In short, he's just so damned hard to keep up with. He travels through time and space, fighting for the greater good, only sometimes he doesn't. Genocide has always been a big no no, unless it isn't, and for somebody who claims to live by a mantra of making 'words not war', he sure as hell does find himself caught up amidst a lot of tyranny. He even goes looking for it a lot of the time, too, which says an awful lot about what makes this Time Lord tick. Obviously regeneration comes into it a bit. He's bound to change every time he gets a new face, but why do the fundamental aspects of his character and personality have to change so drastically each time his latest incarnation steps aboard the TARDIS? He's supposed to be a man who strives for peace and tranquility throughout the universe but then he goes and uses war and hostility to get it. It would be a lot easier to live by the Doctor's rules if it was clear cut what his rules were. He can be rude, abrasive, narcissistic... and that was all before the Twelfth Doctor arrived and proceeded to make Clara Oswald cry on multiple occasions. His incarnation is meant to be the darker and grumpier one but reducing your companion to tears isn't the only way to convey the message that you wouldn't like this Doctor when he's angry. Clara is supposed to be his best friend, after all, the one person he can always rely on, yet their relationship is so turbulent that you wonder why she's bothering to even come back. So, is the Doctor really such a good man after all? Is he someone you should be looking up to? He's not 100% sure himself and his morality is generally left open to viewer interpretation. He'll always be there to save the world but is it for all the wrong reasons? Did he choose a life of heroism, or did this life choose him? You decide. What did you think of this? Are there any other problems with Doctor Who that no one wants to admit? Join the conversation in the comments section below!
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
