Why the 11th Doctor is the best Doctor so far.
The answer to this starts back with Doctor #9. The Ninth Doctor showed us the darker side of the Doctor. He's been traveling along for some time at that point. At least he's by himself when he meets Rose Tyler in the basement of the department store.
He bears a cold and lonely heart on his sleeve. He talks to Rose about the destruction of his home planet, as his face crimps with a deep frown. He lets Cassandra dry and explode. He has traveled and he has frozen himself into solitary, one that he is desperately trying to break out of. You can almost see it on his face, he hates how cold and miserable he feels but he's just not sure what to do about it. Then he figures out exactly what to do, he sacrifices himself to save Rose. Although she is the one who saves them all, his act leads to his regeneration which is the beginning of the best Doctor to come. I would also like to note that Christopher Eccleston was essential to bring that "Manchester United" feel to the 9th Doctor. Although he has been heard saying he didn't enjoy playing the 9th Doctor, I still love that season and it has some absolutely fantastic moments in it. The story of Rose and Bad Wolf carves its way through the first season and leads to an incredible finale. A fantastic finale fitting of Doctor Who.
Now, on to the 10th Doctor.
Although the 10th Doctor is widely regarded as the "best" Doctor of the new seasons, I am still using the piece to argue otherwise. That being said, the 11th Doctor would NEVER have been possible without the 10th Doctor. Let's start at the appropriate moment, shall we?
A Christmas tree is smashing Jackie's apartment and it is closing in on Rose, Jackie, and Mickey. Rose only needs to whisper "Help Me" in the Doctor's ear, he then springs from his regeneration coma and saves them all. We know this is definitely the same Doctor in a different body with one simple action. Classic. Then, just as our heroes are about to bite the dust again, he awakens fully and saves the day. As the 10th Doctor's story went on and on, it only tied all our collective heartstrings tighter. From Bad Wolf Bay through The End Of Time, we are taken on an absolutely brilliant journey. Remember Pompeii? or Turn Left? The writing of the show only continued to prove how incredible this show really is and why absolutely it needed to stay on the air.
The 10th Doctor also took us through our first experience with the Weeping Angels, perhaps the most vicious of any villain we have yet to meet. However, we also have The Waters Of Mars. Remember that one? The Doctor, our hero, decided he was officially above all the rules of time and space. Yes, he did this partially out of his inherent need to save. He also did what he did to show that he, in fact, was in charge of time and space. The Doctor went from being a helpful and loving alien, to playing God and not blinking an eye. The Universe took only a moment to snap him back down from his high horse. Perhaps that was truly when the Doctor fell further than he's ever fallen before. He may have not wanted to go, but the Universe definitely had other plans.
I think this is a case where, as described in my previous post, Death clipped the Doctor pretty hard.
Finally, we come to the 11th Doctor. When he crash lands into Amelia Pond's backyard, he is all smiles and, strangely enough, kinda looks like a combination of the 9th and 10th Doctor. He's definitely got the hair, but with the stronger and more dominant face. No offense Tennant, but seriously. Can we all agree that Matt Smith is perhaps the most stoic Doctor in a long time?
Anyway, had it not been for the history we get with the 10th Doctor, the 11th Doctor would not have been able to handle the villains he met.
The 11th Doctor winds up in a war with the Silence, perhaps the coolest Doctor Who villain to date. This war approaches Doctor vs. Dalek proportions as it weaves through time in a spider web fashion. It builds out, then retracts, then builds again, always staying connected. The 11th Doctor does slip though as we get into his adventures. He even goes so far as to pull a gun on a very real threat. Despite that it was a western set-up, it is a well known fact that the Doctor never uses a gun. The Doctor uses a screwdriver.
Then there is the absolutely stunning episode "The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe". I defy anyone to watch this episode and not cry. It is executed brilliantly. It touches on the pure magic of Doctor Who in an almost "Amazing Stories" type of way.
All of those previous facts considered, combined with the Doctor's most recent journey to continuously find his new companion, put #11 at the top of my Doctor list. He would not have been possible without #9 and #10, as well as 1-8, I am not suggesting that he ever could be the product of any other precession. The Doctor is indeed the product of all who came before him and everyone who works on the show, and I feel that the current crew, combined with Steven Moffatt, and Matt Smith, is taking us through the best Doctor yet.
Allons-y! Get your coat!
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