Ryan! I debated a little bit over whether I was going to do a Favorite Characters or a Character Highlight post for him – not because I’m not a fan, because I am, but because I wasn’t sure I’d quite seen enough of him to classify him as a Favorite Character. While I’ve liked all three of Thirteen’s companions, one of my major critiques of the Chibnall era so far is that we’re given the companions more as a group than as individuals, and as such, I know less about what makes Ryan tick than, say, Martha or Rory. That being said, I do still really like him, so in the end, I decided to just go with it.
Ryan Sinclair: 19 years old, Sheffielder, has dyspraxia, raised by his gran, studying to be a mechanic. Able and observant, but he feels a bit behind other people his age, like he’s still catching up, which can frustrate him. Also? Very curious. The main mystery kicks off in “The Woman Who Fell to Earth” when an inexplicable design appears in the air and he, of course, touches it.
Because that’s definitely a Ryan thing. He can trail behind the others when his long legs trip him up and he can be reticent when he’s scared, but he’s someone who always wants to know. He pokes, he investigates, he noses around – important trait for a companion. Whether that means stumbling on a vital clue because he’s wandered off or asking the right Excellent Question, he can help lead team TARDIS in the right direction.
At times, Ryan can be reckless, running into something before he gets the full lay of the land. It’s not an overarching, all-the-time trait, though. In this regard, Ryan is a bit like Jamie in that there are some times when he barrels in too quickly (like when he tries to attack the robots in “The Ghost Monument” and others when he hangs back nervously (like when he and Graham are tasked with catching a giant spider in “Arachnids of the U.K.) Granted, Jamie is a lot more overt with the reckless/skittish dichotomy, but Ryan is no stranger to both impulsivity and caution.
When we first meet Ryan, we’re given a lot of insight into his insecurities and frustrations with himself. He gets aggravated when his dyspraxia gets in the way of what ought to be a simple thing, and he’s self-conscious about not being as far along down his career path than Yaz. As series 11 goes on, we also get hints about his distant relationship with his dad and his struggles with that. But despite this early emphasis on self-doubt, we also learn that Ryan has a pretty good head on his shoulders. Grace raised him right; he’s smart and savvy, and although he can put his foot in his mouth sometimes with others, his heart is generally in the right place.
One final quality of Ryan’s that I want to highlight is the sheer fun he has traveling with the Doctor. While most companions have at least one speech gushing over a new planet or effusively thanking the Doctor for bringing them there, Ryan’s delight comes through in little ways. His quiet astonishment at meeting Rosa Parks, playing with MI-6 spy gadgets, even making shadow puppets in the background while the Doctor investigates giant spiders – wherever they go in time and space, Ryan usually finds a way to enjoy himself.
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