Waving Farewell to Fictional Friends

This past week I bid a fond farewell to a pair of fictional friends — Harry Potter and his friends, and David Tennant as Doctor Who. I must admit to having been a wee bit melancholy to know that I’ll not see anything new of them, ever again.

First, young Potter.

I never read the books. Don’t intend to. But I saw each film, and loved them all. I remember my first H.P. experience. When the first movie was released, I watched it in an almost deserted theater in Kalamazoo on Thanksgiving Day. I expected it to be OK but I wasn’t prepared to be swept away by the sense of magic and wild-eyed wonder that the film evoked. As the series progressed, the characters became more complex and the plots, darker. Yet enthralled I remained, until I watched the final scene of HP7.2 yesterday with more sadness than joy.

As for Tennant, all I can say is that his mannerisms and adventures made him the archetype of the Doctor. I watched both the end of Series 4 and “The End of Time” movies, and seeing Tennant’s Doctor engage in his valedictory lap, complete with companions of old, made me feel like I was losing a friend.

I don’t normally react to film or television like this. Sure, there are some programs and movies I’ve enjoyed, and some that have moved me to tears or laughter or anger, but I generally dont’ experience a sense of loss (albeit mild) when a fictional character reaches his retirement.

I must be getting all mushy in my old age.

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3 comments

  1. Hey Jay,
    I haven’t seen the last Harry Potter movie yet, but having read all the books a few times, I am prepared for the final film.

    With Doctor Who, I am caught up to current, and have been watching some of the older Doctors (pre-reboot). Of the newer ones, I liked all 3 of them, but Tennant was my favorite. He’s also the first I saw as the Doctor, when I was able to catch some of the then-new episodes of Season 2 on WGVU years ago. But I didn’t really get into it then. I only really got into it w couple months or so ago, after listening to friends on Twitter going on and on about how sweet the new season was. So I downloaded *all* of the episodes from the reboot. And now I am hooked.

  2. Read the books. They are deeper and richer than the movies and it’s kind of like getting to do it all over again. My daughter gave me her set. The magic and witches bothered her a bit, but she loved the books. Actually Rowlings tells a morality tale about the effect of your choices and about realizing you don’t have to do everything alone. It’s a very Christian message in its way….

    Tom

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