Introducing Number Ten

 

Now, this post will be dealing with the Children in Need 2005 special, in which we get to briefly meet the Tenth Doctor for the first time. It’s only about six or seven minutes long, so this’ll be a relatively short post, with the longer post being reserved for The Christmas Invasion. That’s coming right after this one, by the way, Goat willing.

Now, for those of you not familiar with the special, here it is:

Before bitching about the quality, keep in mind this was for charity… you monster.

Anyway, I’ve got to confess that I saw this little vignette after The Christmas Invasion, which means that I spent some time during that episode like this:

But I did come back to this with the benefit of already being in love with Ten.

However… I gotta say that my first reaction to Ten was a lot closer to Rose’s reaction in this than it was to her reaction in The Christmas Invasion. You know… denial, anger, bargaining—wait. That’s something else. Sorry.

Although… it is pretty close to what Rose does here—first she doesn’t believe it’s the Doctor (I had a little trouble with this myself), then she accuses him of being Slitheen (really, Rose? That body couldn’t even fit half a Slitheen!), and then she asks if he can change back.

I know that if I’d seen this directly after Parting of the Ways (or, as it’s known in some circles, Partying of the Ways), I wouldn’t fully believe this is the Doctor, either.

I mean… he’s more animated, for one… And there’s the different accent… and he flits from topic to topic like some kind of demented hummingbird.

If he’s the Doctor, isn’t he supposed to act like the Doctor?

There are some similarities, though—specifically, this scene:

(Source)

It not only mirrors that first moment they met, but also the one where he tells her about the Earth revolving. It’s not what he’s saying, really, but the way he’s saying it, if that makes any sense.

And the dig at Jackie, which is very Doctorish…

I don’t know that I would’ve been convinced by the special, but maybe I would’ve coped a little better with what looked like a drunk Doctor crashing into the Powell Estate and then passing out.

Hey, how about a list to slightly lengthen this short post? I like lists. They’re like tiny word armies. Yes, I’m weird, let’s move on:

 

• Hey, I wonder if that weakness in the Doctor’s wrist will be significant at all?
• I don’t believe that the Doctor has a mole between his shoulder blades, and I demand visual proof.
• Rose: Can you change back?
  The Doctor: Do you want me to?
  Rose: Yeah.
  The Doctor: Oh.
  Rose: Can you?
  The Doctor: No.
• His expression after that exchange kinda made me feel guilty for wanting him to change back, too. I’m sorry, David, but I really loved Christopher at the time! Still do, actually.
• Wait—the Doctor left Jack behind on purpose?!
• Also, can we take a moment and revel in the yumminess that is David Tennant? No? Well, I’m gonna, so you’re just gonna have to deal:

Yes. Good.

 

Right. The Christmas Invasion coming up, if not tonight, then tomorrow!