Best Doctor Who Regeneration.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 4:23 pm

Because it's ages since we had a poll on a thing!

Having just reached the sublime Caves of Androzani on my rewatch of the entire show, it got me thinking about the various regenerations over the years and how nice it is for completely anal fans we now have a complete set of change overs, including one Doctor we didn't even know about beforehand (though it's surprising that we now have three where one of the actors on either side is faked in some way, Colin's doesn't look so odd any more).

So, what's your favourite?

Just to be difficult, I've ordered them by Doctor rather than the sequence we saw them in (and of course, Journey's End is an odd one as it wasn't actually made a "Proper" regeneration until, what, five years later?).

Rack 'n Ruin · Post by **Rack 'n Ruin** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 5:28 pm

I'm rather fond of the Tennant->Smith one (well, the actual final change bit, not the extended visits to previous companions bit). It seemed somewhat meta, but still had a natural feel to it.

Hurt's line is great though. McGann's too, actually.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 5:36 pm

The McGann minisode is actually hugely impressive, I still think he got a better regeneration story in six minutes than Smith managed in over an hour (and indeed, Pertwee managed in two and a half). It's not just the obvious fan button pushing bits like bringing the Sisterhood of Karn back or "Canonising" the Big Finish stuff, there's some lovely lines in there too. "Bring me knitting!"

I love John Hurt's look of absolute glee as he light consumes his face, shame they either couldn't get Eccles permission or didn't have the budget to just slap more than a hint of a big eared head on there before cutting away.

Post by **Sades** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 6:42 pm

I'm a fan of black and white things that no longer exist. I might have also voted before it clicked you weren't talking about Doctors (as in, which doctor/favourite. Blame distracted).

Eh, I think I would have picked the first one anyway, since I've not seen most of them and think the regenerations I've seen were a bit cheesy and/or drawn out, other than Hurt's. Any cheesiness I see/have seen in the Hartnell episodes I can just conveniently put down to it being the 60's and are probably a bit of what I enjoy about them.

EDIT: Had a minute so found this, only watched the ones I've seen/Hound's done watching as I don't really want to spoil the rest for myself should we actually be interested in watching a program at the same time. ("All Doctor Who Regenerations 1963-2013 ") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e3n2yW4FwI . Yeah, I still prefer the first though Troughton/Pertwee entertains me.

Edit2: Actually, I think my favourite might have been Smith-Capaldi.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:34 pm

Gone with McGann - Hurt, just gets the job done without being too maudlin or sentimental. I'm also fond of Five to Six, Two to Three is also great.

I do like the Tenant - Smith one, but its just too bloody OTT. Smith's one just frustrates me, I think it would have been awesome if they'd left him old, Clara goes in the TARDIS sees also his discarded stuff...and Twelve is already stood there (would have made the phone call later on much better too).

Although its not The Doctor, I still absolutely love the Jacobi-Simm Master Regeneration. Mainly because I can still remember being surprised when this was all kicking off with the fob watch and whatnot.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 3:28 pm

The Jacobi Regeneration is great until Simm actually opens his mouth.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:09 pm

Oh, poo poo to you. I liked John Simm being a great big pantomime villain. Really suited RTDs bombastic style.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 2:27 am

I have no problem with a camp Master (as basically if you're going to have time for any Master after Delgardo you have to go with camp), but I just don't think Simm was any good at it. Eric Roberts was fantastic at hamming it up, Ainley could do it well if given the right material and Gomez has shown her overacting is borderline offensive to Jews in her few episodes so far.

Simm is a Proper Serious Actor who could have been a brilliant Master if he'd been given the chance to be a Proper Serious one (the last episode of Life on Mars-where he's the hero- has scenes of him plotting against the other characters where he's scarier than he ever was as the Master), but he has no idea whatsoever about camp.

I mean, once he becomes the Master Jacobi is unashamedly camper than a row of tents for that one scene, and he does it so much better than Simm does.

