One can imagine that facing imaginary monsters and running about time and space in a blue police box can make anyone feel a bit strange. However, that is part of the appeal of Doctor Who.
"“There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes.” – the Fourth Doctor"
A week ago, we posted an article titled ‘Peter Capaldi: Doctor Who Appeals to People of All Ages.’ I would like to expound on parts of that a bit more.
A large part of any science fiction franchise is the inherent goofiness. The villains, no matter how frightening, are still nothing more than various combinations of masks, prosthetics, and special effects. At times, the battles are just the actors pantomiming the scenes, with the bad guys added afterwards. It must have a strange feel in the moment.
As such, it is understandable that Peter Capaldi would have his moments where he feels “a bit silly” on Doctor Who. After all, blowing up monsters and alien spacecraft can be quite bizarre, even if it serves to further a plot. And yet, in a large way, that is what Doctor Who is about.
Doctor Who merges science fiction with human interest. It is a program around which people of all ages converge to watch, no longer simply being the children’s show that it had been in the early years. The franchise is a cultural phenomenon, and one that appeals to quite a few different demographics.
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Yes, the show has its great plots. And yes, the storylines do an excellent job in drawing viewers and keeping our attention. If not for those stories and adventures, Doctor Who would just be some disjointed, rambling tale.
Yet, those tales and the overall plot lines are not all that bring the viewers coming back. We want to see the Doctor being heroic, to see him fighting for truth, justice, and the ones that cannot help themselves. We need him to be an action hero of sorts, albeit more reliant upon his wits than his fists. And, as Capaldi himself said, it is a show for children. It would be a disservice to the kids watching if he did not play it up a bit. And, after all, there are also the inner children of adults in the audience. We all need a dose of silly now and then.
Next: Comedian Patton Oswalt Submits Doctor Audition Video to BBC America