Doctor Who: Every Modern Companion's DEFINITIVE Episode

3. Eve Of The Daleks (Yasmin Khan)

Considering that Yaz is one of the longest-serving companions in the revival, it's hard to nail down a definitive episode for her.

Demons of the Punjab was an option, but upon closer inspection, the story doesn't actually give her much to do. Likewise, Can You Hear Me provides some great development for Yaz, but not much in the way of focus.

Eve of the Daleks however is the episode that finally confirms what had gone unspoken for a very long time – Yaz has romantic feelings for the Doctor. The scene where Yaz finally admits this to herself and Dan is among her best moments, but it's not what stands out the most.

This is also the episode in which Yaz starts to really challenge the Doctor on her behaviour, becoming frustrated about being sidelined for her 'own protection', and disregarded emotionally because Thirteen is too afraid of having a mature conversation, and would sooner pretend she hasn't noticed the way Yaz feels. There's tension in this episode between the duo, which is finally allowed to surface and bring them all the closer for it, as Dan quietly plays Cupid in the background (and when is he not in the background? Bless him).

Eve of the Daleks itself is a bit of a banger, and while it's not quite Heaven Sent, the episode does make very good use of its time-loop gimmick to apply emotional strain on the characters, exacerbating their honesty with each other.

Yaz isn't the hero of the story but her persistence and determination is showcased throughout – she's given more to do than normal, and is an integral part of the team. There are certainly episodes where Yaz does more, but this one still takes the 'definitive' crown as it's where Yaz's emotional arc hits its apex.

It's just a shame the next episode spends more time on silly pirate jokes than actually following up this solid setup.