The Doctor: An Inspiration And Her First Test

The new series of Doctor Who premiered a few weeks ago and I'm soooooo ecstatic that it really turned out well. Jodie Whittaker's take on the Time Lord reminds me very much of Christopher Eccleston's and David Tennant's Doctors. The feel of the episodes and the stories are just like when I was introduced to the show, backtracking episodes, sometime in 2012. I also like the design of her TARDIS and also reminds me of the aforementioned Doctors.

The opening sequence where their names appear is also awesome though it doesn't have the spinning TARDIS although I think I can see some Gallifreyan writing through the spinning swirls.

Nothing much happened in her first two episodes, technically, as we were just getting introduced to the rest of the team - Ryan, Yaz, and Graham - and, of course, finding her TARDIS, her Ghost Monument. We were also introduced to Grace in the first episode. She was Ryan's nan/grandma. She was a caretaker and had a no-nonsense attitude when it came to the out of this world aka the topic of aliens. Unfortunately, she was a casualty. :(

The real event happened in the third episode, aptly titled Rosa. It's the story of Rosa Parks, who made a difference in 1955 Alabama, a time when coloured and whites were separated like oil separates from water. It was also her first test and it's a big one.

This scene takes place when Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat up for the white people and gets arrested for it. It's the conflicted and dejected look when The Doctor realises that the bus is not in full capacity for that fixed point in time and must become a part of it, that she and her companions should NOT help Rosa so that that part of history would happen hurt me the most. Why? Because in one of her introductions, as she had quite a few owing to the fact that her being was still regenerating, she told Grace and Graham that "when people need help, I never refuse" and yet she had to and couldn't do anything about it; it's a part of her she doesn't like. And this shows what kind of Doctor she is and is going to be.

It has been said before that this incarnation of The Doctor is revolutionary, in a way, because it's the first time in the show's 55 years that a female was cast to play the part. This is important to me because she represents my gender and of equality, diversity, and change. She is also a symbol of hope. As a geek and a nerd since I was a child, be it in sci-fi or theatre or any topic, she is a symbol of inclusivity. It's a plus that they cast Jodie Whittaker, a very wonderful, fantastic, and brilliant actress. I have been a fan of hers ever since I saw the movie St Trinian's 2. I love her as Beverly, a no-nonsense school receptionist - the whole school was in chaos but she is still listening to her headphones and acts like nothing is happening. It made me laugh. But her being The Doctor gives me the sense of happiness because I can sometimes relate to the character - child-like, excitable, talkative - dang! Jodie talks a mile a minute and so does her Doctor. She may be an alien with two hearts but she is very much a person who has feelings. I'm seeing this version of The Doctor like Castle's Kate Beckett who is one of my role models when it comes to "strong female character", someone who makes mistakes, flawed, and vulnerable - someone who is human.

I hope that as her version develops, we'll see more of her personality come out and if she is someone who is mild-mannered one moment and scary the next (which happened with me during Ten's swan song series episode The Waters of Mars). I also hope that Jodie will stay for a long time and that this legacy of hers will carry on towards the next person suitable to be The Doctor.