Doctor Who Season 11: 10 BIg Questions After The Ghost Monument
7. WIll Ryan Call Graham Granddad?
We’ve hardly had time to get to know them, but already the
chemistry between the actors is such that we are routing for Graham and Ryan to
grow closer. Making family such a prominent theme to the extent of almost valuing
it above other friendships, carries with it the responsibility to be sensitive to
the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes.
For many children it is not an easy subject to deal with. Epso’s harsh experiences of parental abuse will have sadly rung bells with some, and more will have identified with Ryan’s struggle to deal with both the loss of a family member and the introduction of a new person into the mix.
For any remodelled family to work, acceptance is essential. Graham’s desire to find that welcome in Ryan is conveyed with ease by Bradley Walsh, from those brief releases of pent up anger in The Woman Who Fell to Earth, to his more patient seed sowing here. Tosin Cole effectively conveys his emotional awkwardness around Graham, providing some of the most touching and relatable scenes of the series so far.
It is fairly evident that the writer wants us to believe that the two will not only become best friends, but will have that Grandfather Grandson relationship by the end of the series. Just as we were waiting with a certainly that the Doctor would find her TARDIS, so too we are expecting a scene in which, to his surprise and delight, Ryan calls Graham his Granddad. It may not, however, be that fairy tale ending. Graham is after all in remission, and there is a good possibility that granddad might be the last word he hears.