I don't know how old I was when I first saw Dr. Who. This was back when VCR's were knew and the first episode we captured on tape was "Android Invasion." This adventure, featuring the fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith, along with the last on-screen appearances of Harry Sullivan and Sergeant Benton, is still one of my all-time favorites. After that, the VCR must have worked only sporadically, because we got only part of the shows from "Brain of Morbius" to "Androids of Tara." Thank goodness for video catalogs! We're working on the whole Tom Baker collection, now missing only a few Leela episodes, and we've also taken a big chunk out of Pertwee (sounds painful, doesn't it?).

So, with a good share of the third Doctor, virtually all of the fourth and fifth Doctor, all of the sixth and seventh Doctors, and one measely episode of the first Doctor, I feel confident that I can be called a fan (don't worry, Patrick, I promise that I'll get to you someday :-)

It's now going on 20 years since I first layed eyes on the Doctor, I am still hooked! So, just what is it about this fakey, corny, screamy sci-fi show that makes it so popular--not only with me, but with many others?

Beats me.

Okay, I'll give it a shot. Dr. Who is a comfortable show to watch. Even though the special effects make the original Star Trek look sophisticated, the on-location shoots more than make up for them. Besides, somehow, the bad effects are one of the show's most endearing attributes. Maybe we're tired of all these perfection-seeking computer-animated masterpieces. Maybe we are looking for the opposite: just some good, honest fun. The Doctor is both wise and adventurous. The companions, though sometimes a little goofy, are mostly lovable. Speaking of love, the concept does crop up frequently. It's a rare episode when some randy alien isn't coveting Peri's body; it's almost as rare to see a show where someone--alien menace or human soldier--isn't trying to chat up Jo. Ian and Barbara are probably the most famous example of a love story between companions, though Ben and Polly certainly had feelings for each other. You're on much less certain ground if you want to argue about other companions and their feelings: Jamie and Zoe, Jo and Benton or Yates, Sarah and Harry, Nyssa and Adric, Tegan and Turlough, and last (but not least), Ace and Doc #7.

My favorite love stories? Well, the pairings listed above are basically the main ones. Ace and the seventh Doctor could be more of a father-daughter relationship, depending on which angle you want to take. Admittedly, Tegan and Turlough did not get on all that well when they were with the Doctor, and did not leave to the same place or time. Don't think that'll stop them, though.... As for Nyssa and Adric, well, Adric is dead. Many fans, of course, applaud this fact, since Adric was not the most popular character, being perceived as somewhat of a whiner. But in Doctor Who, is death really a barrier? Ah yes, Sarah and Harry. This was one of my favorites; I love to watch their good-natured bickering. And yes, they do both end up in the same time and place on Earth. Now, we come to the triangle: Benton, Jo, and Yates. Well, since Jo went off and married someone else entirely, this one kind of seems pointless, until you realize that in Dr. Who, virtually anything is possible. As for Jamie and Zoe, I haven't seen enough of them to know how deep their feelings were, but I do know that they don't remember anything about each other, so the point kind of seems moot, doesn't it? However, as I said before, anything is possible....

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