#Martha Jones deserved better but getting a Tennant Doctor is not better

[sage-nebula]

Martha didn't get a Tennant Doctor because she didn't want a Tennant Doctor. Martha was the only one of RTD's companions who left the Doctor of her own volition, and only ever called him back on her own terms, when she had need of him.

Rose didn't leave the Doctor willingly. Rose was trapped in an alternate universe because it was either that or be stuck in a void with Daleks and Cybermen for the rest of time. And when she returned (primarily to warn the Doctor about the oncoming darkness caused by Davros but also because she wanted to be with him), she left with the Metacrisis Tenth Doctor and their own TARDIS because that was the only way to give her a satisfying ending from the viewpoint of the audience. (And even then, there are some fans who will tell you that nothing short of her being with the Time Lord Doctor in the prime reality is satisfying, but that just couldn't happen for reasons outside the narrative story.)

Donna didn't leave the Doctor willingly. Donna absorbed all of the intelligence of a Time Lord into her human brain, and this was going to kill her. She had to have her memory erased and be kept away from anything alien for presumably forever or else the knowledge would return and literally kill her. Donna begged the Doctor not to wipe her memory anyway, because she would rather have died than give up that life. Just like Rose, Donna had planned on staying with the Doctor for the rest of her life.

This was not the case for Martha. Setting aside the fact that Martha was treated like garbage for the duration of her season from a writing standpoint, by the end of season three Martha has realized two things: 1.) that she is goddamn brilliant and never deserved to feel like she was second best, and 2.) that she doesn't want the Doctor anymore. Unlike Rose, Donna, and Captain Jack, Martha leaves the TARDIS of her own free will, to pursue her own life and career outside the Doctor. Even Sarah-Jane says in "School Reunion" that she waited for the Doctor to come back for her; she didn't want to leave, not permanently! But Martha did. She chose to step away. The only other companion to have done this during RTD's run is Mickey, so I guess Martha wasn't the only one; still, she's the only one of the primary companions, the three women, to want to leave. She made that choice herself.

Now, does that mean everything about Martha's ending was perfect? No. As much as the "Smith and Jones" wordplay of her ending with Mickey is amusing (get it, like her first episode), it makes no sense when you consider that she was engaged when she returned in season four, and yet we never hear of that fiance again. I mean, I guess it's fine since it's not like we ever saw him? But what happened there? Why was no thought given to Martha's story there? What was she doing with Mickey in an active war zone? Why no mention of her in these three specials even though, last we heard of her, she was working with UNIT in a really important position? I like Mel well enough, but why couldn't Martha have been there instead? Especially since Martha and Donna had a preexisting friendship, and would have been delighted to see each other again?

With that said though, she doesn't need a Tennant Doctor. She didn't want a Tennant Doctor. Frankly, Tennant's Doctor doesn't deserve her with the way he acted ("Rose would know" right to her face, like -- dude, I get it, you're grieving, but that's fucking rude and Rose would NOT approve you using her memory to make another woman feel bad about herself). Martha's character arc was about recognizing her own brilliance and her own worth; standing on her own two feet as a PROPER doctor, Doctor Martha Jones, walking the earth and saving the world without a TARDIS or Torchwood or a Time Lord brain. Just her own fucking determination and brilliance.

Rose and Donna got Tennant Doctors because that was the way to make their final send-offs satisfying. Rose and a Tennant Doctor got to be in love and happy together in a parallel world, which is fitting considering that they were in love and never wanted to leave each other. Donna and a Tennant Doctor get to be besties and happy together in this reality, so that RTD has a convenient excuse to pull Tennant back into a story if he ever wants to again (since it'd be hard to explain why Tentoo came over, versus having Fourteen right there) . . . but also because, like Rose, Donna never wanted to leave the Doctor, she wanted to be with him forever.

But Martha didn't want that. Martha left on her own accord. She left with a smile on her face and her cell phone on the TARDIS console, so that when she said "here boy!" the Doctor would listen. She left on her terms, with him at her call, only there when she has use for him.

And honestly? Good for her.

[vicontheinternet]

Martha jones edit

[doctorwhonerdadi3]

Ranking New Who Companions

What classes as a companion in Doctor Who is a difficult one for me to answer. On one hand I would say it's someone who travels with the Doctor, but then we'd be here all day listing out everyone that has been in the Tardis. So I have decided to limit it only to the characters who are the named companions for each Doctor. Simple right? Choosing who I liked more over each companion was a difficult one. As always this is just opinion based and honestly, my opinions for each of these companions changes regularly. That being said, I have made an attempt at ranking them.

Number 12: Ryan Sinclair

Ryan is, for me, probably the most forgettable of Whittaker's companions. It doesn't mean he is bad, I just don't enjoy him as much as the others. I've seen Whittaker's run a couple of times and I barely remember anything about Ryan other than he had Dyspraxia and sucked his thumb.

Number 11: Rose Tyler

Okay, I think Rose being so low down is controversial, but honestly... I don't like her. She is 19 when we meet her and very clearly a product of the 90s/2000s. She spends most of her time as a love struck teenager, who is constantly jealous of any woman who gets near the Doctor. It's strange because series 1 and Eccleston are my favourite of New who. Her 'lovestruck' phase really shines in Tennants first series. Either way, she is my number 11.

Number 10: Clara Oswald

I enjoyed Clara when she showed up as a Dalek in Asylum of the Daleks. I enjoyed Clara when she was in The Snowmen. But then it kind of stopped. Her run with Smith just didn't do it for me. She did better with Capaldi but I think that is mostly down to him actually letting her have a life as a teacher, go on dates, etc. It gave her chance to really shine.

Number 9: Graham O'Brien

I just had to google Graham's last name, that is how much I don't really like him. Dealing with bereavement is difficult, and being the oldest of your group is also a challenge. I think 'Rosa' was when Graham really shined. Idolizing her and then having to be the reason that she didn't give up her seat on the bus... Graham was actually a well rounded character in a series of none rounded characters.

Number 8: Yazmin Khan

Yaz had the longest run with Whittaker, probably down to her crush. She proved herself to be a smart woman, who could handle herself. When we first met her, she was training to be a police woman, which shows that she has the strength and courage to succeed. I enjoyed her as a companion.

Number 7: Donna Nobel

Okay, time to be controversial again. I love Donna, as I am sure everyone else does, but she isn't my favourite. She was heart warming and smart, plus she had a bit of a temper and slapped the Doctor. What more do you want from a companion? She truely was a mate of the Doctor, and after the 60th anniversary specials- she got the ending she deserved.

Number 6: Dan Lewis

What? I'm putting Dan above Donna, have I gone crazy? Probably. John Bishop cannot act. However... I really liked his character. She was chill. He had a wok. He was kind of resourceful. The only thing I didn't really like was how he outed Yaz to the Doctor.

Number 5: Martha Jones

I love Martha. I think she is truely underrated as a companion. She often gets overshined by Rose, which is annoying. Take away the ending where she married Mickey, I didn't like that, and you have an amazing character. Smart, resourceful, brave. Everything you need to be the Doctor's companion. This woman walked the Earth for the Doctor. She should have married Tom though.

Number 4: Ruby Sunday

Our new new who companion. I think part of the reason that series 15/Season 1 did so well was because of Millie Gibson's performance. She started out a little rocky, but she soon grew into a companion I loved. Her performance in Boom and 73 Yards really solidified her as a great companion in my opinion.

