Last night Raffi and I uncorked a bottle of wine, lit some candles, and picked a Christmas episode of Doctor Who. It was the one where the 9th Doctor had just regenerated and we met David Tennant for the first time. A wildly out of control Tardis crash landed in the streets of London and the 10th Doctor stumbled out. “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” he exclaimed before passing out on the sidewalk. Rose rushed out of the Tardis and her mother and Mickey asked where the Doctor was. Rose told him, “That’s him, that’s the Doctor.” Her mother then shouted “DOCTOR??? DOCTOR WHO?!” and the scene faded to the spacey opening song.

I laughed and turned to Raffi. “Why do we watch this??” followed by “Oh yeah, because IT’S SO GOOD.”

Doctor Who took me a while to get into. It’s got some REALLY cheesy moments and if you are highly logical, nothing will make sense to you. I mean, why didn’t The Doctor give that chip thing to Rose so she could live forever like he gave to Arya Stark in season 9????

I all but suffered through season one… yes it had its moments, but for the most part I was distracted by a few cheesy lines and the terrible special effects. But then at the end of season one I found myself ugly crying when Rose was trying to find her way back to a lost Doctor and said:

The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You don’t just give up. You don’t just let things happen. You make a stand. You say “no”! You have the guts to do what’s right when everyone else just runs away!

At the same moment across a million years of time, The Doctor was being faced with the decision to allow aliens to enslave the world or he could launch a bomb to kill both the aliens and the Earth. The aliens ask him “So what are you? Coward or Killer?” To which the Doctor replies, “Coward. Any day.”

And with that, I was hooked.

I once had a girlfriend who absolutely refused to read Harry Potter. I asked her why and she made a face like I was asking her to eat a pound of spinach and said “Because… magic isn’t real.”

Oh. Okay. Yes. I know. In order to love Harry Potter, you kind of have to just accept the magic. You have to buy into it, right? The story isn’t the likelihood that expelliarmius would work on a super villain, it’s that the main character had the heart and the courage to stand up and fight in the first place.

Likewise, this show isn’t what it is because of the effects straight out of the early two thousands, or the fact that the whole of reality is always being threatened somewhere in each season. It’s the hero… his continuous bravery and courage to do what’s right. It’s his moral decree of “Never cruel or cowardly.” It’s the amazingly clever, time traveling, lonely Doctor with two hearts and his ordinary and completely extraordinary companions that make this the show of my heart. Simply put, this show has made me a better person.

Are you thinking about watching it?

Ok cool. It will change your life. Here’s some advice: Throw all logic out the window. Don’t overthink it.

1. You might want to give up 100 times during season 1. I LOVE the 9th Doctor but really, it wasn’t my favorite until the very last episode of season. Keep going.
2. Doctor Who is on Amazon Prime. You just have to watch from the reboot though, you don’t have to watch the episodes from the 60’s.
3. Watch a hook episode first. The one I started with was Blink. Watch Blink as an introduction to the style of the show. Timey Wimey, spacey wacey and all that.
4. Watch seasons 1-7. The 12th Doctor is where a lot of people drop off. But those first seven seasons are the good stuff.
5. Be careful with the order. After each season is a Christmas special that isn’t always included in the season after. Additionally, David Tennant has three specials that are in a different “Folder” on Amazon Prime.

I’m cringing a little writing this… I mean I didn’t think day 96 would be “Why You Should Watch Doctor Who” but seriously, if even one person decides to go for it, then that person will have their heart completely transformed.

Day 98 is currently reserved for any questions you have throughout the 100 days. To submit a question, please click here!  If you’re interested in supporting this project, please share, PIN and comment! Any other questions, comments or ideas, please feel free to email me at denise(at)denisekaris(dot)com

Denise Karis is an Arizona photographer who enjoys musicals, Doctor Who and breakfast burritos. IG @denisekaris