Here TARDIS, TARDIS, TARDIS!

Fear not Earth, Doctor Who has returned...be it in a new form. His eleventh form to be exact. For those of you out there who aren't nerds like me and may not know the ins-and-outs of Time Lord science, the Doctor regenerates and when he does, he takes on a new form. He has once again taken a new form for Season 5. I admit to being a little tentative about the new doctor. I've been a total nutter about this show for the past few years, and David Tennant was aces in the role. However, I remember being a little nervous when he took over...so, I suppose change is just unsettling.

I'm happy to report, my fears were ungrounded. Matt Smith as the new doctor has been, to quote the Doctor, brilliant.

Also, this season is marked by Steven Moffat taking over as the head writer. Moffat has written most of my favorite episodes over the past years. "Blink," "End of Time", "Silence in the Library" and "The Empty Child." Now, as a writer, I take notice of television writing. A poorly written show irks me. Moffat is a wonderful writer. Watch those listed episodes and you'll see a very interesting style of storytelling. He just knows how to pace a story and keep you intrigued by layers and intelligent twists. He definitely adheres to a classical sci-fi aesthetic which is sorely missing in most sci-fi today. So far, this season has lived up to his previous episodes.

Another thing I've noticed about the show, starting really with the previous season, is much more focus on elements geared toward children and the inclusion of child characters. My guess is that this has to due with the popularity of the series with kids in the UK. In many ways, there are now a lot of Middle Grade story elements in the show, which I find fantastic. In many ways, this show has been one of the main inspirations for my interest in writing middle grade fiction over the past two years.

I think a big mistake that book people often make is that there is no value in television. I disagree. Television and movies can spark the imagination in so many ways. You just have to watch the right programs. Like books, there is much trash on the airwaves just as in the pages of most mass market racks. As always, it's all about the way in which a story is told. Do yourself a favor...get acquainted with the incredibly rich mythology of Doctor Who...it trumps Tolkien any day of the week.