Drama
Doctor Who
The good Doctor’s been flitting around time, space and the BBC since 1963. Now he’s also a fixture in the US, toting his curiously British brand of sci-fi in his highly mobile TARDIS. Just how safe is this contraption?
Stay inside. Outside the sanctuary of your home lie ravenous monsters eager to attack and destroy you.
So Danny has always been taught. So he has always believed. Monsters are real, and vicious, and hungry. His father has told him so.
That father, Steve, has told these lies for what he thinks are the best of reasons. Traumatized by the tragic death of his wife, Steve can’t bear to see another family member get hurt. His solution? Force Danny to stay inside forever by convincing him that dangerous monsters killed his mother. And they’re looking for him, too.
Steve’s deception works. As a child, Danny may have been curious about the outdoors, but by age 18, Danny seems content watching television at home.
Is this happily ever after, then?
No way.
The British series, Somewhere Boy, begins when Danny’s life turns upside-down. Steve commits suicide, and Danny is brought to live with his aunt, Sue.
Although Sue and her husband, Paul, warmly welcome Danny, his fear of lurking monsters haunts him. As does something deeper.
Somewhere Boy poignantly communicates the feeling of loneliness. Although Danny’s relationship with his father seems sweet at times, their closeness depends entirely on a lie. As we follow Danny’s adult journey and flash back to his childhood, there is a consistent theme: He longs for genuine connection but can’t seem to find it.
Aaron, Danny’s cousin and Sue’s son, also experiences loneliness, but in a more relatable sense. Aaron’s biological father left him, and although Paul attempts to be a good stepdad, they haven’t connected. And despite significant attempts to fit in with his peers, Aaron lacks real friends.
Somewhere Boy draws the viewer into Danny’s and Aaron’s isolation effectively, which often makes it difficult to watch.
If you think Somewhere Boy sounds like a heavy show, you are absolutely right. This compelling story explores themes of childhood trauma, parental abuse and grief. Characters experience panic attacks and terrifying nightmares. The show potently invites you into the pain of Danny and Aaron, making it extremely effective … and potentially triggering.
The show contains other problems, too. Having been sheltered his whole life, Danny has limited knowledge when it comes to sexuality, and his naivety can lead to embarrassing situations—for both the folks in the show and those watching it. (In an early episode, for instance, Danny walks in on Paul and Sue during an obviously intimate moment.) And as Danny grows in his independence, he sexually experiments with another man.
Unfortunately, the language in Somewhere Boy matches its mature themes. Characters regularly employ the British profanity, “bloody” and misuse God’s name. The show also includes multiple uses of harsher profanity like “c–t,” the f-word and the s-word.
Somewhere Boy has received a great deal of critical praise, and I’m not surprised. It doesn’t just tell a story; it evokes emotion. Nevertheless, the traumatic elements, sexual content, and harsh language will have most families looking somewhere else for their entertainment.
Danny’s isolated life changes drastically after the death of his father. His aunt, Sue, and cousin, Aaron, must adjust to Danny’s presence in their home.
Sue and her husband, Paul, welcome Danny into their home. Both make significant attempts to connect with Danny. Meanwhile, Aaron is less than thrilled with their new houseguest.
Danny watches a black-and-white movie where a couple passionately kisses. Danny is seen without his shirt. A character reveals that his father left him when he was a kid. A character offers a teenager a beer. A woman comes out of a shower, and her bare backside is seen.
A man wears a helmet and carries a rifle. A man commits suicide, but we only hear the gunshot. Police drag a character from a house as the character screams. A dead body is seen, but the face is hidden. Discussions about childhood abuse take place. An adult yells at a child. A character carves open an animal carcass and smears its blood on his face. Aaron plays a shooting video game on his phone.
Because of Steve’s warnings, Danny still fears the outdoors and experiences graphic nightmares. He often dreams of the hypothetical monsters who are unclothed humanoid creatures. Danny suffers panic attacks when he goes outside.
A character jokingly misquotes the Bible, saying, “Man can’t live by Jaffa cakes alone.”
Characters use profanity such as the f-word and s-word, along with “h—,” “pervert,” “p—y” and “c—t.” misuses of God’s name. We also hear British profanities such as “bloody.”
Danny moves to a youth hostel where he explores his independence.
Sue grieves that Danny is no longer living with them. Paul comforts her. Paul and Aaron’s relationship also improves, and we see them bonding.
A male character holds the hand of another male character. Later the men kiss passionately. Two men have sex off camera: We see them in a post-coital state afterward. Women at a bachelorette party have a baseball cap with male genitalia on it. We see Danny without a shirt on. Danny meets a man named Ash who reveals he had a boyfriend in the past. Two men in their boxers are shown.
Women at bachelorette party are drunk. Danny also drinks. We hear profanity such as “bloody,” “c–t” and the f-word.
Danny goes back to his old house and relives the night of his father’s death.
Aaron and Sue have a healthy discussion about their relationship, talking through the issues they had been having. In a flashback, we see a tender moment in which young Danny and Steve embrace.
Steve fires a gun and shoots an animal. He smears the animal’s blood on his face. A character has a nightmare in which he runs down the stairs in fear. A character shoots someone with a rifle. We see the reaction of the shooter rather than the person being shot.
[Spoiler warning]: Steve tries to shoot Danny and puts a gun to his head. Danny is afraid and runs out of the house. Steve chases him.
Characters misuse God’s name.
The good Doctor’s been flitting around time, space and the BBC since 1963. Now he’s also a fixture in the US, toting his curiously British brand of sci-fi in his highly mobile TARDIS. Just how safe is this contraption?
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