“Doctor Who’s Doctrine” Articles

In series 8 the hero of “Doctor Who” answers the question of his own identity: Is he a good man?

Behind each of series eight’s first three episodes seems to lie probing questions about not only the very identity of the Doctor himself but the whole concept of Doctor Who.

A time agent or lizard detective may promote other lifestyles. But Who fans only weep over true love stories such as that of Rory and Amy Williams.

In most of showrunner Russell T. Davies’s stories, “everything has its time and everything dies.” Steven Moffat’s stories more often exult, “Everybody lives!”

“Doctor Who provides no consistent answer to the question of what the universe is made of, or whether there is a higher power above time and space. For the most part, the show adopts a clearly humanist mindset with regards to the matter around us. But then an episode like “The Satan Pit” comes about, throwing a wrench into our understanding of the universe.”

Daleks destroy, angels strike, and monsters chase, but in “Doctor Who” the most horrible villains absorb and “upgrade” human nature itself.

The Time Lord needs timeless tunes, and series composer Murray Gold obliges with creative and cinematic bombast.

Fans fall in love with ‘Doctor Who’ for a reason greater than its creatures, battles, alien worlds, special effects, and fantastic stories. They fall in love because of wonder.

A darkness and sense of tragedy lurk on Doctor Who’s edges, ready to storm in without warning.

Doctor Who stories aren’t that original. Some are even blatant rip-offs. How does that affect the show’s stories?

Before “Doctor Who” officially turns 50 this November, Christ and Pop Culture will spend 12 weeks delving deep into the science-fiction series phenomenon.