Rose - How did you feel: Goodbye or Good Riddance?

ixoy

I thought Rose, as a character, was generally interesting enough but...

The show is called "Doctor Who" and the lead is the Doctor. It's the Doctor who should be the one who saves the day, who solves the mystery and defeats the threat. He should be the one that the enemies cower before and that the Daleks scare their little Dalekettes with. However, the new incarnation of the show far too often placed Rose on a level playing field with the Doctor. Too often she would play an equally important part in the defeat. This became even worse with the "Bad Wolf" arc where the Doctor was sidelined as Rose became the focus.

Other issues compound that problem - we're introduced to her family and friends, further increasing her profile to overshadow the Doctor more. This isn't something we ever saw before (previous companion's families were introduced merely to be killed off or immediately left behind) and I felt that the Doctor was marginalized more as a result.

The other element was the Doctor's relationship with her. I never quite saw why Rose deserved the more "googly-eyed" love from the Doctor than anyone else. Others he had a fondness for (Jo Grant and Sarah-Jane Smith in particular) but his reaction to Rose's depature appears to easily outshadow any of these, despite her travelling for less with him (or less screen time anyway).

Obviously they had to beef-up the female companion's role from the demure screeming assistant (I'm looking at you Vicki!) but did they really need to go so far and let the Doctor's power be diminshed so much? Or am I looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses (heh)? Anyone else agree (DerekP11 you must ).

BuffyBot

I never quite saw why Rose deserved the more "googly-eyed" love from the Doctor than anyone else.

My speculation is that he grew a lot more attached to Rose, as (as far as we know) she's the first companion since his regeneration from the 8th to the 9th Doctor. With the loss of his whole society and whatever else happened in the time war, perhaps he felt more for Rose than the others.

Plus, there is whole beefing up aspect

Stark

I liked the Rose character. It's the 21st century and people expect more than two dimensional characters from TV shows these days.

popebenny16

I'd go along with what Buffy Bot says, we do have a very loney Doctor now, its understandabel that he would grow more attached to his companion.

In the real world of course the show really hinged around Billie Piper - who won Best (or was it most popular) Actress in the National Televison Awards - for the second time running.

As Mrs Popebenny16 said watching it: The new Companion will really have to be good to live up to that. She is of the view that the show has really been about Rose over the last two years, not the Doctor, and as someone who seems to represent a large part of the audience for "New Who" ie people who never saw the "old Who" i think she mught be onto somehting. So, will David Tennant keep the audience on his own whilse the companion finds her feet/

Why else stick Catherine Tate in for the christmass special?

OK, at least she not.........Ken Dodd.

Or Hale and feckin Pace.

ixoy

popebenny16 wrote:

In the real world of course the show really hinged around Billie Piper - who won Best (or was it most popular) Actress in the National Televison Awards - for the second time running.

As Mrs Popebenny16 said watching it: The new Companion will really have to be good to live up to that. She is of the view that the show has really been about Rose over the last two years, not the Doctor, and as someone who seems to represent a large part of the audience for "New Who" ie people who never saw the "old Who" i think she mught be onto somehting.

Ahh and therein lies the nub of what I partially resent - that the show seems to have been about Rose more than the Doctor and it's not just my imagination!

I'd really like to see this redressed more and give the Doctor more of the leading role of his show. I'm sure that one of the initial reasons the approach was taken was because the Doctor is ancient and has done most of his growing up. Additionally he needs to have that slightly mysterious air. Whereas Rose would represent one of us, growing up and having to adapt so it might make more sense from a character-creation POV to focus more on her (I assume that was his intentions).
... Nonetheless I still think they could do that, show more of her, without having sidelined the Doctor's ability to "save the day" as much as they did. I think this season should push him more into the leading position and still be able to retain the enigmatic air beneath him. Just give me a bit of my old days back

Jack B. Badd

The entire last two seasons have been about Rose. Personally I'm not too bothered about that. I didn't like Rose to begin with but when I got a chance to watch the seasons from start to end I revised my opinion of her character. I was gutted when she was seperated from the Doctor and I'm wondering how they'll work the next season without her.

popebenny16

Well last night i was watching the DVD for Resurection of the Daleks which is the one where Tegan leaves the Doctor as the character was not enjoying being with the Doctor and all the shoot-em -ups he was having at the time. She was not known outside of Who (the actress) and so she was replaced with simply anouther not well known actrsdss, and everyone disnt notice the difference - Nicola Bryant wasnt it?

The producer (John Nathan Turner) said that companions are there to give the younger views something to identify with, to imagine you're with the Doctor with his adventures.

I'm wondering if what has happened now is that unlike before the Ecccleson and Tennant years have had the advantage/disadvantage of getting someone who is already famous and very popular with young people (taps my pipe) as a companion? It hadnt happened before. Leaving aside Catherine Tate (which is surely only the same mistake twice) next year, with an actress who isnt that well known as the companion, should be the make or break for the character of the Doctor and his place within the serial.

And you know, they can always bring back Billie, cant they?

Jack B. Badd

popebenny16 wrote:

And you know, they can always bring back Billie, cant they?

God, I hope not. I absolutely hate it when writers cop out like that. "And lo, it was all a dream..." :mad:

Kolodny

popebenny16 wrote:

And you know, they can always bring back Billie, cant they?

Considering her popularity and that she now appears a bit regretful about leaving, that doesn't seem so unlikely, at least maybe a 'guest' spot at some stage in the future. I hope not though. Not that I dislike the character of Rose, it would just be too predictable.

DerekP11

ixoy wrote:

Obviously they had to beef-up the female companion's role from the demure screeming assistant (I'm looking at you Vicki!) but did they really need to go so far and let the Doctor's power be diminshed so much? Or am I looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses (heh)? Anyone else agree (DerekP11 you must ).

Well you have my card well marked and rightly so. Something tells me that Billie Piper was added to the ticket because she was Billie Piper (cheap and recognisable in the UK anyway) and would provide some kind of perverse draw. For me, it was pure muck as they attempted to add some sort of alternative "brains" to the concept. Nothing to do with women etc etc. but Dr Who is or was about something different. Nowadays its taken on a metamorphic cataclism that defies me!

I'll say no more as the mod has spanked me for misbehaving.

Note to Ioxy.
Please tell me Im not going mad, but this new who is just a tuppence worth short of what it could be. Im already starting to "warm" to McGanns et.ffor

secret_squirrel

If for one think that the re-cast of the assistant in a more central role had to be done to bring Dr Who up to date.

It just couldnt be a continuation of the orignal series, time and TV has moved on. TV audiences are much more sophisticated today, with Ensenmble casting and multiple leads being more the norm.

I think it re-invograted the Dr Who formula and helps make it more relevant for todays audience.

If you go back and watch the original epsidodes without Rose (sic) tinted glasses you will see what I mean. All to often the Assistant was there as a plot Device. Especially in later years. They were mostly there to get captured or to come up with something random at just the right time to save the day.

It was good to see a focus on the human element, not a sometimes cold and isolated Alien. Rose also gave the Doctor an emotional foil to act against, something to my mind that hadnt been seen since the Tom Baker days where he had a number of Strong Characters as assistants. Unfortunately after that it was mostly downhill, will major irritants such as Peri, Adric, Tegan, That Alien public School boy, and the worst of the lot-

Ace (shudder).

I'm going to miss Rose. The new assistant has a lot to live up to.