3. More Insight Into Companions And Their Backgrounds
It could be argued that the show is really just about the Doctor, so his companions should not be given too much focus - after all, the show is called Doctor Who for a reason. However, the companions do deserve some time in the limelight because they are our proxies; they represent us and our desire to break free of our ordinary lives to do something extraordinary. So it's pretty important that the audience be able to connect with a companion on that level because that crucial connection is one of the driving forces of the show. Modern Doctor Who has taken extra steps to provide us with more details of the companions' lives before they met the Doctor. A prime example of this is the series 1 episode Father's Day, where Rose asks the Doctor to take her to the day her father died so he does not have to die alone. Over the course of the episode we learn how Rose grew up on stories of what her dad was like and how much they meant to her. Even though the reality didn't quite live up to her expectations, she was still grateful for the chance to meet the father she had never known. Virtually all of the companions in the modern series have been given a more fleshed-out backstory. We've seen Martha shake her head over her dysfunctional family, Donna struggle to cope with her feelings of inadequacy, and Clara strive to emulate her mother's baking skills. They have all had something in their past that the audience finds relatable, and taking the time to flesh out the details helps to bring the companions to life in a new way.
Paula Luther hails from Pennsylvania and has been an avid Whovian since 2008. She enjoys writing (obviously), reading, dancing, video editing, and building websites. She has also self-published two books on Amazon, "Bart the Bard" and "Android Mae and Other Stories".
