Regenerations...

[DWF]

Peter Davison's Doctor had the first Doctor's temper, he could snap at anybody and he was always very kind about it. But I never got the impression that Smith's Doctor was an old man even when he was in an old man's makeup.

Young and old are relative Tom Baker was 39 wen started playing the Doctor and both McGann and Tennant were in their 30s. Hartnell, Pertwee and Capaldi were in their 50s and really Pertwee and Capaldi's Dcotors act much younger than the actor's ages. The only real limiting factor in an older body is the health of the body, not the age of the body of the Doctor. The fourth Doctor did seem worn out by the end of Baker's era and IMO he looked it.

 

[Photoman15]

Are you kidding? Matt Smith made me believe he was 900 or more years old. I've said that since day one.

 

[Ithekro]

Matt Smith's old man is not like the First Doctor. He is more like the Second Doctor.

He doesn't play it like an old man, but plays like an ancient man...someone who has seen everything, experiance about everything, and still feels the pain of many of the things he has lost. He didn't need to play like a 80 year old human. He needed and did play like a 900 plus year old Time Lord.

And he sold it on that idea, being the ancient man in a young body. With old eyes.

Another things they did was that they gave him wonderful speeches to say.

 

[Sketcher]

My favorite Matt Smith moment was in "Asylum of the Daleks". The Daleks announce they've arrived at their destination. Matt Smith then gives this quick exhausted, "so tired of this look" on his face before asking "Arrived where?". That subtle performance was absolutely amazing and really drove home how much the Doctor has seen and been through, even to the point of repetition.

 

[DWF]

Are you kidding? Matt Smith made me believe he was 900 or more years old. I've said that since day one.

Not me and in The Day Of The Doctor he and Tennant act in a very similar manner, it's the "younger" John Hurt Doctor who acts older and wiser. The War Doctor evens mentions how immature the Doctors are acting.

 

[Iamnotspock]

Are you kidding? Matt Smith made me believe he was 900 or more years old. I've said that since day one.

Not me and in The Day Of The Doctor he and Tennant act in a very similar manner, it's the "younger" John Hurt Doctor who acts older and wiser. The War Doctor evens mentions how immature the Doctors are acting.

Exactly; that was the whole point. Smith's Doctor was not consistently an "old" man in the obvious sense, or the way that Davison was (which I love, by the way) - Ithekro sums it up best for me above. The Eleventh Doctor is an ancient man who's been everywhere and seen everything, and has come full circle almost to a second childhood. He's also surrounded himself with youth; he wants to show his companions the universe so he can live vicariously through them and experience their wonder at the universe. He's running away from the fact that he's a tired old man who's done some pretty abhorrent things. It was a big point in "The Day of the Doctor" that John Hurt represents that tired old man; "Do you have to talk like children? What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown up?"

Sylvester McCoy described Matt Smith's Doctor as a 900-year-old-12-year-old, and that's exactly right for the most part, but in the moments where he's playing "old" in a more on-the-nose way, he really convinces me that he's older than William Hartnell; sitting by Amelia Pond's bedside telling her the story of the daft old man who stole a magic box, or the speech to the God of Akhaten, for example.

 

[DWF]

Are you kidding? Matt Smith made me believe he was 900 or more years old. I've said that since day one.

Not me and in The Day Of The Doctor he and Tennant act in a very similar manner, it's the "younger" John Hurt Doctor who acts older and wiser. The War Doctor evens mentions how immature the Doctors are acting.

Exactly; that was the whole point. Smith's Doctor was not consistently an "old" man in the obvious sense, or the way that Davison was (which I love, by the way) - Ithekro sums it up best for me above. The Eleventh Doctor is an ancient man who's been everywhere and seen everything, and has come full circle almost to a second childhood. He's also surrounded himself with youth; he wants to show his companions the universe so he can live vicariously through them and experience their wonder at the universe. He's running away from the fact that he's a tired old man who's done some pretty abhorrent things. It was a big point in "The Day of the Doctor" that John Hurt represents that tired old man; "Do you have to talk like children? What is it that makes you so ashamed of being a grown up?"

Sylvester McCoy described Matt Smith's Doctor as a 900-year-old-12-year-old, and that's exactly right for the most part, but there are also moments where he's playing "old" in a more on-the-nose way, and he really convinces me that he's older than William Hartnell; sitting by Amelia Pond's bedside telling her the story of the daft old man who stole a magic box, or the speech to the God of Akhaten, for example.

