Please note – this is a break from my usual “Faith and Practice” type blog.  Today is kind of a special day for me: I get to watch the first episode of a new season of Doctor Who.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Doctor, let me just say – this is one of the best shows ever made for TV.  It’s about a Time Lord, The Doctor, who can travel through time and space, saving the universe from emminent disaster.  Its from BBC, and I grew up watching it with my dad on PBS.  The show started in 1967, but my years with the Doctor were in the 80’s, with Tom Baker and Peter Davidson as the Doctor (the Doctor “regenerates” when they change actors).  The special effects were horrible (with the exception of Castrovalva), but the writing was superb.

 In 2004 BBC started remaking the series, with great success.  Now the special effects are equal with the writing, and the show is a lot of fun.  After a rather long haitus after the end of season 4, season 5 has officially started with a new Producer and a new actor (Matt Smith).  Unfortunately for me, the show is no longer on the SyFy channel, and I don’t get BBC America, so now I have to wait to download it on iTunes.

Here I sit, ready to watch the show – and I’ve got just a couple of hopes for the new season:

• Less running, more story – Is it just me, or did it seem like they ran out of things to write for “The End of Time (Parts 1 & 2)”, so to fill time, they just had David Tennant run… grimmace… run… grimmace some more… then run again?  I love Tennant, though he brought the Doctor great new depth and emotion – but why waste such a fantastic actor on running and grimmacing?  I want to be wowed with the Doctor’s intellect – I’d even except the “timey-wimey” stuff from “Blink”, but running?  I can run, I don’t need to see DT do it.
• Stop bringing back old companions – Rose, I admit, was hot!  But did she have to keep coming back?  And Sarah Jane Smith – great, launch a spinoff series, but she doesn’t need to keep coming back.  Let’s be done with the old companions, and move on to new adventures.
• Daleks!  I love them; I hate them.  They are horrible enemies, and make for a great story.  But they seem to have become the trump card story line.  When you run out of bad guys – “hey, let’s write the Daleks into the story.”  Let’s be creative.  I know the Daleks have been there since the second story, but do they have to keep coming back?  I know from the preview that they’re back, and redesigned, but hopefully their not part of an overarching plot line.  I’m ready for more.
• More TARDIS – for those of you unaware – the TARDIS or Time And Relative Dimension in Space – is the Doctors “ship”.  On the outside, it’s an old English Police Box – but on the inside, it’s a cavernous ship.  “It’s bigger on the inside.” I remember the old episodes when the crew would get lost in the Tardis, I want more of that. Let’s reveal some more secrets about this wonderful blue box!

I don’t ask for much – just a little creativity, and a whole lot of fun.  And for those of you fortunate enough to see season 5 when its’ aired, thank you for your discretion.

Allons-y!