I’ve
already looked at how new Who has
said both hello and goodbye to Doctors, so why not companions, too? Intros today; we’ll save the extreme angst
for another time. Also, rather than look
at the quality of the episodes as a whole, like I’ve done for the Doctors, I’m
really just looking at the companions themselves and how they’re
presented. Because I have to make the
cut-off somewhere, I’m only including Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, Rory, and Clara
– sorry, Mickey, Jack, River, and other short-term or recurring
companions! Spoilers for “Rose,” “Smith
and Jones,” “Partners in Crime,” “The Eleventh Hour,” and “The Bells of Saint
John.”
“Rose,”
obviously, kicks things off with a whirlwind look into the life of Rose
Tyler. It starts a trend for new Who, increased emphasis on the
companion’s home life. RTD tends to
focus more on family while Moffat seems to prefer romantic partners, but it’s
the same general idea. The important
part, though, is what Rose does when she comes in contact with the Doctor. I’d say she proves herself companion-material
in a reasonable way. Although she
doesn’t do anything too jaw-dropping (she does
do a bit of gymnastics to free the Doctor from some Autons, but that moment is
more about her determination to help than her amazing moves,) she still
demonstrates why the Doctor is interested in her beyond the Living Plastic in
the department store where she works.
She gets in some Excellent Questions and makes good observations. She takes the initiative to try and figure
out who the Doctor is, researching online and then meeting with Clive. And while she’s clearly overwhelmed to step
inside the TARDIS for the first time, she handles the revolution that it and
the Doctor are both alien very well. I’m
a fan of this intro; it shows off Rose’s brand of ordinary-person awesomeness
potential.
For my
money, Martha is the biggest boss of the group.
She’s terrific throughout “Smith and Jones.” Her medical training to keep calm in a crisis
serves her well, which allows her intuition (realizing there must be an air
bubble around the hospital,) bravery (standing up to the Judoon,) and
resourcefulness (thinking to grab the manual when she absolutely needs to able
to operate the X-ray machine in a mad hurry) to shine through. I also like that she doesn’t spend any time
denying that what’s happening is alien, as well as the fact that she takes a
moment to go outside with the Doctor and just enjoy standing on the moon. Oh, and did I mention she saves the Doctor’s
life, remembering to factor in his alien biology as she resuscitates him, all
while dealing with extreme oxygen deprivation?
Martha Jones can get things done!
I
realize that Donna’s real introduction comes in “The Runaway Bride,” but since
she basically has two of these episodes, I’m gonna go with “Partners in Crime,”
because how could I not? It’s a
different kind of companion intro, since she comes into it already knowing who
the Doctor is and what he does (Moffat will do another take on that idea with
Amy,) and that gives her something of an edge.
I don’t mind, though – she’s just too great here. I like, beyond just investigating strange goings-on in the hopes of running into
the Doctor, Donna does actual investigating into the strange goings-on
themselves. She’s quite the hustler,
working at Health & Safety just long enough to get the badge she needs to
infiltrate Adipose, snagging a customer list from a phone salesman, and
pounding enough pavement to meet an Adipose client. The parallels showing how her investigation
aligns with the Doctor’s are pretty cool.
And once they do finally
connect, it’s a lot of the awesome sci-fi hijinks I was hoping for – running
around, making faces, and dangling outside windows – but Donna also proves how
she can help. I love that moment in the
climax when the Doctor is freaking out about how he can’t stop the machine, and
Donna gets through to him with that calm-but-stern, “Doctor, tell me what you need.” The fact that she’s able to pull out that
second capsule, critical to overriding the machine, is just gravy.
“The
Eleventh Hour” is a bit unfortunate in that I feel like Amy comes off as better
companion material as a kid than an adult.
Young Amelia takes the Doctor’s weirdness and alienness in stride and, with
him beside her, takes on her fear of the Time Crack in her wall. Adult Amy, meanwhile, doesn’t get a lot to
do. Probably her best move is passing
herself off as a police officer when she finds the Doctor in her house,
although that’s marred by no longer having the key to the handcuffs she uses
and the camera’s sexualization of her in her cop costume. When she pulls the trick again later, to get
into the hospital, it’s only because the Doctor reminds her what she’s
wearing. Other than that, she holds up
the Doctor to do an “explain now!!!!”
when he’s insanely busy and on a massive time crunch, and she gets taken over
by Prisoner Zero – though it’s not her fault, it’s an unfortunate position to
put her in for her first episode. I get that she’s not in her best state of
mind, since being left by the Doctor as a kid really did a number on her and
she can’t quite believe he’s actually back, but I wish we could see her doing
more companion stuff. As it is, if it
weren’t for the Doctor’s memory of young Amelia, guilt at having come back so
late, and suspicions about the Crack, I’m not sure if he would have invited Amy
to come with him simply for her.
Strangely
enough, it’s Rory who looks more like a pre-companion in that episode. (I know, he doesn’t join the TARDIS crew till
later, but “The Vampires of Venice” is his first trip, which doesn’t fit my pattern here – “The Eleventh Hour” is
better.) He’s the one who’s noticed
something strange, Prisoner Zero disguised as the hospital’s coma patients, and
he tries to tell his boss about it even though he knows how crazy it
sounds. But he’s come prepared for that,
having taken pictures of Zero on his phone as proof. Curious, determined, and smart; companion all
over. And yet, when he’s initially
invited onto the TARDIS, it’s for Amy’s sake, not his. It’s only after the events of “The Vampires
of Venice” that both Amy and the Doctor suggest he stay on with them. Tsk, tsk – the Doctor should’ve paid
attention more.
For
Clara, I’m going with “The Bells of Saint John,” since that’s when we actually
meet Clara 1.0. This is another one that
comes in with some foreknowledge, but it’s on the Doctor’s side, not
Clara’s. He’s already met the
“Impossible Girl” twice at this point and is totally weird and elated when he
comes face to face with her. Sadly, this
is also one where the companion
doesn’t come off great. She’s taken out twice by the Spoonheads, and her only
real contribution to the adventure – figuring out where the Great Intelligence’s
base is located – is accomplished due to the temporary tech skills that the
Great Intelligence gave her the first time it took her over. It’s not knowledge she’s actually gained, and
it’s not something she keeps going forward.
While she is brave and rolls with the shock of her first crazy journey
in the TARDIS, she doesn’t get to do a lot that feels companionish. Again, if it weren’t for the Impossible Girl
mystery, I’m not sure if the Doctor would’ve asked her to come with him.
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