The 10th Doctor

This review is going to be a little bit different because its not about a single episode or series as a whole. Instead, its more about a character. And instead of a character, its more about an incarnation of a character.

I think one of the things that make Doctor Who so interesting is the fact that the Doctor is played by multiple actors. Same Doctor, same memories, but a different face and personality. I don't even need to see all the previous Doctors to just think that that is so interesting. And in the Whovian fan community, the fan favorite is David Tennant's incarnation of the Doctor.

And while I include myself in that group, I have to ask myself, why? Why is David Tennant so popular?

While Tennant did star in some great episodes like "Blink", "Silence in the Library" and "The Girl in the Fireplace", there are a lot of Tennant Episodes that are really just okay. While I enjoyed the hell out of them when I first watched them, not a lot of Tennant's first season is that memorable to me. Which is surprising because that's his season with Rose, that's suppose to be the season that everybody fell in love with the idea of the Doctor and Rose being together and yet its a short 14 episode long season with 3 two part episodes and only a few really memorable episodes. And then there's the second season which was kind of the same. Lots of fans were lukewarm about Martha and again, with the exception of a few episodes like Blink and The Family of Blood two parter, its really an alright season. Not phenomenal but not awful, just kind of there.

Now Tennant's run and Smith's Run were very different because the show definitely went through some CGI improvements and just got a facelift overall after Tennant left. You also have to keep in account the fact that Steven Moffat took over the show. I love Russell T Davies, but I'm slowly coming to realization that I like Moffat's writing and style better. And Moffat combined with Tennant is actually really really great.

And it brings me to the reason I decided to write this review. I am going through the new series of Doctor Who with my girlfriend and we just got to The Silence in the Library and the Forest of the Dead. These episodes are by far two of the best episodes in the David Tennant series and possibly in the entire show. This was the beginning of the River Song storyline and brilliantly utilized time travel the way it should be used. Think about it, time travelers meeting in different points in their history? That's amazingly brilliant. Tennant is brilliant in the episode (not saying he isn't regularly) and his character and acting is really pushed in this episode. Also the idea of there actually being something in the dark and counting the shadows is one of those Doctor Who things you just don't forget. Counting the shadows, don't blink, marking your arm when you see the Silence, its just brilliantly done. And it makes me realize that the third season is really where David Tennant, Moffat, and even Davies really hit their stride. The show takes on a more mystical and alien tone. The CGI gets a lot better to make things more believable. And having Donna as the companion gets rid of the sexual attraction between the Doctor and his companions. While I did like Rose and the Doctor, the storyline with Martha got kind of old and whiney eventually. I'm not saying that Donna is the best companion of the Tennant years but she adds a lot that Rose and Martha never really could.

Also, as I stated before, Tennant just works with Moffat's writing really well. Lots of Moffat's writing is about the characters and how they not only survive but strive in the strange world that they exist in with this messiah, The Doctor, they follow. The Doctor becomes almost immortal in Moffat episodes and at the same time becomes even more relatable. And its kind of a shame that Tennant didn't continue for one more season.

Another great part about Doctor Who is how invested the actors become. When a Doctor regenerates, its not just that incarnation leaving, you feel the actor saying goodbye. I feel the goodbye to Matt Smith was really well executed because while I would have loved more seasons with him, it didn't feel strange to see him go. It was sad yes, but it didn't feel it was too soon.

When he's about to regenerate he talks about how we all change and that's a good thing. He talks about how he'll never forget "one line of this" "I'll always remember when the Doctor was me. This isn't just the 11th Doctor talking, its Smith himself. Its a great scene and a great send off.

So that brings me to the regeneration scene of David Tennant. A little bit of a background, Russell T. Davies decided he was going to leave the show and hand off the position of lead writer to Steven Moffatt. About the same time, Tennant said he was going to leave as well because he felt he'd go off on a high note rather than remain in the role until it got stale and old for him. There also seemed to be a bit of a regime change from the Doctor Who of Russel T. Davies to Steven Moffat. Along with that change, Tennant believed he was more of the Russel T. Davies Doctor and he thought he'd give Moffat range to do more with the character with a new face in the role.

Again, I think Moffat and Tennant would have made a brilliant team but going back to the regeneration scene.

Prior to the Final Tennant Special, there were allusions to the end of the 10th Doctor. Foreshadowing by the Ood saying the Doctor's song was coming to an end, and a psychic woman saying he will knock four times. The special alludes to the knocking coming from the Master who hears the constant knocking in his head as a signal from the Time Lords escape from a time locked Time War.

