The Doctors

Dr. Pepper

Dr. Pepper has been one of my favorite sodas since I was a small child. Back then, I would go through phases--Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi, Pepsi Light (the only diet soda I've ever drunk). In my adult life, I've been drinking mainly water, but get Coke or Dr. Pepper if I get a soda. Conveniently, most places have one or the other (and some, like Qdoba, have both). But in the past few months I've been on a total Dr. Pepper kick. I crave it, and have been drinking it more and more. I even had Mr. Pibb the other day to have something like Dr. Pepper. I had some at lunch today, and I'm going to try to make that the last for awhile. Wish me luck.

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is my other Doctor fixation of late. I've been a big fan since the early '80's when KTCI showed them in the non-serial format Friday nights. I adored Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor, with his impossibly deep-pocketed coat from which he pulled Jelly Babies and his sonic screwdriver, and his robotic dog K-9 who is one of my favorite dogs ever; I love his little satellite-dish-like ears and cute voice. My mom got hooked on them as well, although her favorite Doctor was the first Doctor, William Hartnell. Last year, after a 16 year absence, the BBC resumed production of the television series.

What it lacks in the wobbly sets, mining pit exteriors, and cheesy aliens that were part of the original series' charms, it more than makes up for in solid production values, great writing, and realistic characters. Christopher Eccleston took on the daunting role of bringing Doctor Who back to television, making him less outwardly quirky and more inwardly complex than previous Doctors. I was quite happy with him, even if he did seem to be a bit more smitten with his companion than the Doctors of yore. It was known going in that he was only there for a year, and since the Doctor is a Time Lord and can regenerate his outward appearance, this was not a problem in the Doctor Who universe but, as a fan, there is always concern about what someone new will do with the role.

David Tennant, who did a far more entertaining and charming Casanova last year (with a script by Doctor Who's driving force, Russell T. Davies) than the Heath Ledger movie in theaters here, became the second Doctor of this new series with his episodes airing in the UK beginning in April. I am amazed that I like him even more than Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. He's smoothed some of the rough edges of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor, but also given him a sharper edge that cuts to great effect. He's also darn cute, and his wardrobe harkens back to the old Doctors more than Christopher Eccleston's did. All and all, I'm hopeless smitten with him. And that I have no plans to cut back on for now.