New Companion Musings

(Can't really include a picture of a character who doesn't exist yet, so let's just have a lovely photo of Twelve beckoning the soon-to-be newcomer aboard.)

So, Doctor Who is in the market for a new companion.  Smart money is, of course, on a young, attractive woman from the U.K. in the 21^st century.  I’m hopeful that whoever we get will be wonderful, as so many companions are, and I’m excited to see Twelve’s dynamic with someone new.  Here are some general thoughts on what I would and wouldn’t hope to see.

At this point, it’s likely a pipe dream, but I’d love someone non-contemporary and/or non-local.  Two of my favorites are 18^th-century Scotsman Jamie and descendant-of-off-world-colonists-from-the-future Leela.  You hear various arguments on why the companion should be a contemporary human.  “They’re the audience surrogate” – I can relate to people from different times/places.  “We need a connection to present-day U.K. so we can set stories there” – trouble’s going to find its way to Earth no matter what, and then we get the fun of a companion who doesn’t understand our society.  On that note, “You get bogged down having to explain everything” – first, anyone of good companion stock is a quick study, and second, so what?  Who doesn’t like seeing Leela fixated by a yoyo or Jamie calling an airplane a “flying beastie?”  And then, there’s, “A full-time alien companion would spend too much time in makeup every week” – leaving aside the fact that tons of other sci-fi actors have done it, there are enough humanoid aliens in the Whoniverse that a drastically-different appearance isn’t a must.  There you go, no more excuses!  Bring on the non-contemporary companion!  But seriously, folks…

I get the complaints about the lack of male solo companions, but personally, I’m not into it.  Not because I think that sort of Doctor-companion duo wouldn’t work, but because I wouldn’t want the show to have zero women in the regular cast (I’d be more open to it with a hypothetical female Doctor.)  Really, though, I love a good team TARDIS, and I’m all about mixed companion company.  I really like it when companion teams are picked up in different places/times – even just companions who don’t already know each other.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Amy and Rory, and Ian and Barbara are my jam, but I love the raggedy-little-surrogate-family feel of companions from different backgrounds joining the Doctor and becoming delightful friends together.  There’s a nice mix of personalities, experiences, and skill sets, and it opens up the range of possible interactions.  The new series has played with this (the Nine-Rose-Jack episodes, the Paternoster gang,) but always in the short-term or as recurring flavor.

Also, while I understand the calls for someone like Osgood or Ashildr (both of whom are pretty great,) I’d prefer someone (someones?) new.  I’d like a companion that I haven’t met before, bringing the usual companion tropes to the table but having a distinct personality for me to fall in love with, like I have so many times before.  In addition to the usual qualities – clever, brave, compassionate, good-humored – let’s find someone who really gets Twelve, likes him, and rolls with his Twelve-ishness.  I want to see the Doctor and his new companion having so much fun.

Note:  not that it will ever happen, but I’d gladly put aside my non-contemporary-human, companions-who-don’t-already-know-each-other, and someone-we-haven’t-seen-before wishes for a young-adult Clyde and Rani companion team.  The Sarah Jane Adventures was so lovely, and I’ve liked the idea of these two as companions forever.  I would be all over that.