The Doctor in Disguise

As many people say and as I believe is true, one of the reasons for the successful longevity of Doctor Who is the way that the Doctor, and the show with him, is able to regenerate again and again. I could write so many spin-off topics based around this concept; for now I will start with the most ridiculous, and boring, of them.

I did a character comparison of the Doctor and Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie. Now we will go for something more direct. I'd like to explain why Willy Wonka could be a missing version (or future version?) of the Doctor. Incredibly boring and obvious, right? But I can't help it.

I was explaining to someone the other day why I do like Willy Wonka in the movie (Gene Wilder, not Johnny Depp). He has a cane and wears a hat and a long coat and acts crazy. The Doctor's also crazy, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not but always in a good way. And he tends to have a significant fashion accessory. David Tennant, right away, asked for a long coat. Matt Smith has the bow tie--and sometimes the fez. I haven't even watched him yet, but I already know that Tom Baker was the one with the scarf. Crazy, signature fashion items. I love it. That's how I like to be sometimes. Hello, here I am with my green shoes or my dinosaur necklace or, yes, a hat. Or worse, green tights.

It all sounds so simple to describe. But either character isn't just about throwing in odd clothes and behavior: it all has to come together in a certain way. Willy Wonka spins his cane around and uses it in important moments, like when he introduces himself to the crowd and pretends to have lost his grip on it or when he forms a barrier out of it when letting the group into the chocolate waterfall room. The tenth doctor's coat is designed to have the perfect shape for all the running scenes, so it's never just a bulky, oversized garment; as something that could easily obscure a person, it never does. You see what I mean? The specific brand of craziness must go with the specific clothing or accessory selections. If I wore a wide-brimmed hat, it would swallow me and I would look awkward. But if I throw on my green heels, purple tights, a gray dress, and my T-Rex necklace, I just look like crazy me.

Never to obscure but to enhance must always be the outfit.

(And, yes, I did go on a bit of a tangent inside a tangent. I had intended to go over things like how the Oompa Loompas are probably just aliens that the Doctor has helped out and how he has the best chocolate recipes because he gets them from the future and he also traveled in time in order to make sure that Charlie Bucket would get one of the Golden Tickets and such.)