Doctor Who: Why the Third Doctor’s regeneration is the greatest

We look at the Third Doctor’s regeneration, and why it might be one of the best regeneration scenes in Doctor Who history.

Yesterday, I mentioned that Planet of the Spiders was far from the best regeneration story in Doctor Who. It’s not exactly the worst, either, but it’s certainly flawed.

However, there is a moment that does stand out. And that’s the regeneration scene itself. It’s not only good. It’s absolutely brilliant. In fact, it might be better than all other regeneration scenes in the series.

Yes, better than Ten’s “I don’t want to go” in The End of Time, or Eleven’s “I will always remember when the Doctor was me” in The Time of the Doctor. Because it has everything a regeneration scene needs.

Firstly, it has the sense of loss for a Doctor. Many regenerations have this, of course. But what makes Planet of the Spiders stand out is how pure that loss is.

Death of the Doctor

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When the Doctor arrives on Earth after suffering fatal radiation poisoning, he immediately collapses. It’s clear that he’s at his final moments. Elisabeth Sladen gives a great performance in this scene as Sarah Jane. When she begs him not to die, it’s utterly heartbreaking to hear.

And then we get the Third Doctor’s last words.

"A tear, Sarah Jane? No, don’t cry. While there’s life, there’s…"

He doesn’t even finish his sentence. Because, for one single moment, the Doctor is dead.

I’m not even referring to the regeneration itself at this point. It’s not like how the Tenth Doctor described regeneration in The End of Time. It’s even more devastating than that. Because we’re not just seeing a change, at least, not at first. For one moment, we believe the Doctor is dead.

It’s a really devastating moment, and one that very few regenerations have done since. Usually, we have the change while the Doctor’s still conscious. The only exceptions were The Tenth Planet, this story, Time and the Rani and The Movie.

The last two at least certainly don’t have quite have the impact that this scene does. Certainly, neither scene felt like a true goodbye as much as this one.

But just as the loss truly starts to sink in, an old friend arrives to help.

Rebirth

When the Doctor’s old friend and mentor abbot K’Anpo arrives, hope does, too. Because K’Anpo knows what’s really happening to the Doctor. And he’s also there to help with what happens next.

What’s great about this is that, before K’Anpo’s arrival, the scene lets us feel the loss of a Doctor that we’ve become very attached to. But with K’Anpo, it also helps us to more easily accept the new Doctor, too.

Especially since, for a single moment, it looks like we could lose the Doctor for good. After that, the Doctor radically changing suddenly doesn’t seem so bad.

So when we actually see the regeneration, we don’t feel a sense of loss. Instead, we feel hope and joy that the Doctor’s story continues. And we are ready to accept the new Doctor completely.

In just a few minutes, we go from despair and sadness to hope and happiness. From one emotional extreme to another. And we go from a horrendously sad goodbye to a happy and eager hello.

With this mix of emotions and moods, as well as making the transition as easy for audiences to accept as possible, it all combines into one of the best regeneration scenes ever.

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Do you agree that the Third Doctor’s regeneration is the best? Do you have a favorite regeneration scene of your own? If so, which one? Let us know in the comments below.