Romantic Who: Addressing The Dragon In The Room (Part 2)
Guest contributor Sam White concludes examining whether romance has a place in the Doctor’s life.
My Verdict
“Yes, I did. I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best, but you know what? I am good.” – Martha to the Doctor (Last of the Time Lords)
I for one thoroughly enjoyed what Russell T Davies achieved with Ten and Rose. It gave way to extremely satisfying drama and the Bad Wolf Bay scene still remains to be one of the highlights of my Doctor Who experience. As for Martha, I admit to being a bit underwhelmed by her at first but after several repeat viewings of Series 3, I now consider her relationship with the Tenth Doctor to be absolutely phenomenal. The fact that Ten didn’t properly appreciate her just adds another dimension to both the characters instead of taking away from them. This can be seen in stories like Gridlock, Human Nature/The Family of Blood and the Series 3 finale where the duo share several memorable scenes. So in the long run I think Martha has fared very well as a character, contrary to popular belief.
“I just want a mate!” – The Doctor
“You’re not mating with me, sunshine!” – Donna (Partners in Crime)
Nowadays many fans consider Donna to be a favorite and I think this can be partially attributed to the refreshing and strictly friendly dynamic she shared with the Tenth Doctor. But I must also remind you guys that we live in a relative world; that there cannot be a high without a low. Had Donna not followed Martha and Rose, she would not have received the recognition she does today. This is not to say that one dynamic is better than the other two, no, what I am saying is that each dynamic works to provide contrast and that we are free to prefer any or all of them.
When Moffat took over from Davies, he tried to create a different Doctor-Companion dynamic as compared to Davies’ and so to avoid any misconceptions about Amy and the Doctor; he introduced Rory, which was fine. What was not fine however was the way he implemented the relationship of the Doctor and River Song. I personally had no issues with the couple even though Alex Kingston is a good twenty years older than Matt Smith; their chemistry was brilliant on screen and that was all that mattered, however the River Song arc of Series 6 along with the constant downpour of “Spoilers.” and “Hello Sweetie.” proved to be extremely exhausting and contrived, consequently rendering the entire relationship to be quite forced and ineffective.
“I never know why. I only know who.” – The Doctor to Clara (The Snowmen)
On the other hand the romantic tension between Eleven and Victorian Clara in The Snowmen was a welcome change. The scene where the Doctor asks Victorian Clara to join him by entrusting her with a TARDIS key remains to be one of my favourite scenes of Doctor Who ever. The amount of soul Matt and Jenna brought on screen in that particular scene really speaks volumes about their acting capabilities. However when it came to Clara, Moffat decided to take a different route altogether, subtly indicating Eleven’s affection towards her but keeping the relationship strictly platonic in the foreground, especially from Clara’s side. This was a bit cumbersome to be honest. Why have Eleven smitten with Clara when you know it isn’t going to lead anywhere? Or so I thought!
“Clara, I’m not your boyfriend.” – The Doctor
“I never thought you were.” – Clara
“I never said it was your mistake.” – The Doctor (Deep Breath)
When the Eleventh Doctor regenerated into an older looking Twelfth Doctor, Moffat handled the whole boyfriend fiasco by having the Doctor confess his feelings to Clara, but as a mistake he made in the past rather than as something he still felt. While I didn’t necessarily find the age gap to be an issue, when we have already had River and Eleven, I thought I understood Mr. Moffat’s decision to move on and develop a fresher and more grounded relationship between Clara and the Doctor. Now time for a confession (Anybody got a spare confession dial?). I was wrong!
Throughout Series 8 we saw a lot of friction between Clara and the Doctor and while some of it could be interpreted as romantic, especially due to episodes like Mummy on the Orient Express and Last Christmas, I myself practiced ignorance at the time, because for once I just didn’t see the necessity of romance. The dynamic being interweaved in front of us appeared to be coming from three different perspectives (Peter, Jenna and Steven), and so at the time, it was difficult to gauge the complexity of the relationship and its eventual fate. I stood my ground.
“Clara -” – The Doctor
“Everything you are about to say, I already know. Don’t do it now. We’ve already had enough bad timing.” – Clara (Face the Raven)
It wasn’t until the dust had settled and we were almost done with Series 9 that the romantic elements began to appear more defined and transparent to me. The emotional dependence that our two protagonists shared, the wistful mentions of deep love, the characteristic simpatico of soulmates and the earth-shattering scream that symbolized all that remained unsaid. It was a turning point, not only in how I viewed the relationship between Clara and the Twelfth Doctor but also the relationship between Clara and The Doctor.
