"As deep as the scar that's under my skin, like being in love, she says, for the first time."

[intrikate88]

Now that series four of Doctor Who has begun and we've gotten to see Donna's first journey to somewhere else with the Doctor, it's interesting to note the contrasts between the three main companions so far in the new series. They've all had different journeys to different places, gained different insights from their journeys, and have learned different things about the guy they're traveling with.

Rose's first trip in the TARDIS took her to the end of earth. She saw her planet burn into nothing, and know that she was the only earth-born true human left. This journey wasn't just pointlessly depressing, though; the Doctor had a purpose in taking her there: he couldn't adequately tell her what he had just experienced, but he could show her. Her natural traits of empathy took her still further, and at the end of the episode, she takes the Doctor's hand and lets him know that he isn't alone. Their relationship, then, is based on mutual understanding. Rose isn't going to make uninformed comments about his past and his loneliness, because she's seen it and understands.

Then they're all happy, and then Doomsday happens and tears everyone's heart to tiny pieces and then mashes them with a trencher for a little while. And then Martha comes along.

Martha ends up on the moon, she has an adventure saving the hospital with this cute guy who snogs her and just happens to be an alien. She gets some ideas that he's fun and everything is hunky-dory. But it isn't. She doesn't know he's broken and hurting and he thinks he'll never see his best friend again. She doesn't know he's lost a lot of concepts of what's right and how to be kind even if it might hinder you from saving the world. She takes a trip with him, back in time to meet Shakespeare.

Now, when I first saw 'The Shakespeare Code' I did draw up some contrasts between Rose and Martha. Rose chooses to have an adventure in the unknown future; Martha wants to see a known past. Rose leaves her mother and Mickey behind; Martha micromanages her family before she leaves. Rose is kind of drifting in life, without advanced education or a career; Martha has the ambition to make it all the way through medical school, and knows exactly what she's doing.

Frankly, I thought after that, I'd mostly relate to Martha. I mean, yes, I would totally want to see the past instead of a piecemeal peep at the future. I am ambitious and hold onto things I know. And, like Martha, I've done the whole thing with being infatuated with a good friend who took me on adventures but never seemed to be interested in more. But that's over. But perhaps that's exactly why I didn't relate to Martha more than I did; she was too much of an unflattering mirror.

So the Doctor takes Martha on a fun little adventure for her first trip. He probably thinks this is alright; he hasn't signed on for a full-time companion again, just giving a girl who helped him a little treat is all. And she gets the impression that this is his life, and that he hasn't just lost someone who meant so much to him. She isn't allowed a parallel experience, and so she doesn't understand. She keeps going after him and being infatuated and making bitchy comments about Rose- while we may see she's about as appropriate as a golddigger at a funeral, she can't see that.

And now we come to Donna. After the Doctor has lost SO many things- not just Gallifrey and Rose, at this point, but the only other Timelord, his latest companion, as well as a girl named Astrid who was depending on him, he is pretty fucked up. He's having trouble making decisions, because no matter what he does it turns out badly and he has more guilt on his shoulders. So he takes Donna back, accidentally really (though I think the TARDIS might have taken an active role in this,) to Pompeii, and she has to see what it's like to choose between bad and worse, what it's like to see terrible things happening and not being able to stop them. And when faced with this, she chooses to stand by him and shoulder his burdens; her hands over his on the lever is the same action as Rose taking his hand and saying it was time for chips. Donna can see and understand what the Doctor is going through, and yet she can still encourage him to be kind and help people when his position in the universe gets to be a bit much for him.

I think Donna's going to be good for the Doctor, and help him to heal and again the man that Rose loves. I don't want Rose to see him as he was last season, or even now. Because while she would understand his situation, having gone through many of the same things, his behavior and attitude towards everything isn't something that the Rose I know would tolerate. I look forward to seeing them both healthy and whole and together. At least that's what I hope, and might go threaten RTD to make sure happens....

Comments

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

I've... pretty much got nothing to add to this. Yes, yes, and yes.

Although the more sadistic side of me is VERY curious about what would happen if Rose had somehow managed to see any of what happened last season....

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

Although the more sadistic side of me is VERY curious about what would happen if Rose had somehow managed to see any of what happened last season....

I know! I feel that, too. I think it would absolutely break her heart, but at the same time... well, it'd be fun to see her burn down the BBC buildings in retaliation for what they did to him. :D

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

Also, I'd love to see how she dealt with the Master. Martha did a great job, don't get me wrong, but I'd looooove to see what Rose would do.

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

I think it would have been really different if it was Rose instead of Martha. For one, she'd never leave the Doctor's side to go walking the earth. Whether the right or wrong choice, Rose definitely would not have left. So they would have had to beat the Master in a completely different way.

