Doctor Who Series 11: 10 Big Questions After Episode 5
4. Did We Learn Anything New About The Companions?
This wasn’t a particularly important episode for any of the Doctor’s new companions. Yaz gets to kick the Pting into touch, while Graham and Ryan get to act as birthing partners for Yos Inkl. There is little sign yet of the promise that they won’t be returning to Sheffield as the same people. Yaz gets her trust in the Doctor put to the test as the Doctor doesn’t appear to know what she is doing and sets the bomb to detonate without explanation, but she is relegated again to the least interesting of the three (perhaps with next week’s Yaz centred episode in mind).
Once again the two men are paired off and Graham barely speaks to Yaz – one particular dynamic that is either being overlooked completely or saved for a future episode. The boys share another one of those affecting moments when the emotionally guarded Ryan resists Graham’s physical gesture of comradery.
The stand out scene is between Yaz and Ryan, where we learn more about Ryan’s past, specifically the circumstances behind his mother’s death and the fact that he was the one to find her. We are also given a sign that despite his Dad having gone missing from his life, a part of him understands why. Like Ryan and like Graham, he is still grieving. This plays into one of Chibnall’s strengths as a writer as seen especially in the last series of Broadchurch which depicted so realistically the devastating impact of loss on a family unit. It’s further evidence that we will surely be seeing Ryan’s father at some point later in the series.