It's well know from Moffat's point of view that the companions are the star of the show not the Doctor and really if the Doctor was that interested in showinig his companions the universe he wouldn't drop them off and interfer in their personal lives. If anything Moffat has made the Doctor a selfish man who needs a campanion.

And it would've been nice had Smith's Doctor a radical departure from Tennant's as Tennant's was from Eccleston's, but wasn't the case. It's not a matter of a second childhood he's simply acting like a child. The man who could see five steps beyond everbody else seems to be gone now. Smith's Doctor spent some 900 years protecting the people of Trenzalore then he up and leaves them to regenerate, leaving the planet open to be attacked by the Daleks, not the best way to out on IMO.

 

[Iamnotspock]

It's well know from Moffat's point of view that the companions are the star of the show not the Doctor and really if the Doctor was that interested in showinig his companions the universe he wouldn't drop them off and interfer in their personal lives.

Amy: "Then why am I here?"
The Doctor: "Because I can't see it anymore."

If anything Moffat has made the Doctor a selfish man who needs a campanion.

Exactly what I said.

And it would've been nice had Smith's Doctor a radical departure from Tennant's as Tennant's was from Eccleston's, but wasn't the case.

Agreed. Hurt's line about acting like children was directed at both of them after all.

It's not a matter of a second childhood he's simply acting like a child.

Largely the same thing my friend. The point is why he's taken to acting like a child.

 

[DWF]

Yeah I remember the Doctor's speech in The Big Bang, he made his life appear to be real fairy tale, it's a shame though that Moffat would twice change the facts about how the Doctor got the TARDIS and started travelling. I simply can't see an old man in his young body, let alone a wise old Time Lord. At least with Davison's Doctor he didn't have any special gadgets, which is what made his actions in The Caves Of Androzani that much more impressive.

 

[Photoman15]

And it would've been nice had Smith's Doctor a radical departure from Tennant's as Tennant's was from Eccleston's, but wasn't the case. It's not a matter of a second childhood he's simply acting like a child. The man who could see five steps beyond everbody else seems to be gone now. Smith's Doctor spent some 900 years protecting the people of Trenzalore then he up and leaves them to regenerate, leaving the planet open to be attacked by the Daleks, not the best way to out on IMO.

What episode were you watching? He didn't leave them open to the Daleks to go regenerate. he DESTROYED them all with the Regen energy, then went to his TARDIS to complete the regeneration. And it wasn't Trenzalore, it was Christmas. You really must have been watching a different show.

 

[Ithekro]

Plus the reason for the Daleks (and everyone else) to attack was gone. The crack was sealed, and Doctor could no longer say his name to bring the Time Lords back. The Doctor could leave now.

 

[Iamnotspock]

And it would've been nice had Smith's Doctor a radical departure from Tennant's as Tennant's was from Eccleston's, but wasn't the case. It's not a matter of a second childhood he's simply acting like a child. The man who could see five steps beyond everbody else seems to be gone now. Smith's Doctor spent some 900 years protecting the people of Trenzalore then he up and leaves them to regenerate, leaving the planet open to be attacked by the Daleks, not the best way to out on IMO.

What episode were you watching? He didn't leave them open to the Daleks to go regenerate. he DESTROYED them all with the Regen energy, then went to his TARDIS to complete the regeneration. And it wasn't Trenzalore, it was Christmas. You really must have been watching a different show.

The town was called Christmas, but the planet was indeed Trenzalore.

 

[DWF]

Plus the reason for the Daleks (and everyone else) to attack was gone. The crack was sealed, and Doctor could no longer say his name to bring the Time Lords back. The Doctor could leave now.

Daleks kill it's what they do, go back and rewatch Dalek.

 

[DWF]

And it would've been nice had Smith's Doctor a radical departure from Tennant's as Tennant's was from Eccleston's, but wasn't the case. It's not a matter of a second childhood he's simply acting like a child. The man who could see five steps beyond everbody else seems to be gone now. Smith's Doctor spent some 900 years protecting the people of Trenzalore then he up and leaves them to regenerate, leaving the planet open to be attacked by the Daleks, not the best way to out on IMO.

What episode were you watching? He didn't leave them open to the Daleks to go regenerate. he DESTROYED them all with the Regen energy, then went to his TARDIS to complete the regeneration. And it wasn't Trenzalore, it was Christmas. You really must have been watching a different show.

The Doctor destroyed a single ship not all of the Daleks and as it was pointed to you the planet was Trenzalore not Christmas.

