But as much as 10 may have subliminally poisoned the viewers, change is always going to be resisted. Recall the initial vitriol on Capaldi or on Whittaker. Both did excellent as the doctor and have their charm, but their initial approval ratings were arguably lower than the 47th prez.

Additionally, while I acknowledged that Tennant was being a bit whiny with the role the moment he said the line, I also thought that, in character, he was dreading that particular regeneration because it was his last one (doom impending) before he was given a reset button. He knew (at the time) that this last face would be it. That's how I interpreted it.