Options
Ten's Girls
Abomination
Posts: 6,483 Forum Member
✭
Which of the three main companions to the tenth Doctor played best off of David Tennant's Doctor do we think?
He was in a unique position of having a best friend (Donna - Catherine Tate), a lover (Rose - Billie Piper) and an unrequited lover-turn-friend (Martha - Freema Agyeman). Which of these do we think had the best chemistry alongside Tennant?
In my opinion, it was actually the character of Donna that I think worked best with Ten.
Rose seemed to be a lot more appropriate with Nine, even with the age gap - when their love was more from wonderment.
Martha worked neutrally with Tennant, but to be honest they didn't do a lot together - they were new to eachother in Smith and Jones, they were seperated in Gridlock then again in Evolution of the Daleks, then again in The Lazarus Experiment, and in 42. It was a central theme to the Human Nature story, then neither were really in Blink, and they were split again for the finale. It seemed Martha was so independent a character that she didn't need to have such a chemistry with the Doctor.
Donna on the other hand went on a journey we saw the start and end of, and as a result she plays well off of Tennant. Despite their differences, they come to discover that as friends, they complete a need for eachother, and I think it is such a shame that Donna didn't get one more series (although Series 4 worked great for me).
But what do others think? Which of the three main companions do we think that Ten was most suited with?
He was in a unique position of having a best friend (Donna - Catherine Tate), a lover (Rose - Billie Piper) and an unrequited lover-turn-friend (Martha - Freema Agyeman). Which of these do we think had the best chemistry alongside Tennant?
In my opinion, it was actually the character of Donna that I think worked best with Ten.
Rose seemed to be a lot more appropriate with Nine, even with the age gap - when their love was more from wonderment.
Martha worked neutrally with Tennant, but to be honest they didn't do a lot together - they were new to eachother in Smith and Jones, they were seperated in Gridlock then again in Evolution of the Daleks, then again in The Lazarus Experiment, and in 42. It was a central theme to the Human Nature story, then neither were really in Blink, and they were split again for the finale. It seemed Martha was so independent a character that she didn't need to have such a chemistry with the Doctor.
Donna on the other hand went on a journey we saw the start and end of, and as a result she plays well off of Tennant. Despite their differences, they come to discover that as friends, they complete a need for eachother, and I think it is such a shame that Donna didn't get one more series (although Series 4 worked great for me).
But what do others think? Which of the three main companions do we think that Ten was most suited with?
0
Comments
How did you do that? Sometimes I don't know what I think:eek:
Did she? She came in a HEAT reading gobby dolt and left, after having her memory wiped as a HEAT reading gobby dolt. Hardly major progression.
i think tens companions were some of the worst in 47 years of the shows history. Give me Amy Pond any day.
Did you watch the same show as me?
Donna came in as a Heat-reading etc in The Runaway Bride, the reasons for which were explained in the series - lack of self-esteem due to animosity from her mother etc - but she progressed to a competent, self-confident person while she was with the Doctor.
In Turn Left she was more like her original self, as she hadn't had the Doctor's influence, but she was still brave and compassionate.
The mind-wipe was all the more tragic because that new persona was gone.
I think the relationship between 10 and Donna was one of the best Doctor/companion relationships ever, and my personal favourite.
I'd just like to put in a word for Martha. She had a difficult time, coming after Rose. I think Freema did well in portraying this, especially as some of the stories in series 3 were quite poor. But she was excellent in HN/FoB.
I thought Rose & 10 went well together. Their relationship was more believable to me than Rose & 9.
I totally agree with this. Martha was given a hard time as a companion, and she summed it up herself in Gridlock with the word 'rebound'. That said, she managed to carry the finale to Series 3 pretty much by herself, even with Captain Jack tagging along (and unfortunately contributing very little).
As for Donna, I think it is easy to forget how far she went before the tragic mind-wipe. And her journey just sums up life really, as most people go out having left very little impression on the wider world, but to those that knew of her, she made the greatest of differences. The Doctor exited Series 4 with a bit of closure over Rose, and it was Donna that had restored his faith to keep him going. I think her metaphorical death was far clever than Rose's one in Series 2, and it was far closer a fate to death as well (it would have been more effective if Doomsday hadn't been the story of how Rose 'died'). Given, she went out as she came in, but as I once heard someone say...."It is the journey that really matters, not the destination".
motherly instincts? Oh yes, very useful aboard the TARDIS.
Apparently, yes. When families need saved from destruction, or species need saved from your pilot's overdeveloped sense of justice. Or for that matter, when he ends up with a kid that he wants no responsibility for.
The whole reality of Turn Left hinged around Donna's previous ability to make the Doctor stop his revenge.
Any companion's attributes are only as useful as the stories they're involved in.
I do have a massive soft spot for Martha though, as a companion I thought she was really charming.
Did you really buy that "he needs to be saved from himself" guff?
Yeah, because the tenth Doctor was a real wild thing...so dangerous....thats when he stopped blubbing that is...
Maybe you missed the point made continuously in the series (most recently in 'Amy's Choice') that the Doc has quite a lot of demons which need to be kept at bay?
Ten was being 'healed' by Rose, who must have seemed angelic to him (as well as Nine) after the traumatic experience which was the Time War.
