The Role of the Companion

[Shrek Baby]

Many people see the companion as a love interest for the Doctor. I think the "love" aspect between Rose and the Doctor was a bad move on behalf of the producers.

The role of the companion is a way for us, the audience, to journey with the doctor and experience his way of life. If we couldn't identify with the companion, we wouldn't watch the series. Many people could definitely see themselves as Rose and would say/do many similar things as she did. Martha is a different kind of companion - and one whom I identify with more than I did with Rose. She challenges the doctor and questions his lifestyle and moral choices. She has more of an understanding about how his mind works and appreciates her respsonsibility in certain situations ("Human Nature", "The Family of Blood", "Last of the Timelords"). I think - given one more series, Martha's character will be let loose a little and she would get to do even more.

Catherine Tate worries me. Rose was simply along for the ride, Martha challenges the doctor and both benefit form this, Donna Noble is a major barrier for the Doctor. She argues with him and does not approve of his way of life. Why oh why is RTD making her a companion? I am sure that there are people out there who would treat the doctor in the same manner but Donna is a complete role reversal of Rose. At least Martha walks a fine line between the two.

A future companion which would interest me greatly is Sally Sparrow. I truly hope she becomes a companion after Martha and Donna have left the scene. She is more like Rose than Martha but has a degree of intelligence and understanding about how time works as demonstrated in the fantastic episode "Blink". If you watch closely, there is a look in the Doctor's eye as he and Sally meet which suggests he might be thinking "She's pretty good at this wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff - might make a good companion!"

[Interference]

The role of the companion, in dramatic terms, was originally to be the action hero and the Dr Watson who asks all our questions for us. This was before the Doctor became the action hero himself, of course.

This was also in a time before the fans knew more about spacetime than the writers did!

It was originally the companion's role to encounter exotic strangers and fall in love with them while the Doctor tut-tutted - the girls would often leave for lerve. They were the ones we played at being at school, while the brainiac/nerd was always cast as the Doctor and told to stay with the Tardis. Now, the Doctor is the man we all want to be - brainy and fancied by the cool chicks.

The only good thing I can think of to come out of Catherine Tate accompanying him is that maybe we can get through an entire season without the Doctor sublimating his undeclared love for somebody - or maybe it'll be Captain Jack next season!!

Nahhh! I mean, that would be just, plain fantasy!

[Shrek Baby]

Maybe the Donna Noble character would be better placed in Torchwood than Martha will be. There were many moments in her Christmas special when you could tell how much she wanted to swear at the Doctor. She would certainly whip the Torchwood team into shape (maybe literally - interesting!)

[Bel_Azad]

I really liked Rose as a companion, I thought she acted the part well and 'did stuff'.

Martha I never liked much, always smiling at the Doctor from the begining, sort of pining after him etc

Once I see this latest series again I will form a better picture - but I prefer someone that likes Fish and Chips!

What should the companion do?

Main thing I think is to help develop the Docs char

But also let the view feel they could travel like this and see new and exciting stuff as we would see it.

[HoopyFrood]

I'm getting tired of all the companions falling in love with the Doctor, purely because it's annoying for the plot! I don't particularly want to see the companion keep throwing doe-eyed looks at The Doctor, I want to see them bravely tackling against evil aliens! And if the writers throw it in in order to create a more emotional side to the programme, to balance it against the action, then there are much better ways to do it, as they've already shown in the fantastic "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood". Those kinds of moments are much more moving than a companion who keeps looking off into the middle distance, sighing.

And another role for the companion: to slow The Doctor down and make him explain stuff! Otherwise, if it were just him running around by himself, he wouldn't have to explain his brilliant plans or reveal sudden moments of understanding or identify this week's brand of unusual alien to anyone. With a nonplussed companion constantly needing to ask "what?!" then The Doctor has to explain to them, and thus us, what is going on in that otherwise unfathomable Time Lord head of his!

[The Ace]

Exactly Hoopy, that's what Romana, Leela, Jo Grant, Sarah-Jane Smith et al actually did. Giving the original series much of its charm.

[Cally]

I really enjoy both Dr Who and Torchwood and I am certainly not looking forward to Catherine Tate coming in as the Doctors new companion. It was bad enough watching the others drooling over the Doctor but this time I imagine it will be nothing but arguments and bickering. It's going to be like watching an old married couple in a soap opera. Come back soon Martha!
Please! Please! for the sake of my sanity don't anyone suggest Donna show up in Torchwood (RTD might be reading your posts!). One annoying female in there is quite enough.

[pyan]

Why only one companion? The Doctor has often had two or more - so how about Sally Sparrow and Martha as joint companions! That would set the sparks flying.....

[Harleyquin]

The companion’s role has changed a lot over the years, but the most dramatic change has come with the “new” doctor who.

Frankly lets admit it the companions of the past where there pretty much to be “saved” by the doctor. The female companions were there to be scream machines’ when the shuffling monster came into shot and the male companions were bumbling idiots that would as the most stupid questions possible and to fail at every opportunity so that the Doctor could come in as the shining knight in the knick of time.

There was a change with Ace (remember her?) who for the first time was not just a scream machine but was a “feisty” companion of the doctors…
Move to the “new” doctor and we change the rules – Rose was perfect for the Christopher Eccleston Doctor – a Doctor who was very damaged by his part in the time war, somebody who felt that they where little more than the monster he had destroyed and Roses love interest helped him recover… and lets remember here that Rose was loved by the Doctor, no other companion was ever depicted in this way.. somebody the doctor really connected to in a “love interest” way.

