Matt Smith

[niknar266]

I was ok with Matt Smith in his first season but now I really want him to go. It is mostly bad writing that has made him suffer but he really couldn't compete with David Tennant. There is stuff from the behind the scenes show that shows why he was good. Being the doctor was David Tennant's dream job he would have been the 9th doctor if he weren't already cast in harry potter. He was a doctor who fanboy as a kid so he knew the character well and had I good Idea of how to portray the character himself.

I made a joke to a friend about the wanting Tennant back debate the other day and how resolve the issue. We have Matt Smith regenerate into David Tennant but with Ginger hair because of the comment on their regenerations about wanting to be ginger.

 

[Alleged_Alec]

I actually think Tennant is my least favourite doctor in the new series. I loved Eccleston, and I still believe he had the greatest potential of the new Doctors. However, due to somewhat sloppy writing and everyone still trying to find their place, most of that was lost. However, I still consider Eccleston my favourite just because of that potential of awesomeness; that constant switch between brooding anger and childlike amazement.

Tennant... Though I still liked him, what really grated me about him was his last moments. While other Whovians thought it was a tear jerker, I was mostly annoyed by it. After Nine's ending, where he sacrificed that life and still was content, I was not overly sympathetic for Tennant and his "I don't want to go". He still had the greatest companion ever though: WILFRED!

I like the return of the zaniness with Smith so far. He also has a huge advantage in his supporting cast. What did happen though, and which is something which irks me, is that the quality of the episodes has started to vary a lot more. Many of the non-plot essential episodes are an exercise in blandness. On the flip side: I think Smith also had quite a few of the best episodes to date.


I don't have any problems with Moffat, really. Yes, he hates me and every other person and wants to see us suffer. Yes, I have the idea he actually feeds on our sadness and fear (there's no other explanation for the stuff he did). But he's still one of the best writers currently on the team, and I look forward to the episodes written by him.


As for the next incarnation: for me, there's only one option. BRIAN BLESSED

 

[Flight]

I'm a Tennant fan forever but I don't have any issues with Smith. He's an excellent Doctor let down by some shoddy writting.

I agree. I love Matt Smith as the Doctor. Quite in fact, he's my favorite Doctor of NuWho. The only trouble with him, as far as I'm concerned, is the often terrible writing he gets stuck with (though, to be fair every Doctor's had his share of that).

 

[Fiad]

I didn't like Matt too much right at the start when he came in. But he grows on you. Still my least favorite of the New Who Doctors though, but he is far from bad.

 

[Lilani]

Are people still taking issue with Matt Smith as The Doctor? That's news to me.

I've always really liked Matt Smith and as you said I think the problem is that he's been stuck with a lot of less than stellar scripts. Saying that though the series that's just finished was brilliant and I loved every single episode.

I've actually heard some people argue that Matt Smith is the better Doctor between the two, but David Tennant just went on better adventures.

OP: They are two very different Doctors and their story arcs follow different patterns, but it sort of comes down to your personal taste. I like both of them pretty equally, but I do admit I prefer the adventures Tennant went on. I feel like the writing has been sloppy as of late (as in series 7, I don't have any problems with Smith's first 2 series'), but I'm going to hold back on saying it's a "lost cause" until I see what they do with the new companion. I think the last 5 episodes may have been held back by the Ponds (as much as I love them, they were kept around for just a bit too long and these last 5 episodes have seemed a bit unnecessary), so I'm going to see what sort of tone is set by the new companion.

Anyway, the only way you're going to figure out which Doctors you like better is if you just watch them and get a feel for their styles. Watch them in whatever order you want, but be aware the styles are different so just because you like or don't like one doesn't mean you'll have the same exact opinion of the other.

 

[Lilani]

WTF is this crap? Pertwee is good, I admit, but be honest with yourself: he doesn't hold a candle to Baker. None of the others do, really.

Wait...which Baker? Colin or Tom?

 

[Dangit2019]

I like him. People really need to stop comparing him to Tennant. While I do think Tennant had better episodes, Smith is just as good at the character. Especially when he gets scripts from people who aren't Steven Moffat.

 

[Dangit2019]

WTF is this crap? Pertwee is good, I admit, but be honest with yourself: he doesn't hold a candle to Baker. None of the others do, really.

Wait...which Baker? Colin or Tom?

Unless further evidence is given, always assume Tom.

 

[Dangit2019]

Is it just me or does Matt Smith remind anyone of Marty McFly's dad from back to the future?

That's pretty random, there's no way they're ER MAH GERD

 

[BrotherRool]

I started with Ecclestone but my heart is forever David Tennant's. I both Matt Smith and Eccleston do a fine job though, it only took the first episode to convince me Matt Smith was a good Doctor (his I am awesome speech at the end of episode 1 pretty much sold me). He's mellower and a bit gentler but he does child like glee well and brings his own decent character to the table.

Still nothing can beat David Tennants ('O') face or his excitment or even his end of regeneration crazieness.

Matt Smith is helped by having by far the best assistants though. Rose was the first and pretty decent, Martha was meh and Donna was better than should have been, but then she should have been really bad. Amy and Rory on the other hand were memorable and fantastic and drove storylines forward and felt they had more role in the story than the get-kidnapped-scream-exposition generators that the others were a little bit. But on the other hand, his character is the whimsical recovery of David's angst, the happy person that was born afresh from his previous regenerations redemption, so he's got less to express.

I also think the writing is really good with Moffat (and the people complaining about time inconsistency, I mean we've had that in Doctor Who from pretty much day one, I'm surprised this is the first time people are recognising that there is not set way time works in Doctor Who. I mean have we forgotten Rose's Time Reaper monsters from right at the beginning (not that'd I'd be surprised if we hadn't tried to forget those)). I think whats bad about his reign, is the tone, which has shifted a lot. Moffat who feels a heck of a lot more professional, the directing is uniformly higher budget and more stylised, there are less completely bottom out episodes (like Dalek pig monsters and human daleks) although where we would have had a bottom out episode, we now just have a very boring episode (Pirates ). Also the stories are a lot more ...internety... Dinosaurs on a Spacehip, Robot Westerns, Pirates etc and someone pointed out there was more of a clean fairytale feel to the sometimes awkward more sci-fi of RTD.


So yeah Matt Smith does a good job, but also has had the least demanded of him so far. I want this to be his last season now, not because he's bad but I feel like it's a nice time to lay him to rest and try something new. As long as they develop his character in a new direction and he stops being the nice one, I'll forgive him if he does another two series, but after that it's time for someone new

 

[BreakfastMan]

WTF is this crap? Pertwee is good, I admit, but be honest with yourself: he doesn't hold a candle to Baker. None of the others do, really.

Wait...which Baker? Colin or Tom?

Here, have a jelly-baby while you take a guess.

 

[elvor0]

I was ok with Matt Smith in his first season but now I really want him to go. It is mostly bad writing that has made him suffer but he really couldn't compete with David Tennant. There is stuff from the behind the scenes show that shows why he was good. Being the doctor was David Tennant's dream job he would have been the 9th doctor if he weren't already cast in harry potter. He was a doctor who fanboy as a kid so he knew the character well and had I good Idea of how to portray the character himself.

To be fair to Smith, it's Doctor Who. There is no method to portraying him. Smith is vastly different to Tennent who is different to Ecclestone who is different to Mcgann... etc etc.

Granted Smith had huge shoes to fill over Tennant, but then he /is/ an especially talented Actor outside of Dr Who. Smith is still a great Doctor though, and you're right he's been massively let down by poor scripts. Which is a massive shame when I suspect that that he'll be off at the end of this season. (No source, I'm just speculating that it seems about time given the length of Tennants tenure)

Personally I'd like to see James Mcavoy play the 12th and possibly even Benedict Cumberbatch make an appearance as the Valeyard.

 

[Bearadox_42]

I have always thought Tennant was the best Doctor and I probably always will...that being said, Matt Smith is a fantastic Doctor as well..