Number 3: Amy Pond

The girl who waited. Amy's run as a companion was beautiful. She had her boys and her spaceship and she was off. She did start out a bit shakey, trying to sleep with the Doctor the night before her wedding, but if you look at it from her character arc it makes sense.

Number 2: Bill Potts

Bill's death was heart breaking and was 100% the Doctor's fault. Shot through the chest and then turned into a Cyberman. Ouch. She was a fun companion and she brought a ray of sunshine to a rather dark Doctor who had just lost his previous companion. Also I love the Cybermen design for when she got turned into one. It was very classic who.

Number 1: Rory Williams

And finally we have Rory the Roman. Well deserving of the first spot. He waited 2000 years for Amy in the Pandorica. He loved her unconditionally from childhood. He was a nurse. This man was brave and strong all at once. I was heart broken when he got erased from time and Amy forgot him. Luckily he came back... Until he died again.

[101flavoursofweird]

for the ask thing: 001, doctor who

i’ve never watched any of it myself ^^; but i see all your rbs and idk i’m a bit curious lol

Thank you for following my Doctor Who reblogs :’D I’m not THAT deep into the lore of DW and I’ve only watched as far back as the Ninth Doctor, so I don’t get every reference but I still enjoy the show for the entertainment value. 

Favorite character: It’s a tie between the Ninth Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) and recently the Fifteenth Doctor (played by Ncuti Gatwa)

Least Favorite character: I can’t remember if there’s a character I outright LOATHE… but from what I remember, I always found the The Trickster to be a great, cruel villain. While I’m not sure if he appears in the main series of Doctor Who, he appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures spinoff. The Trickster’s whole deal was… making deals with desperate people. Such as switching the fates of a young Sarah Jane and her deceased best friend. Or making a deal with a dead man to marry a brainwashed Sarah Jane. I felt very sorry for the people he tricked. So, great villain but I didn’t like him!

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

Uh… Captain Jack Harkness/Ninth Doctor, Amy/Rory, The Lizard Lady/Her Female Companion (I’m sorry, I forgot their names), Martha/William Shakespeare (because Martha deserves to be immortalised in Shakespeare’s plays), Donna/Shaun

Character I find most attractive: Amy Pond

Character I would marry: Shaun. His wife and daughter show up with aliens at their house and he just accepts it. Doesn’t even blink. Donna’s best friend the Doctor has come back as a new reincarnation and is now living at their house? Shaun just accepts it.

Character I would be best friends with: Rose

A random thought: Will David Tennant return to the series again?

An unpopular opinion: As much as I adore David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor is kind of a jerk and his storylines got far too serious and grandiose

My canon OTP: Uh… Clara/Danny. Their story made me emotional… Also, I haven’t watched all of the Thirteenth Doctor’s run but Thirteen/Yasmin looks cute. I hope they became canon? We invented a whole other Tenth Doctor clone so that Rose/Ten could be a thing in some form. SURELY Yasmin gets her own Thirteenth Doctor clone?

Non-canon OTP: Rose/Martha. Why pine over the Doctor when they can date each other

Most badass character: Martha. This quote still lives in my head rent free: “I travelled across the world. From the ruins of New York, to the fusion mills of China, right across the radiation pits of Europe. And everywhere I went I saw people just like you, living as slaves! But if Martha Jones became a legend then that's wrong, because my name isn't important”

Pairing I am not a fan of: Rose/Doctor in a romantic sense

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Martha deserved so much better 

Favourite friendship: Rose & Ninth Doctor

[myfandomrambles]

Not to be an asshole but like just because David Tennant/Tenth Doctor had the best viewing numbers of NuWho doesn't actually mean he's sooo uber special better than the others.

Like every doctor before and after he actually matters. Some of those doctors are beloved by like a lot of people.

It somehow just feels icky to me to pick up with David Tennant and Davies and like what? Fuck 11, war, 12 and 13?

Chibnall was bad enough about kind of feeling like he was snubbing 11 & 12's eras.

Like obviously you had misogyny and racism problems under Moffat. And we must, must speak up about that and make sure the show does better. And no he didn't stick the landing every time, The Wedding of River Song sucks. But like there were a shit ton of people involved in those years who like fucking put their heart and soul into that.

Matt Smith & Peter Capaldi along with all the companion actors (plus Gomez) deserve some goddamn respect. I do have just some big emotional attachment to 11 & 12 yes. I also however do not think every story under them was bad. They had extremely good stories! Like season 10 might not be popular but fuck does it kick me in the feels.

But like it's not like all the Tennant hype only affects Moffat's writing if you happen to hate him. This does feel insulting to Ecelston as well. I know he hates the BBC so like I get he wouldn't come back to the main show (his audios rock btw).

This whole thing also feels sketch because you're sticking him in between your first female doctor and your first main doctor to be played by a person of colour. Like do you just not trust that Ncuti Gatwa will be good enough to make people watch? Do you not trust your own writers (even your own writing) to be compelling unless you bring David Tennant back and give him a whole other marketing number (and the numbers, while sort of ridiculous at this if you look through canon, do have meaning to the fans)? Not to mention a new costume (No I don't mean he has to wear the exact same clothes if they don't fit but you can sew a copy of the same design again) and a whole big announcement about him getting a new Sonic. The costumes and sonics are HUGE signs for fans. Like people collect the fucking sonics you have the old ones referenced in the show, it's a whole part of 12's identity crises with the shades and the new sonic after re-accepting the doctor after losing Clara. The TARDIS can make these for The Doctor or The Doctor makes their own. It's a whole thing!

Also, do they have to also fuck with Donna's ending? Really? I get some people do the whole "Donna deserved better" shtick but her ending is heartbreaking, well-written, well-acted and done just so well. Sad can be okay! I'm with Ashildir on this one, It was sad and beautiful. (Yes she's not referring to Donna but the principle stands)

Also like, The Doctor fucks people's lives up. Donna wasn't the first up Companions to have shit destroyed by The Doctor!

In the words of Martha Jones:

You need to be careful, because you know the Doctor's wonderful and he's brilliant, but he's like fire. Stand too close and people get burned (TV: Sonatarn Strategem)

Like Journeys End aired in 2008! Could we just let the story stand on it's merits?

I realise the culture of like the media in the 2010s & 2020s is just fuck with shit that should have been left alone. I mean I guess if we're doing a distribution w/ Disney we might as well follow their storytelling formula.

I mean remember the whole Time Lord victouris project? Like I'm obsessed w/ Doctor Who and have been into the EU for a long time I didn't even try and keep up with it. It was like the high republic franchise in Star Wars so hard to keep up w/ the story when you have to get so many disparate pieces of media. And again it's all Ten focused.

Honestly, I have always loved Ten. minus all this fuckery he is fantastic. And i will go to the bat i don't think he's a fuck boy. but I also like am perpetually gonna be annoyed at him.

Being a money maker does not actually define the quality of the story in every case.

[litcityblues]

Doctor Whoquest Part Thirteen: The Whoquest Ends

I can see why they’re bringing back Catherine Tate and David Tennant because the two of them have excellent chemistry. They quickly dispense with any romantic notions between the two and Donna flies off with him and they hit the ground running. Honestly, the ‘One Episode To Consider’ category was probably the toughest to decide for this series, because there are so many strong candidates. You could make an argument for ‘Planet of the Ood’, which fleshes out the squid like, friendly (and sometimes not so friendly) aliens that have shown up over the course of the past couple of seasons. You could make an argument for ‘The Fires of Pompeii’ just because they tie it back to it from Capaldi’s debut episode ‘Deep Breath’ where he realizes he’s seen the face before and wonders why he picked it. (Also, they sort of glide over the face that that sort of implies a Doctor can manifest their regenerations to a degree, which doesn’t explain why they haven’t been ginger yet.)

Rose Tyler is sort of lurking in the background of many episodes- so right away, you pick up on the Russell T. Davis formula of building up to something big– but they also brought back Martha Jones for a three-episode arc, which I liked- even if ‘The Doctor’s Daughter’ was probably the weakest of the three episodes to me. You could argue that maybe that didn’t really give Donna Noble the chance in the spotlight that she deserved, but I also think it worked really well- especially in the end with the three-episode arc of ‘Turn Left’, ‘The Stolen Earth’ and ‘Journey’s End’ really tying up the mythology as they get set for the handoff to the next showrunner- Stephen Moffat.

Three Episodes I Liked

'The Waters of Mars': Rarely, do you see The Doctor go rogue. They come close now and again, but never actually go over the line- until, 'The Waters of Mars.' Lindsey Duncan is great in this episode and the Doctor changes a fixed point in history- or thinks he does, by saving who he can from the first Mars colony that in regular history is destroyed under mysterious circumstances and paves the way for more exploration, including the first faster than light ship to Proxima Centauri. He doesn't want to act, but in the end, he realizes that if he is the last of the Time Lords, then the laws of time are his to command. Lindsey Duncan (well, her character Adelaide Brooke) calls him on his bullshit, and even though he saves three from the Mars base and returns them home anyway, having been told that her death secures her family's legacy of exploration, she goes back in her house and kills herself. It's a bit bleak in tone, but I think it's an interesting take on the character. There's so much the Doctor could do and exploring the idea of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should' is usually something reserved for Companions and not for the Doctor themselves.

'Silence In The Library/Forest of The Dead': Viewed in the context of River Song's full arc, these episodes are even better than they were when viewed for the first time. The end where he snaps his fingers and opens the doors of the TARDIS-- it's perfect. No notes.

'Turn Left'/'The Stolen Earth'/'Journey's End': 'Turn Left' is a perfect dystopian 'Sliding Doors' that leads into 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' which should have been how Tennant went out, in my opinion. It was perfect. Tied up all the mythology and Companions and spin-offs from the first era of the show. It was a big, epic story and even though it, as usual, inevitably involved The Daleks, I didn't mind that. It worked. It worked so, so well.

Two Episodes I Didn't Like

This is going to sound weird, but 'The End of Time': I think 'Journey's End' should have been Tennant's last episode and not this one. It's not that I don't like John Simm as The Master-- his next appearance, which comes in Capaldi's last few episodes is probably his best, but this one was... just okay and more than a little cartoonish for my tastes. 'Journey's End' was the perfect way to send Tennant out. The specials weren't bad, but this feels like a Coda and perhaps an unnecessary one. He went out well, but 'Journey's End' just feels like a more complete finale than this one does to me.

'The Doctor's Daughter': Honestly, I was all about Martha Jones coming back for a few episodes, but this episode was largely 'meh' and Jenny's sacrifice was largely erased by the fact she regenerated and then took off the explore the stars. (On the plus side, this doesn't preclude her from coming back in the future, which would be cool and I didn't know she was the daughter of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison and The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy actress Sandra Dickinson- so that's kind of cool too.) But other than that...

One Episode To Consider

'The Unicorn and The Wasp': 'The Fires of Pompeii' is another good history episode this season, but I like the touch of reality to this one, as Agatha Christie did actually disappear for two weeks back in the 20s and there's still not a good explanation for it and while it probably doesn't involve a Giant Wasp, but I love that Who went after something that actually happened that doesn't have a good explanation even now.

Overall and The Final Rankings: Tennant's final run was excellent. There are not a lot of weak episodes here and while I don't know if Moffat is as committed to the idea of Doctor Who starting out as a children's show as RTD is-- it seems the show--- I don't want to say matures, but maybe grows with it's audience as Moffat takes over? So I have my issues with RTD's run and I'm hoping if he doesn't break out of his formula, he at least shakes it up a bit heading into the new series. I also would dearly, dearly love for them to start digging into six decades of the franchise and start bringing back villains we haven't seen in a while. The Celestial Toymaker hasn't been back for 57 years, so I'm hoping that sets a trend for the new series. Not everything has to end with Daleks and Cyberman.

Tennant and Tate are probably the most dynamic duo of Companions in RTD's run of Nu-Who. They've got great chemistry and they work well together. I love that the Ood gets a bit more character development in the season. I love the trips back to Pompeii and even the Specials aren't that bad. Michelle Ryan is another person I hope shows back up again because she too had good chemistry with the Doctor. Tennant's run helped solidify the show's return, so full credit to him for that and he takes one hell of a final bow at the end of it all- even if the episode wasn't my favorite, his regeneration- "I don't want to go." is probably the best, I think.

In terms of the final rankings, I think it’s hard and I think it’s very subjective. If you grew up watching a certain Doctor they’re probably going to be your favorite and I will always be a Martha Jones Stan, because she was kind of awesome and I liked her as a Companion, but the re-watch and more importantly, the weird, snakelike way I rewatched Nu-Who I think gave me an opportunity to assess each Doctor a bit more fairly as they were spread out somewhat in my watching order. So here’s where I’m leaving it for now:

Capaldi: If Smith brought the fast-paced action and the big epic moments, Capaldi exposed the soul of The Doctor in beautiful ways. From 'Heaven Sent' to 'The World Enough and Time' he may not have the biggest moments in Nu-Who, but he's got some of the best and transcended the franchise and became great moments and great writing in science fiction full stop. He wasn't in my top spot going into this, but he is now.

Smith: It’s the big, epic moments, man. It’s the high energy and the way he can get shouty at people. It’s River Song. It’s Amy and Rory and then Clara Oswald and the build-up to the 50th Anniversary special and Trenzalore.

Tennant: Man, he lands here by a whisker. You could honestly switch him out with Smith if you wanted to, but I think RTD’s overreliance on the Daleks (because if there’s a big baddie in a Tennant season, it’s either going to be the Daleks or maybe the Cybermen or maybe both) annoys me and his formula needs to be shaken up a bit. By the Martha Jones season, episode one, I knew Harold Saxon was going to be doing something dastardly by the end of the season and it’s similar all across the seasons. I think RTD also was very rooted in the idea of Doctor Who being a kid’s show- which works well sometimes but doesn’t other times because you want the stakes to be higher and the danger to be real and sometimes it gets a bit… cartoonish for my liking. But Tennant’s companions are top-notch. He picked up the baton from Eccleston and really firmly established that the show was back for good and you have to give him full credit for that.

Whittaker & Eccleston: I’m putting these two together because Whittaker’s run was not that bad and I appreciate the show taking some big swings, even if they wound up being a bit of a hot mess in the end (“The Flux”)- the writing didn’t land all the time, but she made it work and I think she’ll get a more generous reassessment as time goes on. Eccleston lands here because, well, he only did one Season. If he had done more, maybe we could reassess, but like of quantity makes it really hard to assess his true quality compared to the others.

