I knew well in advance that David Tennant had decided to leave the show, but it was still a blow to see it come true. I know how funny this sounds to be that attached to a character but for me Dr. Who is the embodiment of a sharp intellect matched with a passinate enthusiasm for everything that he does, coupled with daring bravery, and a love of humanity. He also has a witty and mischevious side, he can be downright cheeky. Match this with the possibility of traveling the Universe and seeing through space and time, and that the Doctor felt greatly privileged to travel and learn from the universe and even though he was nine hundred and three he still had a great excitement about each journey.
The Doctor was very lonely, and as his character developed more and more was taken away, his heart broken again and again. Loneliness and heartbreak is something so universal we can all attest to and understand. Yet to be without your own kind, to have lost all you ever knew, and loved to end up alone time after time is something most of us will never experience and yet some of us might but to which we can all understand and empathize. Yet part of the reason I love this character so is even though it gets dark in the end he turns it around and he fights ‘til the end, and when the knocks come, he opens the door and dies to sacrifice himself for a great friend.
I did appreciate that he got his "reward" in the end and was able to say good-bye to those he loved, some to save one last time and some to make sure they were taken care of and some just to set on eyes or speak with one last time. It was heart wrenching, which I wouldn't have expected less and a loving way to say goodbye to such a remarkable character.
One of my many favorite moments in this series is when he took with him the companion Donna Noble. For those of us who watched I am sure most had that secret thought that secret wish of what if this were real? What if the Dr. existed and he asked me would I go? Would I be strong enough? Brave enough? Smart enough? To do whatever was asked? Many of us never get to fulfill our potential but while watching Dr. Who part of the thrill for me was the idea of What if? The possibility of getting to become your greatest self. An example would be his companion Donna. A middle aged woman who was cynical, a bit bitchy and had no patience whatsoever. By meeting the Dr. she transformed into an incredibly strong ally, whom time and time again found that she had everything she needed within herself if she just dug deep enough. She was average and she became extraoridninary. Her mind reeling with all the possibilities and her heart opened and she unlocked the greatness that was contained therein, and it was knowing the Dr. that gave her this gift.