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A Childhood “Stream”

Ts

(Romanian)

At the start of this “series”, I chose as a starting point three “big” series of TV/Cinematic achievements, which would be the main “perceptions” that could be achieved in the 70s.

In a way, it is the “turn” of the series „Doctor Who” (made and broadcast in the “chronological” period 1963–1989) and the “correlations” related to it… So…

The general opinion of certified “critics” (“officials” of the times accompanying those times) is that the series “Doctor Who” belongs to the category of anthology series (like “The Twilight Zone” or “The Outer Limits”, in the sense that, each episode was a story in itself, with its conflict and resolution, a structure that allowed the series to explore a wide range of themes and genres, rarely having some “episodic” correlations throughout the series).

De altfel, a „atras” doar o singură „manifestare” de „lung metraj” (în 1996), prin intermediul „Doctor Who — The Movie”, care nu a fost „cotat” „cine știe cât”…

It “attracted” only one “feature” “manifestation” (in 1996), through “Doctor Who — The Movie”, which was not “rated” “who knows how much”…

Another “remarkable” perception is that of “low budget supported by maximum imagination”, especially in the early seasons, resulting in the reality that the production team was able to create fantastic worlds and provide viewers with memorable visual experiences.

And this series stood out to be:

• An escape from the every day: In an ever-changing world, the series offered viewers an escape into fantasy worlds and thrilling adventures.
• Education and Entertainment: Many episodes dealt with historical and scientific topics, thus providing a fun way to learn new things.
• Positive values: The series promoted values ​​such as friendship, courage, and tolerance, which made it particularly attractive to children and teenagers.

The “iconic” series (which left an indelible mark on pop culture) “stretched” through time via:

• Time and Space Travel: Undoubtedly the central element of the series, the Doctor, a Time Lord, travels through time and space in an ‘iconic’ telephone booth disguised time machine called the TARDIS, providing a unique premise that it will allow the exploration of infinite historical periods and alien worlds.
• Regenerations: One of the Doctor’s most distinctive features is his ability to regenerate, thereby changing his appearance and personality, an ability that has allowed the series to continue for decades, with different actors playing the same role.
• Companions: The Doctor does not travel alone, throughout time the Doctor has numerous human companions who have helped him on his adventures and brought him a different perspective on the universe.
• Monsters and Aliens: The series introduced an impressive array of monsters and aliens, from the Daleks and Cybermen to lesser-known but equally fascinating creatures.
• Morals and life lessons: Behind the action-packed adventures, “Doctor Who” often conveyed important messages about friendship, tolerance, responsibility, and the importance of protecting the weak.

Some of the “memorable” episodes would be:

• “Blink” (Season 3, Episode 10): Considered by many to be the best episode in the series’ history, “Blink” introduces the concept of Weeping Angels, terrifying alien creatures that turn you to stone if you look at them (ancient Hydra), the episode distinguished by its eerie atmosphere and the fact that the Doctor is absent for most of the action (in the 2005–2022 “Doctor Who” “returnee”).
• “The Empty Child” and “The Doctor Dances” (Season 1, Episodes 9 and 10): These two episodes introduce the iconic character of Captain Jack Harkness and explore the theme of war, having a significant impact on the tone and direction of the “revived” series.
• “Rose” (Season 1, Episode 1): The pilot episode of the “revived” series that introduced Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor to the world, an episode that set the modern tone of the series and captivated a new audience.
• “Father’s Day” (Season 1, Episode 4): An emotional episode that explores the theme of temporal paradoxes and the consequences of changing the past.
• “The Day of the Doctor” (50th Anniversary Special): A special event that brought together 11 incarnations of the Doctor to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary.
• “Heaven Sent” (Season 9, Episode 11): An intense psychological episode in which the Doctor is trapped in an alien fortress and must face his fears.
• “The Girl in the Fireplace” (Season 2, Episode 4): A transtemporal love story with a romantic and nostalgic atmosphere.
• “The Waters of Mars” (Season 4, Episode 13): A dark and emotional episode in which the Doctor is faced with an impossible decision.
• “Silence Will Fall” (Season 7, Episode 12): An episode that explores the theme of responsibility and the consequences of our actions.

A new “Doctor Who” series is currently “running” (starting in 2023), but it is “the lowest-rated series, being “submerged” in the “serialized” presence of the moment…

From my point of view, no matter how much I “force” I wouldn’t have anything to “emphasize”… A “partial” “science fiction” series that uses multiple ideas from the world of “science fiction” (and, above all, “outside of it”), in a somewhat “remarkable” evolution

After the “summary analysis” of three major presences, we could arrive at a “perception” of how “Doctor Who” has changed over time, preparing a kind of debate that will follow in the following episodes.

Key aspects of this evolution (perceived also in the case of “The Twilight Zone”, “The Outer Limits”, etc.) would be:

• In the 60s: The tone was often more serious and educational, with an emphasis on scientific exploration, of ‘worlds’, of phenomena, of ‘psychological lines’, of history, blah blah, the atmosphere being darker and more mysterious, “ “companions” were often young and inexperienced, learning from “exploring events”, their role being more to react to events than to act, and special effects were limited either by the “size of budgets” or the technology of the time, and many of the creatures and locations were created through practical, relatively “ordinary” means, the “target” audience being “the family environment”.
• In the 1970s and 1980s: The tone became more adventurous and action-oriented, with an increase in fantasy elements, the atmosphere being more “inserted” into the action but retaining a certain air of mystery, with the “companions” becoming stronger and more independent, playing a more active role in the adventures, the special effects starting to be “felt” even in “low budget” cases, the “target” audience manifesting the first “attempts” to address the youth, less receptive to the “support “ conceptual and more oriented towards “visual” perception.
• “Revivals”: The tone has become more modern and accessible, with combinatory inserts of humor, adventure, and drama, the atmosphere is more “action”, more vibrant, and more colorful, being a kind of “finding” element of adaptation to the information flow of the youth.
• Current period: Certainly, the “science fiction” presences are becoming more and more “intuitive”, more oriented towards “hard science fiction”, the special effects knowing an “adaptation” and a significant improvement, allowing the description of some worlds and creatures visually impressive, without taking into account the “immersion” of the storylines in the “crowded” images, which unfold quickly, predominantly stunning the eyes, less “fatiguing” the mind with the “understanding” of what is “happening”, “leaving” long a kind of “technological soap” specific to a story.

Sad or not, “serials” always reflect the spirit of the times, adapting to new trends and concerns of society, audience tastes changing, often surprisingly, series being “obliged” to evolve to remain relevant (taking into account the “trend “informational” and, regrettably, less to the idea of ​​”true science fiction”), to this “negative” impact (improvements in the field of special effects and production allowed the creation of more visual and complex stories), contributing, in particular, improvements in special effects and production, which allowed for more visual and complex stories.

You will notice this “finding” in the descriptions of the “science fiction” world that will follow…

Merticaru Dorin Nicolae

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