My Thoughts on the Companions of "New-Who" - Part 2

So here's part 2 of my own retrospective of the major and secondary companions of New-Who.

Let's start off part 2 with the only companion in New-Who to be expelled from the TARDIS: Adam Mitchell.

Adam is often referred to as "the companion who couldn't" and it's easy to see why. He only appeared in two episodes in series 1, Dalek and The Long Game, alongside Rose and the 9th Doctor and was basically "expelled" from companionship with the Doctor due to his greedy actions in the latter episode. Adam is probably the only companion of New-Who to be kicked out of the TARDIS. Other characters such as Rose and Amy have only come close to this. Adam represents the possibly greedy nature that any one of us could enter if we were to end up in the future. Adam's actions, while bad, I find to be a little bit relatable. I mean, think about it, if any of us found ourselves in the future with a way to transfer futuristic info to our time I'm sure some of us would be tempted to do what Adam did. It was obvious from the get-go that Adam wouldn't work out as a companion. Heck, even the Doctor could see this. But it was thanks to Rose's attraction and connection to him that allowed Adam to get one more episode in his resume. Adam's chemistry with Rose and the Doctor is interesting. He and the Doctor didn't really have any type of noteworthy relationship. I think they only grew to be acquaintances at best. Adam definitely felt closer to Rose than the Doctor. Rose also felt a connection with Adam as this was the first time that she was traveling with someone else other than the Doctor. It made sense for her to want him to come along. In the end, however, Adam ended up breaking the Doctor and Rose's trust and thus got kicked off the team. It honestly wasn't that big of a loss. But, I have to admit that Adam's ultimate fate was a bit cruel, if fitting. For the rest of his life, Adam will have to make sure that nobody snaps their fingers around him or else his brain opens up. The Doctor pretty much leaves Adam at his house for him the deal with it. That's a pretty cruel way to leave an ex-companion hanging but it's also fitting as Adam has no one to blame but himself. He's the one that got the operation and betrayed the Doctor and Rose's trust in order to get some information back to his time. And thus Adam was heard of no more and, honestly, I don't think it was that big of a loss. As a character, Adam wasn't entirely bad but he surely wasn't that memorable. Heck, there were one-shot companions later on that were more memorable than him. But I have not much else to say about Adam Mitchell other than it was interesting to see a companion flunk out and that at least he wasn't annoying.

Now let's move on to the companion who made a comeback: Sarah Jane Smith.

Yes, I know, Sarah Jane technically counts as a companion of the classic series but she also counts as a New-Who companion because of her return. And before anyone asks, no I have not seen The Sarah Jane Adventures. Most of my experience with Sarah Jane is strictly through the New-Who series but I am currently working my way through the classic series. Sarah Jane is one of the most well-known companions in Doctor Who and is probably one of the Doctor's closest companions. In New-Who while she no longer has the wanting to travel amongst the stars, having found a place on Earth with new friends and family, she still proves to be a great asset to the Doctor in times of need. Even though she's appeared in four episodes of New-Who total (School Reunion, The Stolen Earth, Journey's End, and The End of Time: Part 2) she still left a positive impression on me. I enjoyed Sarah Jane as a character and I'm looking forward to reaching the part of the classic series where she was present through the 3rd and 4th Doctor eras. Sarah Jane would have no doubt appeared in the 50th Anniversary this year if it weren't for Elisabeth Sladen's passing almost two years ago. Even though she's gone, Sarah Jane has left a lasting impression on the Doctor, the world of Doctor Who, and its fans. Rest in peace Elisabeth Sladen/Sarah Jane Smith. You shall be forever missed.

Now let's discuss the ambitious waitress on the 2007 Titanic: Astrid Peth:

Astrid is one of the many one-shot companions seen in the 10th Doctor's era. A simple waitress on the alien Titanic who dreamed of seeing the stars. And, while I didn't hate Astrid's character, she didn't leave much of an impression on me. Let's be honest people, Voyage of the Damned isn't exactly the greatest of the Doctor Who Christmas Specials and it's certainly a downgrade from the previous year's special: The Runaway Bride. While I didn't hate it, it's far from one of my favorite episodes of the Tennant era. Astrid tends to be one of the "less-loved" of the one-shot companions. She really didn't do much in the episode aside from sacrifice herself to save the Doctor (even though that does count as a pretty big thing). She was an ambitious woman from another planet who wished to leave her life as a waitress and see the stars above. I guess one thing I can give Astrid was that her death and departure did have quite a punch to it. She wanted to see the universe, was accepted by the Doctor, and ultimately had to give up her life and her dream to save the remaining passengers of the Titanic. I also kind of like how, in some form, the Doctor managed to grant her wish by allowing her remnants to scatter out amongst the stars. In the end, I felt that Astrid probably would have become more likable if the show had given more time to explore her character. However, what ended up happening was that she ended up getting killed off as a one-shot companion in an already not-too-terrific episode. Not a horrible companion, but not a fantastic one either. But that's just my opinion.

