Doctor Who Should Bring in a Second Companion
By David Hill
When one compares Classic Doctor Who to the modern incarnation, one difference that stands out is how empty the TARDIS is compared to what it was like back in the early days. It was not uncommon for the Doctor to have multiple travelling companions, or assistants, as it were. Now, there is typically that one companion, with any additional people aboard the TARDIS as either the companion’s significant other, or Captain Jack.
That change, while allowing for far more interaction between the Doctor and the specific companion, may actually be a hindrance. While, in theory, we should know more about whoever the Doctor’s companion is at the time, and feel a closer connection, that has not always happened. Instead, these companions have become women of mystery, an enigma wrapped up in a riddle and swallowed whole by one whale of a question. Then, once their story has been told, they leave the Doctor, as he travels the universe alone, a morose and depressed being looking to find his way once again.
With a second companion on board the TARDIS, the Doctor would no longer find himself without direction, lost in the memories of a past that he really cannot return to. While the loss of one of his beloved companions would hurt, the Doctor would have solace in the knowledge that he was not alone with his thoughts, that someone else was there to look after and to guide across the vast reaches of time and space.
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Such a move would certainly change the dynamic on Doctor Who. The two companions may open up different different storylines once again, where we could have the companions dealing with the moral dilemmas of past cultures, attempting to change their behaviors in hopes of saving their future. The two part episodes, which will be more prevalent this season, could be a greater possibility, as the different interactions could lead to more in depth episodes. Perhaps, instead of two part episodes, we could even see a three part mini-series, with the old character development that has been missing from the newer incarnation of Doctor Who.
There would be a bit of a trade off. The mysteries surrounding the companions would likely decrease, if not outright disappear. However, this would be a positive, making the companions more akin to real people, allowing for there to be more of a connection. Maybe, instead of being a polarizing mystery, the companions could be what they had been originally, normal people pressed into extraordinary circumstances.
It has been a long time since there were two real companions on Doctor Who, particularly if any romantic subtext is eliminated from the background. Maybe it is time to revisit this setup.