Geronimo! Top 11 Matt Smith Moments (5-1)

After the shocking and devastating news that Matt Smith, the Eleventh Doctor, is to leave the role at the end of this year’s Christmas Special I was left extremely upset. I couldn’t believe the news that was placed in front of me. So to help with the transition of my sadness, I thought I would give Matt Smith the send off he deserves by writing this article which looks over his tenure and points out my favourite moments from his incarnation and why I loved his take on the part so much.

Now I shall look back through Series 5, 6 and 7 and pick out my top eleven moments from Smith’s Doctor.

• See part one containing 11-6 here.

5. Justice Isn’t Always Swift

Eleven really did show off his dark side in ‘A Town Called Mercy’ when he was faced with war-criminal Kahler Jex. For a split moment upon my first viewing of the episode I naturally thought Eleven was going to pull the trigger and kill Jex for his crimes. The rage flowing through Eleven was unique and enhanced why I liked his incarnation so much. He was unstable in the fact that he had multiple personality levels which could change at any time depending on the circumstance of the situation.

4. Colonel Runaway

‘A Good Man Goes to War’ was for a long while my favourite story within Eleven’s tenure for the simple reason it really showed off his dark and emotional side. It also showcased Eleven being totally manipulative by raising an army to combat those who had kidnapped Amy Pond. The scene where he  exploded with rage was when he confronted Colonel Manton and told him to order his men to run away along with telling them the orders come from Colonel Runaway. This insult was deliberate in showcasing how mad Eleven was at him for trying to attack him through the people he loved and cared for. It was to demonstrate what happens when his enemy does this. He also became angered towards Madame Kovarian and warned her not to provoke him further as he made himself rules for a reason; perhaps to prevent him from committing the same acts that the Forgotten Doctor did when he betrayed the Doctor’s promise.

3. “I am the Doctor…”

I just absolutely loved the brilliant scene in ‘Victory of the Daleks’ where Eleven attacked the Ironside with a wrench in order to provoke it into revealing its identity as a Dalek. This scene really did demonstrate Eleven’s dark side and hatred towards his great enemy. The acting Smith put into that scene was just fantastic.

2. Cheating Death

Moffat really did deliver a fine resolution to the long and complicated arc in Series 6 at the end of ‘The Wedding of River Song’. It was just a brilliant moment for Eleven when he revealed to Dorium that he had cheated his fixed death in time. The scene was clever in telling us how the Doctor had escaped his fate by using the Teselecta as his scapegoat, making everyone believe he had died as he was supposed to while he wondered back into the shadows and continued his adventures in time and space. If anything, it just showed how much of a god Eleven liked to be at times, manipulating so many in order to get the results he wanted, a fact which continued throughout Series 7 as he wiped his existence from the universe.

1. Speech to the Old One

My favourite scene from Smith’s Doctor was in ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ when Eleven confronted the Old God. That scene just showcased the ancient nature of Eleven and how he perceived his long and dangerous life. His long speech on what he had seen and witnessed throughout his life was just inspiring and really did touch me. What added to the depth of the scene was the fact that Eleven started crying. Smith was good at performing as the Doctor and this was certainly one of his highlights as the mad man with the box.

The Eleventh Doctor: “So come on then! Take it! Take it all baby! You have it all!”

I can’t go without mentioning the brilliant resolution at the end of ‘The Name of the Doctor’ were Eleven confronted his dark secret the Forgotten Doctor. That scene displayed both shame and disgust towards this banished incarnation. I really can’t wait to see how this storyline unfolds. I also love his final words to him, “But not in the name of the Doctor.”

Those are my favourite moments from Smith’s tenure as the Eleventh Doctor and sadly his time as the Doctor will soon come to an end. It is sad to think that he has only two more stories in the role but at least he goes out with a bang, i.e. the 50th Anniversary year. I think what saddens me the most is the fact his Doctor was still very interesting and I would’ve loved to see more from him but alas this is not meant to be. Either way I respect Smith’s decision to leave and I wish him the best of luck for his future. Now I look forward with excitement to the 50th Anniversary Special and wonder how the end of the brilliant ‘The Name of the Doctor’ will be concluded and what final moments Smith has to bring to us. All I know is it will be a sad day on 25th December but we will all be there supporting his final moments as the iconic Eleventh Doctor.

Thank you for everything you’ve brought and still have to bring to the table with your final two stories Matt. You will be remembered forever as the man who made bowties, fezzes and stetsons cool. Peace out Matt.