The two-part special has a few great conversations between the Doctor and Wilfred where he describes what happens when a Timelord regenerates. Thought life continues on, there's still a feeling of loss, a feeling of watching another man walk away with your life, your memories and the old incarnation just watches them as they slowly disappear.

I think the special really creates a sad introduction to the man replacing David Tennant. Now of course, David Tennant didn't write this line or the famous line right before he regenerates that brought all Doctor Who fans to the breaking point of tears.

So not only did Tennant leave Doctor Who too early but he inadvertently made it incredibly difficult for me to love anybody else in that role.

In fact, to be totally honest, I am just now starting to really love Matt Smith as the Doctor after watching and re-watching the 3 year run he had.

Despite the rich stories, the gorgeous and just down right wonderful companion, it took me a helluva long time to finally come to a point where I accepted the departure of David Tennant and accepted the fantastic performance that Matt Smith gave as the Doctor. Luckily, the regeneration scene was done with such grace and humility with Matt Smith that, while I will still miss the quirky incarnation, I am ready for something new, especially the very different direction that has been rumored for Peter Capaldi.

But I think the thing that made me finally accept the departure of David Tennant was the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor. If you'd like to read my review of that special, here's a direct link.

But the long and short of it is, it gave closure and signified exactly why Tennant's departure was so abrupt and emotional.

Tennant's character in the 50th Anniversary is described as the Doctor who regrets. He's portrayed as a vain, pretty boy, not only in the special but in the finale.

Now you'd think that would be insulting to an incarnation people love so much but for me personally, I think its hilarious.

David Tennant has great moments of bravery, of heroics, and overall awesomeness but his run was very different. He had relationships with his companions, he had very stylish hair. He was vain, he was a pretty boy. Especially compared with the incarnation of Matt Smith, who while younger than Tennant, actually portrays a Doctor who is more of a quirky old man. Very youthful in looks but wise beyond his looks. This doesn't make either incarnation better than the other, it just makes for a better evolution of the overall character of the Doctor.

Here's an example. While it doesn't go into incredible depth, this link talks about the different costume choices for each incarnation and how it relates to their character. The most interesting one is Christohpher Eccelston's. The fact he wears the leather jacket like a former WWII U-Boat Captain reflects his relation to the Time War. He's a soldier without a war. He doesn't know exactly what to do so he wanders the universe doing what the Doctor does best.

The Day of the Doctor seemed to give that last cementation of Tennant as his own incarnation of the Doctor.

While I think he would have flourished beyond comprehension in one season totally helmed by Steven Moffat and decorated by updated CGI and visual effects, the three seasons of David Tennant still stand out as some of my favorite episodes of the series.

I think the charm of Tennant was his confidence as the Doctor. As opposed to Eccelston's incarnation who hid more from the limelight, Tennant seemed to flourish in it. He still kept his identity a secret, but with Tennant it became more of a legend rather than a mystery. He rode the line perfectly of being a goofy jokester (Que Pear video) He also had incredibly serious moments and was also a compelling character. You could see the glee that came from discovering something new and the pure commitment to protecting the good and those he cared about.

I think the versatility of Tennant as an actor, with the ability to have such a range of being goofy and funny to being very serious and summon emotions, just makes him such a great Doctor and a great actor.

I'm going to add something to my promised list. I am an incredible fan of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Kenneth Branaugh did a film version that I absolutely love. I also know that David Tennant did a version but I haven't been able to see the entire thing yet. I'm not sure if I will do a comparison between the two or if I will do two reviews but expect them in the next few weeks.

So overall, what can I say about the 10th incarnation of the Doctor. While a part of me wants to say there were some missed opportunities there, I think with the combination of the heart wrenching finale, and the closure of the Day of the Doctor, David Tennant brought a whole new dimension to Doctor Who with his performance. It may have been Eccelston who paved the way for a new generation for the BBC show but Tennant refined it and made it something extraordinary.

Perhaps that didn't totally answer the questions I posed in the beginning but this has been a post I've been struggling with over the last few months. I'm glad I finally got this out to you guys. If there's anything you think I missed or should cover in more depth be sure to let me know in the comments below.

I'll leave you with this. There is almost too many videos I could leave you with that exemplify the brilliance of David Tennant. I'll leave you with this one he did introducing the cutting edge effects that would be used in the 50th Anniversary. Its worth a chuckle and I'll save the other videos for future posts on Doctor Who. Enjoy!