I told you it never dies

[scarfman]

I've just reversed one of the positions I've held on doctorWho.RTD since 2004.

In January it was asked in a post on doctorwho, "What would you do differently if you were the producer?" I responded there and in my journal, in part, "I wouldn't have done the companion-crush-and-inlaws arc, but certainly now that it's been done once I'd never do it again." This was after there'd already been casting announcements for Martha's father, mother and brother.

This morning I was thinking about a comment I'd read recently on some LJ Ten/Rose 'ship fanfiction, that the Doctor had gotten rather fond of Jackie and vice versa despite the friction between them and that when he lost Rose he really lost Jackie and Mickey too. (And even Pete and Jake, I guess.) And I realized something that's probably self-evident but had nevertheless escaped me till now. It's not Russell Davies who's gotten it in his head that the Doctor since the Time War has to keep regular contact with his companion's family; it's the Doctor. Because they're the only family he still has.

Now I still think the crush thing has been done and needs not to be done again. I'm of the school of thought that, yes Rose was special, but they're all special. The difference about the Doctor's relations with Rose was not Rose so much, but himself; she was the first companion since the Time War after which the Doctor has been unwilling or unable to maintain the distance he always maintained before. I hope his relation with Martha isn't the same thing played over again. But, as with anything like this that I haven't actually seen yet, I shall give it the benefit of the doubt till then (assuming Russell's going to do it).

Comments

[athelind.livejournal.com]

That was always how I interpreted the Doctor/Rose relationship -- he let himself get closer to Rose, because he'd lost everything.

He also was less willing to tear Rose away from her old life and her family, because, for the first time, he really understood what that meant.

And, as pointed out, her family slowly became his family.

I don't want to see the Rose romance replayed -- wile all the companions are special, that was ROSE'S personal brand of "special". On the other claw, I think that it was a good story arc, even if it did seem more like "The Rose Tyler Show" much of the time. I hope they don't just fluff off the character developments that it brought to the Doctor.

Post-Rose, the Doctor has realized that he needs more than just "companionship" -- he needs CONNECTION.

[melwicker.livejournal.com]

How very true. And I think it would be true of anyone who is feeling what the Doctor feels, and who suffers similar situations.