Watched the Doctor Who movie so let’s talk the Eighth Doctor.
Yes, I am aware that he has audios, books, comics and others and I am starting on it all but for the moment, we are going to just talk about his two main tv appearances. The movie and the minisode.
The Eighth Doctor was born out of trauma, in a situation where unlike before he actually was dead and remained dead for too long before regeneration kicked in, which left him even more confused and sorting out his life than usual. And the Doctor usually regenerates into a problem, where they don’t have time to rest and recover before trying to save the world. And the movie is no exception to that. To judge Eight’s personality off these two, the beginning and end of his life, are hard because we know in the first he’s still forming a personality and in the second he’s angry and bitter due to circumstances.
However he seems so full of life in the start. Optimistic, excited, and wanting to see everything. But we also know he keeps to his principles. As the Time War begins he refuses to fight but instead tries to save those caught in the crossfire. However this left him angry at the war and the people he met sees him as no different than the ones fighting. And in the end he dies in a crash and has to be brought back by the exiler of life because again he was dead too long. Interesting bookends.
The Eighth Doctor has many other stories out there and I look forward to them. He also meets Grace Holloway. Grace is a doctor who put her job first in her life, leading to strains in her personal life. She also has a strong moral code, quitting her job because she refuses to cover up what happened with the Doctor. She also is notable for the first companion to have a romantic relationship with the Doctor. Which as Eleven tells us ‘starts to happen a lot’ after this. In the end though, this isn’t the life for her.
I should also mention Chang Lee. While not really the Doctors companion, he is important. He called the ambulance for the Seventh Doctor and accompanied him to the hospital, which led to the meeting with Grace and subsequently his regeneration. When it came down to the final confrontation he sided with the Doctor over the Master and assisted him. Chang was given some gold dust by the Doctor after and seemed to have no regrets of walking away from this all, which can’t blame him.
Also Cass, who again was not a companion of the Doctor but who impacted him significantly. Her hatred of Time Lords including him stuck with him, and her death made him realize he could no longer sit by and watch the universe destroy itself but had to fight.
I liked the Eighth and I look forward to his extended media.
