Doctor Who: Why Matt Smith was Always my Favorite Doctor (and why that's complicated now) - Mini

Me with the Funko POP! of Matt Smith's Doctor I got growing up.

I originally wrote this mini piece as an email for The House of R podcast rewatch of Doctor Who. I decided to upload it here as some easy breezy content. Enjoy!

Hello Mallory and Joanna!

I am new to the pod but discovered this bi-monthly series when I followed Mallory over from her appearance on the Dial of Destiny episode of The Big Picture (thanks for being as passionate about that film as me, Mallory). This is my first time writing in, but I was eager to talk about a formative childhood experience of mine; Doctor Who!

First and foremost, my credentials. I began delving into Doctor Who in 5th grade (around 2014). I caught up on the seasons I missed using my mom’s Prime account and read as much as possible about this world I had discovered. Eventually, my dad told me about the Series 8 premiere starring Peter Capaldi and offered to watch it with me each week. Now, if you asked that young boy who his favorite Doctor was, without hesitating, he would say 11. Actually, he would have said 12 because he was a pedantic little nerd who liked to point out that the War Doctor threw off all of the regenerations in New Who by one. Anyway, I adored Smith. His green and gold screwdriver, bow tie, and Fez were immediately iconic for me (all of which I received as Christmas gifts in one form or another for years to come), and his personality resonated with me in a way I could not explain at the time.

Today, as I have begun revisiting the world of Who with you both, I find myself newly equipped with an understanding of critical analysis and a developed sense of self that led to many shocking revelations. As I rewatched Series 4 with you, I realized that maybe my “favorite” Doctor label was no longer as set in stone as I used to think. Confronted by this new intrapersonal crisis, I briefly returned to 11 and 12 to gather more data but ultimately found the more I watched, the more I doubted my instincts. So, we have finally reached the part of this email where I reach something resembling a thesis; why did I love Smith so much growing up, and why am I no longer sure I do?

The first question has a couple of simple answers and some more nuanced ones. One of the easiest explanations is that Smith was my first. Now, if you remember earlier, I mentioned I only started watching Who weekly with Capaldi’s first episode. While this is true, I technically saw episodes before on Amazon Prime and BBC America during marathons. I actually think the first episode of Who I ever saw was a small sequence from *SPOILERS* “The Wedding of River Song” when The Silence was electrocuting the human soldiers. I came across this scene accidentally when flipping through channels during a family vacation one night. I changed the channel eventually, but I did linger on it for a while (almost as if some part of me knew the importance of what I was seeing). Regardless, the point I was trying to make before going down one of the world's longest tangents was that I saw 11, 10, and some of 9 before 12 even started. During that time, I favored 11’s seasons and returned to those episodes regularly. But why did I keep coming back by choice? I have thought about this a lot in the past few days and believe that I have found a potential answer. Smith and his era resonated with the child I was at the time because they were just more fun. 11’s boundless energy, quirky personality, and gimmicky iconography really spoke to the young nerdy boy watching those episodes. His first TARDIS always was (and still is) my favorite because it had a larger-than-life and fun design just like 11's persona. The playful and childlike nature of Smith was always his selling point for me, and his masterful execution of these character choices are still what sets him apart from the pantheon of other Doctor's to this day. Tennant and even Eccleston were playing Doctors in Turmoil. They were constantly battling their darker impulses and desires. Tennant particularly focused a lot of his time balancing his energetic and adventurous personality with that of “the Oncoming Storm”. The older me now adores this duality, but the younger me just wanted to have fun, and Smith provided. Smith could go heart-wrenching and dramatic when necessary, don’t get me wrong (see the monologues from “The Rings of Akhaten” and “The Pandorica Opens” for some of Smith's best acting in the series), but it always seemed to me that his balance leaned heavier towards joy than the more nuanced balance of Tennant’s performance. This pendulum does begin to swing in the opposite direction after Amy is lost, but that might be the exact reason why Series 7 never worked for me as well. Smith's youthful and playful energy could be justified in a handful of different ways. Narratively, it makes a lot of sense. As the Doctor gets further from the Time War, he begins to move on a little (as evidenced in this quote from the moment in “The Day of the Doctor”;

“They're what you become if you destroy Gallifrey. A man who regrets. And the man who forgets”). It also makes sense when you realize that the first person this Doctor meets is a young child. Now, one could say that the last one is reaching, but if you believe the first face any regeneration sees is important, then it seems a pretty plausible interpretation. I also think Smith’s age when cast in the role played a huge part in his Doctor’s personality. Whatever the reason, Smith's character choices were always entertaining in my eyes.

However, my faith has been faltering recently. I caught up with Capaldi roughly a year ago and found myself reanalyzing my relationship with him. His take on the character, particularly in his last two series, was pretty engaging and different from much of what came before in New Who. Then, as previously mentioned, I just rewatched all of series 4 in two days to catch up with the pod. Following this binge, I found myself loving Tennant more than ever before. His talent (along with Davies' writing) added depth and complexity to his Doctor that helped ground the low-budget, camp around him. Each Doctor in this run (10-12) brings something new to the series, at least for me. They are fantastic in their own ways, and each had different things working for or against them like newer technologies, varying budgets, writers, directors, etc. Unfortunately, as I run out of steam writing what has turned into a brief essay, I am still conflicted about who my favorite is out of these three. I’m leaning heavily toward Tennant nowadays. His general mastery and commitment to his craft, along with stellar scripts that explore the complex morality of the character, make for some of the best television ever. Still, I may have to update you all after rewatching Capaldi, because my fondness for him has been sneaking up on me like an ancient monster on a space-faring steam engine.

Sincerely,

Miller Bough

"Geronimo!" - Matt Smith; The Eleventh Doctor