 

[Ithekro]

Daleks kill, yes, but they are also mission minded. Seek. Locate. Destroy. Exterminate. The Doctor and the Time Lords were the mission to Trenzalor and the Daleks delayed their attack for hundreds of year until the Doctor was dying of old age...because they fear him. Their goal was to prevent the Time Lords from returning....and be sure the Doctor dies.

The Dalek's mission was partially a success. The Time Lords will not return on Trenzalor as the crack in the universe is sealed. Their other objective is no longer present. The Doctor has escaped. The Daleks have no reason to return to Trenzalore. It wastes resources. Resources they need to hunt down the Doctor (or take over the universe...the Dalek's motives keep changing. It use to be conquest, then destruction, then distruction of all life that isn't Dalek, then just destruction of the universe save the Daleks. Then just kill the Time Lords. Then hunt down rebel humans.)

 

[BeatleJWOL]

Smith's Doctor spent some 900 years protecting the people of Trenzalore then he up and leaves them to regenerate, leaving the planet open to be attacked by the Daleks, not the best way to out on IMO.

he DESTROYED them all with the Regen energy,

The Doctor destroyed a single ship not all of the Daleks

The summary on Tardis Data Core says otherwise:

His finishing assault climbs very far into the air and wreaks havoc on the gunship, eliminating it from the skyline. An enormous explosion results from this regeneration energy, obliterating every single Dalek attacking the planet as the shockwave blows them to smithereens.

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_Time_of_the_Doctor_(TV_story)

 

[DWF]

he DESTROYED them all with the Regen energy,

The Doctor destroyed a single ship not all of the Daleks

The summary on Tardis Data Core says otherwise:

His finishing assault climbs very far into the air and wreaks havoc on the gunship, eliminating it from the skyline. An enormous explosion results from this regeneration energy, obliterating every single Dalek attacking the planet as the shockwave blows them to smithereens.

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_Time_of_the_Doctor_(TV_story)

Even so those weren't the only Daleks in existence, there's billions more where they came from.

 

[DWF]

Daleks kill, yes, but they are also mission minded. Seek. Locate. Destroy. Exterminate. The Doctor and the Time Lords were the mission to Trenzalor and the Daleks delayed their attack for hundreds of year until the Doctor was dying of old age...because they fear him. Their goal was to prevent the Time Lords from returning....and be sure the Doctor dies.

The Dalek's mission was partially a success. The Time Lords will not return on Trenzalor as the crack in the universe is sealed. Their other objective is no longer present. The Doctor has escaped. The Daleks have no reason to return to Trenzalore. It wastes resources. Resources they need to hunt down the Doctor (or take over the universe...the Dalek's motives keep changing. It use to be conquest, then destruction, then distruction of all life that isn't Dalek, then just destruction of the universe save the Daleks. Then just kill the Time Lords. Then hunt down rebel humans.)

And yet in the original timeline in The Name Of The Doctor we saw that everybody was killed including the Doctor, it was only Clara wgho saved the day. And really tehre no proof that the Daleks end goal of becoming the dominate life force has changed in the slightest.

 

[Ithekro]

That is true, yet the Daleks could come back to the planet at any time. So can the Doctor. While the Doctor was protecting the town of Christmas for 900 years, he was really protecting the Time Lords and in some ways the entire universe by staying. Clara changes thing as her words get the Time Lords to close the crack (and give the Doctor a new set of regenerations), thus keeping the Time Lords safe, though trapped, and preventing the Time War from restarting over the planet.

With all the Time Lords (and their signal) gone from Trenzalore, the Daleks can go back to what they have been neglecting for those 900 years they were blockading that one planet to be sure the Time Lords didn't return, but not wanting to fight the Doctor directly out of fear. The Daleks would seem to have priorities. No Time Lords, means they can exterminate that planet later. If they show on that planet again, the Doctor might as well. The end result might still happen, but in a different way, to a different Doctor. Or it may never happen because Time is not the boss of Clara Oswald.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

And it would've been nice had Smith's Doctor a radical departure from Tennant's as Tennant's was from Eccleston's, but wasn't the case.

I disagree that Tennant was a radical departure from Eccleston. There was a gradual progression of the Doctor becoming more manic and burying his anger & grief over the Time War deeper & deeper. However, I would say that Eccleston, Tennant, & Smith are all of a set. I doubt you'll ever find any other consecutive Doctors that had as much in common as those 3 did.

I would certainly say that Smith felt like a very old Doctor indeed. In fact, I don't know of any other Doctor that did such a good job of convincing me that he was so old. He felt like the oldest Doctor since Pertwee.