Character Study: Eighth Doctor
Arguably my favorite part of the site--studying my "precious little darling badass Time Lord!"
Eight in Brief
The Eighth Doctor (hereafter referred to affectionately as "Eight") is a stark contrast to most of the Doctors who have come before. He is above all compassionate, possessed of a free, exploring spirit and given to episodes of poetic whimsy (as we see in the first half of the TV Movie); he is warm and approachable in a way that many of the past Doctors were not, and there is also an endearing sense of fragility about him. But once he's got his memories back, he is quick-thinking, clever, and courageous to the point of self-sacrifice (and not without a touch of the dramatic). Add in a pinch each of sarcasm, snark, and sass for spice, and you get the Eighth Doctor in all his glory.
This characterization continues from the TV movie throughout the Big Finish audiodramas, and is also picked up and expanded upon in the Eighth Doctor books and comics. For the veteran Whovian, Eight seems to have paired Four's energy with Five's heroism, and given it a new, sweet-tempered spirit to round it out.
What About That Outfit?
Much has been made over the Doctor's choice of outfit in the TV Movie, as if the 19th-century-esque costume somehow makes him a "fop" or effeminate. I beg to differ. Sure, Eight chooses a Victorian-styled outfit for himself, picking and choosing from the Wild Bill Hickok gunfighter costume to create a much softer look, but if you watch the movie closely, he actually doesn't really give a flip about damaging his borrowed clothes. He picks an outfit out of what's available to him, accepts Grace's gift of new shoes, and then proceeds to climb up ladders, ride a motorcycle, and wrestle the Master in said "nice" outfit. He's really more practical than the outfit would lead you to believe at first!
How He Changes Over Time--and How He Doesn't
A meteor storm, and the sky above us was dancing with lights!
Eight begins his "life" as a cinnamon roll, in modern parlance; he's not incapable of making mistakes, but he has the best of intentions and seeks to make amends wherever possible, having no ulterior motive for himself other than to help people out. But said happy little cinnamon roll is soon thrown into the furnace with the events of the audiodrama Zagreus, released in 2003 for Doctor Who's 40th anniversary. The poisonous explosion of Anti-Time, and the traumatic events leading up to it, infect poor sweet Eight like radiation poisoning of the soul; ever after, he carries with him a certain sadness, which manifests itself as bouts of cynicism and despondency. Yet this does not stop Eight from "being the Doctor" as we know it--he still tries to help where he can, just with a stronger sense of practicality and wisdom.
The audio, book, and comic adventures all take Eight on various journeys through the mind; he suffers problems that look remarkably like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and major depression, and he grieves the loss of beloved companions along the way, painfully learning that he can't always fix every problem. By the time we see him onscreen again in the prequel minisode "Night of the Doctor," he looks like he's "been through the wars," in McGann's apt words. And yet...underneath the grit and grime of his travels, beneath the mental and emotional scars of his experiences, Eight is still trying to use his cleverness and courage to help Cass, even as she rejects him for being a reviled Time Lord (read: responsible for the Time War on Gallifrey). He doesn't even leave Cass behind as her ship plunges to the ground of the planet Karn, though he well knows the explosion will kill him.
No, I don't suppose there's any need for a Doctor any more...
Though he's been through proverbial hell and back (several times) by the end of his life, Eight's decision to regenerate into the War Doctor, a Time Lord made purely for battle, reveals his untarnishable compassionate self still gleaming like gold among the ashes. Eight pragmatically realizes that his pacifist-style "in the nick of time" help is no longer enough for his homeworld, so helplessly embroiled in the Time War. To be of best help to Gallifrey, he must change himself to preserve his home planet. And, being the practical and wise man he is, Eight makes that most painful of choices with an incredible amount of quiet strength.
excuse me, I just need a tissue and a moment ;_;
Character Arc Meanings
Overall, Eight's character arc in all its media forms studies the following questions:
#1: Do our bad experiences and traumas irretrievably change who we are?
Answer: Not necessarily.
Though Eight's reactions and perceptions change slightly over time, his basic self remains the same. Sure, he doesn't seem as happy-go-lucky as he appears in the first half of the TV Movie (his infancy), but even in the second half of the movie we see him being a little more cynical and sassy, excellent foreshadowing for what is to come. And he never loses his touch for the poetic and dramatic, either, nor does he permanently lose the will to help others (though he has a few moments where things are too shaky in his own life for him to really be of help).
#2: Once we suffer from mental illness, are we doomed to be weaker forever after?
Answer: Not at all!
In fact, Eight's whole character arc proves that struggling with mental illness can make you MORE compassionate, MORE helpful to others, and MORE aware of how to alleviate someone else's suffering. Far from being irreparably broken, Eight uses his terrifying fall into the abyss to grow stronger.
#3: Can you be open to new life experiences and still guard your own heart?
Answer: Yes, if you're careful.
Eight never quite loses his sense of adventure, always seeming to end up right in the thick of things to help as best he can--this is not only a great characterization of the Eighth Doctor, but of the Doctor in general. In the beginning, though, Eight has more of a childlike invincibility about him; by the end of his "life," he's painfully learned that there are some things which will hurt him so badly he cannot be of assistance afterward, so he is a bit more careful about where and when he goes to help. (This doesn't mean that he ignores people in danger, though--innocent people calling for help are like a siren song for Eight especially.)
#4: Is it possible to be gentle, compassionate, nurturing, fragile, poetic/dramatic, and emotional, and yet still be a male character?
Answer: Yes!
The character of the Doctor in general pushes against the boundaries of hypermasculinity a little, but Eight in particular challenges gender roles and norms all over the place. Many of the adjectives I would choose to best describe him are qualities we usually associate with being female or feminine, and yet Eight is not "effeminate" in the pejorative way most people use the term (to mean a laughable or weak character). Instead, his characterization seems to be much more inclusive of the spectrum of manhood, broadening the definition of what it means to be a "good man." Men can cry, men can care, men can be vulnerable; this shouldn't be an earth-shaking truth, but it is. Having been raised by a gentle, nurturing man myself, I can attest that Eight's characterization is plausible and is a delightful departure from typical male characters in fantasy series.