Discussion: Why does the Doctor have to have a tortured soul?
I'd like to start a discussion about an aspect of the Doctor that confuses me.
For me, starting back in the Classic Series in the 80's (as an American seeing it on PBS) one of the things I loved about the Doctor is that he seemed to be a mature man who had his shit together.
Sure, he couldn't drive his time machine, and he was always bumbling around and getting things wrong. But within himself, in his soul, he seemed to be such a refreshing character, a man who enjoyed his life, who liked himself, and who, (while having tragedies in his past,) did not dwell on them.
I admired that. I aspired to be like that. To be able to live fully in the now. To be someone who had accepted himself, warts and all, and didn't worry about it.
Modern life seems to be consumed with worrying about everything. Every character has to have some big "tragedy" or they aren't considered interesting. I find it boring. And predictable. And done to death.
So, that's my question. Why does the Doctor have to be a tortured soul? Wouldn't he be more original in today's TV landscape as a non-tortured soul?
Wouldn't it be nice to have a hero to look up to who was not perfect, but who had the maturity to accept himself as he was, accept his life as it was, and still enjoy life to the fullest. Not in a shallow jesterish way, not as a way of "covering up" his "pain" but simply as a man who is whole hearted?
What are your thoughts? I know, from a writing perspective, it's considered good to have a character who is not perfect and who has conflicts and dramatic things to deal with, but does that mean he has to be tragic?
For me, starting back in the Classic Series in the 80's (as an American seeing it on PBS) one of the things I loved about the Doctor is that he seemed to be a mature man who had his shit together.
Sure, he couldn't drive his time machine, and he was always bumbling around and getting things wrong. But within himself, in his soul, he seemed to be such a refreshing character, a man who enjoyed his life, who liked himself, and who, (while having tragedies in his past,) did not dwell on them.
I admired that. I aspired to be like that. To be able to live fully in the now. To be someone who had accepted himself, warts and all, and didn't worry about it.
Modern life seems to be consumed with worrying about everything. Every character has to have some big "tragedy" or they aren't considered interesting. I find it boring. And predictable. And done to death.
So, that's my question. Why does the Doctor have to be a tortured soul? Wouldn't he be more original in today's TV landscape as a non-tortured soul?
Wouldn't it be nice to have a hero to look up to who was not perfect, but who had the maturity to accept himself as he was, accept his life as it was, and still enjoy life to the fullest. Not in a shallow jesterish way, not as a way of "covering up" his "pain" but simply as a man who is whole hearted?
What are your thoughts? I know, from a writing perspective, it's considered good to have a character who is not perfect and who has conflicts and dramatic things to deal with, but does that mean he has to be tragic?