Doctor Who (again) [SPOILERS]

[Eldan]

Yeah. I think I've said it before, even: all my favourite doctor moments are angry scary epic doctor. Smith doesn't do that.

[The Big Dice]

Didn't Moffat write Blink, Empty Child, and Doctor Dances? After looking it up, yes, yes he did.

Also you might want to see my edit.

Moffat did write those episodes. And it was Russel T Davies who gave Moffat his shot at New Who.

My issue isn't that I dislike Moffat, though I'm coming to think of him as a smug git. Rather, I don't think he's the man for the job as showrunner. I think he's not great with situations, though he is good with characters. He tends to rehash ideas (watch Curse of Fatal Death for proof) to the point where I'm thinking the Doctor knew he was going to be shot by the Space Suited Dude, so naturally he went back in time to tell that person all about the plan. So it turned out it wasn't really him that got shot, it was one of the clones from the upcoming episode.

As for the people in front of the camera, I don't see what Rory's story function is. He really has no purpose. Originally, there were four travellers in the TARDIS. A younger man, a woman of about the same age, a young girl and the elderly Doctor. Ian was the action man, slightly skeptical but also adaptable. Barbara was the lateral thinker, intuitive and the obligatory pretty face. Susan was the innocent grand daughter, enigmatic and both clever and naive at the same time. The Doctor was elderly, clever but cantankerous, slightly scary but with a warm heart under it all.

Fast forward 45 years. The Doctor is younger, he doesn't need an action man to handle the physical stuff. He's still got the mysterious air and enigmatic attributes, so there's no need for the young girl. The Doctor is also something of an innocent in relationship terms. Amy is feisty and sometimes rushes in where angels fear to tread. She asks the questions that the viewers are thinking, provoking exposition from the Doctor. She's the pretty face that gets into trouble.

But what does Rory do? The companion is there to be the figure that the audience identifies with. But Rory is a third wheel on a bicycle. He's just kind of there. Not really contributing in story terms, a character in need of a story.

And I don't mean the whole (highly suspect) came back from being erased from history as an auton only to have the Doctor restore everyone and everything the cracks in time swallowed storyline. He is, as Mickey once said about himself, just there to hold the coats. BUt at least Mickey realised this.

[Kato]

People complain all the time about Russel T Davies, a man often held up by other TV writers as being the writer's writer. And yet the British viewing public seem to disagree. Viewing figures are down on average by notable amounts. This page gives figures for every episode.

Really, it might just be personal taste but other people's opinion aside I just didn't like many of the things he did. I didn't care for the romance with Rose which happened while he was head writer or the Christmas special with the Spaceship Titanic or least of all the Season three finale with the 'we all need to believe in the Doctor to give him back his power'. Who is he? Santa Clause? Jesus? Again, it's personal taste but all this and other things he wrote just were maybe not badly written but themes that just didn't really feel right to me. I also have reservations against the upcoming romance with River, as well, (I'm sure it will happen) but I guess I'll wait until it happened to judge.


edit @Rory:
Well, I see your point but the thing is, does every character need to fill a slot one of the original companions 45 years before had? He's his own character. I guess yeah, his impact on the story in this season has been pretty small, but last season he had a meaning as the person Amy loves (and to cause some romantic drama, I guess) He's also the voice of reason usually when the Doctor goes in over his head and hotheaded Amy either rushes along or rushes of in the other direction (it's not his fault nobody ever listens to him) And then there's the comic relief.

[dehro]

Out of curiosity, what were your reservations about Smith? Personally I like his style of Doctor best of the new three.

