Ah! I forgot to come back and comment on this after the Easter egg hunt
Obviously I am a fan
I bought all of NuWho for my boyfriend two Christmases ago very shortly after we had started dating, but he only started watching it this past fall/Christmas-time with his daughter and totally fell in love with it. And then he went and found a bunch of Classic Who at thrift stores and we went back and watched some Tom and Colin Baker and Pertwee and McCoy too. And he went and watched all the NuWho spinoffs, Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood, Class. At first I didn’t understand how much he loved it because he would mostly complain about the plot holes (which I think as a fan you have to learn to love haha), but then he told me that whereas with most other shows of perhaps poorer quality he just expects plot holes and wouldn’t comment, with DW he was actually so in love with the show that he was mad at the moments where there could have been better alternatives to the plot holes.
We finally caught up with the latest season, and it’s such a bummer that now there’s a little break until there are new episodes again! But I’m looking forward to the new spinoff coming up, The War Between the Land and the Sea.
My favorite Doctor was Tennant (10). His manic doctor was just fun, and he was romantic and bold and dramatic. So glad we got a little taste of him again as 14.
Clara is one of my favorite companions. Fell in love with her first introduction as Oswin. The period with Matt Smith was iffy because the writers didn’t know what to do with her, but her time with Capaldi was so endearing. I love that she was smart and clever and brave and bold. And let’s face it, Jenna Coleman is just darn beautiful which is a nice bonus. But she was such a long running companion and always so caring and heartwarming and didn’t mind standing up to the doctor, and had cool agency and was just an all around solid character (within the confines of the ever changing landscape of Doctor Who and all its plot holes lol)
I think when I did the first watch through of 9/10, I liked Rose the best, but Martha has really grown on me. And Donna! Oi! I thought she was so abrasive at first, but she became one of my favorites too! Glad she came back; that Tennant/Tate chemistry is so fantastic.
And then when my boyfriend went back and watched, he pointed out how great Capaldi was and I think I was just fixed on my usually response that Tennant was my favorite (which I formed somewhere in the Tennant or Matt Smith years), and I was so busy being enamored of Clara, but now I definitely thinking Capaldi is pretty high up there just behind Tennant for me on my list of favorite doctors. I love his grumpy old man with a heart of gold.
I think the great thing about both Tennant and Capaldi besides just being just great actors is that they are both clearly fans, so they take great care with the franchise, and also they have a flair for bringing a little something cool to the character. I loved that Capaldi was very mindful of being inclusive with his fans, making costume choices so any young fan could participate, such as by putting on a pair of sonic sunglasses and then being able to become the Doctor!
I was really liking Belinda Chandra. She was really spunky. Not happy with her ending
despite myself being a medical professional! And trying to be a mom myself very soon! So I have sympathy for/want to champion the really important work of raising kids! But somehow it seemed like a rushed 180 rewrite for her character, so it was disappointing.
Well, the great thing about Who, the genius of writing regeneration into the show, is that new folks come along all the time and there’s always such great potential. And if you don’t like a current incarnation, a new one will be along shortly!
