They're all brave, but some are a bit wiser than others about what counts as acceptable risk.
Agreed. I think that's really where the companions come into play, too - at least as far as Ten goes, you need look no further than Turn Left, Midnight and Waters of Mars to have that proven! @.@
Yeah I found Three's caution very interesting when I watched Carnival of Monsters. Whereas I think a lot of the new Doctors are more ambivalent/self-loathing/adrenaline-junkies due at least in part to the Time War, some of the earlierDoctors seem much more tempered in that regard.
Whereas I think a lot of the new Doctors are more ambivalent/self-loathing/adrenaline-junkies due at least in part to the Time War, some of the earlierDoctors seem much more tempered in that regard.
Oh, definitely. It was interesting watching Classic Who after Nu Who and seeing those diffrences.
Something I like about the Third Doctor, though you mention his caution, is that he did whatever needed to be done, however much it hurt. He had a line about courage not being about never feeling fear; "it's about being afraid and doing what you have to do, anyway." He questioned whether he had to do what was needed in Planet of the Spiders, then went to do it, though it killed him. He loved adventure (and always got into trouble), but was... saner than some later Doctors. More grounded -- literally, during his exile.
I think the least daring (physically) would probably be One, at the beginning at least. In An Unearthly Child, he was actually quite the anti-hero, and seemed a bit of a coward. But OTOH, he *did* leave Gallifrey in the first place, which was pretty damn daring in itself.
As to the most daring, I don't know if I can measure them that way. To me they all seem to have different ways of dealing with danger. For instance, I think that Three, Seven, and Nine seemed to specialize in cool, calculated risks, to varying degrees; while Two, Four, Five, Ten, and Eleven were/are more on-the-fly and reckless. (I don't remember Six well enough, and I haven't seen/heard enough of Eight.)
But it's been said, and I agree, that the humans that the Doctor came to know, starting with Ian and Barbara, were the ones who taught him morality and inspired him, almost despite himself, to start down his path of saving worlds. Thus humanity "created" the Doctor, and he continues to need his companions, for a lot more reasons than companionship.
An avowed Fourth Doctor Fan, I would have to admit that in theory the most daring would have to be the First Doctor; after not quite passing his course, going off in a stolen TARDIS, going back in time to Rassilon's slaughter of the Gallifreyan Mothers (Pythia), rescuing the last true born Gallifreyan child and accepting her as his grandchild, and fleeing as refugees to some backwater planet, where the natives had not even broke the bonds of their own atmosphere. That's pretty daring.... Three in retrospect is the most dashing. The more I re-watch the old episodes the more I'm falling in love with him. (Blame PBS/CBC for not showing the Doctor's in order!) Two is a big favorite because he was fun. Seven because my kids loved him and Ace--they would have loved anyone after Six. Four is still my favorite and it as others have stated, not only because of the Doctor, but because of his relationships with his Assistants and traveling companions.
As others have mentioned, One appears the most timid, but leaving Gallifrey was a hell of a leap. Also, learning to accept humans as people rather than savage near-animals would have required a great deal of intellectual daring on his part.
I have to say, though, that my gut reaction was to say that the bravest Doctor is Two, because he's scared. Visibly, palpably scared, and often grabbing onto Jamie whenever he's startled-but he runs towards danger anyway, because someone has to fight the monsters. By the time we get to Three, the Doctor is a bit more comfortable with danger, a bit more blase. From there on out, I think, we're seeing an experienced adventurer, someone who's quite experienced at ignoring or shutting down fear in order to get things done
( ... )
Comments 12
I think Seven was morally brave for blowing up the Daleks, because he exposed himself to feeling that he'd done the wrong thing.
Reply
Agreed. I think that's really where the companions come into play, too - at least as far as Ten goes, you need look no further than Turn Left, Midnight and Waters of Mars to have that proven! @.@
Reply
Reply
Reply
Four could be pretty reckless, but Three was a bit more cautious, as noted in the question.
Reply
Reply
Oh, definitely. It was interesting watching Classic Who after Nu Who and seeing those diffrences.
Reply
Reply
As to the most daring, I don't know if I can measure them that way. To me they all seem to have different ways of dealing with danger. For instance, I think that Three, Seven, and Nine seemed to specialize in cool, calculated risks, to varying degrees; while Two, Four, Five, Ten, and Eleven were/are more on-the-fly and reckless. (I don't remember Six well enough, and I haven't seen/heard enough of Eight.)
But it's been said, and I agree, that the humans that the Doctor came to know, starting with Ian and Barbara, were the ones who taught him morality and inspired him, almost despite himself, to start down his path of saving worlds. Thus humanity "created" the Doctor, and he continues to need his companions, for a lot more reasons than companionship.
Reply
Three in retrospect is the most dashing. The more I re-watch the old episodes the more I'm falling in love with him. (Blame PBS/CBC for not showing the Doctor's in order!) Two is a big favorite because he was fun. Seven because my kids loved him and Ace--they would have loved anyone after Six.
Four is still my favorite and it as others have stated, not only because of the Doctor, but because of his relationships with his Assistants and traveling companions.
Reply
I have to say, though, that my gut reaction was to say that the bravest Doctor is Two, because he's scared. Visibly, palpably scared, and often grabbing onto Jamie whenever he's startled-but he runs towards danger anyway, because someone has to fight the monsters. By the time we get to Three, the Doctor is a bit more comfortable with danger, a bit more blase. From there on out, I think, we're seeing an experienced adventurer, someone who's quite experienced at ignoring or shutting down fear in order to get things done ( ... )
Reply
Leave a comment