Rose became redundant when the David’s Doctor came along as the love interest didn’t work quite so well – there didn’t seem to be the same chemistry there.

Martha Jones… very poorly developed character and clearly infatuated with the doctor and all through the series it was clear that the doctor never had eyes for her, and clearly she was just used to move the companion on from a strong tie to the doctor to the usual type - would have been better to kill her off to conclude the love sick puppy effect. You could liken this to James bond… he is indifferent to all women, but he did fall in love once and that was that… They should leave Rose as the “great love” of his life and move on now.

As for the Actual role the companion plays with the new doctor??? For me the role of the new companions are ones of connections and temperance.
The role of the companion has now moved from scream machine and dumb question askers to become the doctors conscience. They bind the doctor to his humanity preventing him from being the monster he knows he can be.
It was because of his connection to humanity through Rose and Jack that prevented the Doctor from using the Delta wave, it was Donna Noble who stoped the doctor from going too far with the spider queen…

Without the companion the doctor is capable of very very bad things – which is why the 9th doctor was so haunted.. he didn’t have the companion when he “ended” the time war and basically eludes to him unleashing an Armageddon effect. Without a companion I think the writers are tying to say that the Doctor would make the Darleks / The Master / The Devil himself a rank armature when it comes to being bad.

Oh as for Sally Sparrow being the Doctors companion – yes please!!!! This would be insanely good as she’s clearly a match for him – better yet if the writers ever DID make the doctor transform to the female she would be a perfect Doctor.

J

[Shrek Baby]

Originally Posted by Harleyquin

Oh as for Sally Sparrow being the Doctors companion – yes please!!!! This would be insanely good as she’s clearly a match for him – better yet if the writers ever DID make the doctor transform to the female she would be a perfect Doctor.

J

It is highly unlikely that the doctor would regenerate into a person who has already featured in an episode. But it would be fantastic if the Doctor revisited Sally in a future episode and she became a companion WITH NO ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT PLEASE! She would be the closest thing to the Doctor's equal as she has already had first hand experience of the non-linear nature of time as the Doctor experiences it and handled it professionally. The best thing about her being a companion is that although she would be on equal footing with the doctor - she still has a very human side and would fit in to the doctor's world perfectly!

[Ice fyre]

I agree that the companion has gone from being saved time and time again by the doctor, to being his concence.

So what next, here's where I get controversial, let us hve a non human companion.

This would give us a chance to explore different view points, get to grips with some cultural issues lightly touched on by Dr Who at present. This would give the script writers something to get there teeth into too!

Any opnions.

[Harleyquin]

Originally Posted by Ice fyre

So what next, here's where I get controversial, let us hve a non human companion.

This would give us a chance to explore different view points, get to grips with some cultural issues lightly touched on by Dr Who at present.

It could be interesting indeed, sadly I have a sinking feeling that:

a) the bbc won't stump up the cash for a "decent" ailen companion as its either going to be a lot of CG or 12 hours of makup for some poor lump per episode - they will probbably go for a startreck type alien where all they have to do is add a teeny tiny bit of makeup.

b) 13 episodes of masked Christian Vs Muslim and how were all "human" and should really love each other subtext would just get depressing - I'd like to think they would be creative but I just cannot shake the feeling they would go along these popular lines... Then again I guess Davros is the poster boy for equal rights for dissabled persons - heck he's an evil meglomaniac thats trying to conquor the univers from a wheel chair - hows that for empowerment!!!

.........

on a lighter note an obvious Alien companion would be one of the cat type people from new earth.

[the_faery_queen]

i've only just started watching first series of doc who and i have to say i really didn't see that much of a love interest with billie and christopher eccleston. they had fun, they flirted, but i didn't get the feeling it was love the way it was rammed down my throat that it was with david tennant and billie. then it was ALL about the long looks, the unspoken crap. in fact, though i like david far more as a doc (mostly cos he's pretty) i actually prefer the billie-christopher ecclestan series because it's less mushy crap.

and the martha falling for doc straight away was irratating beyond belief. though i like her as a companion, she doesn't get to live up to her poetinal because of the love crapp
and having catherine tate around is just going to be awful. she's whiney, she's irratating and she can't act. i can't think WHY anyone would cast her, other than to try and cash in on her 'popularity.' and why she's popular either i dont' understand cos she's not funny.

so yeah, personally io feel the whole relationship/love aspect was really forced and it was so much better before it was driven home to us all the time.

[Ice fyre]

Quite frankly I would have thought she would have been a perfect companion in your eyes for the afore mentioned reason's. She does not love the Doctor she is a bit bemused by him a bit like that annoying older sister some folk used to have. Tells him to grow up, the long suffering look saying WILL YOU PLEASE GET TO THE POINT DOCTOR. The WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT and the classic GET A ROOM!

MMMMmm, you know I dont know if Catherene Tate will be a bad thing, might shake up the Doctor a bit.

I've got agree about the whole we love each other thing, but I think that it might be a good way to point to kids just because somethings different it's not necessarily bad or wrong. But it could be very bad if handled badly.

Get a DALEK Companion I say !

[the_faery_queen]

i think having someone who didn't love the doctor and who was fiesty and shouty would be good
but cahterine tate is just irratating. they could hav egotten someone else for the character.
dalek companion would rock!