I might have said this before, so I didn't think I'd repeat...
I've only ever seen new doctor, so I might be biased, but my main gripe with Smith is that he's simply too young and boyish/prankish to pull of a 900yo Timelord who's gone back and forth through tragedy, and fairly recently too, loosing a number of very dear companions (Rose Tyler above all, I'd say, from a sentimental pov), a confrontation with basically a second coming of gallifrey (and subsequent sending them back into oblivion all over again), a year of torture by the hand of the Master..and a few more civilisations destroyed along the way..
Tennant had brought a bit of a drammatic edge to the character, and changing that all of a sudden through the magic of regeneration, doesn't mean those events didn't happen.. and the series so far didn't really acknowledge that, in my view..mainly because of this very young incarnation of the Doctor (not through any fault of the actor..he's good, I just never saw him as "right for the role" so far.. this episode however, was just that good that even he was right on the money)

[Serenity]

Yeah. I think I've said it before, even: all my favourite doctor moments are angry scary epic doctor. Smith doesn't do that.

The Eleventh Hour: "I'm the Doctor. Basically...run."

The Beast Below: "No one human has the right to talk to me right now."

Time of Angels: "If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap: me!"

Vampires of Venice: "I am going to tear the House of Cadaverini down stone by stone, and do you know why? Because you didn't remember her name."

The Pandorica Opens: "Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, and then do the smart thing: let somebody else try first!"

Add in calmly ordering a genocide in Day of the Moon...and even if you didn't think the reprise of 'Basically Run' in The Doctor's Wife didn't work, there's also the climax, where he tells House how small he is on the inside.

No arguing with taste, of course, but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

[Dienekes]

Yeah. I think I've said it before, even: all my favourite doctor moments are angry scary epic doctor. Smith doesn't do that.

This is a valid criticism. Smith is far more at home proclaiming the grand qualities of bowties rather than anger. Personally I like the change of pace, but I can see how some would prefer the more serious Doctor.

I might have said this before, so I didn't think I'd repeat...
I've only ever seen new doctor, so I might be biased, but my main gripe with Smith is that he's simply too young and boyish/prankish to pull of a 900yo Timelord who's gone back and forth through tragedy, and fairly recently too, loosing a number of very dear companions (Rose Tyler above all, I'd say, from a sentimental pov), a confrontation with basically a second coming of gallifrey (and subsequent sending them back into oblivion all over again), a year of torture by the hand of the Master..and a few more civilisations destroyed along the way..
Tennant had brought a bit of a drammatic edge to the character, and changing that all of a sudden through the magic of regeneration, doesn't mean those events didn't happen.. and the series so far didn't really acknowledge that, in my view..mainly because of this very young incarnation of the Doctor (not through any fault of the actor..he's good, I just never saw him as "right for the role" so far.. this episode however, was just that good that even he was right on the money)

Another fair criticism but not one I really agree with. Tennant Doctor brooded about everything, to me I kind of didn't care how much he missed Rose at all. I also found how often he decreed guns and violence yet frequently destroyed everything he came in contact with horrendously hypocritical. My view of the two was probably best described in a picture a few pages back with Tennant exclaiming that "Two scoops is the curse of the Time Lords" while Smith announces he wishes for more ice cream.

Personally I think the change in personality is made deliberate. No Doctor (that I'm aware of I've only watched bits and pieces of Old Who) saw death as really dying except Tennant. He feared his death and wanted to last longer where Eccleston more or less said "Oh yeah, I'm gonna change now." and a few others merely with a "Here we go again." To me with all the hullabaloo Tennant gave to his death it makes sense that the next Doctor would behave dramatically different and possibly even put a few of his old problems behind him.

[Selrahc]

Time of Angels: "If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap: me!"

Or an animated Graham Norton...

[Jahkaivah]

But what does Rory do? The companion is there to be the figure that the audience identifies with.

Rory does that better than Amy, he's currently the show's Arthur Dent and I love him for it.

The Eleventh Hour: "I'm the Doctor. Basically...run."

The Beast Below: "No one human has the right to talk to me right now."

Time of Angels: "If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap: me!"

Vampires of Venice: "I am going to tear the House of Cadaverini down stone by stone, and do you know why? Because you didn't remember her name."

The Pandorica Opens: "Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, and then do the smart thing: let somebody else try first!"

Add in calmly ordering a genocide in Day of the Moon...and even if you didn't think the reprise of 'Basically Run' in The Doctor's Wife didn't work, there's also the climax, where he tells House how small he is on the inside.

