Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder Review - 9 Ups And 2 Downs
9. UP - Fourteen Isn't Quite Ten
Like many others, we were pleased to see Tennant back in the role when his return was first announced, but we’ll admit, we harboured a few concerns about the precedent bringing a previous Doctor back to play a brand-new incarnation set.
It was also a little disappointing to learn that Fourteen was, for all intents and purposes, the same character as Ten rather than a new personality, but this week has gotten us a lot more onboard with the idea.
While this Doctor is still Ten, with all the "I’m so so sorry" and "Allons-y" that entails, he isn’t the same man we left 13 years ago. This is him with three Doctors’ worth of additional character development – a version of this character without the ego, who is willing to open himself up to his friends and tell them what they mean to him, and one who showcases an emotional maturity, honesty, and ‘mavitas’ that certainly wasn’t there the first time around. In many ways, he feels like the ‘better man’ Ten would've become if he’d lived longer and had the chance to mellow, and it’s an interesting take on the character.
If last week was Catherine Tate’s time to shine, this episode felt like Tennant’s.