stuff I like a lot – “Vincent and the Doctor”

26 Jun

Regular visitors to this space will not be shocked to learn that I’m a big Doctor Who fan. The new series (as well as many of the old serials, thanks to Netflix) gets a lot of play in my living room; it’s sufficiently geeky, and it’s something the whole family can and does enjoy together.

Like many Americans, I first encountered the Doctor via PBS broadcasts of the Tom Baker years, though I remember the Davison serials clicking with me a bit more when I was a kid; not sure why – must’ve been the celery on the lapel. Regardless of who was playing the Time Lord, however, I think what I enjoyed most about DW at the time was that it was something that my dad and I enjoyed together. I have many fond memories of the two of us sitting together on a Saturday afternoon puzzling out where the Tardis was heading next.

Perhaps that’s why the most recent episode (to officially air stateside, anyway), “Vincent and the Doctor, struck such a chord with me.

It’s one of the many “historical” episodes that harken back to the program’s mid-sixties roots (as it was originally conceived) as an educational program for kids. In this episode, the Doctor and Amy, his current companion, notice something strange in Van Gogh’s The Church at Auvers while on a visit to a gallery. Being the intrepid time travellers they are, they hop in the Tardis and travel to France, circa 1890, to investigate, meeting and befriending Van Gogh, and engaging in a relatively pedestrian monster hunt…

(to reveal further details without a spoiler warning would be in bad form; so consider this aside just that)

…and in an attempt to give their new friend some hope and pleasure, take him on a quick trip to a familiar gallery to show him the influence his work will have in the future, since he has such a difficult time seeing it for himself.

Of course, in the end, after taking Vincent back home and revisiting the gallery, they find that, aside from a couple of little changes, Van Gogh’s eventual fate didn’t change as a result of their encounter with him, as Amy was hoping it would.

Van Gogh, of course, struggled with mental illness and depression, and eventually took his own life (chronologically not long after this episode took place). The portrayal of Van Gogh in this episode, both in terms of script and performance (Tony Curran’s work here is masterful and nuanced, and really ought to be recalled come awards season) is consistent with a person experiencing bi-polar disorder or depression; this story’s Van Gogh is a man of soaring highs and crashing lows; damaged, but vibrant, as many creative people are; and indeed, much was made about how VanGogh the artist saw the world in a unique way. It was refreshing to see a characterization other than the common one (as was presented in the art class I took in middle school) of a creepy stalker who sends his ears to prostitutes in the mail (although to be fair, he did do that at one point).

Here’s the thing with depression, from someone who knows how it feels and how it looks from the outside: it’s a struggle. Life, for anyone, is a series of highs and lows. For someone with depression, those highs and lows are more pronounced; for some people, even the highest highs can’t compensate for the low periods. This occasionally leads to unfortunate ends such as those of Van Gogh, or my dad. And, in those cases, there’s very little that anyone can do to divert the depressed person from the path (especially if the person isn’t being treated); which, as you can imagine, is very difficult for loved ones left behind.

So, unsurprisingly, this episode resonated for me personally; it’s themes, as they say, were relevant to my interests. But, what puts this episode into stuff I like a lot territory is the subtle, mature and realistic way these themes were handled on screen.

Sure, the Doctor and Amy were able to show their new friend Vincent that, despite his doubts about his ability as an artist, his work would survive for decades, influencing and inspiring countless people, but in the end, even that knowledge wasn’t enough to save him and overcome his affliction. That doesn’t mean, however, that their presence in his life wasn’t important, or didn’t affect him in a positive way.

Pretty heavy stuff for a Saturday afternoon kids programme.

I appreciate the gentle, realistic hand the writer (Richard Curtis, known mostly for light comedy like the wonderful “Vicar of Dibley”) used in dealing with important, weighty subject matter, without falling back on any of the usual “Very Special Episode” tropes so common in other venues, such as American sitcoms; a plot sledgehammer becomes unnecessary when one has an affecting story, well told.

This was enough to make this episode part of stuff I like a lot…one doesn’t even need to mention how the skillful and economic use of a couple of tiny little details fit this largely standalone story into the larger arc of the current series. Such things are merely delicious icing on a very nice cake; this episode is definitely a high point of the series, and this particular series (that is, series five of the relaunch) is VERY GOOD.

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