No arguing with taste, of course, but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

Don't forget this bit, don't ever ever forget this bit.

[Reverent-One]

The Eleventh Hour: "I'm the Doctor. Basically...run."

The Beast Below: "No one human has the right to talk to me right now."

Time of Angels: "If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever put in a trap: me!"

Vampires of Venice: "I am going to tear the House of Cadaverini down stone by stone, and do you know why? Because you didn't remember her name."

The Pandorica Opens: "Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, and then do the smart thing: let somebody else try first!"

Add in calmly ordering a genocide in Day of the Moon...and even if you didn't think the reprise of 'Basically Run' in The Doctor's Wife didn't work, there's also the climax, where he tells House how small he is on the inside.

No arguing with taste, of course, but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

He makes some decent warning speeches about how awesome he is and how everyone should be scared of him, but he generally doesn't actually get to the "angry scary epic doctor" phase, angry to the point where even if you don't know he's the doctor and all he's done you'd be scared and wanting to turn around and run the other way to escape his wrath.

[Nameless Ghost]

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That was a brilliant episode in almost every respect. It was funny and terrifying and touching and important.

The scenes inside the TARDIS were really cool, it's nice that they finally showed us more, though it's a shame we just got corridors. Not that the scenes in the corridors were bad; I really liked them and you can definitely tell where Gaiman got his inspiration from.

House could have been developed a little further. Having a villain who exists only as a malevolent voiceover works in some cases, but I felt the ending wasn't particularly strong.

And that was partly due to, as others have been saying, Smith doesn't really do the 'angry Doctor' thing well. The 'Fear me; I killed all of them' line was powerful, but lost its punch because the Doctor didn't actually do anything - he just narrated while the inevitable happened and the TARDIS defeated House by re-entering the console.

I'm going to call out the 'Only water in the forest is the river' as a reference to a Forest of the Dead as having red herrings swimming all through it.

I suspect that it has to do with Amelia Pond as well as River.

[Drolyt]

But what does Rory do? The companion is there to be the figure that the audience identifies with. But Rory is a third wheel on a bicycle. He's just kind of there. Not really contributing in story terms, a character in need of a story.

To be honest, I really like Rory. Not sure why. I like both Rory and Amy better than any previous New Who Companions, which I suppose isn't that hard because Martha was the only one I could stand. See, the figure I identify with is The Doctor. Which might be strange, because I'm not a Time Lord exploring the universe. But I kind of wish I was. And I'd much rather be The Doctor, who has lived so long and seen so much, both terrible and beautiful, than some annoying idiot who points out the obvious all the time and gets to go on a quick pleasure cruise. Because the companions never get to experience to the same depth either the pain nor the happiness that is The Doctor. So yeah, I identify with him. Also because the crazy smart guy who jumps into problems with nothing but his brains and some gadgets honestly does fit me better than any of the companions I've seen.

So you see, I find all of the companions rather pointless. To me, their purpose is solely to give The Doctor some companionship. Let us see his human side. And to that end I think Rory does an excellent job. The Doctor + Amy + Rory feels to me like three real friends. Indeed, they are the first companions of New Who that to me feel like The Doctor's equals. Rose, Martha, Donna, they were all so insecure and spent their time talking about how great The Doctor was and relying on him. Amy and Rory don't do that. They're just buddies along for the ride, not letting their entire lives revolve around some alien. And that ride is epic.

[Kato]

You know, I really, really like Smith/Eleven but I have to agree with the part about him being usually less terrifying. I'm not saying he can't be, he can but Eleven is just more often making me either smile as in 'that was awesome, you tell those bastards' or be otherwise moved but so far only rarely scared of him. I guess it's because he is so quirky otherwise. Even in many of the threats mentioned above he didn't feel like Tennant in Family of Blood I think it was when he really scared me. I guess it's just not in his personality right now.

