Doctor Who Season Four Speculation

[meddow]

Once again, my mindless part-time job and Doctor Who obsessed brain combine to bring you Doctor Who speculation, this time mainly concerning Donna’s arc during season four and the potential companion situation for the 2009 specials.

Right, so as we’ve seen that in a couple of promo images (such as this one), Donna is wearing a striped suit. It seems to be her equivalent of Martha’s purple jacket in that it is image of the character the production crew seem to be promoting. If I’ve learnt one thing from DVD extras it is that you can never underestimate the thought put into things like costume choices. And, of course, which other character wears a striped suit?

This, to me, indicates that they are carrying on from where The Runaway Bride began with Donna as something of a mirror of the Doctor. I mean, if you look at the two characters during that episode, it becomes clear that the actions they took before meeting we both the result of them being afraid of being lonely. The Doctor formed an unhealthy-at-times attachment to Rose, and was reeling from her loss which causes him to go off the deep end with the Racnoss. Meanwhile Donna fell in love with Lance, and within six months had convinced him to marry her, and failed to notice he was an evil bastard. Donna being a bridezilla and the Doctor being genocidal both stemmed from something that is the same about them. As different as they are, they are both desperately lonely people who loved and lost and began the process of moving on.

A running theme of the Tenth Doctors run, a one explored in the most depth later in season three in Human Nature/Family of Blood, is the so called ‘normal life’ – finding someone you love and growing old with them. What John Smith wants, and what he finds so hard to give up, is exactly the same thing Donna wants and what she believe she would find in Lance, that normal life. But the Doctor cannot have those things, because he is close to immortal. And continuing on with this mirror idea what is the opposite of never having a normal life because you live too long? Never having a normal life because you don’t live long enough. Donna, I think, is going to die.

Also it has been strongly illustrated that Donna is a very small picture sort of girl, and the Doctor is a very big picture sort of guy. If you view one without viewing the other you miss things. A lot of The Runaway Bride was the Doctor helping Donna realise the big picture, and the final line was the Doctor, at Donna’s urging, confronting the small one – Rose. Hopefully, a lot of season four is going to continue with these two opening up the other’s eyes. The Doctor can introduce Donna to worlds, Donna can hopefully get the Doctor to realise just how much of an arse he was towards Martha.

I just think it would be a nice end to the character of Donna, if she leaves doing something for the big picture. Now this does not necessarily entail sacrifice, she could leave the TARDIS to devote her attention to some cause that needs fighting. However, it would be far more dramatic and work with what I said about her being a mirror if she was to sacrifice herself for what she dubs ‘the big picture.’ Or even maybe giving up her life to save the Doctor's, which would be both a big picture and small picture thing, the Doctor can continue on to fix problems and inspire others like he has always done, but on a small picture level, it’s a friend sacrificing herself to save a friend.

Now this can leave the Doctor feeling horrifically guilty entering into the specials. But not necessarily even more of an angst-ridden self-destructive mess than he currently is. If written well, he might not end up at square one like he was when Donna met him. Donna would probably have some choice words to say if the Doctor wound up being a genocidal arse all over again, and hopefully he’d bare that in mind and grow rather than revert.

Though what the guilt could do is have the Doctor decide that he is not going to take in any more companions, his loneliness is not worth the sacrifice they make. Again, this would be character growth in the Doctor since that would not be a decision an eight year old would make, and would be a nice conclusion to the companionapalooza the season finale seems to be.

This would also leave the specials free for a series of one-off companions, because it would be difficult to introduce a new companion and get to know them when you’re only getting on episode every three months or so, and could also free up the specials for some guest start (personally, I have my fingers crossed for Emma Thompson as Bea Nelson-Stanley, but that’s a long shot) And when series five comes around, just give the Doctor a stowaway.

Comments

[alexiscartwheel.livejournal.com]

Hi, I came upon this post via dogstar101's f-list, and was pulled in by the allure of anything at all Doctor Who related. :)

I'm another who's really looking forward to Donna in season four, and I enjoyed reading your thoughts about her. I hadn't seen that promo shot before, and I agree that the pinstripe jacket only accentuates the parallels between the Doctor and Donna. I think Donna's different perspective will make her an amazing foil for the Doctor, which we already got to see some of in The Runaway Bride. I think it's really important that she doesn't hesitate to call him out when she thinks he's going too far.

Really, the season just can't start soon enough!

[meddow.livejournal.com]

It really can't start soon enough.

And I really hope, like you, that she will call the Doctor out. He really really does need somebody to stop him. And Catherine Tate and David Tennant have such great chemistry, it's bound to be wonderful to watch them bicker.

