The Doctor's sense of humor may not have always made much sense to humans, but it's pretty obvious that enjoys a good joke or a clever twist of words. Just look at the way he calmly asks for the children's menu in Mancini's! He knows he and Clara are in grave danger, yet he still manages to make jokes, a useful talentby joking, he keeps the mood from getting too serious. By keeping it somewhat light instead, he maintains a certain control over the situation and ensures that he doesn't become too flustered and incapable of making solid decisions. The ability to joke while in danger is also a good way to keep his companions calm. By matching his joking tone, Clara was able to keep from panicking; this allowed her to pay attention to her surroundings and catch information that later helped her save her own life. Humor can be an extremely effective tool in stressful situations, and the Twelfth Doctor has shown us how he can handle it with style. This inclusion of humor is also interesting in light of the plans for a darker Doctor. Perhaps Twelve won't be as dark as people were originally expecting; certainly no one expects a truly dark character to have such impeccable comedic timing.
Paula Luther hails from Pennsylvania and has been an avid Whovian since 2008. She enjoys writing (obviously), reading, dancing, video editing, and building websites. She has also self-published two books on Amazon, "Bart the Bard" and "Android Mae and Other Stories".
