First before the post and update: Been a crazy past few weeks. Finishing up another semester at Berkeley put me away from posting here but I'm back! Well I guess crazy is a bit of an understatement, long story short I'm spending another year at Berkeley due to an unexpected lack of credits. Having to take more classes at Cal...big loss huh? =D
Anyways on to the subject of today's post: Doctor Who and his companion
I should start off and say that my experience with Doctor Who has been limited by the first two seasons of the 2005 reboot and thus I haven't seen how the Doctor interacts with other companions. This post is based off of the assumption then that his relationships (both with the Companions and others) are similar in the ways I will be discussing.
Now to really begin...I swear.
Of course I had watched a scattering of Dr. Who episodes before this semester, but recently I had actually begun to watch them in earnest. The one thing that fascinated me from the very start is the nature and interaction between the Doctor and his companion (in this case Rose) and how that interaction is different and sometimes similar to other characters encountered on his travels.
The first thing that struck me by the Doctor's relationship with Rose was how the intense feelings between the two was always just barely restrained from bubbling forth. I've seen different versions of true love and love of the person rather than looks, but the kind of relationship portrayed in Dr. Who seemed incredibly different than every other story I could remember off the top of my head. On the surface one could say that it was their mutual experiences through the TARDIS that was the basis for the deep feelings, or that it was simply love at first sight, but I think that their relationship was deeper than that, or rather to say, different. Their relationship seemed to be based on who they were and a sort of understanding of intent; like something neither person could escape. Which brings up another point of interest, the Doctor can resist and escape a great many things, but the one person he could never pull away from unless under great, unimaginable pressure is Rose (again I'm assuming this is similar to other companions). Rose obviously does not have the knowledge the Doctor have, and the Doctor himself is odd and not human. And yet, their relationship seems to go beyond those limitations and appeals to something beyond even the Doctor's understanding. The Doctor does not just offer anyone a spot on the TARDIS, either they are there for simple ride, are a companion, or they are there at the Companion's behest.
Yet if their relationship was just as simple as a mutual connection (even one they cannot readily understand) it seems as though such a connection would break if they ever brought it to fruition. This I think also gives a hint as to the basis for their relationship. They do seem to understand (Both the Doctor and Rose) that the dangers and wonders they face have to be confronted as companion and Doctor not as what they wish to be. Why is this? Well one answer could be destiny, that they were meant to face these dangers and wonders for a masterful purpose. But, while that might be a good plot point for the story of the Doctor I would like to think that there is some aspect of agency. This would then point to that understanding of their position. That understanding of their role in space and time is what cements them I think. They are drawn by something they cannot readily understand, but they do understand that if they were to follow through on their deep feelings that something negative would happen. Ultimately this is terribly hurtful to both, giving the story of the Doctor and Rose a bitter sweet tone. It causes for their suffering through many tense events and culminates in particular in the episodes School Reunion (Sarah Jane) and Doomsday.
I'm not sure that this is actually pinning down why I find this aspect of Doctor Who so fascinating, but but I feel that it is a step in the right direction. I could just be overthinking this whole topic but I really do feel that the way the Doctor's relationship with Rose is very telling of who Rose and the Doctor are as people.
I'd much appreciate any thoughts people have on this, as it is something I'd like to expand on and better understand.
