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Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, A Retrospective

By Anika Guldstrand

With the recent discussion of a Doctor Who feature film, my natural trepidation at the thought, though tinged with nascent excitement, of course led to a fair amount of nostalgia on my part for my favorite Doctor: Ten, brilliantly portrayed by David Tennant.

The Doctor, as played by Tennant, visibly felt every moment of his 900+ years and the many difficult choices he’d had to make over that extended lifetime.

Despite that, he was playful, curious, and infinitely caring for those around him.

Let’s look back on the five episodes that stand out as the best, in my humble opinion, among many fantastic moments over the course of Tennant’s three seasons (four if you count the specials) in the TARDIS.


5. Doomsday
Originally Aired: July 8, 2006
Written By: Russell T. Davies

What it’s about: For the first time, the Daleks go up against the Cybermen. Both villains plan to use humanity for their own devices and The Doctor, along with some interdimensional-traveling companions, have to stop them. However, there are consequences of using the “Genesis Ark” and interdimensional travel, leaving The Tylers and Mickey with a heartbreaking choice, as well as a parting of the ways for The Doctor and Rose Tyler.


Why it’s so fantastic: First of all, I’m certain it was every Doctor Who fan’s dream-come-true to see the Daleks battle the Cybermen. The war between the two enduring villainous races is terrifying. What makes the episode so exceptional, though, is that even with the war being waged, it’s the wonderful characters that truly make it one of the best. The final scene at Bad Wolf Bay between The Doctor and Rose is one of the most heartbreaking and emotional of the show’s run, while at the same time, a fitting departure for our beloved Rose Tyler.

4. Midnight
Originally Aired: June 14, 2008
Written By: Russell T. Davies

What it’s about: While on a resort planet, The Doctor joins a quick tour group to see the Sapphire Waterfall. On the way, the tour ship stops suddenly and the pilots call for help. They claim to see something outside the ship, although no known being could survive in the current conditions. A woman, Sky, soon becomes possessed shortly after the pilot cabin is torn from the ship. She begins repeating the words of the other passengers, eventually repeating only The Doctor’s words until Sky begins speaking first with The Doctor repeating. The rest of the passengers then grapple with what they must do about the situation.


Why it’s so fantastic: The episode occurs in an enclosed space with a fixed group of people and an invisible enemy. The terror of the episode is entirely psychological and it’s entirely successful in getting into the viewer’s head. The episode is creepy to the core due to the back-and-forth between The Doctor and Sky, played by Lesley Sharp. The escalating panic and conflict of the other passengers expertly builds the tension right up to the chilling conclusion.

3. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
Originally Aired: May 31 and June 7, 2008
Written By: Steven Moffat



What it’s about: In this two-part episode, The Doctor and Donna Noble travel to The Library, a planet consisting of a giant library containing every book ever written. As they wander the planet, they soon realize that it is entirely uninhabited. Soon, they come across a team of explorers led by River Song, who informs The Doctor that they will know each other in the future, but she will not divulge how. Elsewhere, a young girl has been having dreams of the library planet and seems to be connected to the fate of the world. A creepy Node, or information drone with a human face, warns The Doctor to count the shadows, and he realizes that they are surrounded by Vashta Nerada, microscopic flesh-eating creatures that disguise themselves as shadows in order to attack their prey. The Doctor learns that the books were created from the trees of the Vashta Nerada’s home planet and makes a deal to rescue the people trapped inside in exchange for giving them the planet as their own.

Why it’s so fantastic: Alex Kingston shines as the mysterious River Song, setting up her eventual return to the series. It isn’t often that we see Tennant’s Doctor as perplexed as River Song makes him and it’s great to watch her toy with him in a way no other character can. The Doctor and team of explorers face hidden terror in the Vashta Nerada, which leads to several tense and frightening moments. The cliffhanger between the two episodes is truly terrifying as well, and the connection between the little girl and The Library is masterfully handled. In the end, it’s River Song who ultimately saves the day, giving us a glimpse at where the character ends up before we know anything about her beginning. That seems like a uniquely Who-vian moment to me.

2. The Girl in the Fireplace
Originally Aired: May 6, 2006
Written By: Steven Moffat

What it’s about: The Doctor, along with Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith, find themselves on a fully functional spaceship sitting still with no crew. Even more baffling: they discover an 18th Century fireplace on the ship, which gives The Doctor a portal into the quarters of a seven-year-old French girl named Reinette. As the episode goes on, The Doctor pops in to Reinette’s time at various points in her life, although only minutes have passed for him. He finds out that she is Madame de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV, and The Doctor and Reinette grow very fond of each other. Naturally, there is trouble from the spaceship in the form of clockwork androids, which are very interested in Reinette, but fortunately The Doctor is there to come to the rescue.


Why it’s so fantastic: The story of The Girl in the Fireplace is utterly captivating as The Doctor travels between the spaceship and 18th century France. The episode is one of the most romantic of Tennant’s run and his chemistry with Reinette, played by Sophia Myles, is palpable and, in the end, heartbreaking. Additionally, the script is wonderfully written and Tennant’s acting is spot-on as he begs the audience to wonder if The Doctor can fall in love. Add to all that the truly frightening clockwork androids and you have a recipe for a near-perfect episode of Doctor Who.

1. Blink
Originally Aired: June 9, 2007
Written By: Steven Moffat

What it’s about: Sally Sparrow (played by Carey Mulligan) ventures into a dilapidated home in Wester Drumlins in order to take photos. Instead, she finds creepy statues and a message written to her behind the wallpaper. She returns the next day with her friend Kathy Nightingale, who soon disappears, just as a man claiming to be Kathy’s grandson arrives with a letter for Sally from his grandmother. From there, Sally must figure out an unfolding mystery involving “easter eggs” discovered on seventeen different DVD titles featuring one side of a conversation from a man who calls himself The Doctor.

Why it’s so fantastic: I know that it’s no surprise to see this at the top of the list, but there’s a reason for that. Blink is simply one of the best Doctor Who episodes in the show’s history. While David Tennant is featured to a much smaller degree than usual in the episode, it’s done so well that you almost don’t notice. Carey Mulligan is brilliant as Sally Sparrow, leaving us to mourn the fact that she likely will never be a companion. The Weeping Angels are chilling, sinister villains and every minute of the hour-long episode is utilized perfectly to weave the story together. Upon reflection, I think I’ll go re-watch Blink now!

If the Doctor Who feature film does happen, we can only hope that it’s done half as well as these brilliant episodes.

Anika Guldstrand is a self proclaimed Girly Geek / Bibliopile / Karaoke Aficionado and spends her days working at t-shirts.com, promoting  Anika works for T-Shirts.com, the best place online for Doctor Who shirts and many other TV-related tees.

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