For when people say they’re sick of seeing gay stuff everywhere. Suck it up. 4 years. 4 years. And that’s just on the books, it’s legal. It doesn’t stop shitty attitudes, actions, or straight up violence.
i’m really excited to see what ruby sunday is like in the new doctor who series because in the russell t davies era previously, the doctor’s companions were a sort of invitation to the audience. it felt like when rose, martha, and donna were on-screen, the writers were asking us to embody them, showing us the traits of humanity that the doctor needed the most and saying how valuable it is to be these human things.
rose, who instinctually connected with anyone around her who was downtrodden or overlooked. who advocated for people who she thought weren’t listened to enough. who loved the doctor but expected better from him, and told him so.
martha, who never needed the doctor to try to save people. who was left on her own in impossible situations and stayed the course even when she was terrified. who loved herself enough to walk away.
donna, who never ever apologized for being loud and abrasive. who sometimes doubted herself and her worth but never let anyone else put her down. who knew instinctively how to relate to people different from her, even thousand-year-old timelords.
i think this is why rtd-era companions were so identified with their jobs (rose whose first episode has her meeting the doctor at her job as a shop assistant, donna whose experience as a temp constantly comes up, martha who’s training to be a doctor). they are us in our every-day working class lives, and the writers call on that every-day experience as vital and worthwhile even in fantastical situations.
i really hope ruby sunday brings back this aspect of companions, because i think it’s really part of the heart of doctor who and what makes it so relevant.
