Doctor Who: Time Traveling Thrills

Last week marked the triumphant return of Doctor Who to our TV sets. This BBC show, which has the honor of being the world's longest-running science fiction show, was rebooted in 2005 by writer Russell T. Davies and made the Doctor a beloved TV character to a whole new generation of people who had never seen the show since it went off the air in 1989. In 2010, however, Davies left the show, and Steven Moffat took over as head writer. Already renowned for crafting some of the spookiest, most inventive episodes of the show, Moffat has ensured that every episode is an emotional roller coaster chock-full of thrills, surprises, and "timey-wimey" magic.

The show follows the Doctor, a humanoid alien Time Lord who travels through space and time in a spaceship called the TARDIS. On the outside, the TARDIS looks like a blue police box, but when you enter, you discover that it's quite a bit "bigger on the inside." The Doctor always has a human companion, but the current Doctor (played by Matt Smith with irresistible panache in a bow tie and fez) is somewhat unusual because rather than just one pretty girl, he also has her husband come along on his adventures. This couple, Amy and Rory, have been the show's heart for the past two seasons and the premiere episode last week further confirmed how invested we've become in their truly epic love story. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill do a wonderful job portraying these characters who stay together through impossible odds, and the truly devastating thing about this season is that we know they are leaving the show. We don't know how it will happen, but it will be one of the most heartbreaking episodes of an already heartbreaking show.

Of course, the show is also spectacularly funny, with all three actors delivering perfectly-timed one-liners and double-takes as the occasion demands. Time travel allows for a great deal of  comic confusion, while exploring the far reaches of the universe can results in a lot of misunderstandings and faux-pas with other aliens. The show also deals in extremely complex story arcs that can take seasons to unfold. For example, the character of River Song, played by Alex Kingston, was first introduced in 2008, but it was only in last year's season finale that her relationship to the Doctor was unveiled. Even individual episodes can be complex and unfold in mind-blowing fashion over just 45 minutes, like "Blink," a brilliant stand-alone episode that brought us the terrifying aliens known as the Weeping Angels who can only attack you when you're not looking directly at them, i.e. "Don't blink!"

At it's best, Doctor Who provides breathtaking science fiction storytelling with a very human core. It introduces impossible flights of fancy and imagination, but is always grounded in the relationships between the Doctor and the various people he meets on his travels. Ideally you should get DVDs of the show and binge-watch to fully indulge in the masterful narrative that keeps this show so interesting and popular. But for now, just tune in to BBC America (or whatever channel airs it in your country) on Saturday night and start traveling with the Doctor. You won't regret it for a second.