On Doctors, Hope, and Punting

by Doug

“Is he real?”

“Is who real?”

“The Doctor. Is he real?”

“Why? What if he was real?”

“I want to go into space with him, and go on an adventure!”

The funny thing about this entry is that I had not planned to tie it in to last week's. I threw that last sentence about introducing my daughter to Doctor Who in my first entry on a lark. But, I figured, why not show her an episode?

So we watched the premiere episode from Season Five, with Matt Smith as the new (Eleventh) Doctor.

Then we watched a few episodes with the Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant).

And a few more.

And a few more.

Then, I told her the Doctor I was familiar with was the one that had this large scarf. So, we hunted down an episode on Netflix (The Ark in Space, for those interested), and watched that.

And we watched it again the next day.

Needless to say, she was enthralled. She jumped at times, and was creeped out by some of the visuals, but she was never scared. Not with the alien vampire-like creatures. Not with the giant alien bugs. Not with the Cybermen. The Doctor wasn't afraid, so, why should she?

And that's when she asked me if he was real.

Santa? The Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy? As far as she's concerned, they exist. Simple as that. She's also pretty astute in knowing what she sees on TV is comprised of actors and special effects (or voice actors and drawings).

But asking if the Doctor was real? So she could go on an adventure with him? That was the first time I heard some hope in her voice, and saw it in her eyes. That even though it was a television show, she still had this...something...that made her want to really believe that he was real. That he wasn't just some actor (or actors). That she really wanted to go flying through space and time in the TARDIS with the Doctor, seeing all these amazing things.

So, what could I say to her?

I was already dreading the conversations we'll have regarding Santa and the others, but this one I'll admit took me by surprise. I didn't know what to say.

So, I punted. I told her he is real if you believe he's real. Then I pointed out something cool that was happening on the show.

Was that a cop-out? Yeah, probably. It was the first time where I just couldn't say to her, “No, they're just actors.” It's odd, because I've done that before – remember, she knows that Frankenstein was played by Boris Karloff, and that Dot from Animaniacs is voiced by Tress MacNeille. But this time, I didn't tell her that it's Tom Baker, David Tennant, and Matt Smith just playing roles. As far as we're concerned, they are the Doctor With the Scarf, The Spiky-Haired Doctor, and the Bow-tie Doctor, respectively.

Does she think that they're just actors? I have a pretty good feeling that she does. But she wants to believe the Doctor is real, flying around right now in space in a big blue box. And I wasn't going to take that away from her.

Incidentally, her favorite Doctor?

The Doctor With the Scarf.

Jelly Babies, anyone?