Time (Lords) Can Be Re-Written. Meta on Ten -> Eleven.

[elisi]

Firstly, then the icon really says it all. The post is merely an attempt at explaining my thinking behind it.

Secondly, most of this sprang out of long and complicated conversations with promethia_tenk, who deserves credit for at least half of this, if not more.

Thirdly, HUGE thank you’s to kathyh for making the icon, for lo, it is awesome and everything I wanted

Comments

[topaz_eyes]

Ooooh, interesting.

I have said before that I don’t see much of Ten in Eleven - except for the effects of having been Ten.

One of the themes of S5 was that the Doctor was the Doctor was the Doctor. I agree, Eleven is a very conscious reaction to Ten, and the darkness within--but Ten still lurks there, as they all do. Eleven was in danger of slipping back into Ten in "Victory of the Daleks." It was there in his reaction to the Daleks, and in his reaction while trying to defuse Bracewell's bomb. (Which I think I mentioned before, way back when.)

He [Ten] didn't 'grow' so much as become more and more entrenched, until finally we got all the growth and change all in one go, when he regenerated.I disagree. Ten's evidence of growth and change came in TEoT when he said goodbye to his companions. I know fans detested the Long Goodbye, but IMHO that coda was absolutely critical to finish his arc. I'm working on an essay why, I really should finish it. Anywho, Ten's journey was realizing he was never truly alone. To do that, he had

[elisi]

Eleven was in danger of slipping back into Ten in "Victory of the Daleks." It was there in his reaction to the Daleks, and in his reaction while trying to defuse Bracewell's bomb. (Which I think I mentioned before, way back when.)
Oh yes, I agree. I've even written meta on it! I think I described it as Eleven 'unlearning' his bad habits from being Ten. The Beast Below is actually an even better example - the Doctor thinks it's all about him (his choice!), and then not only does Amy take the choice away from him, she shows him that he was wrong. *Such* an important episode!

I disagree. Ten's evidence of growth and change came in TEoT when he said goodbye to his companions. I know fans detested the Long Goodbye, but IMHO that coda was absolutely critical to finish his arc.Well I see Eleven's beginning - if I have to split hairs - as the moment when he walked into that booth, saving Wilf's life. That acceptance of death (when he could have left) is one of the cornerstones of Eleven, and The Long Goodbye is a part of that. In this post I

[solitary_summer]

Anywho, Ten's journey was realizing he was never truly alone. To do that, he had to re-define what "family" meant to him, in the absence of Gallifrey (and, after S2, Rose). His tragedy in S3 and the end of S4 was, he was so focused on being "last of the Time Lords" that he couldn't see the family right in front of his face.

I agree with this a lot. He's so ready to reject Martha's suggestion that the Face of Boe might have meant her, but she may have been right after all. Especially after the Jack=Face of Boe revelation it's very easy to read it like this, because Jack of course shared Martha's feeling of not being 'seen'. But Ten is so fixated on the one reading of the line that fits his self-image that he isn't even willing to consider the possibility of an alternative reading.

[elisi]

I agree with this a lot. He's so ready to reject Martha's suggestion that the Face of Boe might have meant her, but she may have been right after all.
I love this. And yes, I think you're spot-on. And it ties in with something else Promethia and I were talking about - how Ten (after losing Rose) begins to see every companion 'relationship' as doomed. Martha, originally, he only took for a few journeys, and in the end she left. So did Jack. Astrid died. And then when he lost Donna he stopped even considering the idea of a new companion. His loneliness became another self-fulfilling prophecy because of his mindset.

[promethia_tenk]

Anywho, Ten's journey was realizing he was never truly alone. To do that, he had to re-define what "family" meant to him, in the absence of Gallifrey (and, after S2, Rose). His tragedy in S3 and the end of S4 was, he was so focused on being "last of the Time Lords" that he couldn't see the family right in front of his face. ("The Doctor's Daughter": A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge. A code. A shared history. A shared suffering. Oh, Ten, so rigid. Why is it the most insightful arc episodes are also the worst?) As a result, Eleven becomes a parental figure.

I completely love this and would very much like to see that essay.