BBC, Doctor Who
Regenerations are what keeps Doctor Who going, but that doesn’t mean they get any easier.
Regenerations are a huge deal for the Doctor Who community. Even though it’s what keeps the show alive, it’s never easy. In fact, for some people, it just gets harder every time. One thing’s for certain though, you absolutely never get used to saying goodbye to a Doctor.
There’s a reason this Doctor Who meme is incredibly accurate:
In the days leading up to regeneration, you feel like you would if you were sick. Your heart races. You feel fatigued because you can’t stop thinking about it. It might bring on anxiety! You hope that your doctor is given the best send off possible. One that’s worthy of how much he means to you and the other fans you’ve written fanfiction with.
Meanwhile, you’re worried about how the new Doctor will be. Will you love them from the beginning? Will they start off wrong? What if you hate them? This is your favorite television show, after all! You want to love any and all Doctors!
With four regenerations under the New Series’s belt, it’s time to compare each sendoff. Starting with number four…
The Tenth Doctor
I know this is shocking, and I might be exiled from the Doctor Who community for saying this. But to be honest, I don’t like the Tenth Doctor’s regeneration. Keep in mind, I think David Tennant did a brilliant job, and I’ll never forget hearing even my mom sobbing from across the house as he regenerated. There’s no doubt that his regeneration had a huge impact on fans.
Like Peter Capaldi’s, it signaled the end of RTD’s era, but my one issue with it is how spread out it was. Instead of one episode, we had two episodes at a longer time. The Doctor also seemed to change, with how angry he got towards the end of not wanting to “die”. It seemed a little out of character for a fairly happy Doctor like Tennant’s to be so angry about the prospect of death.
However, the actual regeneration was wonderful. Saying goodbye to all the people he’s had an effect on would tug at anyone’s heartstrings to the point of breaking them. And the final words to a Rose who is getting ready to meet Nine is just beautiful.
The Ninth Doctor
I love the Ninth Doctor. I’m the president of the Don’t Skip Nine! club. But comparing his regeneration to the other three, it was incredibly different. These comparisons don’t mean that any of them were bad. In this case, it only means that it doesn’t seem to be as memorable as the others.
The Ninth Doctor’s regeneration was completely different than the next three. There wasn’t a special all about nine, which mostly had to do with the fact that he was only there for one season. If his regeneration episode felt rushed when it came to the actual regeneration, it’s probably because there wasn’t a dramatic speech or people sobbing at his goodbye.
His speech before his regeneration was actually quite happy. It was used as a way to explain what could happen in the regeneration, while also trying to keep Rose calm. It was a speech that reminded us to look forward happily to the next Doctor and continue to be fantastic.
The only reason this is 4th is that the regeneration was so different from the ones we’ve come to know. It’s actually a good regeneration for any Whovians-In-Training who want a regeneration that won’t leave you sobbing.
The Twelfth Doctor
Even though my own review still hasn’t been published, I can tell you that I really enjoyed the actual regeneration. While the episode dragged on a little and had its own problems, the speech before Twelve’s regeneration was fantastic, and the episode highlighted Twelve of the best ways.
It was heartbreaking to see the Doctor not wanting to live, and it made me feel for the character. It almost made me wonder if there should be more Doctor Who! I got so worried about this character that I’ve come to love, that I didn’t want them to suffer anymore. Peter Capaldi did a great job at both speeches and everything he’s feeling.
The episode itself was a great representation of who Twelve is. Saving a Captain in World War I, his love for Bill Potts, and even the hug at the end! The “cuddle” with Nardole and Bill showed a huge character development (don’t laugh! Hugging’s a big thing!) from the beginning when he didn’t think he was a hugger. Nothing could highlight the great parts of Twelve better than Twice Upon a Time.
The Eleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor holds the title for my favorite regeneration episode. I love this episode so much and I watch it all the time, even though I rarely watch regeneration episodes. It is the best representation of who a Doctor has been throughout his time that I’ve seen in New Series.
The plot of staying in town as the mayor of Christmas until he’s old and ready to die seems like the perfect thing Eleven would do. Helping children fix toys and families fix things and making things better for the community is everything the Doctor would do.
The episode wrapped up everything during Matt Smith’s era of the Doctor perfectly. It brought in almost every plot hole that we had, even ones we’d forgotten about. The crack in the wall, what he saw in The God Complex, and even the Silence. It even brought back the pocket universe they put Gallifrey in during the Fiftieth Anniversary!
The actual regeneration speech was my favorite speech so far. No speech has been quite so personal that it felt like Matt Smith talking as well as the Doctor. Then, of course, the surprise cameo with Karen Gillen and little Amelia just brought everything home. This was truly my favorite regeneration.