There's the constant question...which Doctor is better, the best, more likable. They are constantly being compared to each other. I don't think that's quite the right way to look at it. When the Doctor regenerates, yes he changes physically, but there's very clearly psychological change that takes place. And let's think about it this way - if you died, something would change about you on a mental level as well. You might be grateful, pissed, resentful, overjoyed, relieved. About a million different emotions go into it.
When David Tennant's Doctor arrives, we find him re-awakened. Christopher Eccleston's portrayal is sardonic, angry, and in a lot of denial about the events of the Time War. By the time he regenerates to Tennant, we find that he's moved on to deep sorrow balanced out by a brilliantly curious quirkiness. This is a Doctor who grins like he means it. He says things like "alonzi," eager for plain fun adventure. He handles his foes with less anger and more of a controlled contempt for violence than anything.
Through three seasons, we peel away the layers of this Doctor who thoroughly enjoys life; he's genuinely excited and thrilled to be on this adventure. He's got no time for evildoers, and though he always presents the chance to change, when disappointed he can be ruthless. Which is one reason he needs a companion, to balance him out, remind him why he travels.
This Doctor makes himself more accessible to his companions and we find that beneath his jovial exterior beat two very feeling hearts. By making himself more amiable, more available to love, he's made himself more open to heartbreak as well. He constantly must tear open the wounds of his past in order to save the people he loves. And that's the kind of thing that changes a man...or Time Lord. Towards the end, we see the Doctor alone, trying to figure out exactly who and what he is, and in one of the most heart-wrenching moments of the show, he's not ready to leave when it's his time to go. He's not done; but it's time.
And so Tennant's Doctor dies and Matt Smith's Doctor is born from the ashes. Right away, there's something a bit mad about him. It's no longer quirky; it's aloof bordering on insanity. Alien. And then there's the anger. I think the madness is a defense mechanism, hiding the anger deep away inside. If he can deflect long enough, maybe he won't think about all the pain he endured so recently, maybe he can forget the sacrifices he's made to save Earth. But that anger sits just below the surface - do anything to make it bubble through and instantly regret it.
A line Matt Smith repeats, "Never had that before," seems to be apt for the changes present in this Doctor. He's never been quite this angry, quite this vengeful, or confrontational. He's lost the people he loves before and now heaven help anybody who comes between him and his companions. The Doctor was always protective of his companions, but never quite to this extent.
This Doctor brings a whole new set of rules. He tends to lie and isn't as opposed to killing (or at least allowing killing) as he was before. I think if this wasn't balanced out with Matt Smith's incredible ability to act like a six year old and nine hundred year old at the same time, we'd lose our affection for him from time to time. He pushes the limits, but hey, the best heroes do.
And the best heroes evolve, which is the beauty of the temporal nature of the Doctor character archetype. A man who can change his face, change his self, but always retains some essence of the same person.
So for all those imdb message board trolls going, "Tennant is way better, bring him back," or "No, you suck monkey brains, Matt Smith is the best ever," let's all try and remember that you're basically trying to compare performances of two different characters. And that never really works. So just enjoy them both and get on with enjoying this fantastic show.
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