I can't believe there are people above who seem to want a romance / romantic relationship between Dr and Clara. Can't they just be mates? Is the Dr now just a thousand year old panting adolescent, trawling the human world for mating potential. Urgh. No more Rose and Tennant goo goo eyes please!
If Moffat was to go down that road - and I certainly don't discount the possibility after last night - then I really don't mind but I do think he'd keep it more subtle and subtexty than Ten and Rose.
I also find the Doctor/Clara relationship undeveloped. I know he doesn't trust her, but he didn't trust River, either and their relationship made more sense and she was only in a few episodes per series. It might be because Jenna-Louise isn't the best actress ever (just my opinion).
That said, Amy's relationship with the Doctor was also rather forced at the beginning. Comparing him to the space whale in the Beast Below, to stop him making a mistake and killing it. She didn't know him at all - she hadn't even changed her nightie - she was just written as having deep knowledge of him she couldn't possibly have yet, in order to indicate a special bond. Then she was doing it again in 'Victory' as she talked a bomb into submission (!) and 'Time of Angels' when she commented that she'd never known him to let anyone call him Sir. Yet she'd made clear at the beginning of the episode that they'd only been to the locations of 'Victory' and 'Beast Below' so when would she have heard hat/formed an opinion?
Maybe it's because of the 'need' to build up relationships in much shorter stories? Maybe it's the writing. I haven't watched any of Rose's episodes since transmission, but didn't she swing over a giant brain and save the Doctor immediately? Or is that a nightmare I had? I thought Smith and Jones was the best intro episode since the return of Who, because Martha's abilities were compassion, quickness of uptake etc - feasible in a medical student. She didn't WALK across the entire World in just a year (?) for several episodes...
The problem with putting a lot of emphasis on the Companion being 'normal', yet trying to make them the Doctor's equal is the problem with believable characterisation. Maybe that's why they usually become ever so special in the end...
Well I disagree with the OP. I quite like it. She doesn't pretend that she knows him in her first adventure, and they are still getting to know each other by doing the adventure. They don't need to chat for hours for this.
I really like the new companion and her relationship with the Doctor.
I can't believe there are people above who seem to want a romance / romantic relationship between Dr and Clara. Can't they just be mates? Is the Dr now just a thousand year old panting adolescent, trawling the human world for mating potential. Urgh. No more Rose and Tennant goo goo eyes please!
I agree. However, even Moffat, the King of the loose end, would surely draw a line under his favoured creation (River) before replacing her so bluntly. Especially as we know she'll appear in at least one more episode. RTD wrote Martha specifically as not as special as Rose, but I doubt Moffat would do the same to River.
If she goes off to the Library after Trenzalore then it might be possible in Series 8, especially if Matt has moved on. However I hope it's done better than Rose and Ten whose attraction I never believed. I could understand her having a crush, but him? I know he was traumatized by the Time War, but I heard nothing about the violent blow to the head that would indicate.
It might be because Jenna-Louise isn't the best actress ever
My parents, especially my father, think that Jenna IS a good actress. But I think she's a bit too common and a bit bossy at times. I like her, but she's not the best actress ever to play a companion.
The best is Catherine Tate as Donna. She was very grown-up in her role, and she wasn't bossy. She had style, dressed very well, and kept the Doctor company without turning the situation into an all out love affair.
Yes, Donna had a lot of love for the Doctor, but as a best friend. I mean, if you had someone who was your bestest, bestest friend, wouldn't you feel a lot of love, and want to do everything you could for them?
That's what Donna was trying to do. Keep the Doctor company, give him advice when he needed it, and try to comfort him when he was feeling low.
Sadly, she had to lose all her memories of him and all her adventures, in the end. Sad! So sad!
I'm trying to like JLC, but so far, not so much as I would have liked. Maybe once the series is over, I'll let DS know how I feel then.
I don't know. I agree that he's wary with Clara but I don't think she actually poses a real danger to him to be honest.
I think being wary of her adds a nice extra dynamic - he clearly really cares for her but there's that little voice of doubt constantly saying 'what if'.
But no, I fully suspect that she's totally the opposite - reunited with him on purpose to help him by someone who knows what's going on (River?).
I think being wary of her adds a nice extra dynamic - he clearly really cares for her but there's that little voice of doubt constantly saying 'what if'.
But no, I fully suspect that she's totally the opposite - reunited with him on purpose to help him by someone who knows what's going on (River?).
Comments
If Moffat was to go down that road - and I certainly don't discount the possibility after last night - then I really don't mind but I do think he'd keep it more subtle and subtexty than Ten and Rose.
That said, Amy's relationship with the Doctor was also rather forced at the beginning. Comparing him to the space whale in the Beast Below, to stop him making a mistake and killing it. She didn't know him at all - she hadn't even changed her nightie - she was just written as having deep knowledge of him she couldn't possibly have yet, in order to indicate a special bond. Then she was doing it again in 'Victory' as she talked a bomb into submission (!) and 'Time of Angels' when she commented that she'd never known him to let anyone call him Sir. Yet she'd made clear at the beginning of the episode that they'd only been to the locations of 'Victory' and 'Beast Below' so when would she have heard hat/formed an opinion?
Maybe it's because of the 'need' to build up relationships in much shorter stories? Maybe it's the writing. I haven't watched any of Rose's episodes since transmission, but didn't she swing over a giant brain and save the Doctor immediately? Or is that a nightmare I had? I thought Smith and Jones was the best intro episode since the return of Who, because Martha's abilities were compassion, quickness of uptake etc - feasible in a medical student. She didn't WALK across the entire World in just a year (?) for several episodes...
The problem with putting a lot of emphasis on the Companion being 'normal', yet trying to make them the Doctor's equal is the problem with believable characterisation. Maybe that's why they usually become ever so special in the end...
I really like the new companion and her relationship with the Doctor.
I agree. However, even Moffat, the King of the loose end, would surely draw a line under his favoured creation (River) before replacing her so bluntly. Especially as we know she'll appear in at least one more episode. RTD wrote Martha specifically as not as special as Rose, but I doubt Moffat would do the same to River.
If she goes off to the Library after Trenzalore then it might be possible in Series 8, especially if Matt has moved on. However I hope it's done better than Rose and Ten whose attraction I never believed. I could understand her having a crush, but him? I know he was traumatized by the Time War, but I heard nothing about the violent blow to the head that would indicate.
My parents, especially my father, think that Jenna IS a good actress. But I think she's a bit too common and a bit bossy at times. I like her, but she's not the best actress ever to play a companion.
The best is Catherine Tate as Donna. She was very grown-up in her role, and she wasn't bossy. She had style, dressed very well, and kept the Doctor company without turning the situation into an all out love affair.
Yes, Donna had a lot of love for the Doctor, but as a best friend. I mean, if you had someone who was your bestest, bestest friend, wouldn't you feel a lot of love, and want to do everything you could for them?
That's what Donna was trying to do. Keep the Doctor company, give him advice when he needed it, and try to comfort him when he was feeling low.
Sadly, she had to lose all her memories of him and all her adventures, in the end. Sad! So sad!
I'm trying to like JLC, but so far, not so much as I would have liked. Maybe once the series is over, I'll let DS know how I feel then.
I think being wary of her adds a nice extra dynamic - he clearly really cares for her but there's that little voice of doubt constantly saying 'what if'.
But no, I fully suspect that she's totally the opposite - reunited with him on purpose to help him by someone who knows what's going on (River?).
You could be onto something there.