And the most astonishing revelation was that ultimately it indeed felt necessary, effectively conveying the emotional and romantic baggage that Clara and the Doctor had been carrying ever since Series 7. All of this culminated into the events of Hell Bent which in the author’s opinion is not only one of the most romantic episodes of Doctor Who, but also one of the most nuanced and underrated.
Jenna herself has been quite outspoken about Clara’s devotion and love for the Doctor, and Peter has also had his fair share of opinions on the topic, but I must commend Steven Moffat for approaching this relationship with subtlety and not forcing it on the viewer. He understands the implications and so as always, there is that wiggle room for everyone. It doesn’t matter how you view their relationship, other than that it comes from a place of deep affection and unbreakable mutual trust. Take that how you like.
Overall, a fair amount of fan response to the Doctor’s love life has been unfavorable. Many fans yearn for camaraderie instead of a romantic relationship and they have well founded reasons as well. Doctor Who essentially is a science fiction show. Ridding the show of such romantic elements will most definitely relieve it of some of the dramatic baggage it carries today but I think it will also rob us of some great opportunities in terms of drama and stories. However I also hope that a full on sobfest is avoided.
Addressing the fans
Now I understand that the people reading this might have their own opinions on the matter which is fine and I would love to hear them but there are some final things I’d like to say. As I’ve already mentioned above, there might be some fans who don’t feel comfortable with the topic, especially fans who consider the Doctor to be an asexual or an aromantic and while I myself don’t agree with that assumption, I think I understand the cause of discomfort.
“I’m a Time Lord.” – The Doctor
“Oh, I know you’re a Time Lord.” – Sarah Jane
“You don’t understand the implications… I’m not a human being.” – The Doctor (Pyramids of Mars)
The source of the problem many fans have with these romantic elements (or any other subjective issue concerning Doctor Who) is rooted in their basic idea of who the Doctor is and what Doctor Who represents. An article here argued whether the Doctor is an idea or a person. I very much believe it to be the former of the two. Every fan here has an image which fits his or her own view of what the Doctor should be like. Many fans, especially the fans who have stuck with the show since the classic days, who idealize the first, second or any other classic era Doctor (generally speaking) for that matter are bound to have problems with the idea of the Doctor as a romantic hero. This is not to say that these fans are wrong but simply that there is no wrong or right.
The reason fans don’t agree with one another is simply because their own personal interpretations don’t match, but even then it is still that, an interpretation. Even the writers who write for the show create their own version of Doctor Who corresponding to the show-runner’s vision of what the show and the Doctor should be like and what we witness on screen is just a conglomeration of different interpretations. If it works for you then it doesn’t mean that subject matter is necessarily right and similarly if it doesn’t then the subject matter isn’t necessarily wrong.
The thing to remember here is that there will always be someone who will disagree with you. Now does that make the said person any less of a fan than you are? No. So everybody is right, even Moffat. On a good day you’ll find that you agree with him, but what about the bad days? Keep in mind that it might be somebody else’s good day. So I implore you guys to practice a bit of self-restraint and avoid forcing your opinions on fans who don’t agree with you. Chances are that you’ll end up causing hurt, especially concerning things over which you have no control (only the showrunner does).
This also doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t voice your concerns, but try not to offend. When cornered it’s best to stop responding. Trust me. There is nothing to be gained by a meaning less debate over what is right and what is wrong.
Conclusion
What I’ve covered is certainly not all there is, there is the case of the Eighth Doctor and Grace Holloway, the brilliant couple of John Smith and Joan Redfern, Ten and Madame de Pompadour, Ten and Queen Elizabeth I, the brief encounter of Eleven and Marilyn Monroe and of course the Doctor and his first wife, whoever she was. I’ve barely scratched the surface but I believe that almost all of these romantic elements have come about in the revived era and prove that the Doctor is constantly changing with time, however one always has a right to agree or disagree with such a change.
For the fans who don’t necessarily agree with me, I’d like to say that there is no one Doctor. With every regeneration comes a new man and along with him new elements. What you see today might not comply with what you saw yesterday but that doesn’t make what you saw yesterday any less important and so I leave you guys with this brilliant quote by the Eleventh Doctor which perfectly summarizes what I wish to say.
“We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s okay, that’s good, you’ve got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.” – The Doctor
