The Day of the Whovians

This past Monday I had the pleasure of enjoying The Day of the Doctor amongst fellow fans on the big screen. The 50^th anniversary special, which had been previously aired on television the weekend before to those with the ability to watch it, was presented to fans in 3D for a one night showing through Fathom Events. The special not only gave fans another run with the 11^th Doctor played by Matt Smith, but fan favorite, David Tennant, returned to reprise his role as the 10^th Doctor. The great John Hurt also joined the cast for the special to play a version of the Doctor that has never been shown before, but talked of greatly. It is this version of the Doctor that collides the worlds of the 10^th and the 11^th incarnations.

I do not wish to reveal the story of this special to the fans that have yet to see it, but to those fans, get ready to have one of the most talked about and changing moments of the Doctor’s life finally told in full detail. I am personally not as familiar with the original series as I am with the current one, but in consideration of the new series, this is the full story of a personal conflict in the Doctor’s life that has continued to dictate his choices in the most current of episodes.

What would make watching the fantastic special better? Watching it with fellow fans in a large room does not hurt at all. There were plenty of people sporting various Doctor Who shirts, which I have to admit I am pretty sad I do not as of yet own one. More serious fans came dressed as their favorite incarnation of the doctor, which ranged back to the Tom Baker era and some even sported the iconic fez in honor of the 11^th Doctor. My personal favorite was the fans that brought along their sonic screwdrivers. They were kind enough to lend their aid by pointing them at the screen in order to help out the early technically difficulties the theater was experiencing at beginning of the screening. Whether they truly helped or not, the thought was what mattered.

When the go time happened, we were treated with a specialized service announcement about proper behavior in a theater taught to us by one of the fans favorite aliens, Commander Strax. We were shown how easy it was for he and his clones to follow the simple rules of approved theater etiquette, and what tortures would await us if we did not. After this we were greeted by the current 11^th Doctor welcoming us to the anniversary special and slightly confusing the exact anniversary, but he wouldn’t be the Doctor if he did not. We were then asked to put on our 3D glasses and believed the show was about to start when we received an early greeting by the 10^th Doctor. As much as I have warmed up to and enjoy Matt Smith’s Doctor, Mr. Tennant will always be mine. His appearance was greeted by cheers by those fans particularly partial to number 10. I will admit to cheering as well. It was a sad day when Tennant left the show, and to see him back in that striped suit practically unchanged was fantastic. After the show, fans got a special treat of the behind the scenes featurette of the making of the special.

There was clearly a focus on the newer series and the events since its comeback in 2005, but the older series was not forgotten. As much as I would have enjoyed watching this special from the comfort of my couch, the scenes in which all 50 years of Doctors were highlight held a stronger presence on the big screen. My very personal favorite scene was at the end where this point is not only focused upon but very clearly made.

I am glad to have had the opportunity to share the theater with fellow fans making this one of the best Doctor Who experiences I will ever have. Since I have tried not to spoiler any of special for you, I am not left with much else to say about it. If you are truly a Whovian or just someone that enjoys the show, please check it out when you get the chance. It is worth it.