@Verity Khat: Love both rule(s) 15! I think they apply beautifully. And didn’t we all cry when Lis Sladen died? I mean…God, that was not a good day. If you feel like having another good sniffle, check out Seduff’s tribute video: http://bit.ly/pWVOBc.

@Shauna: Thanks!

I’m really interested to discuss how the role ad portrayal of the companions has changed from the older series to the new. There’s a lot more backstory and focus on the new Who companions, which is great, but there’s also a romantic/sexual element which was almost entirely missing from the old series, and which kind of squicks me given the huge power differential from the Doctor and his companions.

Anyway, getting ahead of myself. Looking forward to reading your next post!

And if you haven’t checked it out you and your family should definitely try the Sarah Jane Adventures (if you can bear it, what with Elizabeh Sladen having died so recently). They’re wonderful! Some dark stuff, so pre-watch if you’ve got little ones, but a really great cast of adolescent characters (and grown-ups too!)

I did go to a Dr. Who convention with my brother in the 80′s, however. I have my ticket autographed with two of the early Dr’s names (one of them died within a year of the convention). I remember my brother being so star struck at meeting his idols, that he couldn’t do the autograph, he had to have me do it.

Right now I’m reliving the Star Trek universe with my kids, and after that we will most likely move on to Dr. Who.

No, the real Rule 15 is: Whenever things go wrong for the Doctor (and they always do), the resulting chaos will force you to laugh, cry, rage, question, think, and ultimately CARE in the space of an episode. And that is a gem beyond price. ^_^

1. Nine is “my doctor” (Christopher Eccleston) who had me — someone with no history with the show whatsoever — at the first “Run!” And won my heart completely in “The Empty Child”/”The Doctor Dances”. Plus the slash that writes itself with him and Jack.

2. That being said, Eleven is definitely catching up quickly for some of the same reasons, though some different ones too.

3. If I had to say why I have such a major crush for this universe, it would come out super-cerebral because that’s how I am (Hanna, you say I can make even “Deadwood” sound boring!) … it’s pretty much boils down to that Craig Ferguson quote “Intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism!” … the willingness of the creators to build a show around this central character who doesn’t always get it right and isn’t always very nice but is basically in love with the universe and because of that passion has the ability to see all the particular beings he encounters and care for them specifically.

I think he’s a very different kind of “hero” from the ones we (particularly in American television) are used to seeing — he is written as coming to the rescue, and seen that way in the show by other characters. But actually, he fails at that quite a spectacular amount of the time!