My Grade: 9/10

[icewarrior2000]

Utopia/The Sound of Drums/The Last of the Time Lords

(Series 3, Episode 11-13)

Summary: Jack’s back!!  And the Doctor is kind of mean to him considering it’s sort of his fault that Jack ended up immortal.  Jack clinging to the outside of the TARDIS sends it to the end of the universe where everyone is getting ready to depart on a rocket for Utopia (unless they have pointy teeth – pointy teeth are bad).  Jack experiments with new ways to die and flirt and Professor Yana has a strangely familiar watch…. Deprived of the TARDIS, the Doctor, Martha and Jack bounce back to the twenty-first century where the Master is the UK’s new Prime Minister, employing a chaotic, Nero-esque leadership style.  He turns the Doctor into a goblin in a cage, chains Jack up and keeps Martha’s family as slaves whilst she walks the earth telling stories.  Long story short: Doctor = floating space Jesus, time reversed, Master defeated and Martha finally gets out.

Watch it because: Martha – you deserved better.

Original Air Date: 16 June - 30 June 2007.

Doctor: David Tennant.

Companions: Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) & Jack Harkness (John Barrowman).

Writer: Russell T Davies.

Director: Graeme Harper (Utopia) & Colin Teague (The Sound of Drums & The Last of the Time Lords).

Producer: Phil Collinson.

Executive Producer: Russell T Davies & Julie Gardner.

[distant-rose]

1, 10, 16, 22 FOR SALTY ASKS, BITCH! xo

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

I’m going to say it and people are going to possibly fight me but Rumbelle. As someone who specializes in family and human rights law, it’s hard for me to watch because I feel like I’m watching one of my cases, particularly cases regarding Battered Women’s Syndrome where women are put through a cycle of abuse and affection that eventually leads to them snapping and killing their partners due to the constant fear that they feel. Granted, that didn’t happen on the show and I don’t think Adam & Eddy even have a clue what BWS is but it was the cycle that got me - the manipulation, the gaslighting and sometimes even trespass against the person via false imprisonment. (And yes, false imprisonment is categorized as trespass against the person in tort.) I constantly cringed while watching them mainly because it became clear many times that Rumple just doesn’t respect Belle’s autonomy and views her more as a coveted object than a partner.

Another is honestly…Kataang. I don’t find it abusive for the record or anything. And just a PSA out there for you, you CAN dislike a ship and not find it abusive, just saying. It’s more that I felt there wasn’t much chemistry for Aang and Katara. There was a serious maturity gap between them. I felt to me that Aang was always trying to hold on to his childhood and really not face issues unless they were pressing and he felt compelled too while Katara honestly acted more like an adult, which isn’t surprising considering the fact her mother died when she was young and she and Sokka were often left on their own because of the war. Katara really faced things head on and I feel like her actions towards Aang were more maternal than anything. @justanotherwannabeclassic and I have discussed this before but it feels like Katara was just a prize for Aang for saving the world and kinda lost her autonomy as person. She just became his girlfriend when she was a master fucking waterbender and I don’t think she would have been satisfied with just being a wife and mother, not that there is anything wrong with that but she’s very much into helping people and being a revolutionary - she was the fucking Painted Lady, c’mon now.

I could write an entire essay on these two and other ships but honestly this answer is long enough as is.

I’m gonna put my other answers under the cut because I have a lot of salt

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

Alana. Seriously. If I could, I would rewrite the entire Once Upon a Time show post-season three. There’s so many things I have an issue with in regard to OUAT but if I had to chose one and this is hard, but the entire Killian killed David’s Dad/Killian’s Realm Tour 2017. That story arc was bullshit, in fact most of season six was bullshit. Season five was also bullshit but I digress. Anyway, I think the whole issue of Killian killing Robert was fucking dumb and was just drama for drama’s sake because Adam and Eddy got lazy and apparently wrote the majority of their plots high, and not the good kind of high. Like the kinda high you get when you buy cheap ass marijuana from a sketchy street vender in Switzerland kinda high. That’s the minor beef I have with this arc, the main bit is the Emma moping and thinking Killian abandoned her nonsense. Girl, we just went through THREE SEASONS of crazy ass insanity where it was confirmed MANY times that Killian wasn’t ever going to leave her, loved her and would die like five hundred times for her. The fact that she immediately thought that he left instead of, maybe I don’t know, being kidnapped or hurt is just absurd to me. It’s fucking absurd. 

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

Oh god, where to do I fucking begin. Number one, I would have had a fucking real overarching plot for OUAT and I would have totally reworked seasons four through seven with more original spins. One of the things that attracted me to the show in the first place was how they took characters like Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood and they turned them on their heads and made them bad ass and unique. That didn’t seem to happen much post-season three. I would have changed Elsa and Anna up a bit instead of making them carbon copies of their movie selves. It would be something making Elsa morally grey and a boss ass political bitch who gives Regina a run for her money and make Anna an absolute tomboy who have no interest in being a princess but would rather be a flower child and walk around in the woods all day bare foot and incredibly strong because all she does is climb trees. I love the idea of playing Elsa off as winter and Anna as a spring. Work with that. That would have been an interesting thing. 

Also, I actually did not enjoy the author arc at all. I get the idea of playing around with the characters as inverse/opposites of their true natures but I just rolled my eyes a lot. I would have done an entirely different arc, maybe looked more at realm traveling or you know actually address whether people want to return to the Enchanted Forrest. Hell, I would have maybe even done something about the town line and whether the citizens of Storybrooke wanted to explore the outside world. 

Dark Swan was a wasted opportunity in my opinion and they really missed a chance to make Emma actually do some really crazy shit and you know confront some of the issues that had been buried under the rug in the past few seasons but that’s not biggest issue actually. I had more issues with the Underworld as a Greek mythology buff than I did with Dark Swan but how they did the Dark Ones thing could have been so much better. But Underworld deserves more of my beef. *sigh* That, personally to me, was a wasted arc creatively. Don’t get me wrong, I cried like a bit at the elevator scene but I feel like they should have gone more Greek myth than Disney Hades. I think I’ve said before to @katie-dub that it would have been more interesting if Hades wasn’t so much of an antagonist but more of someone who misleads them into thinking that Killian is in the worst part of the Underworld while he really isn’t, he’s either on the Asphodel Meadows and doesn’t remember her or in Elysium where he’s completely at peace and taking him back would pose more of a moral question for Emma on whether or not she should. 

We can all agree that seasons six is a train wreck right? I was a little annoyed at the timelines and the issues brought up in regard to Captain Swan. It seemed like they were issues that had been addressed or should have been addressed in previous seasons. I found the whole wedding thing super rushed. I would have been content if Captain Swan had more of background role drama-wise and maybe they actually used the wedding to really build on Emma and Snow’s relationship more because it had been strongly ignored. The Black Fairy was a wasted villain and Gideon wasn’t really necessary. Let’s be real, that final battle was a massive letdown and the last time I checked a TLK doesn’t save you from normal mortal wounding. I kinda wished they played around with the Untold Stories Thing a bit more in S6. I would have totally nixed the Wish Realm and the Musical Episode even though I liked the music. I just found a lot of their plots confusing, unnecessary and tired.

Okay, I didn’t watch a lot of season seven but I do have an issue with the recycling of plots and characters. I don’t mind Jacinda or Tilly/Alice but I found the whole recycle of Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella a sign that the creative well had run dry. I wish they had work with new material and stories such as the Labyrinth, Black Cauldron, Treasure Island, Atlantis or even fucking Enchanted. They could have also worked in on some of the legends from 1,001 Arabian Nights, worked more with Greek mythology particularly the Odyssey or the Argonauts. There’s a lot of creative things they could have done and just didn’t do. You’re welcome to like season seven and the characters it introduced but it just felt more like a money grab with incredibly lazy writing.

22. Popular character you hate?

I have a feeling a lot of people might unfollow me for this one but David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. Like I’m sure not a lot of people have noticed this but I do not reblog anything with Ten in it. I know he’s everyone’s favorite and people love him and think he’s attractive but I actually hate his treatment of Rose, Martha and Donna as well as his weird space casanova act. I actually don’t really like Ten/Rose that much mainly because Ten doesn’t seem to have the same love and denotation for her that Nine did and was totally cool with leaving her and Mickey alone in a murder robot infested space in the 51st century to chase after Madame Pompadour. I don’t think the Ninth “I could save the world but lose you” Doctor would have done the whole “does it need saying?” and would have left Rose in Pete’s World with his clone without giving her a say. I was really irked by that. He whined about how much he missed Rose for TWO. WHOLE. FUCKING. SEASONS and when she came back, he’s like “here, have my clone and fuck off.” It bothered me so much and I think a lot of Rose hate is honestly based off Ten’s melodramatic ass and how he whined about missing Rose and made Martha feel inferior. Martha Jones was a fucking boss and didn’t deserve the shit he gave her. And then, we have Donna, poor Donna who didn’t get a choice at all in her fate. He chose it for her and that will never not bother me. Rose, Martha and Donna deserved more. End of story.

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

Salt ask meme: 1, 10, 23

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get? Lucas Friar shipped with anyone makes me uncomfortable like I truly can’t stand that boy and everyone on that show deserved better omfg. 

Most disliked arc? Why? Basically the 10th Doctor’s entire character arc/progression which I KNOW is #controversial, but like. It’s so bad oh my God. The only reason I don’t thoroughly hate his entire run is because I can appreciate that David Tennant gave a great performance- he just wasn’t given material he deserved. I like 10 for tiny reasons- when he’s hopeful, when he tells various monsters how beautiful they are, his friendship with Donna, stuff like that. But his actual story and characterization, starting from Christmas Invasion to the End of Time? A literal mess. And I feel bad about it, cause like, I want to like 10. But every time I do a rewatch, by the time he’s going “I don’t wanna go!” I’m just like. Sucks to suck! Bye! Get tf out of here! It’s so frustrating to see him go downhill. Ugh. He’s not even in my top five, because his arc is so….ugh.

Unpopular character you love? Martha Jones! RORY WILLIAMS! Leo Valdez! Owen Harper! Probably a million more it’d be easier to ask who I don’t love lmao

[raywritesthings]

doctor who?

my all-time ultimate fave character: This is gonna sound lame, but the Doctor is definitely one. I haven’t finished watching all of the Classic Series but Jamie McCrimmon, Jo Grant, Sarah Jane, and the Brig are my favorites from there. Martha, Donna, Wilfred, the Ponds, River, and Bill is creeping her way into my faves from New Who. Also the TARDIS, can’t forget her.

a character I didn’t used to like but now do: Honestly, my hat is off to Jackie who had to raise her daughter all on her own while struggling just to get by and is almost never given any appreciation for it. I was so steamed at that “you raised me for 19 years...but then I met the Doctor!” line. Like, no, she is your mother. The Doctor can fuck off.

a character I used to like but now don’t: I don’t know if I exactly liked him, but I can’t take John Simm’s Master seriously after Jacobi’s one scene and having watched Delgado’s performance. And I hate the stupid drums thing they added in completely out of nowhere to try and “explain” his madness. Hopefully his upcoming appearance in s10 will improve the character for me. Also once you look past his funny quirks and David Tennant charm Ten can really be an ass and I hate his whole I’m The Hero™ thing (also the cringeworthy Jesus symbolism that bashes you repeatedly in the face in Last of the Time Lords was A Bit Much). His most interesting episodes are ones like Midnight and Waters of Mars but they come off a bit too little, too late. I wouldn’t say I hate him but he is far from my favorite regeneration of the Doctor and I think I like exploring his negative qualities more than most people.

a character I’m indifferent about: There’s so many characters so I don’t really know. I’m really not much a fan of Ashildir or whatever her name is (kinda quit watching series 8 after her first episode because she was so dull to me and I couldn’t believe that out of all the people the Doctor’s ever met this was the one he decided to make immortal forever and ever. Like, really??).

a character who deserved better: MARTHA. JONES. also Donna deserved not to be mind-wiped and Sarah Jane deserved to not be dropped off in Aberdeen and not to be so disrespected by Rose, kay thanks.

a ship I’ve never been able to get into: Ten&Rose, and it’s not that I can’t get into it but I hate the Wh*ffaldi ship name. Why is Peter’s name in it? Who is being shipped? Clara and Peter? Jenna and Peter? The Doctor and Peter? Why do Twelve and Clara need a different ship name than Eleven and Clara? Isn’t it still Doctor/Clara?

a ship I’ve never been able to get over: Doctor/Sarah Jane, Doctor/Donna, Doctor/River, Amy/Rory (my precious Ponds)

a cute, low-key ship: Jenny and Vastra are so married, I love them. Also I need Heather to come back so she and Bill can be happy and in lesbians with each other.

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: I mean I doubt Doctor/Sarah Jane is all that popular, especially since New Who fandom kind of dominates. I also like Doctor/Jo from the Classic series. And all the Jack/Doctor shippers I see are so hyper-focused on Ten who was a dick to Jack when Nine was so much more interested so like ???

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: Ten&Rose

my favourite storyline/moment: I started the show with series 5 and to this day it is my favorite. The cinematography is fantastic, the writing is well-paced and keeps you wanting to know what will happen, and the characters are so fun. Whenever I recommend the show to people I tell them to start there tbh (no offense to Nine, but immediately after him is the dreaded Ten&Rose, so...). But I also just love Donna’s development as a character and I pretend RTD didn’t totally demolish it.

a storyline that never should have been written: The Ten&Rose “love” story. Nine always gets thrown under the bus in favor of it by fandom. It ruined Rose’s character. She went from fun and kind of spunky to constantly whining and pining for the Doctor, even dedicating her entire life to getting back to him after they were separated rather than, you know, being badass and making the most of a new life and a job she actually liked and having a father and a little brother. Ten was a total dick to Martha because he was moping. Both he and Rose were assholes to Mickey like the entire time (even s1). And then Russell wrote in the metacrisis purely to give Rose a bf even though it was Donna’s season. Maybe Donna would’ve gotten a better and more respectful ending if RTD had actually been focusing on her. Companions come and go just like regenerations come and go, and while the odd reference or two to the past is fine the inability for Ten to just let go of Rose and also his own incarnation was just such a headache to sit through. If I have to watch an episode with him I almost always go for one during s4 because at least then it’s kept to a minimum.

my first thoughts on the show: My friend keeps bugging me to watch this and the Wikipedia article on it just made me more confused, guess we’ll check it out.

my thoughts now: I both love it and hate it and I can never seem to quite walk away no matter what it does lmao.

[mousedetective]

College AU and go!

(@awinterbornrose specified Wholock for this and I know she’s a dedicated Pondlock shipper, so here we go!)

Sherlock Holmes is working on his graduate degree the first time he sees Amy Pond, a second year art student, and his first reaction to her is one not of “love at first sight” but of annoyance when she runs smack into him and spills black ink all over his favourite purple shirt; he spends the day in a foul mood after stalking off but is impressed when Amy tracks him down and presents him with a replacement a week later that fits even better.

