Doctor Who: 10 Saddest Things About The Eleventh Doctor

Every incarnation of Doctor Who science-fiction character, The Doctor, was made to consistently experience great tragedy and joy. The Eleventh Doctor was no different. He too had responsibilities, choices, friendships, and realizations that caused him great pain. He ran into danger, away from a war, away from the past, and into all of time and space.

In his travels, he discovered his love for fish fingers and custard with the help of a stranger. He met a woman who died many times. He fell in love with spoilers. But everything had a cost and contributed to the weight in his hearts.

10 How He Lost Amy & Rory

The Doctor loved Amy and Rory. But no companions stay forever. Amy and Rory met their fate at the hands of the Weeping Angels. They were followed relentlessly and in the end, their future life force was consumed. The Doctor watched as Rory was taken without a goodbye and Amy chose to risk uncertainty to be with her husband.

One moment they were laughing together and the next their names were carved into headstones. And this only occurred after thinking he thought he lost them when they jumped to their deaths only seconds before.

9 Saying Hello & Goodbye To His TARDIS

The Doctor likes to think that he stole his TARDIS and went traveling the universe, but the TARDIS thinks otherwise. When The Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory found themselves deceived by a Time Lord distress signal, the matrix of the TARDIS was transported into a humanoid body, leading to an emotional chain of events and the rare opportunity for The Doctor to converse with his beloved ship.

However, he was soon forced to say goodbye as the humanoid ‘dies’ and changes back to its mechanical state. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had quickly slipped from his grasp.

8 His Relationship With River Song

The Eleventh Doctor was the incarnation who spent the most time with River Song. Their adventures were unsynchronized, with each meeting at different points of time in their relationship.

Their whole dynamic was quite dramatic. There was heartbreak, the reveal of River Song as Melody Pond, the poisoning of The Doctor, and the sacrifice of her regenerations. There was also River Song’s refusal to let The Doctor die, her connection to him after the events of the Library, and River sparing The Doctor from revealing his name. It was just full of sad and emotional moments.

7 His Final Message To Clara

Before The Eleventh Doctor regenerated on Trenzalore, he made one last call with his TARDIS phone. It was a call to future Clara, who was now with The Twelfth Doctor.

“And however scared you are, Clara, the man you are with right now, the man I hope you are with, believe me, he is more scared than anything you can imagine right now and he, he needs you.” His final conversation with Clara was to assure her that everything was going to be okay, that the man who was with her was The Doctor, and The Doctor needed her.

6 Facing Trenzalore

“When you are a time traveler, there is one place you must never go. One place in all of space and time you must never, ever find yourself.” Trenzalore. The final resting place of The Doctor. During The Doctor’s attempt to go there, the TARDIS tried desperately to lead him away from the location of his burial. But The Doctor had to go, his friends were in danger.

He was forced to reveal his name but was saved by River Song’s intervention. It was in his tomb that The Doctor saw the scar tissue left on the universe by his travels. He watched The Whisper Men enter his timeline and couldn’t stop Clara from doing the same.

5 Isolating Himself From Earth

After Amy and Rory died, The Eleventh Doctor hid away. He isolated himself from the Earth and refused to save people or form connections. The Doctor, the Time Lord who traveled the universe and saved planets, was no longer willing to break his hearts and experience the pain of loss.

This Time Lord who has seen death a million times over, who had lost companion after companion, had taken to the sky where even his Police Box disguised ship provided no hope and no help.

4 His Regeneration Speech

The Eleventh Doctor’s final goodbye with Clara and his vision of Amy Pond were touching and excruciating. The removal of his bow tie, which had been a symbol of his incarnation, a part of his being, was now a symbol of his end. And his speech was one many could relate to, a final consolation to all who loved him.

“We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s okay, that’s good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.” Those were the sage words he left behind before transforming.

3 His Final Years

The Eleventh Doctor wasn’t one to be patient. He couldn’t sit still. He was an energetic, bounding, curious persona. He traveled far and wide, running, always running. But when he was needed, when the time came, he reeled himself in. He did what The Doctor always does; he saved people. For 900 years, The Doctor defended the small town of Christmas on Trenzalore. He parted from Clara and remained in the company of Handles. “Eleven’s hour is over now. The clock is striking Twelve’s.”

2 He’s The Man Who Forgets

The Tenth Doctor was dubbed “the man who regrets” while The Eleventh Doctor was named “the man who forgets.” Both had tried their hardest to run from the past, but the past was inescapable. And in “The Day of The Doctor,” it came to them in the form of The War Doctor.

The Eleventh Doctor was looking for his innocence again; his wonder. He wanted to move on, even if it appeared as though he forgot. He formed a shell of denial, one that protected him from the horrors of his past.

1 His Fragility

The Eleventh Doctor was swallowed by his rage, his anguish, his turmoil. He was consumed by the need to veil his past, by the desire to start fresh. It lead him to loath himself, to be merciless in his judgment of himself.

He became dependent on others to control his emotions; their pain was his pain, their happiness was his joy. He was The Doctor who appeared child-like but was suffering. He tried dearly to capture his sapling self and nurture it amidst his fragility; a fragility he hid all too well.

About The Author