My Thoughts on the Companions of "New-Who" - Part 3 · 1:10am Apr 11th, 2013
Here's my third and final part of my retrospective of the main and secondary companions of "New-Who".
Let's begin with the child of the TARDIS herself: Melody "River Song" Pond.
River seems to be another one of those characters who has a polarized reaction from the fanbase with half of the Whovians loving her and half of them hating her. Personally, I really like River as a character. She probably has the most complicated relationship with the Doctor out of all of the other companions the Doctor has had over the years. Her first appearance in the series 4 two-parter story arc Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead certainly opened a lot of questions about the Doctor's future companions and adventures. I think it's brilliant for the Doctor to have a relationship with someone out of chronological order. It makes it fun and interesting to see where in their respective timelines they are. Many people have reacted negatively to the reveal of River's identity and how she had the ability to regenerate. Personally, I had no problem with River's backstory and I still see it as one of the most compelling backstories of Doctor Who. River has a fantastic chemistry with the 11th Doctor and it's not hard to picture them as husband and wife (which they are). They work off each other perfectly and I take great enjoyment in many of their conversations; from the flirtatious and fun ones to the serious and deep ones. River also had a heartbreaking and interesting chemistry with the 10th Doctor and now, after seeing River's backstory throughout series 5 and 6, I find her first appearance in series 4 to have a much bigger punch. I also found River's chemistry with her parents Amy and Rory to also be interesting as it came off as a close friend/parent and child relationship. In regards to the episode where I think River shines most, I would have to say that goes to her first two episodes in the series: Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead. I'm looking forward to seeing River in the finale of Series 7: Part 2 and I'm hoping to see her make an appearance in the 50th Anniversary Special (which will probably happen). I feel that River's time on the show is quickly coming to a close but I think I'll be satisfied when she leaves. In my opinion, she's an interesting and fun character that I'll be happy to see a few times more.
Now let's move on to the Girl Who Waited: Amelia "Amy" Pond-Williams:
To be honest, I didn't like Amy that much when I first saw her. She was a bit too flirtatious, flighty, and a big downgrade from previous companion Donna Noble. However, while Amy isn't one of my favorite companions, she has definitely grown to earn the title as a companion of the Doctor in my eyes. When Amy was introduced, she was a flirty, fiesty, Scottish girl with a crush on the Doctor. When she departed from the show in The Angels Take Manhattan, she was a strong and loyal wife to Rory who had a deep and complex friendship with the Doctor. Amy's transformation throughout series 5 to 7 was a beautiful thing to witness, in my opinion, and, like her daughter, she has an interesting and complex relationship with the madman in the box. By the end of her run, Amy is strong-willed, loyal, and willing to give up everything she knows to be with the ones she loves. In series 5, I couldn't really buy the fact that Amy loved Rory anywhere near the level that Rory loved her. By series 6 and 7, however, I bought their relationship 100%. Amy's dedication to Rory and the sacrifices she made for him were heartbreaking: from giving him up so that he could get the child he wanted to trapping herself in the 1930's to be with him. I also grew to like the friendship that Amy had with the Doctor. If anything, the extent and complexities of their friendship were shown perfectly in The Power of Three and their final goodbyes in The Angels Take Manhattan were amazingly tearjerking. The episode I would pick for when Amy shines most would have to either be The Girl Who Waited or The Angels Take Manhattan in my opinion. It was sad to see Amy go but I think it was her time. She had a good and complete run on the show and it was time for the Doctor to move on. I may not have liked Amy at first, but she definitely grew on me and I'm glad that she continued to have a great life after her days of traveling had passed.
Let's move on to the Last Centurion: Rory Williams.
Like Amy, I wasn't really a big fan of Rory when I first saw him; but, also like Amy, he grew on me over time. At first, Rory appeared as a bland character who felt more out of place in the TARDIS than Adam Mitchell. But, slowly but surely, Rory rose to the challenge and earned the title of companion of the Doctor. His evolution from the third-wheel fiance to the badass Last Centurian (as well as the kindest and most loyal husband on the planet Earth) was another great evolution to witness. It also quickly dawned on me that Rory basically represented what a lot of us would be like if we became a companion of the Doctor. We all think that we'd be another Rose, Martha, Donna, Sarah Jane, Mickey, or Amy; but, in reality, a lot of us would be more like Rory. Rory's relationship with the Doctor and River was interesting. While it appears that Rory never had as close of a relationship to the Doctor and River as Amy, he was still good friends with them. He was willing to fight for the Doctor and Amy and was often successful in his efforts. His bravery also increased through the series: as how he grew from being frightened of vampire aliens in Venice to him waiting 2000 years for Amy to awaken and talk down a pair of armed robots in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. His willingness to give up his life (again) to defeat the Weeping Angels in The Angels Take Manhattan was also an incredibly powerful moment. However, I feel that Rory didn't get a proper send off in the series. One minute he was there and then he was gone. In the blink of an eye, Rory Williams was gone. No final goodbyes to the Doctor or Amy. He was just taken. I wish he had gotten a better sendoff but maybe his sendoff was meant to leave a hole like that. The episode where he shines most would have to either be The Girl Who Waited or The Big Bang in my opinion. In the end, Rory was another companion that I grew to like and am glad to have seen travel alongside the Doctor.