[Weezer]

I personally like the Smith doctor the best. The 9th one was way too dark, with the "I just killed my whole race" guilt vibe being the strongest. The 10th doctor had more of a war-vet feel, with him mostly keeping his guilt/anger under control and just letting it slip through on a few occasions (Family of Blood being a notable one). Smith has put this angst behind him and fully embraced his eccentric and insane genius. This in many ways fits in with the few Old-Who episodes I've seen (most notably City of Death and Genesis of the Daleks both Tom Baker), where his eccentric nature is emphasized.

[The Big Dice]

So you see, I find all of the companions rather pointless. To me, their purpose is solely to give The Doctor some companionship.

That isn't the point of the companion. Originally, the Doctor was dark, a little scary. Certainly a mysterious individual. Heck, the the first story, he was going to bash a cave man's head in with a rock because he was injured and slowing the escape of the TARDIS crew. Then, the purpose of the companion was to provide a way in to the Doctor's world. To be the normal person that you can relate to. And really, nothing has changed.

The Brigadier summed it up best when he assigned Jo Grant to be the Doctor's assistant. The Doctor is complaining that he needs a scientist, an equal to aid in his work. The Brig responds, "Nonsense, Doctor. What you need is someone to pass you your test tubes and to tell you how brilliant you are." And that bit of dialog sums up the reason for the Doctor having a companion.

The companion is there so the Doctor has someone to explain things to. Because that allows the audience to have things explained to them without it breaking the fourth wall. The companion also gets into trouble, which means the Doctor has a motivation in rescuing them in one way or another. From time to time, that gets subverted and the companion rescues the Doctor.

That's why the dynamic stabilised at Doctor plus Companion for the majority of the original run and the vast majority of the modern version. The format of the show doesn't need a third TARDIS regular. And, as was shown by Peter Davidson's first season, having too many people on the show just gets in the way of the story.

[Kato]

The companion is there so the Doctor has someone to explain things to.

That's the out-of-series explanation but why would the Doctor really need such a person? Okay, sometimes he likes to feel superior, maybe but mostly his in-series reason is because travelling alone is boring. And it doesn't matter if a person fills a slot or fulfills a narrative purpose. I think that's a poor way to look at a piece of entertainment, picling it apart and thinking 'What purpose do you serve? None? Why are you here? Because it would make sense in real life? Well, this isn't real life. Get lost.'

[Fuzzie Fuzz]

I, too, think that Smith is the best Doctor yet. I might get shot for saying this in the wrong parts of London, but I actually think Tennant was the worst (or, more accurately, least-amazing) of the three new Doctors. I thought Eccleston portrayed the horror of the Time War and the massive guilt he had very well, and I think Smith does the crazy genius thing perfectly. Tennant was somewhere in between for me, and didn't have the personality I feel in the other two.

[The Big Dice]

That's the out-of-series explanation but why would the Doctor really need such a person? Okay, sometimes he likes to feel superior, maybe but mostly his in-series reason is because travelling alone is boring. And it doesn't matter if a person fills a slot or fulfills a narrative purpose. I think that's a poor way to look at a piece of entertainment, picling it apart and thinking 'What purpose do you serve? None? Why are you here? Because it would make sense in real life? Well, this isn't real life. Get lost.'

Nobody wants to be the third wheel or the gooseberry. And that's exactly what Rory is. He's not contributing in story terms, and in-universe, he's getting in the way of the Doctor/Companion relationship.

And yes, travelling alone is less fun than travelling with someone you like. But from an entertainment point of view, I find Rory to be detracting from the show rather than adding to it. He has no purpose in the show other than to be Amy's husband. And what exactly is that contributing in story terms? He's Mickey without the brains to realise that he's just getting in the way.

[Dienekes]

Nobody wants to be the third wheel or the gooseberry. And that's exactly what Rory is. He's not contributing in story terms, and in-universe, he's getting in the way of the Doctor/Companion relationship.

How exactly? Personally I rather like the relationship they have now. A married couple traveling with their friend. It is far more interesting to me than Rose and Martha whose defining relationship was that they were hot for the good ole Doc. Donna Noble was good as a spunky friend.

