Outside of the In-Crowd – And he’s wonderful

Courtney Enlow

Courtney Enlow

He’s like fire and ice and rage. He’s like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun. He’s ancient and forever. He burns at the center of time and can see the turn of the universe. And he’s wonderful.

This past weekend, nerds throughout the country and normal people throughout Western Europe said a very difficult goodbye, and that goodbye was to the Doctor. The Tenth Doctor specifically, as in the star of Doctor Who, David Tennant.

I took this particularly hard, as I, along with most females/gay males who watch DW, am deeply awkwardly in I-don’t-actually-know-you love with David Tennant. He wears Chucks with a suit, he’s tall and lanky, his hair is all “sticky uppy” and he’s Scottish, which is pretty much my most important criteria. And he actually likes Doctor Who, which any American lass will tell you is somewhat difficult to find in a man (she says to her boyfriend who refuses to watch it with her). He’s all this, and a brilliant actor. He, in his four year tenure, has bested Tom Baker as the most beloved Doctor of all time. He’s awesome. And now he’s gone.

Things are about to get spoilery, so bounce, if you’re against that kind of thing. Seriously. BOUNCE.

Okay, so I don’t know about you, but for the last twenty minutes of his final episode, I was in completely hysterical inconsolable sobs. From the instant you find out just who is delivering the four knocks that will bring about his death to his seeing his BFFs for the last time (Martha + Mickey = true love forevs), I was a wreck. I’ve never cried so hard at something fictitious, and I saw Titanic four times in the theater as a weepy Leo-obsessed fourteen-year-old.

David Tennant was incredibly important to the lives of his fans for four years, and will continue to be so until our DVDs are worn to nothing. With that, I offer him all I can in return: a rudimentary countdown list.

The Ten Best Tenth Doctor Moments

10. “Look at me! I’m wearing a vegetable!”

This is only so far back because it’s not technically from an episode, rather a Children In Need special bit. But it’s awesome. It’s fan squee-y, hilarious and the bringing together of my two favorite doctors. And brainy specs!

9. The Doctor describes Gallifrey.

The Doctor was rendered homeless shortly before the start of the new series. For the first time in NuWho, he tells us about Gallifrey and the Time Lords. He makes it all sound beautiful and lovely. Too bad I remember the Time Lords as being kind of dicks from the old episodes, but that’s beside the point.

8. The Doctor gets poisoned.

I only wish there was more Donna Noble on this list, but the problem with that is that all Donna’s awesomeness overshadowed the Doctor, so he doesn’t get a lot of “best” moments with her. This, however, is glorious.

7. “Thick thick thickity thickface from Thicktown, Thickania. And so’s your dad.”

Not only do I love a faux-drunken Doctor (and this entire episode), but I love that this line is a rehash from a Coupling episode, also written by Steven Moffat (“You’re so slim. Slim slim slimmity slim from Slimtown, Slimania.”)

6. “Am I … ginger?”

I would have been repelled by him if he was.

5. The Doctor takes on Satan and effing wins.

Please note that YouTube is a twat and cuts it off before my favorite line. See the whole thing, because it’s my favorite episode. ANYWAY, if you watch DW, you know that the general rule of thumb is that there is no God, there is only Zuul the Doctor. When put up against giant beefy Beelzebub himself, who do you think wins? My money’s on the skinny guy.

4. “Wibbley wobbly timey wimey stuff.”

This is the only time that time travel has ever made sense to me, and I grew up on this and Back to the Future.

3. Psych! Suck it, family of blood!

This whole episode had spectacular David acting, but this scene where he just drops it and slips seamlessly back into Doctor pimpawesomeness mode is genius. Gives me a giant smile every time.

2.“Quite right, too.”

The second hardest I’ve ever cried at Doctor Who. As for the first …

1. “I don’t want to go.”

As if there were any question.

Goodbye, David. We miss you already. Bring on Matt Smith. Eleven, you have big shoes to fill.

Courtney Enlow is a writer living in Chicago and working as a corporate shill to pay the bills. You can contact her at courtney@hobotrashcan.com.

Comments(3)
  1. Declan Dempsey January 6, 2010
  2. Courtney January 6, 2010
  3. Declan Dempsey January 6, 2010

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *