“I don’t want
to go” the final words uttered by David
Tennant as the 10th Doctor might be what a majority of fans were actually
thinking as the days were counting down towards his last story. I myself didn’t want David Tennant to leave
the show as I really enjoyed his take on The Doctor. I guess after 4 years of
enjoying his performance as the Doctor I got a bit selfish, as most fans do
when a Doctor they like leaves the show, and didn’t want his era to end. As with most things in life and as the quote
goes “in life all good things come to an end” and indeed the 10th
Doctor did make way for Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor.
Since he took
over from Christopher Eccleston on Christmas day in 2005 David Tennant cemented
the part as his own. He brought
enthusiasm, charisma and a lot of emotion to the Doctor that seemed to be the
sort of thing you come to expect from The Doctor. What made David Tennant a good Doctor is that
when an episode was pretty weak his performance saved it from being a
clunker. Well most of the time. There are a few exceptions. (Love and Monsters comes to mind.) The 10th Doctor could be funny and goofy at
times but he could turn deadly serious if circumstances merit it. The thing that always sticks out about David
Tennant was his love for the show.
He has stated
several times in interviews that he was a fan of the show. Maybe that is why he may be regarded as one
of the most popular Doctors ever. David
Tennant was voted the most popular Doctor ever on a couple of occasions until Matt
Smith came along. That vote could mainly
be contributed to the fact that David Tennant is the face of the new generation
of Doctor Who fans who have become fans of the show while he had the mantle. When people think back about the return of
Doctor Who they will think about David Tennant and his four years not Christopher
Eccelston’s one year unfortunately.
It’s simple
to figure out David Tennant has been the face of Doctor Who for so long that it
mirrors the 70’s when Tom Baker was king.
People will recognize David Tennant for being the Doctor more than
anything he will do next. Maybe that is
more of a tribute to his performance and the way it stuck in people’s minds as
being one of the best portrayals of The Doctor ever. Well one of the best in eleven as all The
Doctors are the best portrayals of The Doctor ever.
One of the
negatives about the David Tennant era and still going on now is the fangirls
and guys. With their obsession with
David Tennant and how good looking he is has turned off a lot of fans towards
him. Now this is not the fault of David
Tennant but the writers and Russell T. Davies did make him the sexy Doctor who
the female companions like Rose, Martha and the one off Astrid all fell in love
with him. This aspect was nauseating and
got on fans nerves but more so from the way the fangirls and guys fawned over
him. I find it unfair to judge his era
on this as David Tennant did a really good job as The Doctor and his era was
pretty good and I do find it more enjoyable than what Steven Moffat has done
for the Matt Smith era.
When we look
back on the David Tennant era we will think of stories that saw the return of
Sarah Jane and K9. We will be
remembering the way Rose was taken away from him in a battle with the Cybermen
and Daleks. How can you forget one of
the best stories with a bunch of Weeping Angles and Sally Sparrow. We also saw the return of the Master, Davros,
Sontarans and the Timelords. How can you forget the 5 minute mini episode when
the 10th Doctor meets the 5th Doctor. It was a classic way to bridge old with new
and feel all fan boy about it. It was a great homage to the past and just puts
a smile on your face.
David
Tennants Doctor was very lucky to have good companions with him. Rose, Martha, Donna, Captain Jack and Wilf
all brought out the best in each other and there have been some pretty good
touching moments between David Tennant and his companions. For one how can you
forget the scene in Journey’s End where he has to save Donna and wipe her memory
of their time together. It was very sad
indeed. The thing about the Tenth Doctor
is that his companions made him better.
They kept him grounded and prevented him from going out of control and
been destructive. We find out from the
Tenth Doctor that he needs his companions and should never be alone. We see the results of what happens when he is
allowed to be on his own in The Water of Mars when he decides to play god and
save people who time says has died.
I’m not going
to make any excuses. I think David
Tennants era of Doctor Who was pretty good and very enjoyable to watch. I know there are some who can make an
argument against David Tennant but you have to admire his performance and
popularity to keep Doctor Who going for Matt Smith and for Peter Capaldi to
give it a go. So it’s been a heck of a
ride with some great moments and performances that makes David Tennants
portrayal of the Doctor a pretty memorable one.
So here is to David Tennant and the 10th Doctor for four years of great
memories and one fantastic era.
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