By: Michael McCarrick; Lion’s Eye Writer, mqm5415@psu.edu (updated by the Lion’s Eye Web Staff)
Whovians unite! The continuing adventures of the twelfth Doctor are shown in the ninth season of the BBC’s most popular show: Doctor Who.
While it’s the ninth season, it’s actually a continuation of the original show that began on November 23, 1963 and lasted until 1987. The show was then resurrected in 2005 and in 2010 finally spread popularly from England to America.
Those who have never watched Doctor Who but are interested in watching don’t have to go all the way back to its very first episode in 1963. Instead they can either start with the first season of the reboot in 2005 or skip to the beginning of Season 5 on Netflix or BBC OnDemand.
The fascinating thing about the show is that while it’s always centered on the main character who calls himself The Doctor, the show constantly changes stories and actors to refresh the series. The actor playing The Doctor can change because of the character’s ability to regenerate and look like a different person with a different personality.
The Doctor is played by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi who is entering his second season as the rouge Time Lord. Traditionally, The Doctor has a human companion who goes on adventures with him, and in this season it is Clara Oswald (played by British actress Jenna Coleman) who is in her final season of the show. This thirteen-episode-season will undoubtedly feature strange locations and creatures with heavy themes of science, philosophy and emotions. Admittedly, some premises will likely be brilliant hits and a few will be off-putting misses as has sometimes been the case, but fans of the show will adore them anyway.
The season begins with a ten minute prequel clip showing The Doctor in a medieval castle trying to meditate, but he’s procrastinating by forcing his friends to dig for water outside. It ends “teasing” about a battle in which he took part that made him feel ashamed.
With the season premiere it is revealed that he had saved a little boy from a battlefield of creatures who pulled their victims underground to kill. That little boy he saved grew up to be Davros, the creator of the most evil species in the universe known as The Daleks, the same race which killed The Doctor’s people — The Time Lords.
Now Davros is dying and summoning The Doctor, Clara, and Missy. Missy, previously known as The Master, is a former friend turned archrival of The Doctor who has battled for centuries over the fate of the civilizations, a villain in the same vein as The Joker, Moriarty, and Lex Luthor.
In discussions with fellow Whovians, they all agreed that Michelle Gomez, the actress playing Missy, is absolutely fantastic in the role as a psychotic and intelligent Time Lord (now Time Lady). Giving the best performance in the show, she will undoubtedly inspire thousands of Cosplay outfits at Comic Cons around the country.
After two gripping episodes of The Doctor’s struggles to save his friends and defeat The Daleks, the next adventure is another two-part story taking place in an underwater station. Here they join a group of soldiers who are being haunted by mysterious ghosts, and it’s unlikely that all of them will make it out alive. The Doctor will do all that he can to keep that from happening.
The endless saga of Doctor Who will also feature a guest appearance by British actress Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark on Game of Thrones. The series is bound to unveil unique creatures and complex characters all leading up to another wild, crazy, and emotional finale. New Episodes of Doctor Who air on BBC America on Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m.