I finally got round to watching this week’s Dr Who. Me and my Dad are massive fans. We're also both terrified of spiders. Other fans will know that this week's episode presented something of a dilemma - it wasn't Daleks or Cybermen that would have us hiding under the sofa. In fact we can't hide under the sofa because...well...there might be something there...
My Dad braved it first. He eventually 'watched it' with the picture off, and warned me it was tough, but I was determined not to miss the episode. As it goes the spiders were fine. Well, not really, but I managed to watch enough to 'enjoy' the episode. What really threw me were the scenes where the recently widowed character, Graham (played by Bradley Walsh), has to return to the house he shared with his wife for the first time after her death. He has been exploring time and space with The Doctor since she died, but it is the first time he has to move through this familiar shared space knowing that she is no longer there. Of course we all spend time alone in the homes we share with other people. If it is a busy household we even savour these moments, but there is a subtle shift when you know that this is how it is going to be forever going forward. The bricks and mortar, furniture and evidence of a life shared are all still there, but it has been fundamentally changed. Graham sees her everywhere, telling him the practical things he needs to know. He talks to her as he wanders about without purpose. Another widow who watched the episode put it to me "I sat in an empty house, watching him in an empty house". Graham has seen so much since she died - whilst technically it was only 30 minutes ago, he has been travelling in the Tardis for three episodes, and only just managed to get back to Sheffield. Eventually he begs the Doctor to take him with her on her travels. “Grief takes time. I don’t want to spend it sitting at home, she is everywhere. Travelling with you makes it better.” I am putting our flat on the market this week. We lived here together for 15 years, it's my home and I have hung on as long as I can, but sadly it's time to go. It has affected me in ways I hadn’t expected. It’s been 19 months, and sometimes I fool myself that I am OK, I am moving on. Maybe I am, its hard to tell. There are still times when I wish the Dr would come and take me away in the Tardis... Dr Who Series 11:4. Arachnids in the UK Picture of the Tardis from here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |