Rose v. Martha (with a little Donna)

[ste_noni]

So, I've been watching Doctor Who again.

I saw the first (new) ep, Rose, I think?, when it first aired in the US and was so bored I didn't finish it. I didn't go back until Capt. Jack kissed James Marsters, which required me to watch all of Torchwood (completist that I am), and then I wanted the rest of the Capt. Jack story, but (again, completist) that required that I start watching Doctor Who again from the beginning. I like both Doctors, although David Tennant has really grown on me. Others have said, and I think I see it, that CE seemed to bear the burden of the recent Time War more than DT, and I guess that's sort of how I see it.

Anyway, the main struggle which has slowed me down SO MUCH (seriously, I downloaded most of the CE season when Frisco was an infant) is that I just can't stand Rose. Or her mom or Mickey. You know, I just don't see what a 900+ year old Time Lord would see in Rose. She just seems shallow, uninteresting, and not all that smart. So when it just seemed to break the Doctor in half leaving Rose in that alternate world, all I could do was roll my eyes.

Martha seemed like a much better person to travel time and space with. She was smart, funny, confident, and had useful skills. As I'm watching the Donna season now, I see the Doctor, who didn't seem all that broken up when Martha left, apparently does have some regrets over having left her. But you know, Martha walked the world for a year to save him and I just don't see Rose having been able to do that.

So far, I like Donna a lot. She's funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Watching the Doctor carry her bags into the TARDIS made me laugh and laugh. I was *not* happy to see annoying Rose back.

Having said all this, I'm sort of bothered in a way I can't quite put my finger on by all these companions. I know it's part of the premise of the show, but it just seems so sexist - traveling the universe, meeting women, dazzling them with your TARDIS, and then leaving them at the side of the road sort of broken. Maybe I'd feel better if he picked up some guys from time to time.

Comments

[serenada.livejournal.com]

I think they want to include women and shippers by making sure there's a woman on board at most times. So we only get a male companion if a female is already in place. But the Doctor thoroughly ruined Jack there for a while.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

I like Jack on DW much more than Jack on TW. Less weight on his shoulders with the Doctor around. I would happily watch a season with Jack as
the only companion.

[serenada.livejournal.com]

Well, Torchwood is aimed at a more adult audience than Doctor Who, so the extra mankissing is balanced out with extra pain. It will be interesting to see if Jack can co-exist with the Doctor after Children of Earth.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

You've actually helped me figure out one of the reasons CoE didn't sit well with me. I can see TW Jack doing what he did but not DW Jack.

[sail-aweigh.livejournal.com]

You must be living in my brain, because those are all the same problems I had with Rose. I can not stand her, she makes my teeth itch. Gah. I absolutely adore Donna. She's not the brightest tool in the box, but she is so kind-hearted and she kicks the Doctor out of his doldrums over and over. Watching their developing friendship over the season was absolutely marvelous.

I haven't wathced all the old seaons of DW, yet, but there were male companions in the older seasons. The First Doctor had three companions: his granddaughter and two of her school teachers, Barbara and Ian. And I know there was at least one other male companion amongst the later doctors, a Scottish kid, named Jamie, for one. Who knows, we might get another male companion again one of these days. Maybe Moffet will mix it up a little more this next season.

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

Donna is really growing on me. I love how she stands up for herself (but is also lacking self-confidence). I loved how unphased she was upon meeting Martha.

I watched the old series some as a teenager when babysitting but I remember almost nothing of it.