WHO that?

I think it is because I’m not British that I had never even heard of Dr. Who. I enjoyed watching the episode that we saw in class; however, the radio broadcast was very boring because I couldn’t witness any of the action that was occurring in the story. I feel like a lot of the elements of the story must be seen in order to understand what is going on. When listening to the radio broadcast, I had no idea that they were on another planet and that they were dealing with aliens. With the episode we watched, I can’t imagine any possible way that someone could have transformed that story into a radio broadcast. I believe that people wouldn’t understand the dilemma that the characters found themselves in.  The writers would have had a harder time evoking the audience to fear the statues. The episode did a good job of showing how creepy the statues really were and how they moved closer and closer without anyone in the room really noticing. In order for the radio broadcast to have entertained me, I believe that they needed to have a story that didn’t rely as much on imagery and description.

The TV episodes are good because they provide the action. As an audience, we witness exactly what is going on. We can see the expression on the characters’ faces, the movement of the statues, the special effects, etc. This medium is definitely more entertaining and gets the audience more excited. While it may not demand a lot from the audience in the sense that they don’t have to imagine what is going on, it does demand more visionary attention. However, there is a problem with this medium. Some people may be passive consumers, that is, they watch the episode because it is on or they just have the TV on but are paying no attention to it. It is in cases like these in which the narrative complexity of the show is completely lost. They might not know what is going on or what the show is about. However, I feel that this is the perfect medium in order to introduce the Dr. Who phenomenon to a new audience. It is easier to consume and accept because it is something that is easily accessible and doesn’t require much effort.

As for the comics, these also do a good job in capturing the action, reactions, and expressions but when it comes to movement, one doesn’t get a sense for how fast or how slow the scene is moving along. I feel that speed is one thing that affects the dramatic and climatic effect of a story. In a scene with lots of suspense, the characters might move slower because they are turning a corner or they are entering a dark room and they don’t know what is ahead. Something that is also lost is the tone in which they speak. An audience can tell a lot by the tone of voice and although we know what they are saying, we don’t have the way they say it. One other weakness of comics is the fact that not everyone consumes comics. I personally do not find comics entertaining so I wouldn’t get into a story that I can only consume through comic books.

As for the game, I actually did enjoy playing the game but my experience was definitely negatively affected by the technical problems. However, the game was more entertaining because it allowed me to interact with the story instead of just consuming it. It had everything that made the other mediums good. It provided the images, the characters, the scenes, the story, the voice. One thing, though, was that the characters didn’t have very good facial expressions and sometimes the tone of their voice was off. This was my second favorite medium in which to enjoy Dr. Who.

Stories that don’t require a lot of description are better for non visionary mediums.

McKee states that “true character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure.” I believe that this statement definitely applies to the Dr. We are given no background information about him besides the fact that he is a time traveler, we never even learn his name. However, through the situations in which he places himself in, we learn more about him. He craves adventure and putting himself and others at risk isn’t really that important to him. He wants to get to the bottom of every problem that presents itself. In a way, I found him kind of annoying due to the statements he sometimes made. He came off as condescending and a know it all, especially in the game when Amy asks him if he can fix the navigator and he replies that he fixed so many other things so of course he can fix the navigator. In “Blink,” I didn’t find him as annoying. He was more helpful and caring, but not in the emotional sense.

Dr. Who is definitely in accordance with Lance Parking’s statement on unfolding text. Dr. Who is fiction that has been based on one single character for many years. As time has gone by, Dr. Who doesn’t change in the way he dresses or what he does but the mediums in which he is presented do change. TV, radio, comic books, and games have developed in order to captivate a new audience.  The creators have changed due to time and the media outlet used. In all of these mediums, Dr. Who is the main character and he is the hero who solves all the problems. He travels in the same police phone booth and no one ever mentions what his name is. I believe that the consistent use of character and characterization has helped Dr. Who survive all these years no matter what way he comes to us.