CW: Depression and Suicide
Last month I wrote a post about an episode of Doctor Who that changed my outlook on life and moved me like no other. (Which you can read here.) In it, I mentioned that the monster in the episode was its weakest point and glossed over it, but after re-watching the episode again, I noticed that the monster was actually a pretty obvious metaphor for depression and mental illness, and I feel really stupid for completely overlooking it. The Krafayis is the main antagonist of the episode, which is a lone, blind alien that was left behind by its kind on earth after it got lost. The Krafayan race is extremely cruel and violent, and it is revealed later on that the alien was actually blind. The thing about the Krafayis is that only Vincent can see it, and he’s treated like a madman because of this. I think you can see where I’m going.
Unlike other disabilities, mental illness can very well go unseen by others, and it can seem like a lonely and extremely difficult fight by those suffering. The Krafaysis represents Vincent’s fight with depression and suicidal thoughts and how people can assume that those who have these disorders are just either faking for attention or simply insane, especially during the time period the episode takes place in. Even when The Doctor and Amy come to help, they still can’t see the monster, even if they have good intentions. This represents that even friends and those who help support mentally ill people can try their best, but no matter how hard they try, they still won’t be able to fully understand what goes on in their head. I guess me not realizing the symbolism of the Krafaysis just shows how clever the metaphor really was. Even the audience has the ability to overlook the signs of mental illness.
This episode will always stay in my memory as one of the most impactful episodes of Doctor Who for the rest of my life. It holds a special place in my heart, and this detail I missed just makes me love it even more. I miss these stories in the show, and I hope the writers for the new seasons will be able to bring back the charm the older episodes of the show had. And if you’re fighting your own Krafayis, I promise there will be those there to help you, even if you think they may never understand.
