Why I like the (Ninth) Doctor
The Ninth Doctor kicked off the latest incarnation of the show in 2005. He is fresh off of the Time War (whatever that was) and we do not see his regeneration.* His time as the Doctor is therefore as mysterious as it is brief.
The Ninth Doctor's defining characteristic is an unstoppable rage, simmering just under the surface. He is broken and angry, no longer what he once was, unsure and a little afraid of what he might yet be. There's a rawness and a roughness to him that hasn't been sanded and softened yet. It's a very different take on the character, and one that works, unexpectedly and brilliantly. He's very much post-traumatic, and we get to figure out who exactly he is now while he is doing so himself. Killer or Coward - neither the audience nor indeed the Doctor knows for sure until the moment itself. And there's just so much ...relief and joy almost when he does ultimately make his decision.
That, I think, is what makes the Ninth Doctor really likeable - that overwhelming joy in despite of his bitterness and pain. He no longer expects things to work out for the best, and so when they do it's, well, overwhelming. "Just this once - everybody lives!" The Ninth Doctor is ready and willing to commit genocide, knowing what it will do to him, and each time he gets rescued from the final act itself. His storyline is all about the rekindling of hope from despair, and of reclaiming the person he wants to be, rather than the person circumstance has forced him to become.
The other unusual - and kind of cool - thing about the Ninth Doctor is that he's surprisingly taciturn. The Doctor primarily relies on his words, but the Ninth Doctor says surprisingly little. Not only is he a bit more action oriented, he's considerably less wordy. He doesn't waste time arguing or explaining or convincing people - he just says what he needs to and gets on with it. Sometimes this amounts to the witty one-liners for which he is justly famous, but just as often it's short, simple, functional language. His very first line on the show is exactly this - short, sweet and to the point: "Nice to meet you Rose Tyler - run for your life." He doesn't have time for other people's concerns or questions - he just gets on with things with very little to-do.
The Ninth Doctor can sometimes seem to be the odd man out - he's curt, he's angry, he's rude, and he's got functionally no hair (I mean seriously how is that okay) - but his hearts are in the right places. He's searching for who he is, and he makes good.
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* GUYS I HAVEN'T SEEN NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR YET BEAR WITH ME A COUPLE OF DAYS. IT HAS UNEXPECTEDLY BECOME POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS FALSE.
The Ninth Doctor's defining characteristic is an unstoppable rage, simmering just under the surface. He is broken and angry, no longer what he once was, unsure and a little afraid of what he might yet be. There's a rawness and a roughness to him that hasn't been sanded and softened yet. It's a very different take on the character, and one that works, unexpectedly and brilliantly. He's very much post-traumatic, and we get to figure out who exactly he is now while he is doing so himself. Killer or Coward - neither the audience nor indeed the Doctor knows for sure until the moment itself. And there's just so much ...relief and joy almost when he does ultimately make his decision.
That, I think, is what makes the Ninth Doctor really likeable - that overwhelming joy in despite of his bitterness and pain. He no longer expects things to work out for the best, and so when they do it's, well, overwhelming. "Just this once - everybody lives!" The Ninth Doctor is ready and willing to commit genocide, knowing what it will do to him, and each time he gets rescued from the final act itself. His storyline is all about the rekindling of hope from despair, and of reclaiming the person he wants to be, rather than the person circumstance has forced him to become.
The other unusual - and kind of cool - thing about the Ninth Doctor is that he's surprisingly taciturn. The Doctor primarily relies on his words, but the Ninth Doctor says surprisingly little. Not only is he a bit more action oriented, he's considerably less wordy. He doesn't waste time arguing or explaining or convincing people - he just says what he needs to and gets on with it. Sometimes this amounts to the witty one-liners for which he is justly famous, but just as often it's short, simple, functional language. His very first line on the show is exactly this - short, sweet and to the point: "Nice to meet you Rose Tyler - run for your life." He doesn't have time for other people's concerns or questions - he just gets on with things with very little to-do.
The Ninth Doctor can sometimes seem to be the odd man out - he's curt, he's angry, he's rude, and he's got functionally no hair (I mean seriously how is that okay) - but his hearts are in the right places. He's searching for who he is, and he makes good.
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* GUYS I HAVEN'T SEEN NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR YET BEAR WITH ME A COUPLE OF DAYS. IT HAS UNEXPECTEDLY BECOME POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS FALSE.