Critical popcorn

How fitting is this? The first thing I wrote about for Critical Popcorn was Doctor Who, so it seems only right to cap things off by talking about Doctor Who. Old habits never change, eh?

What does change though is the Doctor. Regeneration has been part and parcel of the show’s DNA since 1966, and with that comes a regular farewell every three to four years. Many departing Doctors have had an impactful goodbye scene, but none have been more affecting then David Tennant‘s final moments as the Tenth Doctor in the 2009 Christmas/New Years special The End of Time.

None railed more against their fate then the Tenth Doctor, so desperate was he to avoid his prophesied demise, but it was all for nought when he chose to sacrifice his life in order to save that of beloved friend Wilfred Mott (played by the late, great Bernard Cribbins). Later stories further contextualized his desperate struggle to avoid regenerating (at the time, we didn’t know this was actually the Doctor’ final regeneration), but in the moment, it’s a heart-wrenching, inevitable twist of the knife, which perfectly encapsulates the flawed Tenth Doctor’s arrogance, rage, and ultimately, heroism.

There’s almost a metatextual aspect to the regeneration itself, as the Tenth Doctor utters his final words – “I don’t want to go“. Words which undoubtedly echo the thoughts of many a fan watching their beloved actor depart the series at the time. Murray Gold’s hauntingly beautiful and melancholic score, David Tennant‘s devastating delivery and writer Russell T Davies‘ poignant writing combine to creates a moment that shatters the heart every time.

It’s a sad end. Except it’s actually not. Because this is Doctor Who, and whilst we mourn the passing of the Tenth Doctor, the sadness is instantly negated by the arrival of the Eleventh, played with energetic verve by the superb Matt Smith. The impression he makes in less then a minute of screentime is energetic and infectiously fun, resulting in an intriguing cliffhanger that means a whole new adventure is about to start.

It is the end, but it’s also a whole new beginning!

Matt Dennis