The article “Maybe that’s what happens if you touch the Doctor, even for a second”: Trauma in Doctor Who. Is an analysis of trauma in the show Doctor Who. It goes in depth about different types of trauma that is represented or misrepresented in some cases throughout the show. It lists specific episodes that represent the authors points. As someone who has seen the show and most of the episodes the author talks about. I would say that it is an accurate analysis of the show and those episodes.
The audience for this article would be anyone who is interested in Doctor Who. If you want to learn something about some of the more serious metaphors in the writing of the show, this article talks a lot about some of the more serious themes of the show. The trauma it talks about isn’t always clear just from watching the show. But on reflection, it shows how serious a lot of the things The Doctor and his companions face.
The article starts off explaining a little bit about trauma and the kinds that it is going to be discussing throughout. The first major section is about Colonialism and how it affects the people being oppressed in the places that are being colonized. Colonization comes up a lot in Doctor Who. It is a show about time and space so they show a lot of human colonization of other planets. A lot of the time it is being compared to British colonization back in the age of the British Empire.
The article gives a few specific episodes that back up theme. Planet of the Ood for example, is about a human colony that has taken a peaceful alien race known as the Ood into slavery. They cut off the Ood’s secondary brain, which is used for telepathic communication and replace it with a translator device that allows them to interpret orders. The trauma from this is shown throughout the episode through some Oods going mad and their eyes turning red. The human colonists think it is a rebellious revolt when it happens, but it is actually a result of the trauma from being cut off from the Ood hivemind.
The second section of the article talks about The Doctor’s trauma after regenerating. Whenever a new actor takes over the role The Doctor must regenerate. This causes him a lot of stress and can have a lot of different effects on the character, most of the effects are a side effect of the trauma he endures when regenerating. It talks about him suffering from amnesia, trying to act like his former self, and trying to get a grip on what he is going to be like now. He talks about how the fourth Doctor was initially rude and arrogant when coping with the stress of his regeneration, but eventually recovers into the goofy Doctor that everyone loved.
The article also goes into the effects of PTSD on The Doctor himself. Starting in the 2005 reboot, The Doctor was a much different character than he used to be. The 9th incarnation was the sole survivor of a massive war that wiped out both his own race and the Daleks. On the outside he is the same goofy, jolly Doctor that he has always been, but deep down he is brooding and angry. He is less merciful to his enemies and isn’t against killing like he used to be, at least until the end of the season when he is faced with the decision to slaughter billions of people to wipe out the Daleks once and for all.
It goes onto explain the effects of trauma on The Doctor’s companions and the people around him, but for the rest of the article it mostly focuses on the posttraumatic effects that are shown throughout the series on The Doctor. It talks about how this is the main difference between the older series and the reboot series. The show used to be more about the effects of trauma on people around him and now it focuses a lot more on The Doctor himself and his Companions.
I think that the style of the article could use a little work. While it is a study on the effects of trauma throughout the show, I felt like it was a bit too dry. In the end it is still an article about the show Doctor Who though and that still keeps it decently entertaining. The thoughts and ideas are presented in a clear and organized manner. The article does use a lot of technical words throughout it when talking about the different kinds of trauma and stress so it may not be for everyone.
