Doctor Who: Was the Doctor happiest in his Fourth incarnation?

Looking at the Doctor’s long life and their many incarnations, we have to ask: was it during his Fourth incarnation that he was happiest?

The Day of the Doctor had many brilliant moments. The introduction of the War Doctor. The meeting between Eleven, Ten and War. Destroying the Dalek together in the No More painting. And of course, the moment when all the Doctors saved Gallifrey. These moments made so many Doctor Who fans giddy with joy.

But for many fans of the Classic Series, perhaps the greatest moment of the special was when the Eleventh Doctor met “the Curator”. A curator who looked suspiciously like an older version of his Fourth self…

Why did the Curator look this way? While it wasn’t explicitly revealed, his response to Eleven claiming that he “never forgets a face” is a very strong clue:

"I know you don’t. And in years to come you might find yourself revisiting a few. But just…the old favorites, eh?"

It’s an interesting line. Obviously, it’s a nice wink to the audience that Tom Baker is and will always be a huge fan favorite. But it also implies that even the Doctor is fond of this particular incarnation. And it’s not hard to see why: it’s arguably one of the happiest lives he ever had.

Even “the Curator” would describe the Doctor’s Fourth self as a favorite. But why?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

A life free of responsibility

Looking back, the Fourth Doctor clearly had a glorious time. He roamed the universe, fighting evil, having fun and sometimes just acting very silly. He traveled with so many great companions – Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, Leela, Romana, to name a few. And many of these companions went on to have happy lives or continued the good fight in their own ways. And he lived his life relatively free of responsibility. (With the occasional exception, such as Genesis of the Daleks, of course.)

Now compare that life style to other incarnations. I’m not saying that most of them hadn’t been happy. But their lives hadn’t been so easy overall. The First Doctor was initially a grumpy old fellow, and it took a while for him to warm up to the universe. He had also seen a lot of people die, even two of his own companions.

The Third Doctor may have had many great adventures, but so much of his life had been spent stuck on Earth – the exact opposite of the ideal life for the Doctor.

More from Winter is Coming

Now, let’s look at later incarnations. The Fifth had to watch Adric die; the Sixth was often angry, highly emotional, and suffered the indignity of being placed on trial by his own people; the Seventh abandoned being a wondering hero in favor of being a grand chessmaster who kept secrets from his own companions…and these are just three of his subsequent incarnations!

Other happy times

There are some incarnations who have lead generally happy lives, however. While his life had a dark ending, the Second Doctor was generally happy to travel the universe, even when he had no idea where he was going.

The Thirteenth Doctor has (with the exception of Grace’s death, of course) been happy with her TARDIS family. (But then again, Ten was pretty happy too…until his companions had to leave, that is. Usually in terrible ways, too. I expect Thirteen will face darkness when her companions have to leave.)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying a happier Doctor is a better Doctor, at least for the audience. On the contrary, drama is usually fueled by our heroes facing terrible and difficult situations. It’s why the Tenth Doctor is so greatly loved, and why the Eighth Doctor is my favorite – these two incarnations have faced a lot of hardship across both their lives.

But it’s nice to think that, with one incarnation, at least, the Doctor had the time of their lives. It’s also nice to think that they view their Fourth incarnation with as much fondness as the fans do.

Next. Season Eighteen – five reasons to watch Tom Baker’s final year. dark

What do you think? Was the Doctor at his happiest during his Fourth incarnation? Or do you think other incarnations have been happier? Let us know in the comments below.

Home/Doctor Who