Doctor Who Parody

Let's see, how long did it take for everything to go full circle? Was it four months? Four months from when The Hillywood Show announced they would be parodying Doctor Who and I decided it was time I started watching the show to the release of their video--it felt like a long time to wait, but maybe it was all a rather quick process, after all. In five months, I've gone from being one of the group who were confused about what Doctor Who was really about to being a bit of a fan. And now, today, the long-awaited parody came out. It was worth the wait.

On the third view, it struck me that what this video is about is, essentially, what the show is all about. In under five minutes (not including credits), Hillywood has packed in so much. They really know how to successfully enter a new world and capture its tone. I have already mentioned that I am thrilled that they chose the tenth doctor, but we don't just see one companion. Rose, Martha, and Donna all feature, in an homage to the tradition of companions who all come and go but all are important. The rather large cast of creatures and villains represents that aspect of the show. Then there are the quick changes in emotional range, all wrapped up in a single song. We see the tragic moments with Rose and also the lighthearted moments with Donna. That's how the show is: it gives us fun and comedy and it also gives us tragedy and sadness. That's one of the things that makes it good. 

I already felt certain that Hilly was playing the Doctor, and she was wonderful, as always. I wasn't, however, expecting Hannah as Donna. Perhaps I was surprised because, when they revealed that the tenth doctor would be the focus, they also revealed Bad Wolf Bay, which made me think of Rose. I always thought Hannah might play Rose. But she was a fantastic Donna. Along with Mrs. Lovett and Alice, I think Donna has turned into one of my favorite of Hannah's roles. 

If the parody was missing something, it may have been England. The sets are limited to Bad Wolf Bay and the TARDIS, inside and out--because I think that's all that they could do. And even that was quite a bit. The TARDIS, how wonderful. I was expecting the outside, but the inside, too? Lovely. And the Daleks. There were Daleks. Two of them. How did they manage to get those? Even K-9 had a cameo. And, of course, all of this is in addition to all the wonderful creature costumes. Have they ever included so many special costumes? They really put everything into this one video.

And because we all enjoy behind the scenes so much, in addition to the 50 minutes of Behind the Scenes, there is a second, 20 minute video with even more footage. Hillywood fans, we're getting spoiled. (Maybe not since it was about a six month wait since the last video. It's okay, though, we'll wait.)

The old Hillywood episodes used to center around time travel through the DeLorean; it seems only fitting that they should return to time travel once again. I wonder if, perhaps, in the future, the TARDIS might take over a similar role to the DeLorean's. What a grand old time it all is.