This article mentions suicide.
The Tenth Doctor inDoctor Whohad a fantastic character arc, but many failed to notice that his fate as the Time Lord Victorious was established in his first episode.Every incarnation of the Doctor inDoctor Whowas impacted by the Time Lord Victorious in some way, but it has always typically been connected to the Tenth Doctor’s actions in “The Waters of Mars.”
Russell T Davies’ “The Waters of Mars” was quickly labeled one ofthe greatestDoctor Whostories of all timeafter it was released in 2009.This episode marked a massive shift in the Tenth Doctor’s psyche,but it wasn’t really that big of a shock, especially as it had been a part of the Time Lord since his first episode.
The Tenth Doctor Warned Us About The Time Lord Victorious In “The Christmas Invasion”
David Tennant’s Debut Episode Cemented The Tenth Doctor As A Man Who Wouldn’t Give Second Chances
Doctor Who’s Time Lord Victoriouscovered several events, but audiences typically knew it as the Tenth Doctor’s dark decline and transformation into something very different from what we’d seen before. Whilethe loss of several friends and the difficulty maintaining control over his life in general caused this,it didn’t fully amalgamate until “The Waters of Mars.”
However, this part of the Doctor was actually apparent from his very first episode, theDoctor WhoChristmas special“The Christmas Invasion.”In the Tenth Doctor’s debut adventure, he defeated the Sycorax leader in a sword fight,but let the rest of the species aboard the ship go with a warning.
Butit was the downfall of Harriet Jones that showed the beginnings of the Time Lord Victoriousin the Tenth Doctor. The Doctor told everyone, “No second chances. I’m that sort of a man,” and he immediately proved it. While Harriet’s decision to assassinate the Sycorax as they left Earth was brutal, the lack of understanding from the Doctor was even more savage.
Just a few episodes before,the Ninth Doctor was singing Harriet’s praises as she handled the fallout of Downing Street’s destructionat the hands of the Slitheen. The Time Lord remembered her as “The architect of Britain’s Golden Age,” but Harriet’s reign didn’t last for very long.
The Tenth Doctor failed to relate to Harriet’s position as the UK Prime Minister who was in power during humanity’s first contact with aliens. Instead, the Doctor took her down with just six hushed words to her aide:“Don’t you think she looks tired?”
The Tenth Doctor’s Actions At The Beginning Of His Regeneration Foreshadowed His Fate In “The Waters Of Mars”
The Tenth Doctor’s Run Began & Ended With The Time Lord Victorious
It was fascinating that the beginning and the end of the Tenth Doctor’s arc shared some parallels. Whilethe Tenth Doctor regenerated in “The End of Time,” a story in which the Time Lord Victorious played a big part, it first appeared in full force in “The Waters of Mars,” which is consideredDoctor Who’s scariest episode of the Tennant era.
By saving Adelaide Brooke fromDoctor Who’s Flood creaturesand returning her to Earth, the Doctor changed timelines.He believed the laws of time belonged to him as he was the last of the Time Lords(or at least, to his knowledge), but Adelaide stopped this by committing suicide on Earth, ensuring her granddaughter’s future fate across the stars.
WhileDoctor Whonever confirmed this, it can be assumed that the Doctor also altered human history by causing Harriet’s downfall.Harriet’s “Golden Age” seemed to be cut short,at least, it appeared that way, considering how the Ninth Doctor spoke about her. Strangely, the Time Lord Victorious moment in “The Christmas Invasion” set off a string of events across the Tenth Doctor’s timeline.
Because of the downfall of Harriet Jones,Harold Saxon became Prime Minister. If Harriet hadn’t lost her role as the head of the government,the Master still might have taken to power at some other point, but it probably wouldn’t have lined up with the 18-month restriction he had piloting the Doctor’s TARDISafter he stole it at the end of “Utopia.”
Despite his unique situation, the Tenth Doctor wasn’t actually a god, no matter what the universe constantly implied.
In a way, it made sense that the Time Lord Victorious was present in the Tenth Doctor’s arc inDoctor Whofrom start to finish. It reminded him that, despite his unique situation, the Tenth Doctor wasn’t actually a god, no matter what the universe constantly implied.
