Reduced to an indecisive, blubbering, cowardly schoolteacher in 20th century England, the Doctor unexpectedly falls in love with the matronly Joan Redfern. After all, hes only human (quite literally). In this adventure we see the Doctors character revolutionized, rebooted, and reconstructed, all with the work of a handy fob watch and some pantomimed writhing underneath a head strap. Everything is triggered into action when a family of ruthless aliens wishes to harvest the Doctors ostensible immortality. In order to disguise himself, the Doctor becomes human (however that works), and the final product is not what you would expect. In short, eccentricity and suaveness must be biological traits of Time Lords because John Smith certainly has none of them. But perhaps thats why this episode merits the top position on the list. David Tennants versatility as an actor makes this intriguing plot all the more convincing, thought-provoking, and gripping. Vicariously through John Smith, the Doctor experiences an emotional roller coaster of fear, love, self-loathing, hopelessness, and everything that comes with being human Welcome to the club! What Series 9 Can Learn From It: Even though Banes often steals the show with his intent, psychotic stare, Human Nature mainly revolves around the Doctor (and so does the entire universe, apparently). After previewing a sedentary, beautifully ordinary life with Nurse Redfern, the Doctor wrestles with an internal conflict between himself and his John-Smith counterpart, and he actually contemplates abandoning his altruistic role as a hero of the entire universe. In contrast, Series 8 largely focuses on Claras emotional turmoil as she adjusts to an excessively curmudgeon Doctor who isnt always reliable. Although the Scottish Time Lord has presented a refreshingly fun dynamic, it seems we dont know him as well as we should, aside from the renegade speeches, Scottish complaining, and intense eyebrow twitching. Reserving a two-parter with only sparse appearances from our impossible girl (on a motorcycle, no doubt) and a little more exploration of the Doctors character, would help Whovians better understand who exactly that man is behind the eyebrows.
Anna is an aspiring writer who has an incurable obsession with Doctor Who. When she is not writing about Doctor Who, she's watching favorite episodes and contemplating what to write next. When she's writing about Doctor Who, she anticipates her reward: watching yet another Doctor Who episode. She also manages to read science fiction (especially Ray Bradbury), recite lines from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and make terrible puns in her free time (she likes to imagine she has great puntential, though)