[reserve.livejournal.com]

Hi! Here by way of who_daily -- they really do have wonderful chemistry. I could seriously watch their Comic Relief sketch about a thousand times and still laugh all the same. Plus, what I like about them is that there really doesn't seem to be much space for romantic entanglement, which is a much needed change for the Doctor, might I say. Anyway, I really like what you have to say about Donna, and I hope you're spot on.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

Their chain reaction interview is like that as well. Absolutely hilarious. And I'm with you on the romantic entanglement, it'll be incredibly refreshing just to have the Doctor and his companion back to being best friends.

[reserve.livejournal.com]

Best friends who can have the occasional row that doesn't end in wobbly lower lips! I mean, really! It's going to be so nice. And then there's going to be Companionpalooza and we'll see what happens there.

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

Hmm, interesting thoughts. I've been thinking about Donna's arc too, and came to a similar conclusion - that she may die... I don't know. Not that I particular *want* her to die, but in light of your thought pattern it is a possiblity. On the other hand, having a companion die at the end of the series is probably not going to leave the Doctor in the best place again, and there is only so much emo!Doctor that the fans can take, whether it is Ten or Eleven at this stage.

BTW, did you get Heroes?

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I don't particularly want her to die either, I'd love to have Donna around for the regeneration (whenever that is), but if Catherine Tate's not going to do more than a series, I think a very dramatic exit that cements her an unforgettable place in the show's canon would be wonderful. But yeah, there is the problem of emo Ten. He is in desperate need of an "everybody lives" moment.

And I did get Heroes. Thank you!

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

I suppose it is hard for writers to find reasons to let companions leave without isolating/annoying fandom, or stereotyping their characters. I almost secretly want Donna to be given some massively awesome responsibility on Earth where she can kickass, but Martha has kind of already done that. Death is a tricky one because while it can be done in a heroic manner, it still is sad and you need to address the proper "grief" protocol otherwise the Doctor comes off looking like an insenstive idiot (which he can be at the best of times anyway). It is fine to us if he doesn't mourn Astrid because she was only a one-off companion, but if he doesn't mourn the death of a long term companion (Donna, potentially) then we're not going to respect him much for that either. If he is given time to mourn, we get EMO Doctor, which basically on the whole a lot of the fandom is sick of. I'd love to see Donna around for a regeneration (as much as I will miss Ten). Her reaction would be completely... worth it.

Ten does need some "everybody lives" moments, because he hasn't had much of any for a long time. He's getting a bit disillusioned, poor bloke.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

All the ex-companions getting cool jobs on Earth is getting a bit old. There is always the married off option, but hopefully every using that option died in the minds of the show runners during the creation of the new series.

The could always imply that there has been a significant gap of time in which the Doctor travelled by himself before we see him again. And the specials do give them something of an opportunity. If they go with one off companions, the audience will have had nearly two years to get over the death before the new full time companion comes along, so we wouldn't notice so much if the Doctor doesn't grieve as much.

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

Even the "married off" option would probably peeve some people off. Women only value themselves through finding love and finding a man, blah blah.

I think the writers are going to be concious that they don't have a NEW Doctor and a NEW companion at the same time? Or maybe they want that? Having an establish companion with a new Doctor is more likely to keep fans on board than having both a new Doctor and a new companion to try and introduce at the same time.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I hate the married off option mostly for those issues of value. I've seen it done well in the classic series (with Susan and later with Jo), but it didn't fit a quite few companions they did it to in the classic series and it certainly wouldn't work for Donna. What would be the point of her journey if she was left at an alter ready to marry a man she'd known for five minutes?

I think they would not risk a new companion and a new Doctor, particularly following on from Tennant, who has made the role very much his own and is the Doctor in the eyes of many, which is why I don't believe those rumours about him regeneration any time before the end of season five. We need season five for the new companion to establish themselves before the regeneration.

[artic-fox.livejournal.com]

Yes, that is ultimately how I would like to see it done too. Hopefully Tennant can commit himself to series 5, especially seeing as they are only giving us three specials in between so he can go and do Hamlet. They must be interested in keeping him on board for as long as possible (and in the interest of keeping the franchise going as long as possible also - we can't have Eleven, and Twelve doing an Eccleston on us)

[moetushie]

Oh, I'm looking forward to series 4.
The Doctor can introduce Donna to worlds, Donna can hopefully get the Doctor to realise just how much of an arse he was towards Martha.
If only this would happen.

[volitaire.livejournal.com]

IAWTC!!!

[meddow.livejournal.com]

If it doesn't I'm going to be very disappointed. I'm very much hoping Donna's going to act as the voice of fandom on this matter.