Doctor Who Series 12: 10 Huge Questions After Orphan 55
8. Does Yaz Have Feelings For Ryan?
Romance has often been in the air for the post-2005 Doctor Who companions, from TARDIS super-couples Rose and Mickey, Amy and Rory and Clara and Danny, to even the Doctor and River Song. In series 11 it looked like the producer was opting for a different dynamic altogether, one of friendship and family.
This year there has been little indication that the platonic nature of their relationship is about to change, but Ryan’s singleness has become a talking point, especially for Yaz it would seem. In Spyfall she teases her sister Sonya over her flirting with Ryan. And on Orphan 55, Yaz doesn’t want the growing chemistry between Ryan and Bella to go unnoticed. When the Doctor does a Ron Weasley and sits between Ryan and Bella, Yaz sarcastically tells Ryan to let the Doctor know what he and Bella had been talking about.
Ryan clearly displays no romantic feelings for Yaz. Last week, he was the one being protective over Yaz and worrying over her fate, but he sees his role as being rather like that of a big brother. In Orphan 55 the roles have been reversed, with Ryan placed in danger instead. There are the briefest of hints that Yaz might be falling for her old school friend, but it is Graham who rushes to find out if Ryan is okay, rather than Yaz. Hopefully, this means that Chibnall will be avoiding the soap cliché of unrequited love, but it is one to keep an eye on.