Don't Blink: Thoughts on Time Travel

If you're a fan of Doctor Who, and if you know someone who isn't but probably would be if they'd just sit down and give the series a try, chances are you've uttered the following two words: "Watch Blink."

Perhaps not all, but most followers of the good doctor are quick to recommend this one particular episode as a primer for the uninitiated. It's not the beginning of the series, or even a season opener--it occurs towards the end of Season 3 of the newer shows, the David Tennant and Freema Agyeman years. In fact, the Doctor himself is confined to less than ten minutes of total screentime altogether, and none of the characters you meet here are at all relevant to the overarching storyline.

( So what exactly is so special about Blink? )