The fifth season of Doctor Who debuts on BBC America Saturday April 17th (9PM EST) and introduces Matt Smith as the eleventh incarnation of the infamous time traveler. We figured that this would be a good opportunity to look back at the recent revival of the series and give our opinions on the two actors who preceded Smith. We looked at Christopher Eccleston’s one and only season as the Doctor on Wednesday and today take a look at David Tennant’s initial run with the character.
By John J. Joex
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
The second season of the 21st century revival of Doctor Who introduced us to yet another incarnation of the Doctor (the tenth) as David Tennant took over the role from Christopher Eccleston who had shepherded in the reboot of series during its first season. Those familiar with the show know that the Doctor can regenerate into a new form with a new personality (though with the same memories) when mortally wounded. This was actually an ingenious device invented at the end of William Hartnell’s initial run with the character back in the 60’s. With the regenerations, the show was no longer tied to a specific actor, but to the character himself and this has helped the series grow and revitalize itself across its long run. Now I have to admit that I was disappointed when I heard that Eccleston was departing from the role because I rank his portrayal of the Doctor second only the Tom Baker who played the character from 1974 to 1981 and has long been a fan favorite. But David Tennant did do a decent enough job assuming the character and has since surpassed Baker in the eyes of many fans (not myself, though).
Like Eccleston before him, and like many of the actors that have assumed the role, Tennant immediately stepped in and took command of the character and made it his own. His Doctor was a bit more jovial and easy-going than Eccleston’s more cranky and brooding portrayal. But the tenth Doctor definitely had his dark side that revealed itself through his impatience and at times near-maniacal behavior. He still had a strong bond with his companion Rose Tyler (Billy Piper) which actually grew even stronger as the season progressed and resulted in her proclaiming her love for him just before she departs at the end of the season.
The second year of the Doctor Who revival continued pretty much as the first with stories containing a strong British bent to them, though the writing seemed to take a step backward. The show continued to flirt with the absurd with such oddities as homicidal Christmas trees and the entire world accepting the sudden appearance of ghosts, but it failed to deliver the more intriguing plots that we saw during the prior year that helped the viewers look past the show’s more extreme flights into fancy. In fact, the second season delivered a rather lack-luster yarn for the return of the Doctor’s long time foes the Cybermen then completely flubbed what could have been a battle for the ages as the Cybermen and the Daleks came face to face in the two-part season finale. The second season did have its moments, though, such as “Tooth and Claw” (which laid the seeds for the Torchwood spin-off), “School Reunion” (which gave us the return of Sarah Jane Smith plus an appearance from Anthony Head), and the two-part “The Impossible Planet”/”The Satan Pit” (in which the Doctor faces off with the Dark One himself). But overall, David Tennant’s inaugural run as the Doctor seemed marred by sub-standard writing.
The series did continue the trend of focusing on the personal life of Rose Tyler (something we had not seen with previous companions) as well as how the grand events presented in the stories impacted all of the characters involved. It also mined the Doctor’s past with the return of the Cyberman, the Daleks, and former companion Sarah Jane Smith (Elizabeth Sladen). In the episode that reunited her with the Doctor, we get a hint that her relationship with the Time Lord (who she traveled with in his third and forth incarnations) may not have been as platonic as portrayed on screen. She betrays the feelings she had for him and we feel the sense of loss that she suffered when he left her behind to continue on alone (at the end of the four-part serial “The Hand of Fear” in 1976). She also conveys these feeling to Rose as she warns her that her grand escapade with this mysterious man could end at any time.
The second season did manage to deliver some pivotal, character-building moments like this, but unfortunately not as often as we might prefer. It thus left me with a rather unsatisfied feeling after whirlwind trip of the first season. Not that it was bad, it had some very good moments and David Tennant did a decent enough job of assuming the reins of the iconic character. It also continued to deliver that sense of escapist fun which defines the show and has kept afloat through much of the its long run. This season just seemed like a bit of a letdown and never quite delivered on its promise. Better times were ahead for Tennant in his run with the Doctor, though, and he would stay with the character through 2009 and establish himself as one of the most memorable actors to tackle the role.
Previous: A Look at Christopher Eccleston’s Only Season as the Doctor
