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6 Moments That Perfectly Sum Up Peter Capaldi as the Doctor

During his time as the Doctor, Capaldi has had several stunning moments that truly define him as the character.

By Lewis JefferiesPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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'Doctor Who' [Credit: BBC]

Doctor Who has had a phenomenal run, with a fantastic bunch of actors playing the legendary Doctor. From William Hartnell to Peter Capaldi, everybody has their favorite Time Lord. Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth and current Doctor, has played the character since 2014. The Twelfth Doctor has been assisted by a total of three companions: Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas).

During his time as the Doctor, Capaldi has had several stunning moments that truly define him as the character — let's look at those moments in more detail.

During Season 8, Episode 4, Capaldi's Doctor became much darker than we suspected, as he taught us that fear is a superpower. The episode "Listen" taught #DoctorWho fans how to overcome their fears. This was done by encouraging Rupert Pink to really think hard and convince himself that there is nothing to be scared of, even if you're scared of the dark. While there was no onscreen monster or alien, fans were still blown away by the episode's imagination and creativity.

It was made perfectly clear in Season 9, Episode 8 that we should never cross #PeterCapaldi's Doctor when he gets angry, especially when humanity is about to cause a deadly war with the shapeshifting alines called the Zygons. During the scene, the Doctor's inner anger and desperation break out, causing him to become infuriated and upset — a mood we never want to see the Doctor in again.

It would be wrong not to introduce the Doctor in a unique way. Of course, Moffat didn't let us down in Season 9, Episode 1, as he introduced the Doctor by showing him riding a tank and playing the Doctor Who theme on his electric guitar. Oh yeah, the Sonic Shades made him look even cooler — what could have possibly gone wrong?

Season 9, Episode 11 created history for Doctor Who as the episode featured just Peter Capaldi (Well, only if you exclude the small scene featuring Clara). Capaldi was given the challenge to pull off a single-hander episode by showrunner Steven Moffat. The haunting and fearful episode saw Capaldi treat fans to a heart-stopping performance. The episode "Heaven Sent" remains one of the Twelfth Doctor's true hallmarks. Additionally, the wonderful soundtrack that accompanies this episode is fantastic. "Heaven Sent" is probably one of Doctor Who's greatest episodes to date.

The events of Season 10, Episode 7 saw the Twelfth Doctor show off his really big grin. The episode "Lie of the Land" is the final installment of the Monk Trilogy, showing Bill living in a world where the deadly Monks have changed history to make it look like they have always been on Earth. Where's the Doctor? Well, he seems to be "helping" the Monks.

The Doctor's calm and playful demeanor changes Bill's perceptions of the Doctor, and she ends up shooting him. Rule One: The Doctor lies. Of course, he wasn't really helping the Monks and it was all a trick, as the Doctor and Nardole knew Bill would never give up on him, even if it means putting on a light show involving a fake regeneration.

The grand finale of Season 10 saw the Doctor explaining to two incarnations of the Master that he doesn't help people to win. He does it because it's kind.

“I’m not trying to win. I’m not doing this because I want to beat someone, because I hate someone, or because I want to blame someone. It’s not because it’s fun. God knows it’s not because it’s easy. It’s not even because it works because it hardly ever does. I do what I do because it’s right! Because it’s decent! And above all, it’s kind! It’s just that… Just kind. If I run away today, good people will die. If I stand and fight, some of them might live. Maybe not many, maybe not for long. Hey, you know, maybe there’s no point to any of this at all. But it’s the best I can do. So I’m going to do it. And I’m going to stand here doing it until it kills me. And you’re going to die too! Some day… And how will that be? Have you thought about it? What would you die for? Who I am is where I stand. Where I stand is where I fall.”

Need I say anymore? The speech doesn't make you scared of the Doctor, but it makes you see sense in him, even if he is just a madman with a box. Following the consequences of the Great Time War, the Doctor knows never to run away from a war ever again. He's the man who stops the monsters, and he has proven that with pure confidence.

Final Thoughts

With all that in mind, Peter Capaldi will be missed by millions all around the globe. Maybe one day he will return for another epic multi-Doctor story. It all depends what incoming showruner Chris Chibnall has in mind.

scifi tv
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About the Creator

Lewis Jefferies

MA Media and Communication graduate from the University of Portsmouth - Massive Doctor Who Fan.

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