Doctor Who: 10 Huge Questions After Spyfall Part One
4. Can The Fam Ever Return To Their Normal Lives?
One of the criticisms of series 11 was that Sheffield and
the background of the Doctor’s companions lacked realism. The companions themselves
were more human and relatable than Clara, Amy and Rory whose lives took on an
almost fairy-tale, magical quality, but Graham, Ryan and Yaz were not grounded
socially in their time and place to the extent that Donna Noble, Martha Jones
and Rose and Mickey were.
It was good then to see them back home in Sheffield sans the Doctor, relating to friends, family and medical practitioners respectively, even if it was only for a scene or two. It appears to have been an intentional respite from their travels with the Doctor. When they are forcibly reunited, the Doctor asks them how they got on.
This could be groundwork for seeing this TARDIS team break-up and go back to their former lives. It is clear that all of them are returning as very different people. Ryan has grown in confidence, and as a sign that he feels more in control than the lad who was struggling to ride a bike in The Woman Who Fell To Earth, time seems to slow down for him as he plays basketball with his friends.
Yaz is still harbouring ambitions for a career with the police, and revels in the deceit of her adventures with the Doctor being called secondments. She could return, but not to the slow route of traffic cop or the like. Graham retains his identity as a widower and though he has good news about his continued cancer remission, the shadow of the illness is still upon him. But he seems in a better place now, having fast-tracked the grief process during his adventures with the Doctor.