Now let's continue on with the the Doctor's lodger: Craig Owens.
Unlike Adam, Craig left quite an impression on me through the two episodes he was featured in: The Lodger and Closing Time. Craig was basically the "everyday guy" who just happened to fall into the Doctor's path...twice. While the episodes that featured Craig weren't much to write home about, Craig is what I enjoyed about those episodes. Craig was a likable guy with a funny friendship with the Doctor. He and the Doctor had fantastic chemistry with each other and they both worked off each other's quirks extremely well. I think Craig's friendship with the Doctor is the closest thing to a bromance that we've seen in Doctor Who so far. While the ending climax of Closing Time was cheesy, I can admit that it was pretty satisfying to see Craig grow from the unsure everyday guy to the brave father who would do anything to protect his family and friends. Craig may not be one of the most memorable companions of the 11th Doctor's era but he definitely wasn't a bad one and I wouldn't mind seeing him at least once more sometime in the future.
Now let's discuss the Great Detectives themselves: Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Commander Strax.
I can honestly say without a doubt that Vastra, Jenny, and Strax are one of the best collection of secondary characters to have been introduced in the 11th Doctor's era. All three of them are incredibly fun characters who I am glad have been given bigger roles this current season. Let's start with Vastra. Vastra is an intimidating and interesting character. She has great chemistry with the Doctor and it's clear that both she and the Doctor have deep respect for one another. She is an intelligent creature who is willing to take up arms to protect her friends and allies. I took a great liking to her character in A Good Man Goes to War and I grew to love her character in The Snowmen. Seriously, her conversation with Clara in the latter episode was one of my favorite scenes of said episode. I also find it cool how Vastra is basically the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes in the Doctor Who universe. Jenny is also another interesting character. At first glance, she appears to be a simple 19th century English maid. But she's quite an intelligent and badass woman when she's given the chance to show her talents. Her relationship with Vastra is believable and I have to say that Vastra's line, "Hello. I am a lizard woman from the dawn of time, and this is my wife," has got to be one of the funniest lines ever spoken in New-Who. Jenny, like Vastra, cares for and respects the Doctor and is willing to do anything to help him. Even though she's my least favorite out of the trio, I still enjoy her character. Strax is probably my favorite out of the three. A funny and loyal Sontaran with a love for violence and an incredible amount of honor. He was an interesting addition in A Good Man Goes to War and his membership of the Great Detective Trio seals the package. His chemistry with the Doctor was hilarious and, while not as bromance-ish as the Doctor's friendship with Craig, incredibly entertaining. I loved the dialogue he shared with the Doctor, Vastra, Jenny, and Clara and I'm looking forward to seeing him go all-out soldier in the Series 7: Part 2 finale. Overall, I really like Vastra, Jenny, and Strax and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them in the future.
Let's move on to the Pevensie Family parody of Doctor Who: Madge, Lily, and Cyril Arwell.
The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe is far from the best of the Doctor Who Christmas Specials and is basically one stretched out joke: Doctor Who meets The Chronicles of Narnia. Our Pevensies for the episode are the Arwells: Madge, Lily and Cyril. Personally, I don't really have that much to say about the children: Lily and Cyril. Cyril is basically a boy version of Lucy Pevensie and Lily is basically a combination of Edmund and Susan. Madge, on the other hand, I found to be a very interesting character. She was a kind and conflicted woman. She was saddened by the believed death of her husband and was conflicted about when she should tell her children about the loss of their father. She had a sort of friend/motherly friendship with the Doctor and there were a few conversations here and there that definitely pulled on a few heartstrings. If anything, the heart of The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe is Madge. Her initial meeting with the Harvest Rangers was incredibly funny and her will and dedication to find her children was definitely relatable. I was also glad to see her get a happy ending in the episode with her entire family back together. In the end, Lily and Cyril may not have been entirely noteworthy but I was not disappointed in the character of Madge Arwell.
