I met my old lover on the street last night

[lizblackdog]

In 1979, when I was thirteen, I fell in love for the first time. He was a dashing, slightly shambolic, eccentric geek with blazing eyes, a beautiful voice and the most glorious grin you ever saw. I never actually met him in the flesh, but all the fantasies of my fevered early teenage years - some intensely sexual, many simply heroic adventures in time and space - centered around him. Looking back over my real, human lovers, I can see his influence clearly imprinted on the type of man I'm always drawn to. Every single one has had qualities that remind me of him.

Then, in 1981, he changed. He was sweet, uncertain, slightly sad. I still loved him - how could I not? - but the relationship inevitably changed too. The intensity and sexuality died out of it. But we had a lot of good platonic fun, and I remember him with fondness.

And then he changed again. By this time, I had changed too. I was older. I had a flesh and blood lover, I had new obsessions and interests. His dress sense irritated me, his hair and mannerisms made him seem like a bargain basement remake of my original love, and he felt like one of the childish things that it was time to put away. I grew disenchanted and disinterested, and we lost touch. I missed out on his next incarnation entirely, and when I heard the news of his death (some say murder) at the hands of the BBC, I was only a little shocked, sad and nostalgic.

The great thing about fictional deaths is that they never have to be forever. Two years ago, we met again. We were both older, we and the world had changed a great deal. But the magic, the excitement? Still there.

The point of all this? In the absence of new episodes, I've been taking the time to go back over the archives. The fourth Doctor still makes my heart (and points south) beat faster and my brain seethe with novel uses for eight-foot-long scarves. The fifth Doctor still makes me smile. I haven't got round to catching up with the sixth on television yet, but he's very impressive in audio drama format.

The big surprise, though? Sylvester McCoy as the seventh. It's probably a good thing I missed these episodes as a late teenager the first time round. Then, I'd have been far too put off by the kitsch, the typical BBC production values and Bonnie Langford - people my age remember her far too vividly as Violet Elizabeth Bott to be able to take her seriously in any other role. But now - all the things that would have put me off him then endear me to him now. After nearly thirty years, I'm in love again. And it's glorious.

Comments

[myrystyr.livejournal.com]

I loved the Seventh Doctor seasons first time around, maybe because I was the same age as the character of Ace at the time - the final season was freaking awesome. If only we'd had one more season of Sylvester McCoy, instead of those cocked-up New Adventure novels...

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Ace yet! I've watched Time and the Rani, Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen... I have to watch them in order, natch. I have listened to a few audio dramas with Ace. She comes off a seriously interesting character, I'm looking forward to her immensely.

I am enjoying it so much, though. Although I do wonder what the writers were smoking - Kate O'Mara dressed as Bonnie Langford! Richard Briers! Ken Dodd and a Welsh holiday camp and green babies! So much fun!

[myrystyr.livejournal.com]

Time and the Rani was a fun start, watch the Doctor get steadily darker from the moment he meets Ace... about the only McCoy story I will gladly miss is The Happiness Patrol - the horror, the horror! Would love to reminisce about all the wonderful episodes you are about to see, but don't want to spoiler you ;)


Oh, okay... one spoiler:


Bessie.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

oooh yes, don't spoiler me! Give me a couple of weeks to watch them all and we can squee about them like mad. I can't wait!

Bessie, hmm? Will keep an eye out.

[myrystyr.livejournal.com]

*tease* lets see you try to figure out exactly how Bessie comes back into the series again :p

[pgh-anarchist.livejournal.com]

#7 looks too old. #9 though, looks promising. He's got the chiseled face I like for some reason.

Thank god none of the shows I enoyed as a teen are still on the air. I shudder to think of who I used to think was *hot* then versus now. Although Erik Estrada of Chips still looks pretty damned good 20 years later. Never seen Dr. Who - not even sure if I get BBC or if it's on one of the channels I don't buy.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

I recommend it, naturally.

OMG, I remember Chips. Although it was Starsky and Hutch I was into as a child.

[pgh-anarchist.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I loved them too - Starsky was my favorite. And I watch some episodes now and cringe at how bad the story lines were. But at that age what did I care? They drove a cool car. I *had* to have the SAME shoes Starsky wore. Hell, I even have the remote control S&H car too!! I'm such a geek.

[fara-shimbo.livejournal.com]

Idonno, for me, the fourth Doctor was, and always will be, THE Doctor.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

He's still by far my favourite. I'm just saying that loving him doesn't mean I can't love the others. I never was particularly monogamous by nature, me.

[pointyhairedone.livejournal.com]

You can have the fourth Doctor then, if I can have Sarah Jane. :D

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

She is very very fine, isn't she? Possibly even more so now than then.

[rjdiogenes.livejournal.com]

I never got into the Tom Baker doctor; I tried several times, because everybody made such a big deal, but I couldn't do it. Then I tuned in to see his regeneration and got slightly hooked; watched all the Peter Davison and Colin Baker stories. They never showed Sylvester McCoy around here, but I caught an episode on videotape years later; boy what a cheap-ass production it was. :(

I've been watching the revival on Sci Fi and I love it. I think it's the perfect example of the right way to revive a classic series. They kept the charm intact. And I love how the character of Rose embodies the 'sense of wonder' of real science fiction. :)

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

Rose is fantastic. I was dubious about Billie Piper at first, because all she was known for was being a manufactured pop singer who married the most annoying DJ in the universe. There was nothing in that to suggest she might turn out to be a great actress, you know?

Yeah, the BBC's science fiction production values were always... dodgy. The writers and actors tended to make up for it, though - Blake's 7 and Star Cops are another two cases in point.

[rjdiogenes.livejournal.com]

And Hitchhiker's Guide. :) I don't mind the 'dodgy' production values; it's part of the charm. In fact, I prefer it over multi-million dollar photorealistic overblown blah blah blah.

And I had no idea who Billie Piper was before Doctor Who, so I was lucky not to have any expectations. I wonder what the new season will be like without her....

[silverblaidd.livejournal.com]

Hm. I like your fourth guy. We can have crushes together.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

*way too distracted by icon to form any coherent thoughts*