4. The Changes In Personality
This reiterates what I said in an earlier section, but Matt Smith has vast emotional stretch when it comes to playing the Doctor. I will admit, however, that when I watched the first few episodes as him, I thought he was a bit of a goofball. Oh sure, he was able to get serious when he wanted to, but that was usually just to intimidate enemies or comfort Amy. My first realization that I was wrong came with the episode Victory of the Daleks. Eleven is curious to see why Winston Churchill called him over, and when he sees the Daleks in the bunker, he flips out. From happy-go-lucky to enraged Time Lord, he starts attacking one of them and proclaiming them his enemy. It was a scene that reminded me of the Ninth Doctor and his survivor's guilt. After that, I knew Matt Smith had the chops to play the Doctor in multiple ways. However, it was the episode A Good Man Goes to War where Matt Smith proved just how emotional he can get. Capturing the base where Amy and little Melody are being held, he orders Colonel Manton to tell his men to run away, citing that his intention for the Colonel to be mocked for the rest of his life. Suddenly, he goes from amusement to almost pure rage, telling Manton that it's never a a good idea to go after the people he loves, and comments afterwards, "Oh, I'm angry, that's new." After that, it was clear to me that even though Eleven may be more childish than previous Doctors, he still had that darker side of his personality that we had seen glimpses of in the past. There were even times when he hated himself for being merciful towards his enemies, and there were several times when he took drastic measures against his enemies to make sure they wouldn't hurt anybody again. Still, it isn't just a simple issue of being just happy or angry. Eleven showed us that he's capable of playing other emotions as well, whether it was crying tears of happiness at seeing the Ponds, his human family, had set out a plate for him at dinner, or grief at losing Amy to the Weeping Angels. Eleven may or may not be your favorite Doctor, but you have to agree that when it comes to Smith's portrayal of him, he's given us a multifaceted Doctor who could alternate between emotions in just a beat. That's the sign of both a good actor and a great Doctor.