On the Hierarchy of Companions

[carmen_lj]

It is late. I may be having thoughts. Or, really, I've had these thoughts for a while but now am putting them into writing form because the notion of sleep is currently a wee bit terrifying. Yes. Cause that's what I need. A fear of sleep.

Anyway, yes, this is mainly thoughts of mine own after reading nostalgia_lj's words about Companions and Hierarchy. In way of summary, I sort of agree, but not really. (I think that's a good indication of how well-structured this ramble's going to be, oh yes.)


The Doctor loves his companions, all of them. Oh yes he did. Even Adric (sorry, I don't actively hate him, just am quite glad he died). And he has faith in them. All of them. Oh yes he does (see me cite authourity like the good student I am: The Curse of Fenric; The Satan Pit). The type of love is debateable, and whether he loves some more than others is debateable.

Anyway, this hierarchy thing, where the Doctor appears to love or be more protective of certain companions ain't new. It's always been there. Would he go after Barbara or Susan when both were in danger? Jamie or Victoria? Ben or Polly? Jo or the Brig? Tegan or Adric? Me, I'd say Susan, Victoria, Polly, Jo and Adric. Why? Is it because he cares about them more? (Susan, I'd say yes it is and he does have closer relationships to some than others. I mean, I love Liz and I quite like Jo but clearly Three has a deeper relationship with the latter) No, it's because he knows that they're the ones who are less capable of taking care of themselves. Jamie was the one with the closest relationship with Two, but the Doctor would still go after Victoria, assuming she would be the one less able to take care of herself. Zoe, far more capable, and I think it would depend on exactly what sort of danger there was, who he would go after there.

So, discounting Adam, about whom I can only conclude the Doctor really didn't like, we have Jack and Mickey as the non-Rose companions in New Who. And, for both, we have examples of the Doctor appearing to choose Rose's safety over theirs. PotW, Rose gets to go home, Jack gets to sacrifice himself. Why? Does the Doctor care less about Jack's life? I don't think so. I think that he knows that Jack knows what he's getting into, and what's going on and what they likely outcome would be. He knows and he understands. Because he's a time-travelling rogue time agent and he gets it. Rose does not. Rose is young and, compared to the other two, inexperienced and naive. And she'd be bloody useless if she'd stayed. She's not a soldier, Jack is. His sacrifice means something and it gives the Doctor time. She would be, um, cannon fodder most likely.

Mickey, on the other hand, is a lot more at Rose's level. And yet Rose gets chosen over him in Rise of the Cybermen. But, but, but, it's not as though the Doctor makes an instant decision over who to go after here. He yells at them both, demands that they stay, he takes forever to decide who to go after and they force him to make a choice. And the sensible person to go after is Rose, not Mickey. Because Mickey may be an idiot, but he's also sensible, level-headed and gets danger, in that he gets scared of stuff and he will run away. And that's, y'know, a lot less likely to land you in trouble that going after the father who's already caused you to end the world once because you have Major Issues. Rose gets herself into trouble with stupid, though brave, behaviour. Mickey doesn't. There's not really a choice there, but it's not because he loves Rose Oh So Much More. Though, obviously, he does have a deeper relationship with her than he does with Mickey.

So, yes, it's about safety and not getting into trouble this choosing one over the other, not love. For me anyways. And it's always happened so it's not something that bothers me at all, no. Good.

On another note, I've found any shippy moments that I go hrrm at to become Somewhat Wonderful when I substitute Two and Jamie in. Because I don't ship them, and don't properly ship Ten/Rose and yet they do feel, in some ways, like very similar relationships. And the substitution makes me quite, quite happy, yes.

On another note, I had a horrible, horrible thought about the Doctor and how he is Stalin. Because he is very keen on Rose Not Dying, and sometimes thinks of her before the world/universe/other large group of faceless people. Because one death is a tragedy and a million is a statistic. I hate myself for that.

(I have to stop using this icon, but I am currently loving it far too much and can't really stop because it makes me very happy even though it scares me a bit, yes.)

Comments

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

This is very true. He'd go after Harry, iirc. Like, oh, Ark in Space. Er. But this may be me not remembering well.

Can we have Jamie travelling with Ten?

[kijikun.livejournal.com]

I always found it ironic that Sarah sometimes seem to get in less trouble than Harry!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Harry is a Bumbler. Sarah is Quite Sensible, yes. *nods*

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I think Jamie n Ten would be fabulous like woah. and he would love Jamie more

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

I've occasionally had a rant on a related subject, about how treating someone like they're the helpless one isn't the same as shippy-love, and any adult should really resent it. It's the appropriate way to treat children, and in every case you name, it's the child he's going after (which, in a couple of cases, may just mean "younger and more clueless").

