ANALYTICAL: PROGRESSIVE DOCTORS - PART 1

ANALYTICAL:

PROGRESSIVE DOCTORS

First Doctor stories are not the easiest to watch. But if you can look past dodgy "Plan 9 From Outer Space" effects, Hartnell's dialogue fluffs and actual scientific premises that have been proven wrong over the last 50 years, you find something really beautiful going on. The First Doctor actually grows. Or, more appropriately, progresses. He starts off as one type of person and goes through a series of life lessons that turn him into someone better. 

As successive actors came in to take over the role, the lead performers and production teams that worked around them made definite choices about how the character was to be portrayed. In some cases, an incarnation of the Doctor stayed as consistent as possible. Which was not an entirely bad thing. It created a sense of stability for the audience. But with other incarnations, an arc was built in to the character. They went through a process similar to Hartnell's Doctor. They started at one point and progressed. 

This series of analytical essays will look at those incarnations of the Doctor and try to chart that process a bit. We will site pivotal moments where we saw turning points in an incarnation's experiences that caused him to initiate changes in his attitude. We'll also talk about the people that influenced him to move in new directions. Basically, we'll highlight a journey. Or show a progression. 

We'll start with the most recent Doctor.


IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:

Before we really start picking stuff apart, let's look at two things that we see fairly consistently in the interpretation of a new incarnation that might be construed as character progression but we won't be crediting it for that.

1. Settling Into The Role

As the show progressed and the title role kept getting re-cast, it became more and more difficult for each actor to find some new "angle" for the character. So the first few episodes or even stories showed a Doctor who seemed very uncertain of himself, at first. As the show moved on, he became more confident. Probably the first time this was prominently noticeable was when Peter Davison took over.

This was not intentional character progression written into the character, though. But, rather, an actor finding his way into a role. By no means does this indicate an actor with a lack of talent, of course. If it indicates anything - it's that the Doctor is a complex character who is not easy to settle into.

2. A Nice Swansong

On the other end of the spectrum, we have also seen examples where the Doctor goes through a large stage of growth in his final story or even a final series of stories. The Third Doctor in Planet of Spiders (and, perhaps, just a bit of the ending of Monster of Peladon) is a great example of this. The Doctor accepts the consequences of his greed for knowledge and faces his greatest fear. An example of even greater magnitude would be the series of "Specials" we see in 2009 as the Tenth Doctor comes to terms with the fact that he will be passing soon. As those fateful four knocks get closer and closer, he becomes more desperate and morose.

While it's nice that these sort of things get written in to the character as the lead is ready to move on, I wouldn't say that this qualifies him as a Progressive Doctor (although, it could be argued that the "half-regeneration" at the end of Stolen Earth constitutes an incarnation of its own - so, maybe, Doctor 10b is actually progressive). This is just a special bit of character growth added at the end of a Doctor's era. If, for the rest of his tenure, he's been pretty consistent - it doesn't fit the parameters of my definition.


So, just to summarize: a Progressive Doctor is the result of a collaboration between the actor playing the role and the production team to move the main character through a series of changes that take place over an extended period of time. By extended period of time, I mean, several seasons or even the entire period of time that the actor played the role. The progression also usually moves in a positive direction.

Okay, we've got definitions out of the way. Let's look at an example of it.


PART 1: THE TWELFTH DOCTOR - NOT SO DIFFERENT FROM THE SIXTH

"Matt Smith was channeling the Second Doctor and Peter Capaldi is totally emulating the Third." fans seem to be saying. While there were definitely some Througtonesque behavior to Smith's portrayal and Capaldi's made some costume choices that seem Pertweeish - this theory tends to fall apart after that. Similarities between Doctors' Three and Twelve are tenuous, at best. Both are crotchety, yes. But most incarnations are. But Twelve's arrogance and temper go way further through the roof than the Third could ever hope to.

If Capaldi's portrayal resembles any past incarnation - it's the Sixth Doctor. He's largely unconcerned with other peoples' feelings and is quite happy to praise himself. He's generally rude to folks (particularly when he first meets them) and seems more interested in ideas and concepts than he is people. Even the way he interacts with Clara highly resembles Six and Peri. Like poor ole Perpigillium, Clara is largely unimpressed with the new man that emerges after the regeneration. It doesn't help that he spends a large amount of time insulting and arguing with her. Over time, a strong friendship does develop. In the end, though, heavy tragedy overshadows their eventual separation.

