Confession #6: The Fourth Doctor Kind of Bugs Me

If Confession #3 irked a few Neo-Whovians (and yes, I did catch some flak from the Ladies), then this one is sure to incur the wrath of some Old Skool Whovians.  Tom Baker, aka Four (you know the one - "all teeth and curls," perpetually wrapped in a ridiculously long scarf), is one of the best-loved Doctors of all time.  In fact, before David Tennant's stint, he was the most popular Doctor ever.  However, though I do generally enjoy him, a lot of times Four just sort of rubs me the wrong way.

First, there's the way he seems to work so hard on being weird.  Sure, the googly eyes give him a head start, but that's the least of it.  There are so many instances where he'll just repeat! someone else's line enough to startle ("of course!"), and then come down from that vocal high still as confused as ever ("nope - still don't know what you're talking about") that it ceases to either surprise or amuse (a trait Tennant borrowed for Ten, though I don't believe he wielded it as often).  I think it would bug me less if it weren't such an ongoing gag.  It's something that feels like it started as one of Baker's many attempts to make the cast and crew lose their composure and start laughing on set - except that once it worked, he kept inserting it as one of Four's quirks, and it lost its effect (file under: funny once).

What really irritates me, though, is how rude he is to everyone.  He frequently cuts off his Companions mid-sentence, usually when they're trying to tell him something important that he needs to know.  It doesn't matter who it is - Sarah Jane, K-9, even Romana (who's supposed to be as clever as the Doctor) - all suffer the same indignity and implication of insignificance.  Again, every once in a while it can be amusing, but it seems to happen nearly every story.  His self-centeredness in this sense feels very anti-Doctor to me, and makes me wonder:  where's the Doctor who loves and values his Companions?  Oh, I know he does, but as the saying goes, he has a funny way of showing it...

Not all of these annoying traits crop up in every story.  Occasionally, none of them do (like The Invisible Enemy - Nu-View pending).  Yet somehow, the pall of them tends to color my enjoyment.  Maybe I've seen a few too many interviews on DVD extras or something, because Tom Baker and Four seem indelibly intertwined, even outside the studio.  That makes it difficult to know how much of Four's posturing is Tom Baker's larger-than-life personality coming out, and how much is just the way he chooses to play the character.

I've also gotten the impression from various accounts that Baker was very jealous of "his" role, and didn't exactly play well with others at conventions and such, having made Four so iconic during his tenure.  For example, at one convention, he reportedly greeted his fans on an entirely different floor than the other Doctors present.  I suppose my opinion of the character has thus been a bit influenced by what I've learned of the actor.

On the other hand, I'm certainly not going to stop watching him.  He delivered a whole lot of really good stories, and - especially after my recent viewing of Meglos (DVD review sadly scrapped) - I have plenty of respect for his acting chops.  When you can see how distinct the Doctor is from another character Baker is playing, it makes even the over-the-top bits more palatable - Four as caricature rather than alter-ego is somehow less off-putting.  So Four's stories will most definitely stay in my "happy to re-watch it" queue.  I just need to make sure I'm in a properly off-the-wall mood.