Editor-In-Chief
Christmas break was a time for presents, being with loved ones, great food and for watching The Doctor, Matt Smith, regenerate into Peter Capaldi on Doctor Who.
Doctor Who aired from 1963 to 1989 until it was rebooted in 2005. The show is still currently running. A plot device that has kept the show fresh and able to run for the lengthy amount of time is the regeneration process of the time traveling alien main character.
Regenerations occur when The Doctor has been mortally wounded or his body has aged significantly. The process allows the old or wounded Doctor to heal and take on a new body with slight personality quirks and fashion sense that differ from the previous doctor. So this gives actors the chance to come and go while playing the same role.
Matt Smith was the youngest person ever to be cast in the role at the age of 26.. This was a cause for concern for many fans. The general consensus being that Smith did not have enough acting experience under his belt to make the jump to such a hefty role of the 11th Doctor.
His take on the character proved them all wrong. Intrigued, excitable and always holding on to his childlike sense of wonder about anything and everything (sometimes distractingly so), even in the face of things falling apart at the seams made this underdog gripping.
Smith shed a new light on a character that was adored by many and enchanted fans further with endearing moments.
One of those being the first time he tries to eat after changing from David Tennant, the previous form, to Smith. He tells the seven year old he befriends, Amelia Pond, that he has a new mouth with new tastes that he has to figure out.
After Amelia gives him several things to eat, he spits them out one by one and compares it to eating food with freshly brushed teeth. Nothing really tastes the same. He ends up with fish fingers and custard as a dipping sauce for a new favorite meal.
The lightheartedness Smith portrayed during his role was like a magnet that drew you in. You can’t walk through a mall or shopping center without seeing his catchphrases, “Bowties are cool, Geronimo! and Come along, Pond.”
Smith’s version of The Doctor was summed up best by himself while speaking to Pond, “I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams.”
While Smith’s departure was not as cool like bowties or fezzes, he will be missed as fans embark on a new journey with Peter Capaldi.
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