I couldn’t sleep last night, and maybe it’s because my head was filled with visions of multiple Doctors, each with his own shiny or banged up but totally lovable TARDIS.
(If you’re not a fan of Doctor Who, go ahead and click on something else. Really, I don’t mind. Excuse me my moment of fangirlishness!)
Last night was the theatrical screening of The Day of the Doctor, and it just could not have been more delightful.
The show itself was better than I’d even hoped. Seeing Ten and Eleven together was brilliant, and John Hurt was perfect. And Billie Piper! I’d heard she would be in it, but I was expecting Rose Tyler… and instead she was not Rose, and she was still wonderful.
Listen, I have nothing super meaningful to say about how this episode changes everything, what it means for the overall mythology, and where it goes from here. There are plenty of folks writing oodles upon oodles of essays, reviews, and critiques who really do know the Who-verse better than I do, and I gladly tip my fez to all of them.
All I want to say is: Last night was a perfect example of why I love being connected to a fandom.
I wore my Van Gogh TARDIS. Subtle, yet elegant, wouldn’t you say?
On a random Monday evening, to spend the night at a movie theater surrounded by people who love what I love — that’s bliss.
We could exchange knowing nods over clever wordplay while waiting in the popcorn line. Gaze admiringly at the committed souls decked out in full-on steampunk gear. Admire the clever T-shirts. Say “awwwww” over the 10-year-old boy in a tweed jacket and bowtie. Giggle over all the people with sonic screwdriver ringtones.
It was one of those events where you just know you’re surrounded by your people. And it felt great.
Except for the woman sitting behind me who wouldn’t STFU. See, that doesn’t happen in my living room. Other than that, however… it was kind of perfect.
We cheered when each new/old Doctor appeared on screen. A glimpse of Twelve’s eyes! All of the earlier Doctors on screen! Silly sight gags with sonic screwdrivers! I’ve rarely sat with a happier crowd. All the feels, truly.
I’ll admit that I like, but I don’t love, the Eleventh Doctor. Much more of a Nine or Ten fan, really. And yes, I’d occasionally zone out during some of the more convoluted recent plotlines. But Doctor Who doesn’t have to make sense. It’s going strong at 50, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Bring on the Twelfth Doctor!
Geronimo!
Allons-y!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
It sounds like an amazing experience! I didn’t even know there were going to be screenings!
I just watched the episode at home, and right now I’m in the uncertain camp. There were definitely moments when I was like, “YES! This is why I love Doctor Who!” But there was also a lot that doesn’t make sense, and this does change a lot about what we know about Doctor Who.
SPOILERS! (Is Smith really the Twelfth Doctor, so will the show have to end sooner than we expected? Doesn’t the fact that Gallifrey still exists mean much of the Doctor’s character, his regret, was sort of…pointless? And why is Eleven being characterized as the “Doctor who forgets” in this episode? I haven’t seen that in his character before.) I could go on, but I don’t want to be completely depressing. I did sort of enjoy the episode, I guess I just have to wait and see what Moffat tries to do next.
It was a Fathom Events one-night-only thing in certain cities. 3D, no less! I think if I’d watched it at home (as I’m still planning to do), I would have been more critical of plot points and less starry eyed about the experience as a whole. I asked the same question on the car ride home — since when is Eleven the Doctor who forgets? I don’t remember ever seeing that mentioned. And right, will they all be renumbered? I think Moffat has said that the 12 regeneration rule isn’t necessarily a hard and fast rule after all — because seriously, they’re not going to end it any time soon! And a friend and I were just discussing whether they’ve now broken the time paradox rule by having the Doctor hang out with two other versions of himself. What does that mean for the space -time continuum???
Honestly, I never struggle too hard over Doctor Who logic (which I guess proves that I’m not a dyed-in-the-wool die hard fan after all). Sometimes I just shrug and say “okayyyyyy” and let them do whatever they want. 🙂
3D?! That’s amazing! I would have loved to go, regardless of my feelings on the writing. 😉
Moffat is far less concerned with time travel “rules” than Russel T. Davies was. I’m still not convinced that River Song’s timeline makes any sense! My assumption is that Moffat is just going to say that the Moment doesn’t have to follow time travel rules, so it’s all ok. On one hand, the show is fiction. so maybe it doesn’t have to make complete sense. On the other hand, it used to follow some sort of logic, so this is definitely a sore point for fans and for people who take their science fiction seriously.
Well, yes, I agree. I never could follow all of the River Song time shifts completely, and the rules do seem to change whenever Moffat says they should. I have a friend who obsesses over all the schematics that bend events into pretzels piecing together River’s timeline and how it crosses the Doctor’s. I kind of kick back and go with the flow…
I loved the episode too and have watched it a several times already. I am a big fan of moffat’s writing so I was in a very happy place the whole episode through. I will be doing an episode break down now that we are out of the major spoilers zone.
Oooh, I want to see your episode breakdown! I’m not necessarily a Moffatt fan, and I don’t like when the storyline gets too complicated for its own good — but I did really love this episode and just how… awesome… it was to see all these characters together!
I am hoping to have it up within the next few days. I think Moffat’s one major downfall is that he can get too complicated for his own good but this has opened up some new doors for the writing and the fandom. My hope to get Romana back on the show has been renewed!!
I am ever-so-slowly starting to get into Doctor Who. My husband and I started months ago but we’re still only about halfway through the first season… er, series. Whatever. (Partly because I was gone for several weeks helping my parents out and we never got back in the habit again after I got back…) It’s kind of killing me. If I were watching it on my own I’m sure I would have blitzed through the entire thing by now.
(Also… if in the UK they call a “season” a “series”… then what do they call the series as a whole?)
LOL. Must ask a friend in the UK your questions about the term “series”. It always confuses me! I just recently rewatched the 1st “series” with my son, and was reminded all over again of how awesome Christopher Eccleston was as the Doctor. Low budget and cheesy, yes, but that was a great season. I admire your patience — I’m a total binge watcher once I get started, so I would imagine that it’s annoying as heck to have to wait for someone! 🙂
I am loving Christopher Eccleston but of course I have no other Doctors to compare him to.
I’m currently about a season and a half away from finishing The West Wing… once I’m done with that I’ll have to find something new, otherwise I might just find myself watching Doctor Who alone… whoops!
Buffy? Firefly? Orphan Black?
I believe they’re calling the reboot seasons “series” to differentiate them from the original Doctor Who seasons. So, the first Doctor is in season 1. The ninth Doctor is in series 1.
Whoa. That’s just confusing. 🙂
I watched the episode on TV here in Finland. It was a wonderful feeling to know that so many people around the world were watching it at the same time (Very suitable for a series like Doctor Who, I think!). We don’t usually get that here, everyone always gets stuff before us. 😀
That’s so true — there was something so special about everyone watching it together and having a shared experience. Talk about a global event! It was amazing to see how many people still saw the episode in movie theaters on Monday after already watching it on TV. Whovians are passionate, that’s for sure!