Nine and Ten after Eleven

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Hello, I just ordered the complete Doctor Who set plus the specials on DVD and it will all be delivered in the next few days.

I'm looking really forward in revisiting the previous doctors, now that Eleven has been introduced and left his mark on the character.

Has anybody else rewatched series 1-4? I'd like to know how they hold up for you?

Has Matt Smith lessened your enjoyment of Eccelston and Tennant?
Or do you cherish them even more now, that they're both history?

 

[Timby]

My opinion of Eccleston hasn't changed -- he's still one of my favorites in the role, jockeying with Smith right behind Troughton -- but Tennant's run is not aging well, at all, for me. My wife and I recently did a run-through of some Tennant-era episodes ("Human Nature / The Family of Blood," "Utopia," "The Girl in the Fireplace," "The Fires of Pompeii" and "The Waters of Mars"), and Tennant bouncing all over the place like a crack-addled monkey who just dropped acid is pretty nauseating.

 

[DAK]

Pretty much the same - still love Eccleston (though Smith has topped him as my new favorite), and if possible can't stand Tennant's Doctor even more than I did before. I went back to watch the Library episodes to refresh my memory on River Song, and I cringed every time he came on.

 

[Shatnertage]

All 11 doctors have paled into comparison to Smith for me, which is pretty unusual, since I'm a pretty solid 2/3/4 fan (well, 4,2,.....3) and have been for years. But I'd say that Tennant's probably coming off the worse for the comparison.

 

[davejames]

Yeah I still love Tennant, but looking back I can finally see all the things people were complaining about. It DOES seem like he's trying way too hard to be fun and wacky-- especially in comparison to Smith, who's so completely effortless at it. And all the constant angst in the later series does get a bit tiresome.

That said, Tennant still brought so much warmth and emotion and joy to the role that I can't help but like him anyway.

 

[starsuperion]

tennant shouted too much for me..

 

[FallOfFingolfin]

Still love Eccleston, always thought Tennant was overrated but liked him anyway...but he's really hard to go back to now, after Smith.

 

[Starkers]

There were Doctors before Smith?

That was a tongue in cheek vote. I don't think my opinion of Eccleston has changed, I think Tennant has gone down slightly in my estimation, it's so refreshing seeing an actor just being the Doctor rather than (sometimes)trying too hard to be the Doctor.

All three are stil good Doctors though.

 

[P0sitr0nic]

I started with Smith, then caught the previous seasons. I like each Doctor for who they are and what they brought to the character.

 

[The]

Pretty much the same - still love Eccleston (though Smith has topped him as my new favorite), and if possible can't stand Tennant's Doctor even more than I did before.

The DAK uni-mind has spoken...

 

[DAK]

Pretty much the same - still love Eccleston (though Smith has topped him as my new favorite), and if possible can't stand Tennant's Doctor even more than I did before.

The DAK uni-mind has spoken...

Helloooo, evil twin.

 

[Kelso]

I never assumed that every future actor to play the Doctor would be capable of elevating the role as Eccelston and Tennant did... but I do more fully appreciate what they were able to do with it now that they are gone.

 

[The Lensman]

My opinion of Eccleston hasn't changed -- he's still one of my favorites in the role, jockeying with Smith right behind Troughton -- but Tennant's run is not aging well, at all, for me. My wife and I recently did a run-through of some Tennant-era episodes ("Human Nature / The Family of Blood," "Utopia," "The Girl in the Fireplace," "The Fires of Pompeii" and "The Waters of Mars"), and Tennant bouncing all over the place like a crack-addled monkey who just dropped acid is pretty nauseating.

I've stated several times here, even before series 5 aired I believe, that I thought Tennant would not age well in the long run. I stand by that. I've gone through the entire run of Chris and David twice before Matt's run. Upon each subsequent viewing, my opinion of Tennant's run has gotten lower.

Now I don't hate his run, but the more you watch, the more you see how annoying his hypermanic shtick is, and it's just distracting. It seemed to be added in to make him a more kid friendly clown after Eccelston's run.

Matt's a nice balancing act of the two.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I agree with those that Tennant isn't aging well at all. But then, it's been a long time since I've really given a proper re-watch of the Eccleston/Tennant years. I've been far too occupied with my extensive collection of the classic series.

When Eccleston first left, I was very disappointed because I thought that his Doctor had at least another year left in him. But I quickly fell for Tennant's charms in "The Christmas Invasion." I think what sold Tennant for me at that point was that he wasn't quite as unnecessarily rude as Eccleston. He didn't refer to humans as "stupid apes" and he wasn't quite as dismissive of Mickey. And honestly, I was very uncomfortable with the 9th/Rose/Jack combo at the end of Season 1. I like shows with a pro-nerd approach. But when the TARDIS crew was comprised of a guy in a leather jacket, a pop singer, & a hunky bisexual; I started getting "Am I cool enough to be watching this show" insecurities. Comparatively, David Tennant makes nerds sexy the same way that Tina Fey does.

I really really enjoyed Tennant's first year (except for "Love & Monsters" and "Fear Her"). The writing seemed even more confident than the already solid entries in Season 1. But then, there were a few events in later years that really put me off of Tennant:
1.) His endless angsting & namedropping of Rose after she left. It gave me bad flashbacks to the constant namedropping of the absent Mulder during the last couple seasons of The X-Files.
2.) Jesus-Doctor in "Last of the Time Lords." I think most of that 3-parter works really well but I don't think the ending works at all. But then, I prefer the Doctor as a heroic, nomadic eccentric, not as the destined savior of the universe who "can see the turn of the universe."
3.) Shouty hypocracy at the end of "The Doctor's Daughter."
4.) Increasingly resorting to overacting & angst, particularly in "Waters of Mars" & "The End of Time."

Still, I wonder how some of Tennant's earlier episodes would hold up for me, particularly considering how much I liked them the 1st time around. Tennant started out as my favorite. Now, he doesn't even crack the top 5. (Although, I'll admit that greater exposure to Patrick Troughton & Paul McGann have also shifted the numbers greatly.)

I definately agree that Tennant was trying too hard while Smith makes it look effortless.