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Quite so. Though, apparently being an adult, I still wouldn't mind being helped out of any and all dangerous situations involving Monsters, yes.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

Oh, indeed, help is good, and comes Ringo Starr-approved. But I'd prefer the "Right, you can safely be left alone in the presence of hot stoves for half an hour, while I fiddle with this important bit to save our lives" help, to the "Oh, Mummy's here, nothing's wrong" help. :)

[calapine.livejournal.com]

That makes sense, yes. *nods*

[neohippie.livejournal.com]

Very interesting thoughts.

I wonder what you think about this: Someone on doctorwho mentioned that it seems Rose acts more helpless when the Doctor is around than when he's not. Take for example when he is unconcious in "The Christmas Invasion" or when he's down the hole in "The Satan Pit". That's when Rose tries to take charge of things.

I think the Doctor is not just helping Rose more, but Rose is becoming too dependent on the Doctor and not realizing her own strenghts, and the Doctor is sort of enabling this behavior.

[drox.livejournal.com]

...it seems Rose acts more helpless when the Doctor is around than when he's not.

Yeah! And it's getting worse as the series goes on. She was so capable at first, back when he just wanted her to go away and she ended up saving his life instead.

Whatever happened to capable!Rose?

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Aye, she assumes he knows what's going on rather than challenging him as she used to, but when he's not there acts on her own initative. More thinking on this point required, yes.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Not to mention he died for Peri, who was very much a flailer (though I do like her). Though god knows how he thought she'd get off that planet.

He's always had a thing for risking it all for the companions without knowing quite how that will turn out (think of the Fourth Doctor revealing the Daleks' weaknesses in Genesis of the Daleks rather than see them suffer; granted he manages to destroy the tape but he has no idea if he will manage to do that when he tells all).

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Yo, the Genesis one is the thing I usually use for evidence that he risks Lots of People for His Companions assuming he can sort it later, yes. (Three's even worse though.)

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Most of the Doctors seem to be willing to trade in large chunks of the universe for their companions' well-being and relying on their ability to sort it all out at some point. It's an odd mixture of supreme egotism and affection (and I suspect that egotism is the primary factor).

[pontisbright.livejournal.com]

Word Wordy McWord.

Sorry, have temporarily lost use of Actual Words.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I have Words. They are like jam tarts.

[thedivinegoat.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, Jam Tarts.

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

True, but that annoys me for /different/ reasons. ;)

Seriously, though, that makes lots of sense. But they are still doing the shipping, with Rose's doe-eyes and so on.

But maybe the Doctor just cares about what Jackie will say if he doesn't return her. And that's why she's so important to the multiverse.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

This helps me to quietly ignore the shipping a bit, yes, and that makes me happy. Ahem. Yes. Quite.

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

Anything that results in ignoring the shipping is good. :) Every bit helps.

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

I try not to think of the Protectiveness element in case it maks me squick hard re: Ten/Rose. :(

[calapine.livejournal.com]

That is why I cannot really ever see Jo/Three.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Yup. The way he looks at her is so clearly paternal: fond, proud, sometimes annoyed, but in no way aroused.

[secretive-bus.livejournal.com]

Lots of very good points there.

Though my own personal moral coming away from that iss "Babs was a much better companion than Rose." Ahem. :-D

[calapine.livejournal.com]

But she is!

[secretive-bus.livejournal.com]

You know how it's oppressive of us to rate Romana so highly against Rose?

Do you think we could do the same thing for Babara?

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I don't think anyone can doubt the awsomeness of Barbara. That would be awfully silly of them. (But it wouldn't be oppression, cause she would not be shipped with One, but Ian and I bet that would be okay, yes.)

[secretive-bus.livejournal.com]

How about Trought and Zoe? What with Two being shaggable and all (allegedly).

[chicafrom3.livejournal.com]

"Babs was a much better companion than Rose."

Well, yes, obviously.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Because he is very keen on Rose Not Dying, and sometimes thinks of her before the world/universe/other large group of faceless people. Because one death is a tragedy and a million is a statistic. I hate myself for that.

That's a definite difference from Two and Jamie: I was listening to Evil of the Daleks the other day, and the Daleks tell the Doctor they'll kill Jamie, Victoria and the two other human hostages if he doesn't help them with their research that's going to let them destroy the Earth. The Doctor says sadly but firmly that no, he won't help them, because the lives of four people against the lives of everyone on the planet "isn't even a choice".

I was listening to this at work. I got teary a bit.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, and he's willing to sacrifice companions in The Moonbase too to stop the Cybermen. Two quite ruthless really, yes. Love Two.

[melata-fic.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh. Yes. Ruthless, but completely the Doctor. And logical, too.

I take this as further proof that only Two is canon.