Of Daleks and Time Lords

About a year ago, while sorting through the list of hundreds of things that I wanted to put in my Netflix queue, I came across the first season of the new Doctor Who series. Debuting in 2005, the series (which fits generally in the universe brought to life by the first series, which ran from 1963-1989) presents the continuing adventures of The Doctor, a time lord who whizzes through space and time on various adventures, generally helping out people in distress wherever he goes.

About two months ago, I finally had a chance to watch the first three episodes of the series, and as is often the case with a new sci fi series I found some good and some bad. On the good side, I enjoy Christopher Eccleston, the actor playing the role of The Doctor in this first series (that's "season" for those of you unfamiliar with British TV), and the concept is a winner. On the downside, a lot about the show is a bit cheesy -- but to be fair, it's usually cheesy in the way that still lets the show be enjoyable.

After a longer break than I normally take from a series, I sat down last night and watched episodes 4-6, and it's really episode 6 that I wanted to write about today. The episode is entitled "Dalek," and must have been something of an event when it aired. You see, the primary evil in the Doctor Who mythos are the Daleks, a race of cyborgs that look like pepper shakers and who experience no emotion but hatred. Their goal -- to exterminate everyone (which they remind you regularly by shouting "EX-TER-MIN-ATE" in creepy-robotic voices). In this episode of the show, a human collector of alien memorabilia managed to get his hands on the last remaining Dalek, which encounters The Doctor. Attempted extermination ensues.

I really enjoyed this episode, because I felt that it connected me to the original series, which I haven't yet had a chance to watch. It was clear that there was a great deal of care in presented the Dalek in the show as a true, and tragic, menace. This show has been very meaningful to a great many people -- quite similar, in fact, to Star Trek -- and I'm very glad that I'm investing the time to get to know it better. If you're considering wading into this series, I recommend that you watch at least up to this point, because I felt that the show really seemed to find its stride here. I'm looking forward to watching more!

Welcome

This blog was around in the past -- and I'm bringing it back. I blog regularly on the Twins, and used to blog semi-regularly on politics as well. I intend to keep up with Twins blogging on Taylor's Twins Talk, and to restart blogging on PoliticsPage, but what I really missed was blogging about entertainment -- the things I'm reading, watching, and listening to, and especially the things I'm looking forward to.

The important thing to remember about this page, then, is that it isn't just about TV (I picked the name because it's sort of catchy and it's in line with the unique brand of "Taylor's" blogs -- and yes, that's a joke). Basically, I wanted an outlet to talk about some of the things that I think are interesting in the world of entertainment.

So, if you've stumbled across this blog, I hope you enjoy what I post, and that you check out some of the things that I mention. If I can turn even one person on to the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, or the joys of watching So You Think You Can Dance, I will be incredibly pleased.