As much
as I adore Bill, it was tough coming up with her Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments
because, looking back at her season on the show, she in fact gets to do so
little. She only really has one
unabashedly-big win, and while she’s all about the questions, she rarely gets
to be the one following those through to the answers (except in situations
where the Doctor has already figured it out and is waiting for her to catch
up.) I don’t say this as a criticism of
Bill but of the writers, for not letting this awesome character spend more time
doing awesome things (spoilers.)
Releasing Heather (Series 10, Episode 1 – “The
Pilot”)
Here, we
see Bill’s attention to detail and emotional intelligence saving the day. The Doctor is able to infer a lot about the
sentient engine oil (it must always be said) that takes over Heather, about the
alien substance that subsumes her, but through her understanding of the young
woman herself, Bill is the one to figure out why Heather is chasing them:
her promise not to leave without Bill.
Understanding this, Bill can let Heather go gently, releasing her from
her promise and saying goodbye.
Keeping Her Memories (Series 10, Episode 1 –
“The Pilot”)
When Bill
meets the Doctor, he’s on a strict no-traveling-in-time-and-space diet, and he
can’t afford to have students wandering around who know he’s really an alien,
so after their initial adventure, he tries to wipe Bill’s memory of it. Kudos to Bill, first for realizing what he’s
doing (“I know what a mind wipe looks
like!”), and then for ardently arguing for her right not to forget what’s
happened to her. It’s a little thing,
very personal, responsible for saving no lives or planets, but I love her
passion as she stands up to the Doctor here.
“Let me have some good dreams for once!” – beautiful.
Discovering the Memorial (Series 10, Episode 2
– “Smile”)
Any
companion worth their salt is both curious and not overly-inclined to stay put
when the Doctor tells them to, and in this episode with Bill, it certainly pays
off. The Doctor’s the one who’s able to
put it together and figure out why the Vardy turned on the humans, but it’s
Bill who finds the deceased woman on the dais, and along with her, the ship’s
records of the deaths of the set-up team.
The Doctor’s companions, proving for the umpteenth time that doing what
you’re told is overrated!
Stopping the Monks (Series 10, Episode 8 – “The
Lie of the Land”)
This is
the most typical big-companion-win moment Bill has during her time on the
show. After she was one to give the
Monks the in they needed to subdue the human race, she steps up to finish
it. She’s prepared to die, as Missy has
told her that’s the only way the Monks can be defeated, but it doesn’t come to
that. Instead, she overwhelms their
global psychic propaganda with thoughts of the deceased mother she invented in
her head. It’s somewhat of a cheesy Love
Conquers All bit, but I appreciate Bill’s bravery and that it’s her heart that
carries the day.
Distracting the Empress (Series 10, Episode 9 –
“Empress of Mars”)
While
this is a small moment, it’s still brave.
As the Ice Warrior Empress is bearing on the Victorians, Bill remembers
the previous, brief affinity they shared as the Empress regarded her with
respect as a fellow woman among “noisy men.”
Bill gets her attention and, while she certainly doesn’t talk the
Empress around, Bill distracts her and buys the Doctor enough time to get in
position and take her down.
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