6. Van Gogh's Legacy
I'm not exactly an art aficionado, but I know enough about it to know that Vincent Van Gogh was not what you might call a happy dude. The man cut off his own ear and give it to a hooker (though history is uncertain if this was in the form of a gift or payment for goods or services rendered). He also shot himself in the chest, only to survive and walk himself into town. He died the next day, with his last words supposedly being "The sadness will last forever." Just some heavy, heavy s**t. The Vincent in the Series 5 episode Vincent and the Doctor is portrayed by Tony Curran as an unexpectedly somber and depressed individual. He is also being associated with a string of murders that, given the Doctor's presence, are more likely to have been committed by some alien creature. Vincent's keen eye and attention to detail help save the Doctor and Amy Pond. Prior to their departure, he makes another characteristically socially awkward move by proposing to Pond. She shoots him down of course, but before they leave him, the Doctor takes Van Gogh into the future to see that his life's work is not forgotten. Van Gogh's tearful reaction is a heart-breakingly sweet moment in the life of a man who's felt so much pain. Of course, the real tragedy of the story is that in real life it is highly unlikely that a two-hearted alien took Vincent Van Gogh time traveling to an art museum of the future.