carmen_lj | On the Hierarchy of Companions

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.)