With that in mind, we can't help but note another strong connection between Six and Twelve. Both have very prominent arcs built into their character. They are two of the most Progressive Doctors of them all.

Eventually, of course, we'll look at Doctor Six. But, right now, let's delve into this latest incarnation.

Capaldi's Doctor is largely unstable for the first little while after the regeneration Something similar occurs to Colin Baker's Doctor - so there may be a correlation, right there. Progressive Doctors can start on shaky ground.  Oftentimes, a Doctor has either physical or psychological issues from a regeneration. But Twelve seems to be suffering from both. This means, of course, that a lot of what we're seeing in Deep Breath may have little to do with what the Doctor will really be like once he settles into his new body. It's a device the show has been using since Throughton first took the reigns. It's one more trick that enables the actor a little extra time to find the character as he stumbles about losing consciousness or acting wildly erratic.

But there are one or two sequences in his first story that are, without a doubt, definitive to Doctor Twelve. The first is that moment of rage at the bridge over the Thames when the T-rex is destroyed. "Pudding brains", the Doctor starts calling everyone. Including his own friends. This incarnation will definitely assert his mental superiority over everyone else in the most arrogant and insulting of ways. He is, perhaps, a bit less abrasive about it than Six was. But the ego is still there in great abundance. The other big defining moment in Deep Breath comes near the end where we are left wondering if the android jumped or was pushed to his death. Again, like Six, this seems to be a colder, darker Doctor who might not value life quite as much as other incarnations did. There are times when darker deeds need to be accomplished to save the greater good. And this Doctor seems less afraid than others to accomplish that.

STARTING POINT

This, then, is the Twelfth Doctor's Starting Point - an arrogant self-centered man who lacks empathy. Human interaction, in general, seems like a foreign concept to him. Just look at how he's incapable of hugging Clara at the end of his first story.

This idea continues as we move into Into the Dalek. "She's my care-giver." is how the Doctor introduces Clara to the latest supporting cast, "She cares about people when I don't." Could we see either Ten or Eleven saying something like that? They were far softer sides of the Doctor's personality. But this latest incarnation doesn't really get people. They're good for telling him how brilliant he is (which they seldom do because he does it so well without their help) - but, beyond that, he has no idea how to deal with them. The Doctor's "murkier" morality also gets re-emphasized in this tale as he asks that poignant question: "Am I a good man?"

And the truth is: we're not entirely sure if he is a good man, either. Once again, I must reference Six. After his attempted murder of Peri and various other types of undoctorish behavior, he is dangerously close to departing too far away from the character's core values. It's not quite as harsh of a departure with this incarnation - but it's still there. The Doctor is a bit of anti-hero, again. Like the title character from the popular American medical drama "House" - we have someone who does good things, but he does some very unlikeable stuff, too. And the bad almost seems to outweigh the good. His treatment of Blue from Into the Dalek and Robin Hood in the next story are both great examples of this. Both get handled rudely and kindly in equal measures and we are not sure what to make of him. With Robin Hood, at least, things finish off on a good note. But we can't say the same for Blue. His new-found discrimination against the militairy leaves things very sour between them as he departs.

In general, it's the Doctors' social ineptitude that's making him so unlikeable. It's not only the fact that he can no longer hug people - we see it all over the place, now. His inability to join in the merriment with Robin Hood's men (he's even ready to tell one of them when he's going to die, showing he's now as socially ignorant as Strax was with Clara in Deep Breath). His total obliviousness to the dates Clara is trying to have in Hide and Time Heist. Even his desire to just want to talk about planets while he and Clara are "breaking up" in Mummy on the Orient Express. The examples are everywhere. This Doctor does not understand humans, anymore. Even worse, though, is the fact that he doesn't seem to want to blend in. He's quite happy as the Outsider.

The first real rays of compassion and humanity do start shining through in Time Heist. Not only do we see the Doctor going to elaborate lengths to re-unite the last two members of a species,  but we also see him form an actual friendship with Psi and Saibra. To the point where Psi even wants to see him, again. Considering he was berating Clara for making excuses for the Doctor's rudeness earlier in the episode, that says something about the impact the Doctor made on him. And we do get the impression Psi is offering himself up for future bank heists not just because the Doctor granted him his greatest wish. He has also come to like the man.

