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When Your Doctor is No Longer the Doctor: How to Survive Regeneration
Emily Asher-Perrin
December 27, 2013 12:00PM

Doctor Who, Eleven, Amy

Theres a thing that happens in the Doctor Who fandom that plenty of
people talk about, and no one can prepare you for. See, fans love each
and every Doctor but one of them is yours. That Doctor belongs to you
very specificallythey helped define parts of you, they saw you through
rough times, they encompassed a portion of your life. And for many
Whovians, that Doctor will soon be gone.

Its okay, Eleven fans. Im here to help.

Having already dealt with 2010s I Dont Want to Go Farewell Tour, I
have some tips. Or maybe theyre just stages of grief. Or things to
expect as you brave the next year without bow ties.

To start this off, lets talk regeneration: You might have noticed that
Elevens passing felt a little more real to you than the average
fictional character death. (Or nota lot of them seem unfortunately
real on my end.) So youre basically in mourning. Youre allowed.
Dont let anyone make you feel weird about it. Dont let anyone tell
you that youre not allowed to wear tweed and a fez every day for the
next ten years. Or a black armbandhey, Gary Oldman did it for Sirius
Black, so its totally a cool thing to do.

Doctor Who, Eleven

Speaking of thatsupport group time! Hugs all around! Unless you dont
like hugs, in which case, weve got a crate of Jammie Dodgers and
probably TARDIS blankets. Actually, is that a real office somewhere? It
sounds like a service that should be available to the general public
regardless.

Of course, thats what the internet and fandom friends are for. There
will be a sudden pressing need to rewatch every Eleventh Doctor episode
in marathon form, and long after that, youll have moments where
nothing will comfort you so well as a viewing of The Lodger with a
cup of tea. Its especially useful for whats comingan era shift that
will leave the show markedly different in ways that are often difficult
to explain.

Whats odd about Who fandom is how its rhetoric consistently changes
over time. Its not like Star Trek where there are distinct, separate
series, each with their own entity that are easy to define and keep
apart in your mind. Doctor Who may shift in tone and execution, but
its still ultimately the same show. The Doctor is still the same
character. Except now, your Doctor is no longer the Doctor.

Its a weird feeling.

Doctor Who, Eleven

And it will likely never pass. Its entirely unique to the Whovian
experience. Sure, it sort of happens with James Bond, but thats a
different can of dirt due to how long it takes for an actors Bond
tenure to come due, and how staggeringly different each incarnation is.
(Call me when Robert Downey, Jr. is no longer playing Tony Stark and
well talk again, I think.) The point is, its always going to be
awkward knowing that your Doctor is now former. That someone else is
ably holding up the mantle and carrying it off into the dark corners of
the universe. Its like a microcosm of aging, revved up to light speed:
This was mine. Its still mine. But now it belongs to someone else.

That doesnt mean that the new Doctor wont mean anything to you!
Learning to love a new Doctor is part of the charm of the fandom. What
you will have to be prepared for are the fans who find that their
Doctor is Peter Capaldi. Those new kids who are just like you, only a
few years removed. Respect their experience. Dont get into better
Doctor battles with them. This is not a fight that anyone can win, nor
should they. Its down to the individual, down to what you needed and
when. In fact, it can be its own reward, watching those new fans revel
in their experience with a Doctor who moves them the same way. To see
the difference in the fanbase, to watch it shift and morphto watch it
regenerate. Whovian history is singular that way.

Its exactly as the Eleventh Doctor put it: you will carry all these
lives with you always, but you will always be especially glad for the
time that the Doctor was the Eleventh Doctor. The same way I will
always be especially glad that the Doctor was Ten. Give yourself time.
Heal up from the loss and launch yourself back in. Never let go of the
time that Doctor Who was specifically, unequivocally yours.

Doctor Who, Eleven, Amy

Thats what makes it special. Thats what makes it your show. Youre
not supposed to let that go, youre supposed to celebrate it. So do
just that and never be sorry.

Its hard to say goodbye to a friend... but you never really have to.
Keep that Raggedy Man close and keep going. You never know when you
might need him.
__________________________________________________________________

Emily Asher-Perrin wants all the Eleven fans out there to know that
shes so, so sorry, and shes here for a shoulder to cry on. You can
bug her on Twitter and read more of her work here and elsewhere.


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