I bet you this is really an unpopular opinion: The Tenth Doctor rubbed me the wrong way.

I rarely appreciate Nine in unabashed ways simply because he’s not my Doctor. The Tenth Doctor was my first ever, and that ultimately makes him my favorite. Of course, David Tennant was a big reason why Ten was amicable and appealing to all. His super cute mannerisms, the wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles, the adorable projection of his voice, and his ‘slightly’ handsome face are all reasons why bitches fangirl over him. And that’s not a bad thing at all, except for the fact that most fangirls overlook Ten’s arrogant personality.

Here’s a confession: I prefer the Ninth Doctor over Ten, personality-wise. Let me explain: In Series 2 and 3, Ten was only circumstantially likable. What I mean is, the circumstances wherein he was placed acted as instruments in his character’s development. The Doctor in Series 2 and 3 was constantly transitioning between a powerful figure and a humanized Time Lord. It wasn’t Ten’s personality that made him likable, it was the circumstances he faced that made him more appealing to the audience. That’s why Ten was both likable and unlikable to me. By the end of Series 4, he inevitably chose the ‘powerful figure’ path, which eventually led to his downfall in “The Waters of Mars.”

The only thing that actually kept the Tenth Doctor grounded was Donna Noble—she was a perfect balance to the Doctor’s character transitions. Rose Tyler unintentionally inflated the Doctor’s ego and made him more human in both the right and wrong ways (Series 2), while Martha Jones simply acted as a rebound to whom the Doctor could enact and realize his humanly faults (Series 3). Contrary to popular opinions, Martha was the antithesis to Rose— she was never the replacement. By the end of Series 3, Martha basically served as an [ineffective] antidote to the ‘damage’ Rose had done. Poor Martha. It wasn’t until Donna became his companion when the Doctor finally affirmed his failures. These are a few reasons why the Tenth Doctor rubbed me the wrong way in two of his three series.

Now about Nine, I believe he wasn’t given enough time for people to truly appreciate him. He doesn’t possess the ‘standard’ handsome appearance that most fangirls prefer. And let’s face it, he isn’t as ‘romantically’ affectionate to Rose as Ten was (although I honestly think Nine had the best chemistry with Rose). Silly fangirls are prone to being blindsided when it comes to romance; that’s why Ten is widely preferred among New Who fans.

With all that said, there’s something about Nine’s snarky attitude that just worked perfectly for him. The dynamic between him, Rose and Jack flowed so naturally that you can’t help but adore his relationship with them. Nine had these tiny ‘manly’ moments of wanting to impress Rose, most of which are more remarkable than Ten’s boastful ‘man-child’ moments. Nine also had a 900-year-old maturity about him that did not exude arrogance, unlike Ten did. That’s why I prefer Nine’s personality over Ten. Although yes, I love love love Ten/Donna. I feel like I need to iterate the fact that I do prefer Ten over Nine ONLY IN SERIES 4, because of Donna. The Tenth Doctor leaves a bad taste in my mouth in Series 2 and 3.

So, that’s character development for you. The transition is always rough and often contradictory. Sometimes I wonder what the series would have been like had they prolonged Nine’s stay, thereby giving him Ten’s character development instead. We probably would have seen more of this: