't met a lot of people yet. And while I watched a lot of shows, DW was at the top, the one that mattered most. And it was there when I was alone.
When I was awkwardly making new friends, wondering if anybody liked me, it was still there waiting for me back home. Something I could go back to if I needed to escape.
Once, in my class, I needed to have a speech showing how to do something. I didn't consider myself very talented, had no idea what to talk about. On a parallel note, I had always been fascinated my movie trailers, and watching awesome Doctor Who trailers inspired me to finally make my own. Always wanted to make one, never actually tried. So I learnt it myself, on Movie Maker. And I was pretty good for a beginner. And suddenly realized I could use that for my class. And that's what I did, along with getting the class to watch a DW trailer that I made.
That turned into me making it in Adobe Premiere Pro, where I got better at it. And now it's become a fun hobby and I've made two DW trailers and a couple of music mixes I'm very proud of and lots of people seem to like! And I will continue to do so. Who knows where it might take me?
Doctor Who inspired me to create.
People might think I live in this fantasy world because of Doctor Who, spending more of my time in that world. But really, it helped me better understand the realities of the real world. And more over, it helped me understand how to live in this world.
I do have other passions, other things I love, other things I follow. I do get out of the house and spend time with real people. Doctor Who has helped me cope with change in the real world and get over it. Cause that's all the show is about isn't it?
It also told me how I should behave, why I should be brave, why I should always do the right thing, why I should never lose hope for anything. I try my best to live an optimistic life, absent of cynicism. Because life is all about "intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism."
And frankly, all that has made my real life better.
It sounds silly to say it. I mean it's just a TV show after all. But it's an inspiring one at that, and it really has made all the difference at times.
Moreover, it was always there when I needed to feel better about life or myself, or anything. It was there to help me feel happier about things. Or it was there just for me to lose myself in when I needed to.
I read this in a trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (an absolutely fantastic movie btw):
"To see the world. To draw closer. To find each other. That is Life."
DW shows us all that on a grander scale, and it is life affirming in the grand scheme of things. Life feels better because of it. Or maybe DW makes us realize just how beautiful life is. Or both.
For the second half of the Series 7, I was lucky to have reviewed the show for We Got This Covered(.com). I'm not saying I was very good at it. But I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of writing up a review each week late at night for any other show. And it meant my name was out on the internet writing something professional for a legitimate website that's getting more well-known by the day. Thanks to Doctor Who. It also meant I was improving my writing skills, and having a better understanding of how it all worked and discovering what I liked and didn't like about it all.
One thing I learned in the process—I don't like spoilers. And movies, tv, anything....they're all so much better when everything is a surprise! Trust me, this whole year that's how I have watched stuff and it was so much better for it. Especially The Day of the Doctor!
Anyway, all this brings us to now. In a couple of weeks, I'll be teaching a course for the first time ever (I'm still a student). I've never taught a proper class before. And don't know if I ever will. But there was an opportunity to do it. And since I love DW so much, I decided I could teach about the show, use it to look at so many other things in pop culture, and also what the show says about life. Analyze it using philosophy. See what it says about stuff. All while watching DW. It's not just entertainment, but also engagement, and some level of education. As a teacher, I'm the one bringing those aspects of it out, making at least a few students aware of it. And I think it'll be a useful course (if I do my job right!), a course that has something to say (besides "watch Doctor Who"), and a course that provokes some interesting thoughts. And of course, great fun!
But the thing here is, I am not good in front of people, I am not a great speaker. This whole thing is way, way, WAY, out of my comfort zone. But my love for this show has inspired me to go forward and be brave. To do something new no matter how terrifying it is. To become a better speaker and do something cool and useful.
Doctor Who made me a tiny bit braver.
Now how does Matt Smith fit into this? Well obviously he's The Doctor of course. But more over, he's The Doctor that was there over these past four years, when all of this happened. I suppose you could say he's *my* Doctor.
And I suppose if I *had* to choose, I would pick him as my favorite. But really and honestly, I don't do favorites or lists. I love all the Doctors as much. From 1 through 10 and the Warrior in between.
But it was Matt these past few years, his silhouette and figure that I went back to. He was where it started, and it was his face when the show inspired me to be and do so many things. His comforting face.
I love him as The Doctor. He is absolutely brilliant. A great mixture of all the previous Doctors into something brand new. And he's beautiful too!
There's no sexual undertone beneath that, I just think he's beautiful to look at and he makes for a quite dashing, heroic Doctor. (And both his costumes are magical!)
There's not a lot to say about him that we don't already know. But he made the past four years amazing, at least for me. And he kept the show amazing. In fact, he may have helped bring it to new heights in some ways.
But yeah. Matt Smith. I am utterly disappointed to see him go (and utterly excited for Peter Capaldi at the same time!)
There's lots more I wanted to see from him. Lots more to see him do. But I guess there's no better time to leave than at your peak (like Tennant!). I can't wait to see where his career takes him and what else he does.
But Matt Smith made a fantastic Doctor, and his Doctor inspired me in many ways for a long time now.
And it's not just the episodes is it? It's all the interviews, the panels, the conventions, the pictures. Everything. It's not just the Doctor I love, but through these other things I've realized Matt Smith himself is a wonderful man. A great ambassador for the show. A great source of energy, and a very nice person to pretty much anyone, fan or otherwise. And he's great with children too! Both as Doctor and as Matt Smith.
It's very hard to get used to a new face. To say goodbye to the one you've known for a good while. Knowing you'll never see them again, or if you do, it won't be *quite* the same. Goodbyes suck. Now to actually think about it, how will it be with no Matt Smith now? It's just so weird. It's a different face. A face I will love, but not the same one I've been used to all this time.
In a few days, I'll be watching the Time of the Doctor with grief and excitement combined. But It'll be two days later than everyone else.
One because while I wanted to be a part of everyone watching the 50th together, this time I don't mind waiting a bit because I don't want to accept that it's over yet.
But really, the other reason is that I'm waiting to watch it with a friend.
Cause you see, that's the other thing the show did.
Doctor Who was something I could use to better connect with people. Make better friends with people and have shared experiences with.
Cause that's when Doctor Who is the best, when it's a shared experience with others. And while I may have sadly watched the 50th alone by myself, no way am I getting through Matt's exit without someone else for support!
There's so many people I've introduced Doctor Who to. Moreover, I used "The Eleventh Hour" to do so. It's a great introductory episode. But let's be honest, we could use most any episode and people would still be interested, even if it makes no sense.
Anyway, it's a show that helped me connect with a LOT of people. I'm not saying I made best friends out of it, but friends is better than no friends. It made the process of finding a connection with someone easier.
I owe that also to Doctor Who, and I suppose especially to Matt's Doctor.
I know this was a long post, but I had to reflect on Matt's time as the Doctor in the only way that it meant to me.
Here is my favorite trailer that I've made of the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SX3hwdZTg
I wish I had time to make a specific one for the Eleventh Doctor, but that's okay. I've done the best I can in other ways to express my love for his Doctor.
It's not just the end of Matt Smith's era, but it's also the end of the 50th Anniversary and the beginning of the next 50 years. It's also the end of the era that started with RTD. Up until now the show always felt "new" and that somehow it was all leading to the 50th.
Now it's obvious it'll run forever, and it's no longer new, it's just Doctor Who and it's here to stay. Here's to a new era.
Thank you Mr. Moffat for a giving us a great time with Matt Smith.
Thank you Mr. Marcus Wilson, who is also leaving, and who made the show look as beautiful as it does today, the best it's ever looked! (And everyone involved with the show really!)
And thank you Mr. Matt Smith for being brilliant!
