One would think that, after his second season on Doctor Who, people would be used to Peter Capaldi’s incarnation of the Doctor. Guess not.
I thought we were past this. Or, maybe I just hoped that we were. After two seasons on Doctor Who, the complaining about how Peter Capaldi was not soft and cuddly had appeared to go away. Well, it turns out that I was wrong on that.
As it turns out, those people were waiting. Now that there is a question of whether or not Capaldi will be returning after Series Ten, those same complaints are coming out yet again. Quotes such as the following are occasionally seen peppered throughout discussion in the fandom: “The Doctor isn’t cute and cuddly.” “He’s mean.” “He’s not like my beloved David Tennant or Matt Smith.” “He’s ruining the show.” Get a Kleenex already. Some elements of kindness and romance are all well and good, but they are not the be all, end all of the program.
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News flash – the Doctor is not always a friendly person. From the beginning of Doctor Who, the Doctor has had a prickly side. Just look back to the very beginning of the show; it was far from the first goal of the First Doctor to win anyone over with his charm and friendliness. The Fourth Doctor may have been a bit insane, and not exactly friendly at times, but he may well be the most beloved Doctor in the history of the show. The Sixth Doctor makes Capaldi’s incarnation seem as approachable and harmless as Eleven. Seven certainly had his share of grumpy moments. And there were times when Nine was a rather biting fellow, as well. In reality, antisocial character traits were seen throughout the Doctor’s incarnations… they just rose to the surface more so in some incarnations than others.
Yes, the Twelfth Doctor has difficulty connecting with humans. It makes sense – the Doctor is an alien, after all. He may look human, and he may spend a great deal of time on Planet Earth, but he’s not. He’s a time travelling alien from Gallifrey who, even with all of the time he has spent here, still has problems being able to understand us.
In some ways, that gets lost. Maybe it’s due to his appearance or his fondness for young British human females, but the Doctor is a largely different sort of being. And with every regeneration, his personality and appearance change. It’s just the way that it is.
Remember My Buddy? It is almost as if the Doctor has become such a figure in the minds of some fans.
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Next: Doctor Who: Current and past accolades
Or, remember when, at the start of Series Eight, the Eleventh Doctor reminded Clara that the Doctor was not her boyfriend? Maybe we need that reminder once again.