Molly Hooper and Martha Jones bond over idiot tossers who think women shouldn’t be pursuing medical degrees and impress everyone by not fainting when they have to do the hands on parts of their medical degrees. They also drink everyone under the table. Martha teases Molly about having a bit of a flirt with one of the nursing students, Rory Williams. Martha gets her back by setting her up on a blind date with one of the lads who works on her car while going to uni for a history degree, Mickey Smith.

Donna Noble is stuck being the secretary for a grabby handed president of the university, who’d love to get into her knickers and keeps trying to get her alone. She’s usually too well prepared to give him the chance, but unfortunately one day she’s caught off guard and he gets her in her office alone. Fortunately Greg Lestrade, head of the pre-law program, shows up and decks the president. There’s threats of sacking but Donna has more than enough dirt on her pig of a boss, and she feels that a well deserved rescue deserves at least a bite of fish and chips and maybe a pint.

Clara Oswald spends more time with her nose in a book and her arse in a seat in the library than she does socializing with anyone in the university, but her friends Rose Tyler and Melody Zucker decides she needs to have a life outside of her English literature degree, so they kidnap her and take her out for a night on the town. Only things don’t go quite as planned and Clara ends up stranded outside of London, only to wind up rescued by a fellow university classmate, Danny Pink, who “just happened to be in the neighborhood”...or so he says.

There are a variety of professors at the university who like to...meddle...in the affairs of their students: Dr. Eccleston (Ninth Doctor), Dr. Tennant (Tenth Doctor), Dr. Smith (Eleventh Doctor), Dr. Capaldi (Tweflth Doctor), Mr. Mycroft Holmes, Professor James Moriarty and Ms. Simms (The Master/Missy hybrid). Each has their favorite student, of course, though there seems to be a tug of war between a few as to who their favorites are, and they have a few who play assistant for them when it suits them (for example, Dr. Smith is married to his assistant, Dr. Song, but she tends to also help Dr. Tennant and Dr. Capaldi at times, and Irene Adler has been known to help Professor Moriarty but also do things in her own interest to help Sherlock tweak the nose of both his brother and her boss), which makes life very interesting for everyone involved.

send me an AU and i’ll tell you 5 of my headcanons for it

[vicontheinternet]

Martha jones edit

[walkofpenance]

jonathanstrange asked: Doctor Who

  Who I will protect at all costs: Donna Noble and Wilfred Mott, such precious human beings. Sarah Jane Smith, too! Who deserves better: Donna Noble :)  Who was killed off too early: I literally can’t remember anybody dying, maybeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Ninth Doctor, because he went before he had a time to actually shine in his own episode (Midnight showed how amazing David Tennant was) Who I used to hate but now I love: Probably River Song, her story to me is still absolutely stupid and drags on for way too long but I don’t hate her, the Christmas Special with her made her likeabale again for me! Who I used to love but now I hate: Ummmmmmm I don’t think I hate anybody but if I had to choose one maybe, maybe, I don’t know :) I don’t hate anybody really  Who needs to be killed off asap: Ryan Sinclair is the most irrelevant character to ever appear in the show, so probably him Who is unfairly hated: Martha Jones, she’s a bit annoying from her constant drooling over the Tenth Doctor but it’s not a hateful quality... Just annoying :S and Thirteenth Doctor too Who is unfairly loved: I want to say Rose but I love Rose :S But to be honest all of the companions - Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, Clara are so strong... They all have admirable qualities but Rose is the only one who gets loved :S so I’m going to say Rose Tyler!  Who needs to sort out their priorities: The Tenth Doctor, again, I love him but fuck me can you stop talking about Rose in Season 3? I want to say Martha aswell during the entirety of S3 other than the finale, Season 3 was a shit show for the characters when I think about it :)  Who needs a hug: The Tenth Doctor needs a hug because he always looks so damaged, maybe Amy aswell because the Eleventh Doctor really fucked her over making her wait for YEARS for his return. So, Amy deserves a hug Who needs to get out of their current relationship: Ryan and Graham questioning their time on the TARDIS proves they need to leave, its also really irritating :)  Who the writers love: RTD loved Rose, Moffat loved River Song SO MUCH that it made me hate the sight of her :)  Who needs a better storyline: ALL of Yaz, Graham and Ryan. Yaz has been developed a bit but all of their personalities in one could have created a decent companion  Who has an amazing redemption arc: Mickey Smith, purely because he went from moaning jilted boyfriend who acts like my was-a-stray cat to a badass :) So Mickey for me! OR Sylvia Noble, she was so unlikeable for how she treated Donna and the Tenth Doctor but in the end she really appreciated what the Doctor had done so.. Who is hot af: OK so here we go *AHEM* Tenth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman is my girl crush), ummmmmm Amy Pond, I think that’s it Who belongs in jail: The Master, Davros, the metacrisis Doctor, god I fucking hate him Who needs to be revived from the dead: I know she’s been revived from the dead but honestly Jenny, what the hell was the point in her coming back to life only to disappear for the rest of the series?? :SSS So Jenny, because she’s dead in the Doctor’s mind! 

[smokeybrandreviews]

Run, You Clever Boy, And Remember

I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who for years. Way back when i was a wee sprout, my ma put me onto it. She was always into that sci-fi life, even though she kind of hates Star Wars, She still has a deep affection for eberything futuristic or space faring. I got a lot of Star Trek and what not as  youth so i kind of had no chance not being a goddamn geek that way. I have vague memories of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy but i firmly remember Paul McGann’s little outing from the 90s. It’s a shame he didn’t have a proper run because i rather liked his take on the role. Suffice it to say, when Russel Davies brought the show back, i was all over it.

I’ve seen every season of the revival so far and absolutely adore it. I’m partial to Tennant’s portrayal because, let’s be honest, he’s the goddamn best but Moffat has done some good work. Some, the operative word. Apparently, The Moff is wildly polarizing within the fandom. I recall the episode “A Good Man Goes To War”. Watching The Doctor be vindictive (Colonel Runaway) was kind of amazing and for his hubris to immediately catch up to him with that whole Melody Pond issue was pretty legit. I appreciated Eccelston bringing the show back, adored the Tennant adventures, was enthralled by Matt Smith and the Ponds, and i am looking forward to what Jodie Whittaker has to offer. I Found myself identifying with Capaldi’s run the most though. I wish he had a better showrunner or, at least, i wish Moffat wasn’t so lazy with Capaldi’s Doctor because it felt like, in three series, we just scratched the surface of who he was to be. It sucked. Generally speaking though, what didn’t suck, were the companions.

Oh, boy, i adore these modern companions! Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf, herself, was arguable the best of the modern lot. I loved her as she grew into one of the most important people of the Doctor’s world. Amelia Pond is a close second. Karen Gillan was a vision and watching her match wits with The Doctor was always a pleasure. I would also be remiss without mentioning Alex Kingston’s River Song. Ol’ girl was a legit badass and i relished her every onscreen minute. There have been many; Sarah Jane Smith, Donna Noble, Mickey Smith, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Bill Potts, and Rory Williams all deserve a mention but my favorite modern companion has to be Clara Oswald. Oh, how i adore my lovely Souffle Girl! The thing is, i’m in the minority. Yo, cats in the Whodom HATE Clara Oswin Oswald and i have no idea why. If you break down her character, her arc is one of the most compelling companion journeys ever, right up there with Sarah Jane Smith or River Song.

