As previously noted - The change of Doctors has been going on for most of the last 50 years. What has not yet been noted here is that there is a fairly large chunk of Fandom that got on board with the series after it was brought back in 2005, which means that they didn't have the emotional prep time to really be ready for it when David Tennant left the show and they had to decide whether or not they liked Matt Smith. One positive thing about Christopher Eccleston leaving after just one season is that his Doctor wasn't so entrenched as to do significant emotional damage to the new viewership. It was sad, of course, but he came and went so quickly that it felt very much like that had been the point of his story all along - which made it much easier to accept and roll with. After four years and forty-odd stories with David Tennant things were very different. Particularly for a section of Fandom who saw the Tenth Doctor as much as a pinup as a mysterious wanderer through time and space. To them the replacement of David Tennant with Matt Smith was nothing short of emotional betrayal and they took to the internet to announce it as such. The current manifestation of this same trend has caused outpouring of moral outrage at Peter Capaldi's performance, solely on the basis of his not being young and dreamy. Rookies.
17. Learning To Suppress That Vague Resentment Of Newer Fans
Obviously since the series came back on our screens it has enjoyed a huge influx of new fans around the world. This is clearly a wonderful thing, and thinking about it rationally everyone would agree that the increased popularity is nothing but positive for everyone involved. But that doesn't mean that a significant percentage of Fandom isn't constantly resisting the urge to suddenly snap and shout, 'YOU! You with your Fez and your unbridled joy! You weren't there in 1989, man... You never lived through the JNT years... You weren't there to have your heart briefly given hope again before being brutally ripped from your body and stomped on in 1996! You don't know, man! You don't KNOW...!'
Mikey is, in no particular order, a freelance writer, improvisational comedian, volunteer firefighter, playwright, Bon Vivant, and Jane Espenson enthusiast.
Born in the small mining town of Eden Prairie, MN, he has some 40 years later successfully moved about 20 miles north of there to the City of Brooklyn Center, MN where he lives with an unreasonable number of dogs.
If you'd like to hear him discuss something other than Doctor Who while pretending to be a dog, check out www.the42ndvizsla.blogspot.com or follow him on twitter at @the42ndVizlsa
