LogFAQs > #970813196

Full disclosure, I'm a Nu-Who guy with zero experience with the classic series. This is based on my own values and thoughts regarding what I think the platonic ideal of the Doctor would be. I'm also extremely critical of Moffat, so you're gonna see a critical drubbing of his Doctors in my ranking.

There are three things that rank a good Doctor in my opinion: wit, craftiness and compassion.

Ranking from worst to best:

* The 12th Doctor. He loses on wit, especially later on in his run. He lacks compassion initially, and while he takes a level in kindness later on, that falls by the wayside with the Time Lord Victorious stunt and his growing neediness over Clara. And as far as craftiness goes, nothing stands out in my memory. 12's run was marred by episodes like the Mind Virus one that cribbed from creepypastas and kept none of the charm, and the character was inconsistent and only found his footing literally on his deathbed. I thought he had a lot of promise, that first episode was dynamite, but in wit, craftiness and compassion I think 12 is the worst.

* The 11th Doctor. Eleven's whole schtick is his "I am the Doctor" speeches, which I personally don't think are particularly inspired - especially after 6+ examples of the same speech, meant to give off this vibe of the Doctor making a badass boast and leaving his enemies quaking in their boots, but which come off as lame and forced character shilling coming from the character's own mouth. It also compromises his craftiness score, because when the solution to a threat of the week or an often enough outcome in his episodes is to make the same grandiose, self-serving speech, it becomes predictable and tired.

He wins out on compassion with his relationship with Amy and Clara, and even mid episodes like the Rings of Akhaken have small kindnesses in them. Moffat's best Christmas special, the Christmas Carol pastiche, is probably the craftiest and most indirectly kind that Moffat's Doctors got.

* The 13th Doctor. I like Jodie Whitaker's Doctor a fucking lot, but Chibnall's run was wasted on her. I had to dock kindness points for how secretive she ends up becoming from her companions and her occasional lashing out at Yaz. I think she was one of the craftiest Doctors, being an engineer and a tinkerer, and my favorite aspect of hers was bringing back Ten's approach of giving companions 2 and 2 and letting them make 4 - demonstrating their own intelligence and giving that same joy of discovery to their companions. And while again, I adore her Doctor, I wouldn't say she had the most wit. I did think her ramblings were really good though.

* The 9th Doctor. Nine's entire arc was kindness - he was still traumatised from the Time War, he was wary about taking on new companions. He was a man lost in himself. Meeting Rose let him open up again, and finding meaning in showing her the universe allowed him to give his life to save her. It was his own strong example that led to Rose saving him, and while Ten would become a lot more selfish, it's that mutual bond of kindness and affection that defines Nine. Adam is an outlier - his acceptance and appreciation of Jack Harkness, despite his own shame at turning him into an undying abomination, is mutually kind. His finding meaning in Rose allows him to be kind to himself again. He bothers Mickey and Jackie, but it's the character journey of Nine through that first season that seals him as one of the most well-rounded Doctors ever.

He's pretty witty too, talking about dying in a basement from ghosts - in Cardiff - and getting the best character writing of both Steven Moffat at his prime and Russell T. Davies. And while he didn't get a lot of time to shine in this area, he's crafty enough but not super crafty. The Psychic Paper is extremely nifty though.

* The 10th Doctor. Look, normie pick, but Ten sets the standard of what The Doctor is. He's kind, but arrogant and traumatised. He's exceedingly clever, to the point that it leads him into darkness. He's undoubtedly the most charismatic Doctor - when he's not running his mouth and making some of the best broadcast television ever, his face and HAIR do the acting for him.

Nine is loaded up on kindness. Ten is loaded up on charisma. Having such a long reign, he also gets so much time in the spotlight to be crafty - both in the tinkery inventor sense and in regards to being cunning. While his greatest triumphs and emotional peaks are balanced by losses and dark periods, that only serves to feed into Ten's charisma, which is like a megaphone amplifying his wit and charm.

Again, normie pick - I know. But Ten is the definitive Doctor, at least of the revival series. His emotional high peaks are barely touchable, he's crazy like a fox and he's so, so fucking entertaining.