My first Fathom Event: Dr. Who Day of the Doctor in 3-D. Was it worth it? Heck Yes!
STEM A Fathom Event The Day of The Doctor
Loved-One is a fan of Doctor Who. Not a Johnny-come-lately fan, Loved-One can name all the companions since Romana I, Roman II, who came out of nowhere with no explanation, and K-9, Loved-One’s favorite companion. And what about his favorite Doctor? Tom Baker, hands down. Tom Baker and his crazy 10 foot scarf.
I’m a late comer. I started with Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor and Rose (Billie Piper) as his companion. The Empty Child pointed out a big difference between British television and American. British children die. Lots of British children die.
I’m crazy about Doctor Who; my favorite re-generation is David Tennant. I cannot decide which companion I like the most: Is it Rose, or Amy and Rory, or Clara, or maybe Martha. Jack Harkness had his own spin-off, Torchwood. It’s Terrific; maybe a little more geared for adults. And where does River Song fit in? We all agree we love that story-line.
I surprised Loved-One with tickets to the Fathom Event, Day of the Doctor in 3-D. Well, I sort of surprised him. Mr. N, our 11-year old grandson, a recent Doctor Who convert and avid Hulu watcher, spilled the beans on Friday night.
The three of us went to Mr. N’s favorite restaurant for dinner, wasted some time at Radio Shack, where Mr. N scolded me through a bull-horn, before heading over to the theatre a cool 50 minutes before show-time. Maybe I should get him a bull-horn for Christmas. Maybe not.
It’s a good thing we did, the theatre was already filling up with fans. Fans in fezzes. Fans in 10 foot long scarves.
“Look at all the little girls,” I exclaimed. “I’m so happy to see so many women here.”
Mr. N and Loved-One exchanged notes on favorite episodes. The scariest villains; for me that’s the Weeping Angels in the Blink episode.
“Are you all Doctor Who watchers?” I said to three little girls in front of me.
“Oh yes,” said mother of three, “They love Doctor Who.” The little girls showed me their tiny Doctor Who action figures.
“He’s been a Doctor Who fan since he was a little boy,” I pointed to Loved-One. The three little girls looked at him in awe.
Watching Doctor Who with a crowded theatre took the experience to a whole new level. The crowd laughed together (screwdriver envy,) sighed together (Billie Piper as a the conscience of a WMD,) and cheered together (Tom Baker.)
“It’s a whole different experience curled up o the couch,watching together, in isolation. There’s a whole fan base all around us. It’s hard to believe.”
“I can hardly believe how many women and girls are fans.”
I mulled that last one over. Why not? Most of the companions are females. The Doctor recognizes and appreciates the companions for who they are. While he loves them, he is not in love with them. The companions are intelligent, innovative, problem solvers, brave, and fast (“Run!”) The companions often pull The Doctor out of trouble; he relies on them. Day of the Doctor in 3-D is no exception.
Of course little girls and women love Doctor Who. Who wouldn’t? Science, Technology, Engineering, Math… What’s not to love?
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