Rose Tyler, for all her faults (perhaps because of all her faults) was an engaging character because she was our avatarour lens through which we saw the Doctor and his world; as with Martha, as with Donnaeven with Gramps Cribbins and other secondary characters. We cared about the Doctor because they cared. Now, it seems, we're supposed to care about the Doctor's companions because he...sort of sometimes cares about them. The focus has shifted from the companionour human connectionto the Doctor, who is erratic and inhuman and inconsistent. Such a character is brilliant to watch, but the watching becomes an ordeal if the creators of the show want us to truly empathize, care, and...well...accompany this character on his adventures. We haven't been able to really know Clara because the Doctor hasn't let us. He sweeps her away, or sweeps away from her, and the creators attempt to make us care for her because the Doctor occasionally has a tear in his eye when he thinks of her or hugs her when she drops everything to come to him. Through not knowing our lens, I feel as if we are slipping away from knowledge of the Doctor, too. The focus is certainly on him, but the composition is abstract and often incomprehensible. I need this focus to shift, and I need to once again see the Doctor through eyes that are seeking to understand him, just as I am.
Adriel Brandt is a less-than-prolific artist who writes, reads, looks, watches, paints, runs, breathes, sings, strums, talks, and wishes he lived in The Shire.