We’re introduced to Clara as Souffle Girl In the episode “Asylum of the Daleks” where she basically stole the entire show. When she “died” at the end of the episode, i was crazy bummed. I wanted more from Clara, Oswin at that time, and we got another little taste, and a compelling reason to care about who this chick was, with that year’s Christmas special “The Snowmen.” That spark that got me when she was Souffle girl? Yeah, it was expanded into a legit blaze of endearment when she returned as Clara Oswin Oswald, Governess and barmaid of the 19th century. Her struggles and eventual death at the hands of the Great Intelligence gave way to a greater mystery; How could the Doctor have met the same woman twice after she had died? Thus the Impossible Girl was born. Watching her origins snake their way through series seven was awesome and i adored that climax. But it was when Smith passed the reigns to Capaldi when Clara became a fixture in my Who world.

Capaldi’s Clara was different than Smith’s. This Clara was far more headstrong, far more reckless. She was starting to turn into the Doctor. As far as companions are concerned, this was a first to me, a first in Modern Who times. The Doctor-Donna was close but she was still Donna. Bad Wolf was more a god than a companion. Amy was Amy and River was River, they were who they were before they stepped foot on the Tardis. Clara, though, she grew into her character. She as the most Doctor like of all the other companions and i found that mad compelling. Clara essentially abandoned who she was, or maybe she was always that, for the Doctor. Capaldi, in particular, influenced who she was. Clara’s growth into who she became in “Face The Raven” was the inevitable conclusion to her journey and, i think, anyone’s journey with The Doctor. You have to get off before the ride ends or it ends you, one way or another. Everyone becomes Clara, to an extent, when you travel with the Doctor but Clara rode that ride to the climax and it cost her everything. Because we can’t BE the Doctor, we can only watch the Doctor and even then, only for fleeting moments. He’s like the sun; If you stare to long, you go blind. If you get to close, you burn. Clara went up in flames. She went the distance and effectively became the Doctor at the cost of her own life. In the end, she was clever, beautiful, fulfilling, and brave. She was so brave.

As far as i can tell, the fandom hates Clara because she’s kind of a b*tch. Most of the time. But her character is crazy inconsistent, which can be said about the tail end of Moffat’s tenure overall. Capaldi’s Doctor was affected by that as well. Indeed, everything from Series seven until ten could be said to have been a little meh because of Moffatt’s free wheeling narrative style and i think that’s where a lot of the hate for Clara comes from. I’ll be the first to admit her demeanor is wildly uneven during her tenure but the core of who Clara is always shined through. The character, herself, was always there. And who she was could have been great if stories were written that played to her strengths. But there were none, really. “Face The Raven” i thought was pretty legit and “The Name of the Doctor” was another, not to mention “The Dalek Asylum” and “The Snowmen” but that’s kind of all there is. Most of those were all in the beginning of her narrative, as well. Like, she started brilliantly and ended brilliantly but that stuff in between was less than inspired at times. And that’s my point, we never really got that definitive Clara story. She never got that tale where she’s the one. I think, though, given the material she had on hand, Jenna Coleman crafted a compelling, human, character full of flaws and frailties, that rang true to what it would mean to be an actual companion with the Doctor. And i say with, not ���to”, because she was just as important to the story as the Doctor was, himself.

At the end of the day, Clara Oswin Oswald is one of the best companions Doctor Who may have ever traveled with. Sure, i think she was short changed with the writing but if you actually pay attention to her overall development, if you take the time to understand the journey of her character, you’ll find a compelling, rich, evolved person that enhances the Whodom, favorably. My Impossible Girl is simply brilliant that way!

She’s also crazy adorable.

[smokeybrandcompositions]

Run, You Clever Boy, And Remember

I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who for years. Way back when i was a wee sprout, my ma put me onto it. She was always into that sci-fi life, even though she kind of hates Star Wars, She still has a deep affection for eberything futuristic or space faring. I got a lot of Star Trek and what not as  youth so i kind of had no chance not being a goddamn geek that way. I have vague memories of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy but i firmly remember Paul McGann’s little outing from the 90s. It’s a shame he didn’t have a proper run because i rather liked his take on the role. Suffice it to say, when Russel Davies brought the show back, i was all over it.

I’ve seen every season of the revival so far and absolutely adore it. I’m partial to Tennant’s portrayal because, let’s be honest, he’s the goddamn best but Moffat has done some good work. Some, the operative word. Apparently, The Moff is wildly polarizing within the fandom. I recall the episode “A Good Man Goes To War”. Watching The Doctor be vindictive (Colonel Runaway) was kind of amazing and for his hubris to immediately catch up to him with that whole Melody Pond issue was pretty legit. I appreciated Eccelston bringing the show back, adored the Tennant adventures, was enthralled by Matt Smith and the Ponds, and i am looking forward to what Jodie Whittaker has to offer. I Found myself identifying with Capaldi’s run the most though. I wish he had a better showrunner or, at least, i wish Moffat wasn’t so lazy with Capaldi’s Doctor because it felt like, in three series, we just scratched the surface of who he was to be. It sucked. Generally speaking though, what didn’t suck, were the companions.

Oh, boy, i adore these modern companions! Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf, herself, was arguable the best of the modern lot. I loved her as she grew into one of the most important people of the Doctor’s world. Amelia Pond is a close second. Karen Gillan was a vision and watching her match wits with The Doctor was always a pleasure. I would also be remiss without mentioning Alex Kingston’s River Song. Ol’ girl was a legit badass and i relished her every onscreen minute. There have been many; Sarah Jane Smith, Donna Noble, Mickey Smith, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Bill Potts, and Rory Williams all deserve a mention but my favorite modern companion has to be Clara Oswald. Oh, how i adore my lovely Souffle Girl! The thing is, i’m in the minority. Yo, cats in the Whodom HATE Clara Oswin Oswald and i have no idea why. If you break down her character, her arc is one of the most compelling companion journeys ever, right up there with Sarah Jane Smith or River Song.

We’re introduced to Clara as Souffle Girl In the episode “Asylum of the Daleks” where she basically stole the entire show. When she “died” at the end of the episode, i was crazy bummed. I wanted more from Clara, Oswin at that time, and we got another little taste, and a compelling reason to care about who this chick was, with that year’s Christmas special “The Snowmen.” That spark that got me when she was Souffle girl? Yeah, it was expanded into a legit blaze of endearment when she returned as Clara Oswin Oswald, Governess and barmaid of the 19th century. Her struggles and eventual death at the hands of the Great Intelligence gave way to a greater mystery; How could the Doctor have met the same woman twice after she had died? Thus the Impossible Girl was born. Watching her origins snake their way through series seven was awesome and i adored that climax. But it was when Smith passed the reigns to Capaldi when Clara became a fixture in my Who world.

Capaldi’s Clara was different than Smith’s. This Clara was far more headstrong, far more reckless. She was starting to turn into the Doctor. As far as companions are concerned, this was a first to me, a first in Modern Who times. The Doctor-Donna was close but she was still Donna. Bad Wolf was more a god than a companion. Amy was Amy and River was River, they were who they were before they stepped foot on the Tardis. Clara, though, she grew into her character. She as the most Doctor like of all the other companions and i found that mad compelling. Clara essentially abandoned who she was, or maybe she was always that, for the Doctor. Capaldi, in particular, influenced who she was. Clara’s growth into who she became in “Face The Raven” was the inevitable conclusion to her journey and, i think, anyone’s journey with The Doctor. You have to get off before the ride ends or it ends you, one way or another. Everyone becomes Clara, to an extent, when you travel with the Doctor but Clara rode that ride to the climax and it cost her everything. Because we can’t BE the Doctor, we can only watch the Doctor and even then, only for fleeting moments. He’s like the sun; If you stare to long, you go blind. If you get to close, you burn. Clara went up in flames. She went the distance and effectively became the Doctor at the cost of her own life. In the end, she was clever, beautiful, fulfilling, and brave. She was so brave.

