Back in 2015 , a single picture convert me I would never watch Doctor Who . An older man running away from a giant explosion , pulling along a much - younger adult female gazing at him in pure adulation . It exemplified everything that cross me aboutgender representationin film and television . I ’ve since learned the way of theWhovian — and while I still have concern , which I ’m hoping the new time of year address , I ’ve make out to see the strength in the forward-looking MD Who companion .
Doctor Who hasreturned for season 11 with a eruption . Not only do we have the first distaff MD , played by the effervescentJodie Whittaker , but she also comes with a posse of companions . It ’s true that each previous Doctor has had a circle of admirer and allies , but typically , the main team for innovative Doctor Who has been the Dr. and one independent familiar . To be clear , I ’ve not watched classic Who , so my impressions come from the 2005 relaunch forward .
When I was a youthful girl go to church service , one of the woman once said to me : “ Behind every gravid homo is a great woman . ” I could n’t have been more than seven or eight , but I clearly recall reply to her : “ Why ca n’t I be in front by myself ? ” She did n’t have an answer , at least not a good one . It should come as no surprise , then , that I ’ve long had issues with tale that perpetuate the estimation that cleaning lady subsist to support men . This can be through their doings or actions , or simply how they ’re framed . There ’s Joi fromBlade Runner 2049 , who is K ’s property , but is frame up as a passion pursuit . Chris Pratt destroys Jennifer Lawrence ’s life history in Passengers , but she support him right until the very end . Hell , Aaron Sorkin build an full media empire around this kind of story . ( There ’s a reason Amy Schumerdid a whole parody sketch about it . )
The common fellow traveler dynamic in modern Who did n’t baby-sit aright with me because it ’s played on traditional , binarized gender stereotypes . Until now , the Doctor has always been a gentleman’s gentleman , and his main companion has been a woman . Typically younger , conventionally attractive , comparatively naïve , and without serious adherence to the world she ’s lead behind . Also , Captain Jack Harkness , while never label on the show , is pansexual , and last time of year ’s fellow , Bill Potts , was openly homophile but every other companion has been lay out as square . And a serious chunk of the modern companion — Rose , Martha , and for a brief consequence in time , even Amy — have produce intimate belief for their respective Dr. .
It might be unfair to judge something establish on eye before really giving it a luck , I pick out that . But there were also facts to back up my fearfulness . A good deal of literary criticism has been aimed at now - former showrunner Steven Moffat for how he plow gender theatrical performance ( more so than Russell T. Davies , the showrunner before him).The Guardianblasted the series in 2014 — in particular , Moffat ’s visual sense — of nurture an environs where many female characters “ do n’t , or ca n’t , exist without a male mien in place to guide them . ” This is n’t surprising ; Moffatspent yearssaying his want of a female physician was the result of everything from “ tradition ” toBrexit , and also say the six - year geological period from 2009 to 2015 in which the show did n’t have any female writers was becausewomen keep turning down the job . Avery commonexcuse .
This lack of distaff author correlate to the years when Doctor Who failed to get a passing grade on the Bechdel - Wallace Test . A film or TV installment passes this test if it has two or more charwoman who speak to each other about anything other than a valet de chambre . On Amy Pond ’s first season , which was also Moffat ’s first as showrunner , the character ( play by Karen Gillan ) only eliminate the test in a small over half of her episodes — a failing class if you go by educational standards . And all of her season , most notably season six , were prevail by episodes where women scarce said three or four lines to each other . Unsurprisingly , all 13 sequence of that time of year — of which Moffat wrote six — were written by men .
As a whole , though , Doctor Who ’s modern companions have average fairly well ( but not outstanding ) when it comes to meeting that base requirement for sex representation . According torather detailed researchfrom a Doctor Who Tumblr account , companions as a whole ( minus Bill Potts and the Modern season ’s companions ) have conk the Bechdel - Wallace Test in 80 percentage of their episodes . Donna Noble got the top slur .