But, like other "Arrogant Doctors", Twelve will have his own fair share of backsliding. The promise he shows in Time Heist is immediately nullified in the next story. The Doctor's treatment of Danny Pink is truly deplorable. The huge confrontation they have when Clara sneaks her boyfriend into the TARDIS shows this Doctor at his most unlikeable. His near-uncontrollable rage as the soldier and the Time Lord butt heads is even greater than any eruption Six ever went into. Those rays of hope we just saw in the last story have definitely faded. In fact, Doctor Twelve seems to have gotten worse. He's  reduced to a ranting lunatic in that scene and we're not sure if he's ever going to bounce back. Particularly since things don't seem fully resolved between him and Danny Pink at the episode's conclusion. At this stage, even the cruel anti-hero we get introduced to in An Unearthly Child seems a bit more charming than the Doctor we're seeing here.

FIRST TURNING POINT

And still, the Doctor's inhumane behavior goes further. In Kill the Moon the Doctor crosses a line that not even Clara can tolerate. Like Peri, she remembers what the Doctor had been like in his previous incarnation and is able to make excuses for the way he currently acts. But, in Kill the Moon, the Doctor is so unsympathetic that he seems to see it as acceptable to just abandon her, outright. He actually believes it to be a gesture of kindness - that's how far removed he's become from his own sense of humanity. Cruelty now appears to be nice to him. Clara can no longer stand the man he's become and insists on leaving him.

And this is where we see the first major shift in the character's attitude. In all Progressive Doctors there are specific places in their eras where personality will start to change or even grow. In some cases, it's an external influence that causes this. In other instances, it seems to be more of just an internal motivation. With Twelve, his first major turning point is definitely caused by something outside of him. It's the fact that he's about to lose Clara.

Sure, he's insulted her a countless number of times since he's hit this new incarnation. But he's still values his Impossible Girl as much as he did in his eleventh body. And finally reaching a point of cruelty where she wants to leave him sobers him. He has to change his ways. And we see the beginning of that in Mummy on the Orient Express.

The change appears to be happening slowly, at first. We still see plenty of signs that he's out of touch with social discourse. The aforementioned sequence where he wants to just talk about planets rather than what's going on with him and Clara is a great example of this. But we soon see the Doctor is changing more than we realize. Thinking once more that he's up to another bout of cruelty, Clara delivers Maisie to the Time Lord to use in an experiment against the Foretold. But the Doctor suddenly turns the tables and makes himself into the mummy's next victim in order to defeat it. This is definitely not the same man who nearly left Clara on the moon to die and can't understand why she's upset. The fact that he takes the time to justify himself in his "sometimes we can only make difficult decisions" speech is another indication of change. He wants Clara to understand him better.

We see more signs of progress in the next few stories. In Flatline, he's angry with Clara for telling lies to Danny Pink even though he doesn't even really like the man. He gradually warms up to the kids in In the Forest of the Night. Other slight signs of a more socially-acclimatized Twelfth Doctor are starting to show.

SECOND TURNING POINT

As we move into the finale of Series Eight, we really start seeing a few huge jumps of progress in Doctor Twelve. Again, those leaps seem to happen without us noticing them until they're sprung on us as a surprise.

The turning points happen in a fairly rapid succession over the next two episodes. First, there's the Doctor forgiving Clara for betraying him in the dream sequence with the TARDIS keys. It shows a level of maturity we didn't think Twelve was capable of. To be honest, I would think most incarnation wouldn't have forgiven Clara for such an act. So we really must be impressed with the man.

Next is the "idiot in a box" epiphany that he has near the end of Death In Heaven. The very fact that the Doctor has chosen that moment to undertake a bit of self-exploration says something about what he's becoming. The whole Earth is about to be converted into a Cyber-army and he insists on sorting out his "Am I a good man?" question rather than deal with it. That's some pretty human behavior right there!

But realizing that he's just an idiot in a box does create a serious change in his attitude. From this point onward, the character mellows. He's sorted himself out and doesn't need to be quite so rough around the edges. He's learnt to like himself and can now start liking other people. He can even actually be nice to the people he likes.

