My 80-year-old aunt just messaged me on Facebook to ask “What should I really see and do to prepare for the upcoming Doctor Who special?” When I was a kid I used to watch it with her sometimes — my dad wasn’t a huge fan of “that British show about the guy with the Police Box,” but Aunt Lucinda and I both loved it. My parents got divorced when I was pretty young and my mom encouraged me to spend that time bonding with my dad’s family. The 4th Doctor was (and still is) our Doctor.

I spent about 10 minutes sending her recommendations of things to watch (she had no idea so much Classic Who was on Netflix!) and articles to read and then spent another 10 minutes just catching up with her. Aunt Lucinda’s health hasn’t been great lately, so it was wonderful to hear from her and to find out that she’s doing well and feeling better.

One of my favorite things about this show is how it spans generations. I’m 32, she’s 80, and we both are so excited about the 50th Anniversary Special that we’re bonding about it from a few hundred miles apart. Thanks for bringing people together, Doctor.

dealing with grief by ordering excellent vegan pizza