Doctor Who spoilers: How Grace changed the status quo

Grace O’Brien only featured in one episode before she was killed off, but her death has already left a huge impact on Doctor Who. Here are a few reasons why.

The Series Eleven opener The Woman Who Fell To Earth introduced us to our new TARDIS team in the form of Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien. But that wasn’t all. We also met supporting character Grace – Graham’s wife.

Grace’s courage, gung-ho attitude and protective instincts towards her grandson, ultimately, lead to her demise. “Is it wrong to be enjoying this?”, she asks her husband during the midst of danger. For her, perhaps, it was.

In many ways she feels like ‘the companion that never was’ – joining the likes of Jenny (The Doctor’s Daughter), Sally Sparrow (Blink) and Rita (The God Complex), to name a few. The fact that she fitted in comfortably makes her death all the more saddening. In wider terms however, I contend that this was a piece in a broader picture that Chris Chibnall is establishing.

Initially, Grace seemed to be a natural part of the group. So her death by the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth came as quite a shock.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

The importance of death

I believe Grace’s untimely death was a very deliberate and conscious choice from Chibnall. It sends a clear message for the new direction of the show: death is important. There are consequences.

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To have a character that was constructed to be a regular supporting role die in the first episode was a bold move. It shifts the Doctor Who status quo – a status quo that is deliberately distancing itself from the era prior. It was an era with (arguably) less consequence, with a focus more towards the fantastical, whimsy and fairytale. But Doctor Who has now shifted to grittier territory. This is very clear with the establishment of a new style and tone. Grace’s death adds and reaffirms this.

It’s possible, of course, Grace could come back. This is science-fiction after all. I don’t believe this is the case, however. The tone and decision to kill her off so soon indicates a message that death is permanent.

This was echoed by Chibnall choosing to have a character-driven funeral scene. It gives Grace’s demise further finality and emotional closure for Ryan and Graham.

It’s clear her death has set in motion character arcs between Ryan and Graham overcoming their friction. Individual arcs too, for Graham to battle his survivor’s guilt and for Ryan to handle his dyspraxia have been established.

In conclusion, I believe the choice to kill off Grace was not only a brave move. It was also a smart one. It has seeded our new companions with emotional arcs and I believe has shifted the status quo on death and the consequences of it.

But what do you think? Do you think Grace will come back? Or do you think it points to darker themes to come? Let us know in the comments below.