The final big turning point that we see in Series 8 occurs when he sits with Clara and they choose to lie to each other. Doctor Twelve, at the beginning of the season, would've never opted for such a thing. He would've wanted Clara to stay with him no matter what because he needed her. Now, he's prepared to let her live a happy life without him. Again, he's showing tremendous maturity. He even hugs her goodbye. A symbolic gesture that shows us just how far the character has come.

SERIES NINE

The Doctor and Clara sort out that they've been lieing to each other as they fight off Dream Crabs and start travelling together, again. And we move on to his second season.

The turning points in Series Nine aren't as distinct as they were in Eight, but we definitely see a serious softening of the character. His social abilities improve, too. He's actually forming healthy bonds with people. Even with someone who's a legitimate "Doctor Groupie" like Osgood - he develops a real friendship with. Making sure to let her know that he has just as much respect for her as she has for him. Considering how much he liked fishing for compliments through most of Series 8 - that's quite the accomplishment for him.

The Doctor's shift in attitude is clearly evident right from the beginning of the series. In Magician's Apprentice, he's complimenting Clara and actually being charming with her. He even hugs her without making it seem like it's a task. One might argue that this behavior is going on because he feels he's not much longer for the world, but he gives Clara another hug a few episodes later in The Girl Who Died. Which seems to indicate that this is a solid change in attitude - not the Doctor just feeling impulsive.

While the sonic sunglasses do have a real purpose, the fact that he wears them and has started playing electric guitar symbolizes another progression for this incarnation. The Doctor is trying to be more accessible or even "cool" (something he does considerably better than his last personae). Being cool was something he would've never cared about in the last season. But he's more interested in connecting with people, now.

Of course, he's not totally converted. There are still times when he's terrible with people and just can't relate to the emotional importance of something going on around him. It's for this reason that Clara has given him his "cards" to help him with what to say during such instances. It's good that we see these sort of things still being displayed. To have given the character too harsh of a pendulum swing wouldn't have worked. We should still see traits like this. Not bothering with certain social niceties is what Doctor Twelve is all about.

Still, this is definitely a Doctor who is now more comfortable with emotions and, once more, sees the importance of them. His pleading with Ashildr to re-discover her sense of humanity in The Woman Who Lived is almost shocking. If this story had taken place around, say, Into the Dalek or Robots of Sherwood, he would've been more inclined to encourage the immortal woman to be so cold and dispassionate. But he's a different man, now.

Of course, he owes a lot to Clara for helping him through this. Which is why he goes to the lengths that he does when he loses her in Face the Raven. In fact, the Doctor's attempt to save her in Hell Bent is an excellent example of just how human he's become. He's finally re-discovered Gallifrey. He's returning to his people. But this means nothing to him, anymore. Everything that he's doing with Time Lord culture is just so he can get to an Extraction Chamber and save Clara. She has done so much for him. Has helped him so much in his progression that he can't let her go.

You don't get much more human than that.

AFTERTHOUGHTS

It's fitting, at this point, that River Song gets re-introduced into his life. Before this, the Doctor would've lacked the sensitivity needed to handle his wife. Particularly at the point in her timeline that they're meeting. This is the last time the Doctor will see her before she dies. He's now reached a stage of emotional maturity where he can handle that moment properly. When he reveals that they'll be spending the next 24 years together - we get the impression that they will be good years. But if he had still been the Doctor we had seen at the beginning of Series 8 - River would've probably given him the boot pretty fast!

Once more, of course, I'm behaving illogically with this essay. The Twelfth Doctor era isn't fully over yet and I've chosen to analyze it. More than likely, there will be a supplemental essay done once this phase of the show is complete but I still felt this was a good point to leave off on. Particularly when you consider the comparison I've been making between Twelve and Six.

After a vicious and surly Doctor in Season 22, we saw a serious softening of the character in Trial of a Time Lord. But, like Capaldi, Colin Baker only made his interpretation so much more accessible in his second season. His intent was to make his Doctor even more likeable in the future but, because of BBC politics, that never came to be.

Will we, at least, get to see a rough approximation of that arc in our current incarnation of the Doctor?

Let's hope so....

We'll give the Progressive Doctors Series a rest for a few essays and look at a major continuity glitch, instead. But the next installment of this series will go all the way back to the beginning. 

We'll analyze the progression of the very First Doctor.