In the Summer of 2019, I started on a journey through time. This journey would take me from 2019 to 2014 to 2005 and all the way back to 1963. As the title states, this trip was unexpected. It was unexpected and very surprising, and it all began with a song.
One day while driving my car, I heard a song that I found very catchy. The song turned out to be "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi. I liked the song more and more each time I heard it. Then one day at home, I decided to listen to music on YouTube. I searched for the Lewis Capaldi song and a particular video caught my attention. The thumbnail of the video had a face that seemed vaguely familiar to me.
"Is that Peter Capaldi," I asked myself. It seems strange that I would even remotely recognize him since I never paid him much attention. I have a friend who is a big fan, and I came across some pictures of him on her Twitter timeline. How ever I came to recognize him doesn't matter. The important thing is that I did recognize him, because that is how my journey started.
I clicked play and watched a very moving video about organ donation, and as I watched the video one thought hit me from out of nowhere: Peter Capaldi could act. The emotions he displayed on his face throughout the video moved me so much. I felt the heartbreak of this character.
That was the name of the first episode- Deep Breath. Now, my original and sole purpose of watching this episode was to check out Peter Capaldi's acting. I had no pre-conceived notions about what I was about to watch. I had no expectations. I only wanted to see his acting. As I watched the episode, I found myself laughing, because there was a lot of humor threaded throughout the episode. I loved the dialogue and interactions between the characters. I was fairly intrigued by this character and his companion by the end of the episode. I decided that I needed to see more of him. The more episodes that I watched, the more I came to really like the character of the Doctor. He is completely fascinating! I was incredibly moved by the relationship between the Doctor and his companion, Clara. The acting displayed between them was truly top notch, I thought. When I reached the end of his Era, I was so incredibly impressed by what I had seen. There were episodes where the dialogue felt like poetry. It was beautiful. The relationship between the Doctor and his Companions was heartfelt, beautiful, and complex. The character of Missy was wonderfully realized. The relationship between the Doctor and her was full of history and complexity. I didn't know anything about their history and yet I could feel it. I could sense it. It was tangible. The chemistry between the characters was strong. There was sci-fi, humor, and character drama woven throughout the episodes and seasons. What about Peter Capaldi's performance specifically?
There was something about his performance that was central to everything in his era. He had gravitas, joy, and he could be scary and also have an almost child-like nature as well. He commanded the screen. It's strange but watching him felt like watching history. I came to realize at the end of Deep Breath that this character changes. Their appearance changes, however, it's still supposed to be the same person. The Doctor or who he used to be is still in him. As I watched Peter's seasons, I felt like I could see that there were others in him. He would talk or act a certain way that made me wonder if that's an older version coming to the surface. He had the past in him. It made for an interesting watch. Also his character grew over the course of his seasons. He changed for the better. It was a remarkable character journey he went on that was fun to watch.
While I was watching his episodes/seasons, I was also watching interviews on Youtube. I will be honest and say that I fell down a Capaldi hole. By watching these interviews and seeing when he was introduced as the Doctor, I realized that Deep Breath wasn't his first appearance as that character. He appeared at the end of Time of the Doctor which meant I had to watch that episode. As I watched that episode, I realized that I need to go back to the beginning of the 11th Doctor's era so I could find out how he ended up where he did in that final episode. Thus began my journey with the 11th Doctor, and I quite enjoyed that one too.
I thought that since I enjoyed the 12th Doctor and 11th Doctor, then I should go back to the first season. It felt like I was watching one big story. Each Doctor leading to the next, and therefore I should start at the first season. On Amazon Prime when you go to Season 1, it's 2005 with the 9th Doctor. That started my journey with the 9th and 10th Doctor and I quite enjoyed them too. I discovered that I love the Doctor.
As previously mentioned, I watched interviews with Peter Capaldi. During these interviews, he talked about the early Doctors. He talked about the Doctors that started it all. He exuded so much joy and passion as he spoke about the Classic series. The way he spoke of them sparked a curiosity in me. I wanted to meet these Doctors and the monsters that he loved. That took me to 1963 where I met the First Doctor. Should I say met the First Doctor for the second time since I sort of met him in Twice Upon a Time? Is this timey wimey wibbly wobbly? Oh well! It's Doctor Who. When I watched the classic episodes, I discovered that I like the Doctors from the past as well. It brings the history I felt in Peter's performance even more to life. It's amazing. It highlights his incredible performance as the Doctor. When you find something new that you love, you want to share it with other people who love it too. Fortunately, I was able to do that. However, I found something else that really surprised me.
I found out that Peter's era wasn't that popular when it aired. I kept coming across this common theme: Great Doctor, Bad Writing. I honestly was very flabbergasted by it. I stated earlier that when I watched his episodes/seasons for the first time that I was very impressed and drawn in by them. I don't understand why that theme started or why it's so persistent, because I just don't see it. However, opinions like mileage may vary.
I will simply state in conclusion that Peter Capaldi is the reason I started to watch Doctor Who both Modern and Classic versions. He captivated and mesmerized me with his performance. He will always be Doctor Who to me.
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