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Thursday, August 8, 2013

Doctor Who Tag - Day Six

Favorite Doctors

I listed who my favorite Doctors are in this post, although truthfully I love every one of the eleven Doctors (soon to be twelve).  The Doctors I listed were the ones I knew most about.  The reason I did not include Two, Three, Six, Seven, and Eight as my favorite Doctors, was not because I didn't like them, but because I was less familiar with them.  Every actor who has played the Doctor has contributed to Doctor Who in their own way, and has made their role as the Doctor their own.  They all deserve recognition.


Even so, I will admit that I do in fact have a favorite Doctor.  And that is Matt Smith's Doctor, Eleven.  Matt Smith is my Doctor.  His episodes weren't the first I watched, but in a way he is the reason I am a Doctor Who fan now.  I became interested in Doctor Who through his popularity.  Matt Smith's era was what made Doctor Who as popular as it is today.  Of course, David Tennant's era helped the show gain popularity as well, but Matt Smith made the show unavoidable; he drew attention to it.  At least, that is what I have observed.



The fact that Matt Smith is the youngest actor to play the Doctor is very interesting, because his Doctor is the oldest so far.  He is playing an old man in a young man's body, and that concept has always fascinated me.  He presents a profound performance, that allows us to see the ancient soul within the childlike exterior.  He is both innocent and light-hearted, yet burdened with memories of a "dark and dangerous past".  It's as though Ten regenerated into Eleven because he wanted to lighten his burden by turning into someone childish and light-hearted, although in the end, loneliness and heart-break were inescapable.  He may have realized this when he lost Amy and Rory.  That's how I view it.


I love when he twirls around in his TARDIS and when he makes humorous remarks, like when he said, "You swallowed a planet!", to Amy in the episode, "Amy's Choice".  Matt's such an emotional, heart-felt, and funny Doctor, and his bright personality clearly shows.  Not to mention that his connection with young Doctor Who fans and his understanding of children are irreplaceable.

I love 11 and Amy's friendship.
"Yowza!"
I also love that he's a very modern Doctor, yet old-fashioned at the same time, which is reflected in his clothing.  Sometimes he seems like a grandpa deep inside (well, he is a grandpa, actually - Susan Foreman's grandpa to be precise).  He especially reminds me of a grandpa in the episode, "The Angels Take Manhattan", in which he wears very old-fashioned glasses (that is, they seem old-fashioned to me).

What is so cool about Matt Smith's Doctor is that he is the most modern and young of all the Doctors, yet he maintains many characteristics of the Doctors from the Classic Who era.  For example, Matt Smith's favorite Doctor is Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, and I can see how he has influenced him.  For one thing, Patrick Troughton wore bow ties, and now Matt has brought them back, cooler than ever.

So, thank you Matt for being my Doctor.  I love all of the Doctors, but Matt will always be my absolute favorite.

4 comments:

  1. You are spot on about Matt Smith. For a while, I couldn't decide between David Tennant and Matt Smith, and I might wrestle with the choice again sometime – but even though David Tennant is COMPLETELY brilliant, Matt Smith's portrayal of the doctor is undoubtedly my favorite. For all of the reasons you mentioned :)

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  2. Matt Smith is definitely my favorite as well. My initial reaction to him after the regeneration was "I don't like him" but he soon became my favorite. I really like how he is wacky and alien, yet cares for people. Also his sense of humor is unbeatable, he is always hilarious! I can't stand all the haters who say he has ruined Doctor Who.

    -James

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  3. Aw, I agree with everything you said! He definitely is an old soul in a young body. Matt Smith is the epitome of cool, and Eleven is fun and wonderful and amazing and I'm going to miss him and his quirkiness SO much when he's gone! Hopefully though, Matt will be in so many other movies and shows that we won't have to miss his acting! :)

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  4. Matt Smith has been really great as the Doctor. Like you say he has a nice mix of young and old in his character. New and old. It took me a little to get use to him as the Doctor, but now I will really miss him when he is gone. :(

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