I'm a latecomer to Doctor Who and not the most dedicated watcher. I've gotten to the point where I get the basic premise, pretty much. But I'm also at the point where I don't know how much of what I consider basic is specific to the way David Tennant has played the part, and how much is basic to the role. But David Tennant has played the part as fairly light hearted mostly, good-spirited, and attractive. (Well, last night wasn't so light-hearted.)
And now there's a new Doctor.
(Do they ever have female doctors? Because at the switchover, it sounded like he was making a sexist comment about coming back as a "girl." Did I mis-hear?)
(I was half going to try to write this in verse, in imitation of Browning's "My Last Duchess," but I'm lousy at verse.)
There are female Time Lords (or were, rather), but so far the Doctor has never been a woman, and it's not clear whether or not that's even possible. People have always speculated, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Doctor who is usually light-hearted, good-spirited (attractive was less necessary in the early days) but there's always been a bit of darkness too.
if you haven't seen the first season of the new series (or the first series rather as they call it in England but it makes it very confusing) with Christopher Eccleston you have GOT to see it - he's partially my favorite because he's really my first doctor (even if I saw one episode each of doctors #11 and #10 before Christopher's #9 season)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, female time lords, but no real clear canon on whether he could change gender. Personally I think Time Lords are close enough to humans, despite the two hearts and brilliance and you know, owning Tardis's and all, that I think the doctor is specifically a male Time Lord, but that's just my opinion.
Christopher Eccleston I always think was darker and less silly - until I go back and watch it and realize he was in his own way - no where near as silly as David Tenant or Matt Smith's doctors, but still silly. But yes, somehow light-hearted and silly, and yet dark and tormented at the same time, and it works...
I can't say that I really read Tennant's Doctor as light-hearted. You'd have trouble sustaining that impression through "Waters of Mars" or in the way the Doctor Donna plays out in "Journey's End."
ReplyDeleteIt's also most painfully clear in his final episodes, "The End of Time."
This is a Doctor who has finally and fully come to grips with what he did in the Time War in front of the audience. If he's light-hearted because it is only to temporarily relieve his painful, lonely, death-ridden existence.
Sure, he's quirky and witty and has a great smile, but he's a Doctor to remember because beneath his false lightness is a consuming fire that threatens anything and everything that get too close to him (as a character warns him).
Glad you're enjoying the series! The new Doctor is turning out to be a lot of fun, too. (And Chris E.'s S1 Doctor is definitely worth checking out.)
You did mis-hear: he said "still not ginger" as in "still not a red head."
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