Matt Smith

[Pebkio]

I started with Colin Baker. Take that Newvians!

Of course, when the new seasons started, I started at Season 1 Episode 1 with Eccleston. While lofty insults could rightly be flung at Matt Smith, I think most people are actually upset with the Doctor's character. And of course, that is Steven Moffat's fault.

...I also think most people understand that the smelly poo lofty insults should be thrown at Moffat.

 

[CounterReproductive]

There is only one Doctor.

That man is Sylvester McCoy.........

An epic choice indeed, almost but not quite surpassed by one Peter Davison [sic]

 

[Thyunda]

Let's face it. Nearly everyone's favorite New Who Doctor is the one they watched first.
That's why people don't like Smith, and that's why Eccleston should've had another series.

I personally don't like Smith either. Partially because Tennant got killed off a bit too ... radically, what with the new companions and TARDIS. However, I also still can't quite wrap my head around his Doctor. 9 and 10 had very defining personalities ... 11? Entirely different and ... rather bland (oh, and kinda douchey, as opposed to crazy-intelligent)

I started with Eccleston when the reboot premiered in the UK and I found him remarkably dull. Tennant's episodes were, for the most part, nothing short of excellent, but he was too attractive for the role. He made the crazy, the intelligence, and the anger all...well, likeable. Matt Smith puts his feet further across both sides of the line - well until the last season, but let's pretend that one never happened, and while his eccentric nature is certainly more obvious and less socially acceptable, he also makes a far smaller deal about killing people who cross him. If anything, Matt Smith's my favourite Doctor purely because he embodies the Doctor's true self, and his own fierce denial of who he is.

Let's be honest. He's not a nice man. He can, and has, responded to military movements with far more collateral damage than they'd have caused, and justified it with "They were the aggressors." He's a madman and a killer, and where David Tennant made it charming, Matt Smith makes it frightening. Like babysitting a loveable child who murdered their parents.

Wasn't that the point of Tennant's character though?

Wasn't he seeking redemption for his part in the Time War. Trying to be a better person. That's what I got from it.

And it DID work out - but it was kinda creepy in a way how well he did it. Like, he WAS redeeming himself, but he was still the same guy that did it, and that he could do the exact same things but for a different cause, but keep that winning smile and cheerful demeanour was...more sinister than anything the villains could conjure up. That said, though I prefer Matt's Doctor, Tennant's acting is phenomenal.

I can understand what you are saying about Eccleston, but I thought that he was intentionally subdued given that he was the personality who did the dead that ended the Time War. His character seemed to be in the grip of PTSD. I also really liked the episodes after Fathers Day.

Oh, by no means was I criticising the actor, or even his character. He just toed the line that Tennant straddled and that Smith jumps either side of depending on which idiot wrote his script. I mean really. Demon's Run was a great episode. The Atraxi in the first episode were a good vehicle to introduce Smith's quiet intimidation. But what the bollocks is going on with the current season? My creative side is telling me that it's to show the Doctor has decided to rid himself of his intrinsically warlike nature and allow Amy and Rory to be serious while he indulges his curious side and has the wacky adventures he always promised.

Then my rational side quietly reminds me that this series is utter shit and I should stop making excuses.

 

[Loonyyy]

Matt Smith-still undecided on. He just doesn't seem quite right to me, but that's just me.
Moffat-Stop. Please. I mean, Blink was awesome. Best episode since the revival. And then you go and subsequently destroy the awesomeness of the Angels as characters when you completely fuck with everything you established about them in a later episode in which basically everything went wrong.

I think the biggest problem the newer stuff had was shoddy, sloppy, childish or downright nonsensical writing. And the decision to use yet another romantically interesting companion (Who also happens to be a stripper [or something] because fanservicerite? [Why they did that in what I've always taken to be a family show I'll never know]). Really? The companion does not need to be all that interesting. And when you go overboard with that stuff, you end up with the annoying aspects of the end of the Tennant run with Rose. We get it, Davies likes this character! But we were done with her long ago.

I find the moment to moment story of the Smith/Moffat series kind of boring, and while I've heard the overall arc is good, I can't watch my way through it, it's just kind of drainingly dreary. I find myself either nitpicking or falling asleep (Literally, I missed like the second half of the Van Gogh episode because I just couldn't pay attention to it).

This reminds me, I have to somehow drag myself through the first Smith season, because my friend keeps going on about the later stuff.

 

[johnnyLupine]

Unfortunatly I am not allowed to have an opinion on the matter, all I know is that new Dr who is ruined and that is why I can't watch it. Apparently it isn't even because of matt smith but one or perhaps all of his companions. It has also been brought up that the series now appears to be focused upon targeting a younger audiance and the writing has suffered but I ask you can it be any worse than the 'beacon of hope' line they used to describe the olympic torch?

I think I will have to comandeer the television this week.

 

[hoboman29]

I don't have an issue with Matt Smith at all. I personally don't like the writers who are writing him out to be like an 8 year old and just writing terrible episodes. I really did like season 7 because 1. only one episode I didn't like and it wasn't because it was bad 2.NO MORE AMY AND RORY seriously with all the dying and reviving they do it was really starting to get annoying.

 

[Something Amyss]

What I got out of it was that the fans really don't like change.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. And they went out of their way to find things to complain about.

Are people still taking issue with Matt Smith as The Doctor? That's news to me.

I don't think they'll stop until Smith is replaced. And even then, they'll probably ***** about the new choice.