The Bechdel - Wallace Test is n’t the only known path to check female delegacy in media . A few long time ago , mirthful book author Kelly Sue DeConnick coin another test , lesser - cognize but also vital : the Sexy Lamp . If a female character can be replaced with an physical object without affect the plot , then that piece of media has failed her . It may vocalize dramatic , but sadly , this happens more often than you think . Amy Adams ’ Lois Lane from the DC Universe is often criticized as being a glorified Sexy Lamp . Sure , she does stuff , but you could take her out of the films and it would n’t really change Superman ’s narrative or journey . As much as the penning or portrayal of Doctor Who ’s modern companions have torment me at times — like how Amy debut as a “ kissogram ” — none of them could ever be replace . They are all essential parts of the Doctor ’s life , coming into his world for a reason and change it for the respectable .
This did n’t always happen right away , and sometimes the companions suffer for it . After the cataclysm of miss Rose ( Billie Piper ) , David Tennant ’s Doctor rifle through a really dark period . His young fellow Martha ( Freema Agyeman ) was effectively ignored due to his own miserableness — something she stopped stand , leading her to take the air out on him . The Doctor learned from his mistakes , discovering and embracing a unadulterated comedic foil in Donna , a fictional character who play to actress Catherine Tate ’s strengths . And later on , after Peter Capaldi ’s Doctor lost Clara ( Jenna Coleman ) , who had a fun and quirky personality , Bill Potts ( Pearl Mackie ) was the laid - back friend he require .
This does n’t mean these women are strictly delimit by the Doctor and his needs — though sometimes it can seem that agency . They are all there at the behest of the Doctor , seeing his conversant world through Modern optic . It ’s a wash - rinsing - repeat cycle . However , all of Doctor Who ’s companions have managed to come into their own over the course of their journeys , make choices that have crucify the Doctor or even defied him . For example , during the Pompeii episode , Donna challenged the Doctor to save just one person from the vent . It would n’t exchange history , but it would be something upright .
Of course , there are exceptions . Moffat ’s later “ vaticination ” plots involving Amy and Clara lean heavily into the stereotype of having a woman live to aid a man ’s journeying , to the full point where it ventured on “ spawned from Adam ’s rib ” territory . Thebiggest victimwould be Clara . Coleman was fun and expressive , and I like her quite a bit , but she was given a rotter deal . Clara was n’t a grapheme so much as an thought the writer thought was apt , leaving her with piffling to crop with afterward . What note value does “ The Impossible daughter ” have after she ’s no longer impossible ? The writers did n’t really think it through , and her storyline suffer until her type ’s death .
When it comes to the medium we take in , sometimes appearances can be lead on . Josie and the Pussycats was commercialise as a dumb mirthful book moving-picture show for kids , but it actually has some becoming commentary on social consumerism that I still think it does n’t get enough credit for . And for me , Doctor Who might have some slip , but the Doctor and their companion are something to lay eyes on .
At the same meter , like something does n’t wipe out its problem . As much as we wish to guess we have to either make out something or hate it , that there is no in between , we can enjoy show or films while take note where they could be better . The fellow traveller on Doctor Who are complex and interesting cleaning lady , but they also can be hold back by the nature of their purpose : the companion are there to follow the Dr. . Until lately , it ’s been a woman behind the thousand - yr - old man . That stereotype the woman in my old church tell me I had to obey . It was n’t okay then , and it ’s not hunky-dory now .
Season 11 is changing that norm by expanding the Doctor ’s circle with Yaz , Ryan , and Graham , and I palpate it ’s for the better . We ’re in new territorial dominion , add up on the heels of a sometimes concerning bloodline . The account of the forward-looking Doctor Who companions may have their complications , but they ’re still critical to a show about a meter - go alien — both for the Doctor themselves and the interview . That ’s a trend I really hope continues .
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