Now let's talk about Arthur Weasley's next incarnation: Brian Williams.
Sorry but I couldn't help but make a Harry Potter joke. Rory's awkward and quirky father who appeared in two episodes of Series 7: Part 1: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and The Power of Three. I found Brian to be an enjoyable character from when he first appeared and I'm glad that we got to see him in two episodes. While he truly didn't do much throughout his time in the show aside from help Rory fly a spaceship and watch the cubes for the Doctor, he was still fun. His chemistry with the Doctor and Rory was quirky and entertainingly uncomfortable. Not to mention he had a few serious moments with the Doctor here and there. Also, I can't talk about Brian without mentioning P.S. (the epilogue to The Angels Take Manhattan involving Brian) which was excellent and left me quite choked up. Even though it wasn't officially seen in the show, it was a pretty fitting sendoff for Brian. A part of me does wish that it gets filmed one day but I guess I'll take the storyboard format for now. Overall, Brian was a likable and entertaining two-shot companion who had a pretty satisfying and heart-wrenching sendoff.
Now, the time has come to talk about the Impossible Girl and current companion of the Doctor: Oswin Oswald/Clara Oswin Oswald/Clara Oswald.
Clara is quickly growing to be one of my favorite Doctor Who companions. Jenna-Louise Coleman has to be one of the most diverse companion actors seen on the show as she's had to play three incarnations of the same woman. Oswin Oswald was a flirtatious and feisty woman with a wish to see the stars. She shared some incredibly funny and entertaining scenes with the Doctor and Rory that I took a liking to. Her ultimate fate of being turned into a Dalek was an unexpected twist and her choice to sacrifice herself and save the Doctor, Amy, and Rory was moving and powerful. Even though she's my least favorite incarnation of Clara, she was still a fun character. Clara Oswin Oswald of 19th century London was also a fun character. She was curious, intelligent, witty, and one of the best throwbacks to Mary Poppins that I've seen in a while. Her chemistry with the Doctor, as well as the other characters in The Showmen, was great. My only problem with Clara Oswin was that her death didn't have as much of an impact as it should have (probably because it had been confirmed that she was the companion and I knew there'd be a way to bring her back, and I was right...to an extent). Still, Clara Oswin was a great companion for the 2012 Christmas Special and a great way to reveal the mystery for Series 7: Part 2. And then there's Clara Oswald: the Clara that managed to join the Doctor in the TARDIS. The 3rd Clara is much more reserved than her past two incarnations and is probably the most complex. Her chemistry with the Doctor is just as entertaining as it was as Victorian Clara and Oswin and I'm definitely looking forward to her future involvement in the series. If Amy could be considered the Rose of the 11th Doctor then Clara could definitely be considered the Donna of the 11th Doctor as both Clara and Donna could handle their respective Doctors in similar ways and took no nonsense from them or the danger at hand. From the way things are looking up, Clara may end up becoming my second favorite companion of New-Who behind Donna. I'm certainly looking forward to finding out the mystery behind her constant "reincarnations" and I'm interested to see where her future lies in the show.
And, thus, I have finally reached the end of my New-Who companion retrospective. Does anybody agree with my thoughts? Disagree with me? I'm interested to hear what all of you have to say.
Well certainly after all of this, I have a better understanding of some of the things in your Doctor Whooves series. You give every companion the New Doctors have had a great depth of analysis. However, it appears that you missed one... You didn't mention Jenny the Doctor's daughter from the Doctor's Daughter.
You're right, The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe is probably the best Christmas special. Clara as the 11th Doctor's Donna is an apt analogy.
I.. actually agree with all of this once I stop to think about it...
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I didn't mention Jenny because I don't really consider her to be a main or secondary companion. The companions I talked about were either main companions or secondary companions that had reoccurring appearances. Jenny only appeared in one episode. Granted, I talked about a few one-shot companions but those were featured in major specials so I decided to count them. Jenny was a one-shot companion from a single episode in a season. That's why I didn't include her.
I think you made a typo because I said that The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe is far from the best of the Doctor Who Christmas Specials. If that wasn't a typo and you like it, then that's fine. I already kinda explained my reasons for not taking a large liking to that episode. I don't hate it, it's just kinda bland to me.
1001003 Oh, it wasn't typo. I just read what you said wrong. I liked it.