LogFAQs > #968580212

10. 13th Doctor (Jodie Whittaker)

Best Episode: Eve of the Daleks (Series 13, Episode 7)
Worst Episode: The Vanquishers (Series 13, Episode 6)

It's tough ranking Jodie and Matt, because I feel like Smith has the better overall run as the Doctor, but Jodie does a better job of PLAYING the Doctor, and it comes down to the fact that Jodie tries her best with shit writing, while Smith doesn't do the best job with OKAY writing. They're both pretty low-tier regardless. It's hard to properly judge Jodie's time as the Doctor, because she spent the back 2/3 of her run dealing with the fact that the writers and showrunner wanted to make some stupid, serialized plotline about the Doctor being the most important person in the history of the universe. Even more than all the times the Doctor was the most important person in the history of the universe when he was Matt Smith instead of Jodie Whittaker.

That being said, when I did my season ranking a while back, I was much higher on series 11 than most people, because I thought it was overall a good season. Certainly not the BEST season ever, but a solid season of Doctor Who. And it's during series 11 that I feel Jodie got to be the Doctor the most, rather than just a character who happens to have a major role in events of an overarching plot. Very early on, Jodie felt like the "scientist" Doctor, curious and inquisitive and building things and creating things and really planning and plotting in a way the reboot hadn't done AS MUCH up to that point in the series. It gave her a solid and interesting character for sure.

Honestly? It's funny that Jodie and Tennant both acted in Broadchurch, because they both carry their times as the Doctor very similarly. Jodie is certainly capable of being quirky and fun, but she's able to toe that line between fun and serious in a way that Smith just never managed to do. But she still winds up towards the bottom of my list, because ultimately, series 12 and 13 happened. Even though I can't really blame HER, the fact is that the Doctor becomes annoying in those series, with her intense desire to hide things about her past, or the zero-chemistry romance building between her and Yas. There are still moments where the quality of Jodie's portrayal shines through, but it just gets overshadowed by a stifling, overarching plotline.

Hint for #9: After we've eliminated three odd-numbered Doctors in a row, time for an even-numbered one.