Death comes to Time?

[scarfman]

For some time I've been speculating in this space about what I call the lonely god character arc in Russell Davies Doctor Who; that the Doctor's behavior since his regeneration in 2005 - pining for the Lords, and treating this companion like an angel and that one poorly - is reflective of a story arc planned to last for as long as David Tennant plays the part. I'm not the only one who's independently noting that the Doctor's indulged in some less-than-role-modelish behaviors and hoping that there's a resolution coming.

On one or more of my Doctor Who LJ communities it's being linked to news that Elizabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith with Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker in the 70s and in one episode with Tennant in 2006, is coming back for near the end of Season 2008. All Tennant's companions are shooting reappearances for late in the new season. Even the season's new companion is a reappearance, because she was in the 2006 Christmas special.

People are speculating that the companion reappearances are building up to the annual season finale climax, and that that climax is one of them is going to die.* And I think that's exactly what would happen if what I call the lonely god arc is in fact planned.** The good news is, a companion death is precisely what it would take to snap the Doctor out of his funk so he'd take a needed look at himself. The bad news is, we're going to go another season before the turnaround.

* One of them who doesn't currently head up a spinoff.
** Edit On more thought, I supposed it could have evolved the same way without being planned.

Comments

[daisyrainwater.livejournal.com]

The good news is, a companion death is precisely what it would take to snap the Doctor out of his funk so he'd take a needed look at himself.

I don't know about this. Six didn't do much reflecting when he thought Peri was dead. Even regeneration didn't help much because Seven seemed hell bent on making the Valeyard a reality. (At least I think so.)

[trinalin.livejournal.com]

In my happy little mind, the season finale will end with each of his former companions, Rose, Martha, Sarah Jane, the Brigadier all slapping the Doctor. ;-)

[purplemonster77.livejournal.com]

If there's going to be a non-spinoff companion death ... that must mean you think Donna, Martha or Rose is going to die. Who do you think is most likely to kick both the bucket and the Doctor's backside?

[friedbrain.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes, that would be just lovely. Question is, is this before or after Rose and Martha's cat fight?

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

So it'd take a woman's death to advance the Doctor's emotional growth. How progressive. Yuck.

[trinalin.livejournal.com]

Oh, no catfight. When Rose finds out how the Doctor treated Martha, that will start the slapfest. :-)

[surrexi.livejournal.com]

I dunno. I mean, when Adric died, Five felt bad for a couple minutes and then he was all "It's okay, it's what he wanted." (um, NOT REALLY. *sniffles*) and there was practically no emotional fallout.

Of course, one of the things I like about the new series when compared to the classic series (which, don't get me wrong, I love as well) is that the new series deals with emotional fallout... I'd say better, but it's really that it deals with the fallout at all, whereas the classic series just... didn't, really.

One of the main reasons why I am so excited for Donna to travel with the Doctor is that I think she just will not tolerate the level of mopeyness and angsting that Martha let the Doctor get away with. I think her presence and her attitude are going to make a lot of progress towards forcing the Doctor to take a good hard look at himself.

[kensieg.livejournal.com]

The Brigadier was which Doctor's Companion?

[kensieg.livejournal.com]

can't be Martha she's Torchwood this season

[kensieg.livejournal.com]

Things don't have to be progressive every time. Also if Jack didn't have his own show he might be the dying companion. The doctor thought Jack had died at the Game station and it didn't knock the Doctor out of his funk.

How would you write the arc if you were RTD?

[trinalin.livejournal.com]

Third, though he met quite a few of the Docs in his days. (All these rumors of UNIT for the next season makes me picture them getting poor old Nick Courtney on screen to meet the 10th Doc.)

[purplemonster77.livejournal.com]

Yes, but we don't know if she's going to be in Torchwood next season. She could easily die in S4 of Doctor Who.

I'm not saying that I think any of them are going to die, I was wondered which one scarfman thought was more likely to die in accordance with his/her theory.

[friedbrain.livejournal.com]

very, very good point.

[redneckgaijin.livejournal.com]

I don't buy it, for two reasons.

(1) For all Russell Davies' love of shock, I just don't see him doing something so wasteful as killing off a Companion for a series finale. (As for Davies himself, his emphasis on dark and depressing stories annoys me, but he's much, MUCH better than John Nathan-Turner.)

(2) For me at least one of the keynotes of 10 is his narcissism. I don't think that feature of him- the "poor me, wonderful me, oh are you still here?" side- is going away until the next regeneration, no matter what Companions come or go, live or die.

[the-10thdoctor.livejournal.com]

Rose please

*runs*

[scarfman]

Six didn't do much reflecting when he thought Peri was dead.

But we're not talking about JNT Who now. We're talking about RTD Who.

[scarfman]

I dunno. Which one would make for the best story?

[scarfman]

According to dialog in Utopia, on the Game Station the Doctor knew Jack wasn't dead.

[anachronaut.livejournal.com]

Rose

[purplemonster77.livejournal.com]

Wellllllllll ...

I don't want any of them to die. And I'm not convinced that somebody is going to. In fact, RTD has said he's not in the business of killing companions (although he has been known to tell some whopping lies before). However, in the interest of speculation:

I'm a diehard Doctor/Rose shipper, so I would be really, really upset if it was Rose. However, I'm also relatively realistic, and I understand from a story point of view that it could happen (not that I want it to or think it will).

As for Donna and Martha ... I dunno. I just don't really see it happening. I suppose if I have to pick one I'd have to say Donna (which I would also be very sad about, because I think she's awesome).

[garpu.livejournal.com]

I dunno, but given some of the other spoilers I'm hearing about that story, I'm wondering if there isn't a regeneration in the works.

[scarfman]

Yeah. But does that make it something RTD wouldn't do?

[scarfman]

when Adric died, ... there was practically no emotional fallout

Illusions of Adric were used against Nyssa and Tegan by the Master in Timeflight, and against the Doctor by his own subconscious in Caves of Androzani. As non-RTD Who goes, that's sobbing at the headstone. Besides, while the Doctor has never been entirely forthcoming at expressing his deepest feelings, Doctor Five was almost as downright paranoid about it as Doctor Ten is.

the new series deals with emotional fallout

We oughtn't say "old series" and "new series" just yet. We ought to say "old series" and "Davies series".

Donna ... just will not tolerate the level of mopeyness and angsting

That was my initial reaction to the casting announcement too. Though I think the general enthusiastic anticipation of slapping among those who like the casting is getting out of hand.

[scarfman]

1. It isn't a waste if the character already was never going to appear again.
2. I did say "for as long as David Tennant plays the part."

[(Anonymous)]

I heard Donna gets run over by a van. But its more in depth than that.