Yes, Eight only has only official televised story in the form of the TV movie. Did that stop me from finding five Big Damn Hero Moments for this delightful, dashing Doctor? No way! Some of Eight’s moments may be a bit smaller and more understated, but there’s still plenty of heroism to go around (spoilers.)
Convincing Grace of the Truth (Doctor Who)
Eight spends much of his time immediately post-regeneration trying to get Grace to believe he’s who he says he is, there’s a major crisis happening, and he needs her help to stop it. Grace doesn’t want to believe in the seemingly-impossible things he’s telling her, but the Doctor keeps at it. He gets her to listen to both of his heartbeats and draws on his Time Lord knowledge of her past, refusing to let her be willfully blind to what he’s saying. When he freaks her out and she locks him out, thinking he’s crazy, he shouts his entreaties thorugh the mail slot before offering up clear visual proof of the issue at hand – he steps through the glass of her patio door, proving the molecular stability caused by the Eye of Harmony. Grace still isn’t fully on board, but she can’t ignore what she’s seen with her own eyes and the Doctor is at least able to get her to go along with him.
Holding Back the Master (Doctor Who)
The Master’s new body isn’t exactly standard-issue, and the Doctor catches sight of the old snake eyes when the Master’s sunglasses slip momentarily. At the time, he and Grace are trapped in an ambulance with the Master, so the Doctor does one of his favorite things: use a non-weapon to evade the bad guy. As the Master starts literally spitting mesmeric acid (the TV movie, people, I tell you,) the Doctor subdues him with a fire extinguisher, and the Doctor and Grace are able to escape while the Master is indisposed.
Getting the Motorcycle (Doctor Who)
One of my favorite scenes from the TV movie and quite possibly the most Doctory thing ever. The Doctor and Grace are stuck in a pile-up and in need of a fast getaway. When they come upon a police officer with a motorcycle, the Doctor distracts the officer with an offer of jelly bellies in order to swipe the cop’s gun and hold himself hostage to get the keys to the motorcycle. I just love that, that the Doctor gets his hands on a gun and uses it to threaten himself instead of others. I also love that, in the middle of this armed standoff, the Doctor takes a moment to give Grace some encouragement, entreating her to believe that he can really do the things he says he can. This scene is Eight in a nutshell, and it’s why I love him.
Stealing the Component (Doctor Who)
Classic Doctor Who scenario. There’s an impending catastrophe (reality seems to be breaking down due to the Eye of Harmony) that can only be averted with the aid of a technological MacGuffin (a component from the soon-to-be-unveiled beryllium atomic clock at iTAR,) and the Doctor and his companion need to infiltrate a swanky locale in order to obtain the MacGuffin and prevent the catastrophe. The Doctor is a ton of fun badly pretending to be human just long enough to swipe someone’s security pass, sneak around to access the clock, and perform a surreptitious component-ectomy. Not as flashy or dashing as some of the moments on this list, but it’s infused with Eight’s charm and kookiness, which I always appreciate in my heroes.
Escaping the Museum (Doctor Who)
Get yourself a Doctor who can make an exit with panache. After stealing the component, the Doctor gets around the security guard by dropping a bit of future knowledge and offering up another jelly-baby distraction. But the Master is on their tail, and unable to get to the door, the Doctor goes the flashier route – getting to the roof and lowering himself and Grace down by the fire hose, alighting on the hood of a just-arrived police car. I especially like the ways that this scene still displays Eight’s personality, keeping it from being too much of a dashing-hero move. I like that he pulls the fire alarm to “liven things up a bit,” and I love that, when Grace admits to being afraid of heights as they prepare to execute this escape, he cheerfully declares, “So am I!”
No comments:
Post a Comment