As far as i can tell, the fandom hates Clara because she’s kind of a b*tch. Most of the time. But her character is crazy inconsistent, which can be said about the tail end of Moffat’s tenure overall. Capaldi’s Doctor was affected by that as well. Indeed, everything from Series seven until ten could be said to have been a little meh because of Moffatt’s free wheeling narrative style and i think that’s where a lot of the hate for Clara comes from. I’ll be the first to admit her demeanor is wildly uneven during her tenure but the core of who Clara is always shined through. The character, herself, was always there. And who she was could have been great if stories were written that played to her strengths. But there were none, really. “Face The Raven” i thought was pretty legit and “The Name of the Doctor” was another, not to mention “The Dalek Asylum” and “The Snowmen” but that’s kind of all there is. Most of those were all in the beginning of her narrative, as well. Like, she started brilliantly and ended brilliantly but that stuff in between was less than inspired at times. And that’s my point, we never really got that definitive Clara story. She never got that tale where she’s the one. I think, though, given the material she had on hand, Jenna Coleman crafted a compelling, human, character full of flaws and frailties, that rang true to what it would mean to be an actual companion with the Doctor. And i say with, not “to”, because she was just as important to the story as the Doctor was, himself.

At the end of the day, Clara Oswin Oswald is one of the best companions Doctor Who may have ever traveled with. Sure, i think she was short changed with the writing but if you actually pay attention to her overall development, if you take the time to understand the journey of her character, you’ll find a compelling, rich, evolved person that enhances the Whodom, favorably. My Impossible Girl is simply brilliant that way!

She’s also crazy adorable.

[smokeybrand]

Run, You Clever Boy, And Remember

I’ve been a fan of Doctor Who for years. Way back when i was a wee sprout, my ma put me onto it. She was always into that sci-fi life, even though she kind of hated Star Wars, so i kind of had no chance not being a goddamn geek that way. I have vague memories of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy but i firmly remember Paul McGann’s little outing from the 90s. It’s a shame he didn’t have a proper run because i rather liked his take on the role. Suffice it to say, when Russel Davies brought the show back, i was all over it.

I’ve seen every season of this show so far and absolutely adore it. I’m partial to Tennant’s portrayal because, let’s be honest, he’s the goddamn best but Moffat has done some good work. I recall the episode “A Good Man Goes To War”. Watching The Doctor be vindictive (Colonel Runaway) was kind of amazing and for his hubris to immediately catch up to him with that whole Melody Pond issue was pretty legit. I appreciated Eccelston bringing the show back, adored the Tennant adventures, was enthralled by Matt Smith and the Ponds, and i am looking forward to what Jodie Whittaker has to offer. I Found myself identifying with Capaldi’s run the most though. I wish he had a better showrunner or, at least, i wish Moffat wasn’t so lazy with Capaldi’s Doctor because it felt like, in three series, we just scratched the surface of who he was to be. It sucked. Generally speaking though, what didn’t suck, were the companions.

Oh, boy, i adore these modern companions! Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, the Bad Wolf, herself, was arguable the best of the modern lot. I adored her as she grew into one of the most important people of the Doctor’s world. Amelia Pond is a close second. I adore Karen Gillan and watching her match wits with The Doctor was always a pleasure. I would also be remiss without mentioning Alex Kingston’s River Song. Ol’ girl was a legit badass and i adored her every onscreen minute. There have been many; Sarah Jane Smith, Donna Noble, Mickey Smith, Jack Harkness, Martha Jones, Bill Potts, and Rory Williams all deserve a mention but my favorite modern companion has to be Clara Oswald. Oh, how i adore my lovely Souffle Girl! The thing is, i’m in the minority. Yo, cats in the Whodom HATE Clara Oswin Oswald and i have no idea why. If you break down her character, her arc is one of the most compelling companion journeys ever, right up there with Sarah Jane Smith or River Song.

We’re introduced to Clara as Souffle Girl In the episode “Asylum of the Daleks” where she basically stole the entire show. When she “died” at the end of the episode, i was crazy bummed. I wanted more from Clara, Oswin at that time, and we got another little taste, and a compelling reason to care who this chick was, with that year’s Christmas special “The Snowmen.” That spark that got me when she was Souffle girl? Yeah, it was expanded into a legit blaze of endearment when she returned as Clara Oswin Oswald, Governess and barmaid of the 19th century. Her struggles and eventual death at the hands of the Great Intelligence gave way to a greater mystery; How could the Doctor have met the same woman twice after she had died? Thus the Impossible Girl was born. Watching her origins snake their way through series seven was awesome and i adored that climax. But it was when Smith passed the reign to Capaldi when Clara became a fixture in my Who world.

Capaldi’s Clara was different than Smith’s. This Clara was far more headstrong, far more reckless. She was starting to turn into the Doctor. As far as companions are concerned, this was a first to me, a first in Modern Who times. The Doctor-Donna was close but she was still Donna. Bad Wolf was more a god than a companion. Amy was Amy and River was River, they were who they were before they stepped foot on the Tardis. Clara, though, she grew into her character. She as the most Doctor like of all the other companions and i found that mad compelling. Clara essentially abandoned who she was, or maybe she was always that way, for the Doctor. Capaldi, in particular, influenced who she was. Clara’s growth into who she was in “Face The Raven” was the inevitable conclusion to her journey and, i think, anyone’s journey with The Doctor. You have to get off before the ride ends or it ends.You end. Everyone becomes Clara, to an extent, when you travel with the Doctor but Clara rode that ride to the climax and it cost her everything. Because we can’t BE the Doctor, we can only watch the Doctor and only for fleeting moments. Clara went the distance and effectively became the Doctor at the cost of her life. In the ends, she was clever, beautiful, fulfilling, and brave. She was so brave.

As far as i can tell, the fandom hates Clara because she’s kind of a b*tch. Most of the time. But her character is crazy inconsistent, which can be said about the tail end of Moffat’s tenure overall. Capaldi’s Doctor was effected by that as well. Indeed everything from Series seven until ten could be said to have been a little meh because of Moffatt’s free wheeling narrative style and i think that’s where a lot of the hate for Clara comes from. I’ll be the first to admit her demeanor is wildly uneven during her tenure but the core of who Clara is always shined through. The character, herself, was always there. And who she was could have been great if stories were written that played to her strengths. But there were none, really. “Face The Raven” i thought was pretty legit and “The Name of the Doctor” was another, not to mention “The Dalek Asylum” and “The Snowmen” but that’s kind of all there is. And that’s my point, we never really got that definitive Clara story. She never got that tale where she’s the one. I think, though, given the material she had on hand, Jenna Coleman crafted a compelling, human, character full of flaws and frailties, that rang true to what it would mean to be an actual companion with the Doctor.

At the end of the day, Clara Oswin Oswald is one of the best companions to Doctor Who that have ever been created. Sure, i think she was short changed with writing abut if you actually pay attention to her overall development, if you take the time to understand the character, you’ll find a compelling, rich, evolved character that enhances the Whodom, favorably. My Impossible Girl is simply brilliant that way!

Also, she’s crazy adorable.