If you do not have an Amazon Prime membership, this might not matter to you. Though, if you're a big fan of Doctor Who, this might give you a reason to become an Amazon Prime member. Initially the Amazon Prime status got you things like expedited or discounted/free shipping, and it still does. But now that Amazon is trying to compete with content providers like Netflix, and Hulu, Amazon Prime membership comes with another pretty sweet perk. A lot, and I mean a lot, of films and shows available from Amazon Direct are free to Amazon Prime members, the biggest "find" I've noticed so far being Doctor Who.
Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction program on television. It was first broadcast in 1963. Through out the years the Doctor has regenerated periodically, allowing a new actor to step into the role, and to flesh it out and make it his own. These days, we are currently at the Eleventh incarnation of the good Doctor. That's a lot of history. In fact, a lot of the episodes featuring the second and third Doctors were lost to history and old BBC archival policy. Through the years though they've been pushing hard to track down and release as much of the show's history as possible.
While Netflix will stream the series since the 2005 relaunch, they don't stream the specials, and they definitely do not stream anything pre-2005. Amazon however has almost all of Doctor Who, from 1963 to 2011, available. What's more, most of that, basically everything right up until series 5 of the relaunch, is available for free to Amazon Prime members. Essentially the first 10 Doctors, in their entirety, are free to Amazon Prime members through Amazon Direct. I once tried to collect that myself, and I know first hand that is a lot, and I mean a lot of content. It was overwhelming. If you're a fan of Doctor Who, and you're also a member of Amazon Prime, you have to take advantage of this while you can. Licensing of media for vendors like this is temporary at best. Just ask anybody who bought a copy of 1984 for their Kindle...
Seriously. Easter weekend? What's that? Who cares? April 23rd will be the premiere of the newest season of Dr Who! The opening two parter is both set, and actually filmed on location, in the United States! First time, ever. The fact that the Man from Gallifrey has come to my home nation is not the reason I am so stoked about this premiere. Rather, the strength of last season is why I am so jazzed. If you're not "in the know" it is important to know that when Dr Who first returned to television in 2005 the man at the helm creatively was Russel T Davies. Davies obviously didn't do all the work, that's not how tv shows get made, but he was the primary creative influence for both Christopher Eccleston's 9th Doctor, and David Tennant's 10th.
The Doctor of the Davies era was riddled by guilt. First Eccleston's Ninth was brooding over his actions in the Time War. How does a man who is essentially omnipotent and immortal come to terms with having committed multiple genocides to save the rest of the Universe? It's heady stuff, and it explains the weird distance between Eccleston and Billie Piper's Rose. But when the Doctor regenerates, the new Doctor, portrayed by David Tennant, while bearing the burden of his past, is much more focused on the people now closest to him.
This leads to a period where the show was just chock full of romantic angst as Rose and the Doctor swoon over each other, and Martha swoons over the Doctor who is still swooning for a lost Rose... it's a bit soap opera-y, and a lot of people probably liked that. The farewell tour Ten takes before regenerating at the end of the two part "End of Time" is evidence of how important the Doctor's relationships with his companions were to Davies. More than once Ten commented openly about how he actually needed a companion, and it was a major plot point in the Waters of Mars special.
Then came the time for Ten to finally regenerate into the Eleventh doctor, and with that change, the show runner behind the camera changed as well. But the man to take over the creative reigns was not new to the show. In fact, Steven Moffat had been writing episodes since the series returned, and many of them are considered some of the very best, such as The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, and of course Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. With Moffat now in charge, the Doctor seems bolder, but kinder. That is to say, he wants a companion to humanize himself, but he is exhausted by personal connections that always seem to lead to disaster. At least, he started that way, and it's no surprise considering what Davies put Ten through at the end.
Needless to say, when Eleven meets the six some odd year old Amelia Pond, he's a bit concerned for her safety, but more, genuinely appreciates her curiosity and bravery. For the first time in 4 years some kind of romantic innuendo between Doctor and Companion would be short lived, almost absent. It was glorious. Though, that's because the romantic innuendo is now focused on proto-Companion River Song, and that's okay, because at least it's not in the Tardis anymore. Despite the lack of romance though, it becomes obvious as season 5 carries on that the Doctor, Amy, and even Rory are actually all some kind of strange familial unit with the Doctor playing the zany and eccentric grandfather in a young man's body.
Anyways, in anticipation of the next episode I have compiled what I consider to be an essential list of episodes to refresh with before the exciting future Mr Moffat has in store for us all.
I know that seems like a lot. If I'd posted this 4 days ago it would seem much more reasonable. Also, confession, I've already watched all of these up to "All of Series 5" in the last week... if you want a start point that's more accessible, start at series 5 with the 11th Doctor and Amy. It will only be 13 episodes (14 if you check out the amazing Christmas Special) about 45 minutes long. You've got like 9 days and that is totally doable. Oh, yea, and as a taste, here's the prequel Moffat wrote that sets up the new series.
membership comes with another pretty sweet perk. A lot, and I mean a lot, of films and shows available from Amazon Direct are free to Amazon Prime members, the biggest "find" I've noticed so far being Doctor Who.
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