Let's move on to the Doctor and companion of 1851 London: Jackson Lake and Rosita:

Jackson and Rosita were a pair of one-shot companions who appeared in the 2008 Christmas Special: The Next Doctor. Jackson was a simple man from 1851 London who believed himself to be the Doctor following an accident with the Cybermen that resulted in the death of his wife and Rosita was a woman who became his "companion". Out of the two, I remember more about Jackson than I do about Rosita. Rosita's main function was to be the companion to Jackson Lake's Doctor persona. And while she was entertaining as a companion in the episode, she wasn't truly memorable. Jackson, on the other hand, is a slightly different story. While I don't find him that incredibly memorable, it was fun to see the Doctor find an equal in someone. Jackson, for a time, shared some of the Doctor's memories and thoughts and thus the Doctor found someone to whom he could relate to following the Last Great Time War. Jackson's backstory was pretty heartbreaking and I was glad to see him reunite with his son and help the Doctor defeat Miss Hartigan and the Cybermen. I also really enjoyed Jackson's final conversation with the Doctor in the episode as it was quite deep and heartfelt. In the end, Jackson and Rosita made a decent pair of companions for the Doctor in this episode.

Now let's move on to the thief and adrenaline junkie of royal name: Lady Christina de Souza.

A one-shot companion from the 2009 Easter Special: Planet of the Dead. I really enjoyed Christina as a character and she had good chemistry with the Doctor in this episode. She and the Doctor proved to be a great team in getting the bus back to the London, all while trying to prevent an invasion from the Stingrays. She was a feisty, tricky, and intelligent woman with a love for treasure and dangerous situations. I think she actually would have made a pretty good companion for the Doctor if allowed more time for her character to get fleshed out. Sadly, this was a time in the Doctor's life where he was refraining from finding anymore companions (most likely due to the recent departure of Donna Noble - a fair reason, mind you) and he ultimately rejected her pleas for him to let her travel with him. But, at least the Doctor was kind enough to allow her to escape the police on the city bus now upgraded with alien technology. Christina, in my opinion, was a fun and entertaining one-shot companion who I wish I could see more of but am glad that I was able to be introduced to at least once.

Now let's discuss the leader of the Mars pioneers: Adelaide Brooke.

Adelaide was a one-shot companion who made her appearance in the 2nd 2009 Special: The Waters of Mars. Like Christina, I've taken a liking to Adelaide and feel that she was a pretty interesting one-shot companion. A brave and take-no-nonsense woman who was willing to give up her own life in order for time to play out as planned. She and the Doctor made a formidable team against the Flood and it was interesting to see a one-shot companion who had a history of sorts with the Doctor (or, in this case, a situation involving the Doctor). Adelaide's backstory was quite tragic; losing her parents in The Stolen Earth/Journey's End story arc while at the age of ten. She also acted as the voice of reason as the Doctor began to give into his own ego and ended up taking her own life to keep the timeline intact but also to keep the Doctor in check. Adelaide was a complex, fleshed out, and selfless character who, in my opinion, remains as one of the best one-shot companions of the 2009-2010 special era.

Now let's move on to the old soldier and caring grandfather of Donna Noble: Wilfred Mott.

Wilfred made his first appearance in Voyage of the Damned as a simple newspaper salesman. It wasn't until the series 4 opener Partners in Crime that we learned that he was Donna Noble's grandfather and it wasn't until the 2009-2010 Christmas Special epic The End of Time that he became a one-shot (or, in this case, a two-shot) companion of the Doctor. Wilfred was a likable and fun companion just like his granddaughter but in a different way. A man who had seen plenty of terrible things in his life due to his involvement as a soldier in WWII and probably one of the few people in the world who could relate with the Doctor, who too was an old soldier. Wilfred and the Doctor had great chemistry during their encounters with each other and their conversations in The End of Time were deep, heartfelt, and tearjerking. It was a shocking twist to see that it was Wilfred, not the Master, who would knock the four knocks the signified the death of the 10th Doctor and it was a powerful scene to see Wilfred willing to give up his life for the Doctor, a man he respected with every fiber of his being. But, the Doctor was more willing to give up his life for his good friend and thus sacrificed himself so that Wilfred could live on. The Doctor and Wilfred's final meeting at Donna's wedding was a great scene and Wilfred's goodbye to the Doctor by saluting him was a perfect send off for his character. Like Christina and Adelaide, Wilfred remains as one of the best one-shot companions of the 2009-2010 special era and it's not surprising that he's related to my favorite companion in the show. The End of Time saw the final farewell of Wilfred and Donna and I think both of their stories wound up quite nicely (even though Donna's fate was still heartbreaking).

So those were my thoughts on Adam, Sarah Jane, Astrid, Jackson, Rosita, Christina, Adelaide, and Wilfred. For the third and final part of my New-Who companion retrospective, I'll take a look at the companions of the 11th Doctor's era.

Comments

[MariusIoannesP]

I admit I never finished watching season 4 of Doctor Who so I'm familiar with half of these people. For the ones I am familiar with, You made very valid points.