Doctor Who - The Matt Smith Era

“The First Question, the oldest question in the universe, that must never be answered, hidden in plain sight.” So what is the question? Well as silly as it may seem, the question is one of simple nature. “Doctor Who?”. The answer as it turns out, is more elusive. So elusive, that the title of the whopping fifty-four year old BBC television show, has yet to be answered. It has always difficult to successfully categorize this show by one genre. It is easily one of the most eclectic shows in the world; containing everything from science fiction to drama to philosophy to comedy to mystery to fairy tales to history and even horror. Now, as much of a mouthful as that was, I hope that it emphasized the capacity the show has reached. As previously stated, the show is fifty-four years old, and still going strong. One thing that must be addressed is there are two sections to the “Doctor Who” show. There is the “classic” series, and there is the current one. The “classic” series is twenty-seven seasons long and ended in 2003, the current series started in 2005, and season ten is still ongoing. Now, that is a lot to cover you may say. But don’t worry, I'm going to keep it short and sweet. I will be covering the era of the Matt Smith Doctor, which is seasons five to seven. 3 seasons, 39 episodes, and 5 specials, still a quite bit to cover, so let’s not waste any more time. (Spoiler free)

Season 5

Season 5 was led by head writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat. Arguably the greatest writer the show has been blessed by. This is the first season where the eleventh doctor, played by the beautifully sculpted Matt Smith. The doctor gets his new companion, Amelia Pond, played by Karen Gillian, and her fiance and soon to be husband Rory Williams, played by Arthur Darvill. The story arc of this season deals with “cracks”, both literally and figuratively, in the universe. They are present all throughout the season, however, during the majority of the season, they go unaddressed and are simply visual references. The episodes were directed by directors who were all new to “Doctor Who”. This allowed a surge of new perspectives and ideas to hit the show. There was definitely more of a fairy-tale aspect in quite a few episodes. The show boasts a very light hearted and even childish audience, and that is accomplished with the extreme lack of sex/nudity, violence, profanity, and alcohol/drugs. However, there are mature topics that are touched on, but not the kind that mainstream hollywood presents. Topics such as animal cruelty, what it is to be human, the priority placed on family, what defines reality, human nature to be the dominant species in the face of more advanced adversaries, the adventure behind art, and fear of the distant and unknown future. Those are just some of the biggest topics that played a role in differing episodes throughout the season. The christmas special was named after the Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol”. Steven Moffat was a fan of the story, and used it as a heavy influence. However, it did more than parody it, this show is way to clever to do just that. Rather, The Doctor used the classic story in order to overcome the dilemma in the episode.

Season 6

In this season, Amy and Rory are newlyweds who are continuing their travels with The Doctor. There is continuity present within the story that goes beyond the same characters. However, there is no extensive knowledge and/or memory of the previous season required. The show does a great job of not forcing one to watch previous seasons in order to enjoy the current one. There are many shows out there where it is simply not possible to start watching in a random season. However, with “Doctor Who”, it is more than possible. The story arc in this season includes Amy's elusive pregnancy, River Song's shocking childhood, and the plot to assassinate the Doctor. The storyline captivates the audience and doesn't allow them to escape from the recurring fascinations of the doctor and his travels.

Season 7

In his final season, the 2012 Christmas special, "The Snowmen", introduced a new TARDIS interior, title sequence, theme tune, and outfit for the Doctor. A new companion named Clara Oswald joined the Doctor, played by Jenna Coleman. The main story arc of the series focuses on said companion, whom the Doctor had encountered twice before as Oswin in "Asylum of the Daleks" and as a governess in "The Snowmen"."The Great Intelligence", an enemy of the doctor late also present throughout the season. It has been said more than once that the biggest detriment is the fact that most episodes cram a feature length movie worth of story into a shoddy 50 minutes. However, despite a few plot holes or unseemly references, the episodes are still entertaining and mentally stimulating.

As stated before, the correlation between these specific seasons is they fall under the informally titled “Matt Smith era”, which is recognized by essentially all of the shows fans. As an actor, Smith had done a wonderful job executing the basic tasks of emoting a story through his words and actions. However, he is put to the test when set to the standard of how well he played as a Doctor. To nicely sum the three seasons, which included character arcs, death, in-depth looks into the past, and future, of the Doctor, Matt Smith did more than just do justice to the name and role. More so, he added his own fiery personality to it. This is by no means something new for an actor playing the Doctor to do, however, Smith’s additions were just so joyous. Through the seasons you see the Doctor hysterical to go on adventure and to explore and revisit worlds. However, all that comes into stark contrast a few times when his past is alluded to. He seems to go pale in fear, and lose all the enthusiasm he previously laid claim to. At first, it isn't obvious as to why this is so, although it does get revealed later in the seasons, and it serves as foreshadowing and characterizes the Doctor as someone who seems to be running from his past. Matt Smith may not be everyone's favorite, although he is still considered one of the better actors to take the mantel.

Overall, “Doctor Who” seasons 5-7 deserve a strong 9.8 out of 10 for the combination of visual effects, musical scores, whimsical action, and fast-paces comedy. Over the course of 3 seasons, there is a strong emotional connection formed with everyone, from the doctor, to the companions, to even the wonderfully situated Strax. I highly recommend starting this show, most preferably at the beginning of a doctor's regeneration.