I finally finished Series 2 of what’s turning out to be a rather protracted Doctor Who-athon. I managed to watch all five seasons of Babylon 5 last holiday season, but Doctor Who’s taking me a bit longer.
I found myself feeling rather nostalgic during this run, especially when they announced the casting of the eleventh Doctor, which definitely made David Tennant’s leaving that much more real. I also managed to catch this year’s Christmas special in the midst of rewatching Series 2, so it was interesting to contrast the bookends of David Tennant’s run.
Ten certainly seems more manic than I remember him in these initial episodes. But, everything’s still fresh, and even though he’s still the Doctor, he hasn’t seen the worst of things in this new body yet, so it’s very fitting that’s he’s running around like a kid in the candy store. I do think Rose’s leaving made things a little darker. I definitely remember a more serious Doctor in “The Runaway Bride”, which will be the next Christmas special (the teaser of Catherine Tate at the end of “Doomsday” was definitely more meaningful this time around), and that didn’t really come across while he was with Rose.
As for Rose, I’m back to not quite knowing what I think of her. Having seen her with a much more mature persona in the latest season, I was more struck by the contrast of her relative immaturity in these earlier episodes. I’ve also seen more of the POV of the fans that don’t really like Rose since the first time I watched these episodes. I can definitely see where people could get a little irritated by the romantic overtones of this series, and I’m not sure I really like them either.
But really, what struck me is how much fun DT was having establishing this character. It makes me really hopeful for the 2010 season with Matt Smith. My first reaction to seeing him was “man, he’s young” (and he’s only five-ish years younger than me), but the more I think about it, the more I see the potential in that. I’m definitely reserving judgment until I can see what they do with the character. It definitely has great potential.