Monday, February 14, 2011

More on Doctor Who (because I don't feel like writing about books)

Yes, I know this is a book blog and not a pop culture blog. Yes, I know I wrote about Doctor Who not too long ago. No, I don't care.

I finally finished watching season 5 of Doctor Who, including the Christmas Special (which I supposed is really the beginning of season 6, but whatever). As a result, I am going to rank The Doctors and companions (because I love making lists!) from favorite to least favorite. I'll start with The Doctor.

My favorite Doctor is the Eleventh Doctor, played by Matt Smith. I was discussing with my sister and I still can't pinpoint quite why he is my favorite. I think that his youth has a lot to do with it. Matt Smith is only a few years older than I am which I think resonates with me. I also like his style of work as the Doctor (the capitalization of the name "The Doctor" is bugging me out...no idea what the proper capitalization is). He talks super super fast and doesn't seem to have an inner monologue...he literally talks through his thought process. I like getting to hear how he comes to conclusions. He seems a bit spazztic and less with it than the other Doctors, which is fun. Also, he is just quirk...in dress, physical features, and movement. I mean, he wears a bow-tie (bow-ties are cool!), suspenders and occasionally a fez. He is also just kind of adorable, but not in as obvious a way as David Tennant.

My second favorite Doctor is the Ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccelston. He was the first Doctor I saw, so he has a special place in my heart. I also like that he tends to go kinda manic around the Daleks. Like...he goes crazy nuts when he and Rose meet that first Dalek of the season. He also just seems like he is ten steps ahead of everyone else...like when he is out to dinner with the Slatheen in Cardiff. He is nonchalantly ahead of her thinking. I think that Eccelston is also great at combining the humor of the Doctor with torment. He also just tends to brush off anything bad and move on. Fantastic!

My third favorite Doctor (not my least favorite...just third favorite) is the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant. I'm not sure why he is at the bottom of my list. I really like Tennant as the Doctor, but I feel like he gets a little too angsty sometimes. He is also very irresponsible with the TARDIS. I want to count the number of times that he gets separated from it or it gets sucked into Hell or ends up somewhere out of reach. If you are a space traveler, you should keep track of your one way to get yourself and others home. I think that the Tenth Doctor ends up with too much relationship drama, whether it be falling in love with Rose or having Martha pine over him, it gets to be a bit of a downer. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the Tenth Doctor and I love David Tennant, but by the end of his final specials, it seemed almost like mercy to have him regenerate and lose a bit of the drama. I mean, at the end of The Water on Mars, you can just see the torture...and then the next special makes him relive the heart break of losing Donna. Gah!

Anyway, now onto the companions. I won't have as long of descriptions (probably) as there are more of them.

1) Donna--Oh my goodness, how I love Donna. I loved her in The Runaway Bride and even more when she became an actual companion. She is a bit daft and a bit nutty, but so so so much fun. And I like that she and The Doctor are 100% just mates and nothing more. You can imagine them staying together for all of Donna's life. I think the most heartbreaking thing in all of Doctor Who is the end of season 4. However, I have a theory that Donna might come back eventually...or maybe that is just wishful thinking.

2) Captain Jack Harkness--It is impossible not to love Captain Jack. I love him when he is first introduced and he is a con man and a bit of a rogue. I also like him when he is more of the leading man in Torchwood and when he goes back with the Doctor in season 3. But nothing beats when he initially travels with the Doctor and Rose. He adds a nice dynamic to the group. And also, he's just really hot.

3) Amy Pond--I'm not a huge fan of companions pining after the Doctor, but Amy does it in such a way that it is adorable. I also just love that, like Donna, whenever the Doctor tells her to do something, she does the exact opposite. She loves traveling with the Doctor and trusts him, but also doesn't like how he can be slightly patronizing. I also love that she doesn't let him get away with anything. She calls him out on everything.

4) Rory Williams--Up until the end of season 5, Rory wasn't really high on my list, even though I knew he was going to be a companion. But now I love Rory. He is probably the most stable of the companions ever and he doesn't seem to mind that his wife has a crush on the Doctor. He seems like he will be helpful in a crisis because he is a nurse and to be honest, I just really think he looks good as a Roman soldier.

5) Mickey Smith--I love Mickey when he is a companion/ends up in the parallel world/ends up back in the real world, though not so much at the beginning of season 1. He has a nice character arch and really grows into an awesome character. I must admit that I started to love him when he hacks into government systems for The Doctor and then I fell in love when he turned into a badass militant dude.

6) Martha Jones--I like Martha as a character and I love her on Torchwood, but as a companion she annoys me. She is so in love with the Doctor, but not in a fun way like Amy Pond. It is better when Jack is with them, but she is just kinda meh as a companion. She is such a rocking character, though when she is out kicking ass and being a Torchwood doctor.

7) Rose Tyler--I like Rose fine as the companion of The Ninth Doctor, but I think the whole thing goes a bit soap opera with Rose and The Doctor loving each other but not being able to be together. Just not my thing. Also, Rose in love ends up being very annoying. She also seems to be the most "damsel in distress". Martha, Donna, Amy, Jack all seem to be able to get out of scraps, but Rose tends to need saving. Or maybe I just think that because I don't really like her. I so love Jackie Tyler, though!

*Updated: I forgot River Song! Probably because I'm just not sure where to rank her. I love how enigmatic she is and how she fits into the story, but I'm not sure that I dig that she may or may not be married to the Doctor. Also, how did she end up at the wedding at the end of season 5? Shouldn't she not know Amy and Rory since Amy didn't remember the Doctor, hence he didn't exist. How did that work? All the time travel makes sense to me until River shows up and then it confuses the hell out of me. I'd probably rank her as 7? Maybe 6? I dunno.

I know that there are a few other companions who were around for only an episode or two, but that seems like too much trouble to rank them. So, how does my ranking line up with you? I know most people either love Matt Smith or hate him, so what side are you on? Who is your favorite companion?

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