When you're a fan of something and have been for a long time, you can find yourself becoming kind of snobby about it if left unchecked. I am certainly that way about music. And definitely about my sci-fi.
Shot. First! |
I guess I think of Doctor Who kind of the same way I do about
In that same kind of calculated way, Doctor Who fans, to me (like their 2000s Battlestar Galactica cousins) almost seemed too good for any other kinds of sci-fi. It's for that reason, I prefer to mess with them, rather than join them.
There's definitely a lot of appeal to Doctor Who; and I'm already an Anglophile, and I like the kitschy aspect of it, so you think it would be easy. But instead of becoming a fan, sometimes it's much more fun to just play dumb instead.
"So which one of these guys is the Doctor?"
"They all are."
"All these actors? Even the old one with the poofy hair?"
"Yes!"
"Oh, so it's like James Bond..."
"It is not at all like James Bond. They are all different Doctors."
"So it's a title, like being Prime Minister."
"No! He's a Time Lord"
"That sounds like a title. I am the Lord of Time."
"Ugh."
"And that girl with him is his girlfriend?"
"No, she's a companion."
"Ohhhh...dirty. Like in Serenity"
"I hate you."
My friends who are Doctor Who fans are few and far between. Likely because I annoy them. Of the few, I did recruit superfan Kathleen to explain to me what is going on in these photos from the costume contest.
"So they're all Dr. Who?"
"Yes. he keeps reincarnating. That guy all the way to my right is my favorite Doctor."
See, that makes more sense to me. And what's happening in this one?"
photo by Manny |
"He's killing a Dalek! Duuuuhh"
"And the girl?"
"She's Rose Tyler. Where was Amy Pond?"
"I don't understand the words you're saying anymore."
"You suck. They did a good job!"
Even for a Who newb like me, it's clear. These guys did a good job.
Even this one, who kept pointing at me! Is that in character? Is he using the Who Force or something?
I'm coming to your house and locking you inside until we have watched my tried-and-tested Dr. Whoselytizing episode playlist. You are not required to like the show, but you are required to try it. If you don't like it, you'll earn the right to be a jerk about it authoritatively. If you do like it, well, you'll embrace the triumph of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism. Win-win.
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