Wednesday, August 25, 2010

David Tennant: A Tragedy

SPOILERS: This article contains spoilers for seasons 1 through 4 1/2 of Doctor Who.
If you were female and a whovian between 2006 and 2010 then you probably had a crush on a certain striking Scotsman by the name of David Tennant, better know as Doctor #10. For many of us David was our first proper Doctor. Chris jumped in and out of our lives in a single season Tennant became a part of our lives. So when he announced that he was leaving the show, some of cried, some of us didn’t know what to say, some of us thought it was a hoax. But eventually 2009 turned in to 2010 and we had to say good-bye to our lonely doctor. “I don’t want to go” Tennant says. His voice cracks and we see all his pain swell up behind those deep brown eyes. No doctor has gone out this way, alone and in pain with the truth on his lips. Yet it is the most fitting end for this doctor, because Tennant’s Doctor is a tragedy.

At the end of season one he appears on the screen with a smile. That first year is his golden year. He and Rose had the perfect partnership. They fight monster, save planets or just muck about. He falls in love, finds a place on earth, and has Christmas dinner. Then suddenly Rose is gone. That moment at the end of season two where they stand in the same place at the same moment but are so far from one another is one of the most poignant moments on television. Billy cries. She’s devastated, brokenhearted but David looks shattered. After that moment the carefree smile he sports is a lie. he die’s a little as he says goodbye. He’s changed, he’s not the doctor anymore.

He meets Martha who reminds him who the Doctor. But they are not going to let him off that easy. No matter what he does he is reminded of what he’s doing wrong. Every time someone dies he blames himself. When he tries to run away, become human, he is called back. At last he is thrown a scrap of hope the words “you are not alone”. For a time lord survived the war, to have someone like him who know the pain and responsibility of a timelord, that would give him some relief. But that hope dies in his arms. After this he doesn’t smile. Martha leaves and he doesn’t stop her. He is alone.

Then comes Donna, she accepts nothing from him. She just wants to see the universe. They have fun, for a while. He finds a potential companion in a girl cloned from his cells. He learns to call her daughter, but she sacrificed herself for him. he blames himself. He doesn’t fight anymore he believes the he is to blame for the pain of people near to him. When Rose come back he gives everything she wants but pushes her away for him. He is forced to wipe Donna’s memories even as she pleads for him to let her stay.

For his last five episodes the doctor refuses to open up to anyone. he wallows in his loneliness becoming darker and darker until he is unrecognizable. When Wilf hands him a gun and tells to kill, we are no longer sure he will refuse. Yet he remains our doctor till the end giving his life to save Wilf. In that he never failed. He was always a hero and we love him. When he utters his last words you can’t help but say “we don’t want you to go David”.

But in the end he is rewarded. As the golden energy clears the shattered tragic form of David Tennant has been replaced with Matt Smith. Smith is young and vibrant. He tousles his hair and kisses his legs. He takes in the chaos around him and smiles as he jumps into action. Geronimo!

Minerva  

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