I loved Smith. After the shitty way Tennant went out, Smith won me over with that what, 90 second performance at the end of "The End of Time"

He's awesome. It's a shame, as you say, many of the scripts have been less than stellar.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Smith has been a great Doctor, and this is coming from someone who was right along side the ranks of Tennant fanboys crying doom and gloom. Moffat as the writer of the series...well let's just say things were going really well right up to the mid-season finale of season 6. I think things have finally just gone to shit with the recent mid-season finale of season 7. It's time to trade Moffat in for someone with a fresh-perspective. They also need to not irrevocably remove the next companion from the series like they did with Donna and the Ponds.

 

[saleem]

Is it just me or does Matt Smith remind anyone of Marty McFly's dad from back to the future?

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I'm a Tennant fan forever but I don't have any issues with Smith. He's an excellent Doctor let down by some shoddy writting.

I echo this. Although this past season/series/whatever I missed that look he'd get on his face when he was being awesome, but then I imagine that can be blamed on writing again.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

Smith, well, he's decent, writing is where the downfalls in his performance tend to fall, and that's not really the actpr's fault.

Personally my favorite doctor so far has been Eccleston, and I haven't seen much forum love for him, sadly, but I stand by my choice.

Though Tennant was quite funny.

 

[game-lover]

I don't mind Smith. I think he's all right.

To be honest, I'm willing to bet most of the fans that were girls that complain about missing David so much is probably because of the fact they wanted to tap that ass. I can say this because almost every episode when he had a serious moment I always said to myself: "I would tap that ass!" Because seriously. Angry, bad ass David is hot.

Never gave it much thought at the time but I've currently stopped on season 5 right now at the Van Gogh episode and I remember just not being enthused about it. Not for Matt, though. And I'm figuring based on all these replies I've read that maybe the story line has gotten stale and boring.

What I may do is just start skipping episodes so I can catch up. Any episode that doesn't interest me, I'll simply move on to the next

 

[RQshadowe]

Some of the latest episodes have been really badly written. Obvious endings and dull story lines.

 

[Wolf In A Bear Suit]

I will never love a doctor like I did David Tennant. That said Matt Smith is very good and I immediately took a shine to him. The same can't really be said for his supporting cast...

 

[D Moness]

I love Matt Smith as the doctor. he gives it some "unearthly". His character is also getting darker(haven't seen the original series, starting that very soon).

My fav eps from the reboot is "The doctor's wife".

Even though indeed the writing isn't the best since Moffat took over, i found Tennants acting near the end getting boring(well except for the regeneration scene that was emotional).

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

Why does everyone think Smith's era has had bad writing? I kind of thought the whole show has bad writing most of the time, but it's just fun to follow the Doctor around. That said, Matt Smith's Doctor has a lot going on that has never been fully developed, like how there's always such an emphasis on how old he is. I can really see how Smith is like a crazy old man, losing his marbles and then chasing them around the room, and it's sad to see how a man who once held the universe in his hands is slowly losing his grip, but most of that is just my own observations, I don't think any of the writers, or even Smith himself think any further than "wibbly wobbly timey-wimey nonsense, then some sad bits at the end."

 

[J-meMalone]

I like Smith, but I don't like Moffat...

The man's come up with some great ideas for episodes, but he doesn't really have any kind of grip on continuity, which makes his a poor head writer for the series.

I just want a new head writer and hope they use Smith's talents a little better.

 

[niknar266]

I was ok with Matt Smith in his first season but now I really want him to go. It is mostly bad writing that has made him suffer but he really couldn't compete with David Tennant. There is stuff from the behind the scenes show that shows why he was good. Being the doctor was David Tennant's dream job he would have been the 9th doctor if he weren't already cast in harry potter. He was a doctor who fanboy as a kid so he knew the character well and had I good Idea of how to portray the character himself.

I made a joke to a friend about the wanting Tennant back debate the other day and how resolve the issue. We have Matt Smith regenerate into David Tennant but with Ginger hair because of the comment on their regenerations about wanting to be ginger.

 

[Alleged_Alec]

I actually think Tennant is my least favourite doctor in the new series. I loved Eccleston, and I still believe he had the greatest potential of the new Doctors. However, due to somewhat sloppy writing and everyone still trying to find their place, most of that was lost. However, I still consider Eccleston my favourite just because of that potential of awesomeness; that constant switch between brooding anger and childlike amazement.

Tennant... Though I still liked him, what really grated me about him was his last moments. While other Whovians thought it was a tear jerker, I was mostly annoyed by it. After Nine's ending, where he sacrificed that life and still was content, I was not overly sympathetic for Tennant and his "I don't want to go". He still had the greatest companion ever though: WILFRED!

I like the return of the zaniness with Smith so far. He also has a huge advantage in his supporting cast. What did happen though, and which is something which irks me, is that the quality of the episodes has started to vary a lot more. Many of the non-plot essential episodes are an exercise in blandness. On the flip side: I think Smith also had quite a few of the best episodes to date.


I don't have any problems with Moffat, really. Yes, he hates me and every other person and wants to see us suffer. Yes, I have the idea he actually feeds on our sadness and fear (there's no other explanation for the stuff he did). But he's still one of the best writers currently on the team, and I look forward to the episodes written by him.


As for the next incarnation: for me, there's only one option. BRIAN BLESSED

 

[Flight]

I'm a Tennant fan forever but I don't have any issues with Smith. He's an excellent Doctor let down by some shoddy writting.

I agree. I love Matt Smith as the Doctor. Quite in fact, he's my favorite Doctor of NuWho. The only trouble with him, as far as I'm concerned, is the often terrible writing he gets stuck with (though, to be fair every Doctor's had his share of that).