Then she was taken away from him and (at the time) he saw no way of reuniting with her. That would get you pretty p***ed.
Donna was the first person to hit it home for the Doc that he pretty much needed constant surveillance to stop him from being a jerk. The theme set up in 'School Reunion' and concluded in 'The End of Time' was that there's only so many people you can befriend (then watch them leave, die or forget you) before you begin to despise your own existence and become selfish. Its this bitterness, loneliness, anger and self-loathing which The Doc has to battle every time he's got no one around to confide in.
It was rarely explored in the Classic series, but always implied.
Donna just happened to fill this role a lot better than others, IMO.
Was it? Where? The old Doctors didnt need it? In fact the fourth Doctor liked travelling on his own. He wasnt happy when Leela invited herself aboard. He didnt need anyone.
Its a modern RTD invention and a load of guff.
I don't know, Doc Four seemed pretty upset at having to dump Sarah back on Earth. Doc Three downed a glass of something when Jo walked off with her new hubby. Doc Five was forced to be the consoler when Adric died, but it was obvious he was pretty upset too, because he couldn't save him. Fixed points in time and all that. He actually misses these people, he is an alien who *shock horror* has feelings.
RTD gave Who the 'Time War' to inject some much needed mystery and solemnity in regards to the Doctor's past and to highlight the purpose of the companion. Its only a load of guff if you can't appreciate the unavoidable sadness that comes with mortality, war and friendship. Its called depth.
In a human life, its just about bearable. Times it by ten and that's what RTD and SM imagine its like for a Time Lord.
And we all know the ultimate expression of his self-absorbed side, in 'Waters of Mars'.
I think it's a pretty classic literary arrangement - the talented, strong, skilled hero, who needs a grounded character to protect him from descending into hubris.
And I think that's fine for that incarnation of the Doctor - the Fourth's was different, and the Eleventh's different again.
That's probably true, in the long run. The companion is only there so that The Doctor has someone to voice his thoughts to and as somene the audience could relate to.
I reckon Matt Smith could pull off a soliloquy, he has that sort of personality...but then he'd just get 'ear-ache'.
Without the companion (for the long run), the show would be pretty darn boring, and half its potential story lines would vanish.
I think that was true for the classic series, but New Who has changed that (e.g. Rose in her first outing rescued the Doctor, Donna provided the solution in Partners in Crime). I think it's the best thing about New Who that women aren't shown to be complete nitwits (we don't all fall over when we are chased and hurt our ankle, that's complete rubbish).
To further this, Adelaide also managed to show the Doc some perspective in Waters of Mars. It took her to her death, but it certainly shows that the women in the Doctor's life are very important.
One of the only things I liked about The Next Doctor was its portrayal of a Doctor that managed to blend the essences of Classic and Nu Who - David Morrisseys Doctor ordered Rosetta around like she was beneath him at times, but they did share a respect and understanding - he ultimately needed her.
People may argue that whole 'Doc-needs-a-woman' thing is rubbish and exclusive to Nu-Who, but it is a very intriguing aspect that adds a bit of depth to these characters. It needn't be a woman either. Wilf made valid contributions in The End of Time, and Rory has the potential to do so too in future. It is a statement of equality in terms of gender, saying that neither are useless from my point of view.
Finally, I don't think that the Doctor needed Donna, but he did need someone. In The Runaway Bride, she told him to find someone, and it was ultimately her that he found. Martha bridged the gap, but he wasn't wholly happy travelling with her as she was a constant reminder of Rose. Note that once Donna had to leave, the Doctor reverted to his 'better-off-alone' stance, and this led to his demise (and the most powerful scenes in The End of Time).
I did enjoy the banter between him and Donna but for me, Rose was more suited.
Balderdash! What about that time I chased you?
That's something that's often said, but it's really a bit of a calumny on the classic series companions. Some may have been a bit feeble, but most weren't. Sarah Jane, Leela, Tegan and Ace, for instance, were all brave, very capable of thinking for themselves and intelligent (if not always knowledgeable, which is different)
To the question; I liked Rose best with the Tenth Doctor. I do think they had something special there. I liked Martha a lot, but the whole "unrequited love" business prohibited a really magic relationship from going. Donna I liked far less than the other two, but her relationship with the Doctor did work.
I have to disagree with you here, lach. I think Davethe scot is right.
One of the things which has annoyed me about New Who is, every time there is a new companion the same line is trotted out "she's an independent woman, not afraid to argue with the Doctor" etc.
Well, most of them have been well able to stand up to the Doctor when necessary, to have their own adventures, and to work out what needs doing and do it.
They certainly didn't sit in a corner screaming.
Oh its trotted out each time for publicity purposes. Same with every new Bond girl "This one is different.She's more his equal" has been spouted since Thunderball.
Only Martha has the skills to match the old companions. Look at this bunch
Barbara Wright - history teacher
Vikki - knowledge of future history
Zoe Heriot - mathematics genius
Dr Liz Shaw - Cambridge physics proffessor
Sarah Jane Smith - independent journalist
Leela - warrior
Romanatrevunderlunder - Time Lady
Nyssa - bioscientist
Melanie - computer programmer
Old series companions were no bimbos.