My big annoyance with Smith's regeneration is how it wastes the whole 13 limit thing. You can see the Moff thinking "Wait, now I have had to create a new Doctor for the Special because Eccles wouldn't do it, I'm now only one short of 13 and as a mad fan boy it would be great to try and fudge a way of making this the Doctor's final regeneration to sort this out once and for all..."

Which is fine in principal, but it fails because it comes right after an episode where Matt Smith's Doctor was helped by Peter Capaldi's Doctor to save Gallifrey. And only two years after they did a "The Doctor is totally going to die for real!" storyline. Which all means it can't really do more than get introduced five minutes before he actually regenerates for fear of being a retread.

EDIT:

The video Sades links to is pretty good, but it doesn't include the first Tennant change (surprisingly most of the montage videos on youtube skip it despite the anal fannishness inherent in people that make regeneration montage videos- and those that do include it are shit) and features a fan edit of Hurt's regeneration that actually has Eccleston's face in it.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:55 am

Eh, I liked Simm being silly. I do think he was a bit wasted though. It would have been nice to see that mania settle down and see more of that steeliness he occasionally showed. But then they made him shoot lightning from his hands instead. Oh well.

Much as I like Michelle Gomez (she's awesome - and great fun playing Margret Thatcher in Psychob*tch*s) , I didn't feel that I was watching The Master. I think I'll have to have some repeat viewings to get into that.

It is odd that no one seems to count Tennant regenerating into himself as a proper regeneration. I like how egotistical that is of The Doctor too ... and starts to hint that Ten is going off the rails a bit. At least it did to me.

Totally agree about the new Regeneration cycle. Being farted out of the sky seemed a bit desperate to tick that box off. I saw opportunity to address this in 'Let's Kill Hitler' when River Song heals the Doctor by effectively giving him all her regenerations. It could even have been thrown into The Day Of The Doctor - bestowed on him for saving Gallifrey (and the hope that he would eventually be able to restore the planet to 'normal' SpaceTime ... which would have made much more of The Time Of The Doctor).

Tetsuro · Post by **Tetsuro** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:31 am

Skyquake87 wrote:It is odd that no one seems to count Tennant regenerating into himself as a proper regeneration. I like how egotistical that is of The Doctor too ... and starts to hint that Ten is going off the rails a bit. At least it did to me.

I think people don't give it any consideration because it basically just boils down to "A-HA! Fooled you!" type of thing.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:04 pm

I suppose it's the fact the people making it didn't think of it as a proper regeneration at the time (if nothing else they'd have probably given the original Tennant a better last line), the power of retcon.

Plus, if you've got a regeneration montage video on youtube it's probably easier to update it by sticking the newest one at the end rather than adding a retrospective one in the middle.

AndrewDTurnbull · Post by **AndrewDTurnbull** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:11 pm

The McGann regeneration just edges out Davison's regeneration into Cuddly Colin.

Andy

Brendocon 2.0 · Post by **Brendocon 2.0** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 10:48 am

10 didn't "regenerate into himself". He started a regeneration, used enough to heal himself and then siphoned the rest of it off into a compatible vessel (which then turned into a duplicate of him under dubious technobabble circumstances).

And I said at the time that it should count so I win at continuity.

What was the original question?

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:51 pm

Still counts though - at least it does now (canonised, for better or worse in Time Of The Doctor). Plus, siphoning the regeneration energy into handy biometric receptical (cf. severed hand) is still using a regeneration up - especially as he managed to regenerate a whole other version of himself out of that energy.

So ner ner ner ner ner

Brendocon 2.0 · Post by **Brendocon 2.0** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 10:06 pm

Yes. That's what I said.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Tue Dec 02, 2014 7:18 am

...

it is isn't it?

(gets coat)

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:18 pm

I think the confusion steams from Brend saying Ten didn't regenerate into himself before basically saying Ten regenerated into himself with more words (after all, that's basically what wound up happening despite the nonsense explanation, though I suppose the one line explanation in Time of the Doctor may or may not suggest otherwise, I can't recall now).

The sixth Doctor's regeneration is probably the campest thing in the entire history of the show isn't it? The Tardis even lands in a pink rainbow.

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Best Doctor Who Regeneration.

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Best Doctor Who Regeneration.