I also think Rose instead of Martha would have given the Master more leverage against the Doctor, so it's probably good that she wasn't there.

At the same time, I'm pretty convinced she would have bitten his nose off. And that would have been interesting. :D

[thunderemerald.livejournal.com]

:: At the same time, I'm pretty convinced she would have bitten his nose off. And that would have been interesting. :D

WRITE IT.

I think you're right about Rose neverever leaving. But see, that would've been a cooler story -- overthrowing the regime from the inside! Plus, what I wouldn't give to see Jackie in that maid outfit, fuming like it was her job....

[mrv3000.livejournal.com]

Very insightful stuff. I think I'd much rather see Rose find a more healthy Doctor as well. I'm sure she could deal with it if not, but I think it would kill her a bit to see just how damaged he became.

Like at the end of TPotW when the Doctor said, "Have a fantastic life. Do that for me," I'm pretty sure Rose wants the Doctor to have a fantastic life. She was so worried about it in the end - him being on his own and so on - and she was right to be worried. But even if Rose would be able to stay with the Doctor for a while now, he'll still be without her again one day. And I think she'd love to know that he'll be okay.

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

But even if Rose would be able to stay with the Doctor for a while now, he'll still be without her again one day.

NONONONONONO SEVER. Ahem. What are you talking about? They will travel forever and possibly have tiembabies!

But yeah... it's just she was SO worried in the end about how he'd be, who would hold his hand, and if he'd be alone. And to know that he isn't okay when she's not with him would hurt her a lot, I think. And if when they are seperated again, I want it to be on a good, trusting, wholesome note, and not another tragedy.

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

And when faced with this, she chooses to stand by him and shoulder his burdens; her hands over his on the lever is the same action as Rose taking his hand and saying it was time for chips.

You know, I'm seeing tons of parallels between the Doctor/Donna relationship and the Doctor/Rose relationship. Not the romantic stuff, of course, but in the general way they interact - Donna challenging the Doctor reminds me of Rose in S1, and the Doctor and Donna giggling over things like the psychic paper remind me of Ten and Rose in S2.

Which... you know, makes me think that the people who say Donna is sooooooo much before for the Doctor than Rose really just have issues with the romantic plotline.

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

Totally, totally agree.

[sheron]

Hope I'm not spoiling ep 4, but when Donna said "I'll have a salute" that had me flashing back to Rose in "The Idiot's Lantern". Exact same attitude of bosing a man around. *g* And driving the TARDIS, has Martha ever done that? As much as I tend to think of the Doctor & Donna interacting like siblings, maybe the real parallel there is Donna & Rose.

[shinyopals.livejournal.com]

Here via the_spdn and very good points over all!

Another thing I will say about their first impressions is that Martha generally gets a far more impressive one. He gets the destination right, nobody dies, he gets rid of the witch with just the power of his mind. Rose and Donna both see the Doctor screw up a bit more: people die, he gets the destination wrong very early on for Rose and in Donna's first, that sort of thing.

I tend to think that contributes to why Martha seems to put him up on a pedestal far more than Rose and Donna seem to.

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

Ooh, you are SO right. I hadn't even thought of that, really. Because as far as Martha can see, there's a cute, sexually-inclined guy, inviting her traveling and into a bed, before successfully saving the day with very little effort. If that's set up as the standard of normality, of course you're going to be disappointed with anything other than that.

[sheron]

Yes, I know exactly what you mean and I loved this post. I too have been comparing the three of them and their interactions with the Doctor. They are all wonderful but it's interesting to see how they fit, all in different ways.

One of the things I've been thinking, if I may elaborate on your excellent analysis is the way the three of them learn about the Doctor's past.

Rose sees her planet burn and demands answers, but then when the Doctor becomes upset she backs of and jokes with him, until later they are hand in hand and he tells her and she knows exactly what he means, what it's like to be alone.

Martha is alone on a planet with no way to contact the Doctor, and she realizes she doesn't know him at all and what she misses most is being able to talk to her family, tell them where she is. She then refuses to move until he explains himself a little more. As far as I can tell, from her perspective of always being the pillar of strength in her large family it is impossible for her to understand the place that the Doctor is in, having lost all that. But then at the end of the season, when everyone is dying, I think she learns.

Donna finds out when he is basically being as cruel as we've ever seen anyone be, killing someone's children in Runaway Bride and she immediately gets that he needs someone to stop him from becoming someone he wouldn't want because of his grief.

I like this contrast of Rose's intuitive empathy, Martha's slow learning curve, and Donna's quick intelligent analysis.

There are many more compare and contrast points of discussion I could bring up but I don't want to ramble too much in your journal :)