Day 7: Untraditional Traditions

Okay, okay, it's actually a couple of hours into April 8th but I have reasons. I was partaking in my Saturday Before Easter Traditions.

One thing you should know about me is that I kind of have a thing for odd traditions. I think it's my family's fault. When you combine Ashkenazic Judaism with Irish Roman Catholicism, things get a little weird. You wind up eating bacon and latke sandwiches on Christmas Eve and decorating the Christmas tree with Stars of David and having Seder in Methodist churches and sometimes your dad will make a hamantaschen in the shape of a cross just because.

And my Saturday Before Easter traditions are

1.) Watch Doctor Who

2.) Make custard late at night.

I think you can tell where those came from.

Two years ago I got back from a trip to my good friend Kara's house on the Saturday before Easter. This was also the Saturday the "The Eleventh Hour" aired. After running circles around the house and shouting at the sky etc., I convinced my brother to make custard with me. We didn't use whole milk and it was a failure. Oh well. Next year I made it with whole milk and it was delicious. This year there was no new Doctor Who episode so after a day of reading, baking with my mom (another Easter tradition- My mom makes these delicious things called Bread Bunnies. They are bread made into the shape of bunnies with Hershey's kisses in the center for hearts. This year I helped and towards the end of making them my mom and I decided to get a little creative and put chocolate in the head, body, or tail. It was decided that whoever got the Bunny with the most chocolate would win Easter.), and talking with friends, I decided to watch Vampires of Venice.

I hadn't seen this episode since it aired nearly two years ago and HOLY CRAP!!!!!! SO GOOD!!!!!!!! Just really, really good. So much mention of the Silence and vampire fish from space and memories of studying for AP Euro. And Rory. Back when I first watched this episode I was still getting used to the new Doctor, I thought Amy was selfish and rude, and that Rory was annoying. I'm used to 11 now. Amy still is selfish but in a tolerable and realistic way. And I did not see Rory for what he was in this. He completely called the Doctor's bluff about what really made him dangerous was people trying to impress him and how it was even worse than putting people in these strange situations in the first place. Maybe I've grown to understand the Doctor better now or maybe I'm just older but two years ago I wouldn't take any criticism on the Doctor. I would take criticism on regenerations but not the man himself. I love him too much and too blindly. Now a combination of growing up a bit more and gaining experience and how well Matt has portrayed the flawed Doctor but I can see his faults now. And I like it. And in a way, Rory reminds me of myself. He's not cowed by things and kind of just takes it in stride that he's sword fighting a vampire fish from space with a broom and he speaks to everyone as an equal, most notably the Doctor which no one has ever really done before, at least not in the New Series. I think that if there is one character in Doctor Who that I misjudged the most, it would be Rory.

Tomorrow, Easter, I watch Torchwood.