Now the relationship is The Doctor, the Spunky Friend (Amy), and the Everyman (Rory). Personally I don't see that as a problem especially when you get heartfelt scenes such as Rory deciding to spend 2000 years for Amy and the dark sequence on the last episode.

[Drolyt]

Nobody wants to be the third wheel or the gooseberry. And that's exactly what Rory is. He's not contributing in story terms, and in-universe, he's getting in the way of the Doctor/Companion relationship.

And yes, travelling alone is less fun than travelling with someone you like. But from an entertainment point of view, I find Rory to be detracting from the show rather than adding to it. He has no purpose in the show other than to be Amy's husband. And what exactly is that contributing in story terms? He's Mickey without the brains to realise that he's just getting in the way.

Except he's not getting in the way. Why would he come to that conclusion? He's Amy's husband, and if she's going to travel the universe then he's going to tag along. Sure, in your opinion he doesn't serve any purpose in the show, but I'm not sure how you can knock his intelligence for not knowing he's a television character. Besides, I like him. He is the guy who tries to bring reason to The Doctor and Amy.

As for all you've said about the purpose of the companions, that's nice. Doesn't change the fact that to me they seem like they don't need to be there. I like Amy and Rory precisely because they take action on their own and don't sit around waiting for the magical Doctor to explain things.

[Raddish]

I like Rory, he always seems to have the sought of thoughts on things that I percieve. I don't think he gets in the way, for me he adds a grounding point to things and gives a point of view that I can see myself coming too in his position.

[Triscuitable]

I wouldn't get your hopes up. Sauces

SADFACE OF ETERNAL DEPRESSION.
Another cameo on Heroes? Oh wait...

I got to see the Doctor's Wife now, and I'm more sure of it than before.

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River Song will be the Tardis. For one thing, the Tardis stole the Doctor because it wanted to see the universe rather than be preserved in moth balls. River became an archeologist, and an empirical one at that, a profession that is all about seeing the universe. Irdriss's relationship with the Doctor (love and trust and frustrated outbursts) is also very similar to his relationship with River. And while Doctor Who writers have never been a group to wring their hands over the concept of ontological paradox, River learning things she taught the Doctor from the Doctor after she'd taught them to her is a bit big even by their standards. If she knew them instinctively, however, that would be a different story.

And finally, the Tardis's matrix is too much for a human body to handle, and it eventually just burns up. This is very similar to Donna's response to becoming a Time Lord. If the time came that the Tardis couldn't be saved and the best he could do was put the Matrix into a human (or a variation of which that would be acceptable to the Doctor's sensibilities), he'd almost have to strip away a lot of her memories in order to make the implantation viable. The result would be a girl with an innate closeness to a Doctor that knows more about her past and future lives than she did.

Still just a theory, but it fits the evidence, I think.

So you're saying you want another Compassion? Huh. I wonder how Time Lords (and Ladies) used them.

[Starscream]

I like Rory. He seems to be the most normal guy to ever be a companion. He's got normal concerns and fears but can be brave when pushed, he is comedic but can be dramatic when needed rather than just being a comic relief, and he's sensible enough to note how silly things sometimes get.

The point of the companion is for the audience to relate to them. We all like to think that in these fantastic/terrifying situations we'd be brave and snarky and clever, but I'm not afraid to admit that if I were a guest aboard the TARDIS, I'd probably be very much like Rory: permanently in a little over my head.

As for Matt Smith, I really like him. He's almost certainly the funniest of the Doctors, and his tendency to ramble on and come off as slightly bonkers is another thing I can relate to. As is his insistence that ridiculous and cheesy things are really cool.

And actually he can be rather dark. He just doesn't act like it. A couple of episodes ago, he got the Silents/Silence to order a genocide against themselves. And he said that he would offer them a chance to surrender, oops not really, it's not Christmas after all. Bye!

In the same situation, Ten would have begged for them to accept a compromise, failed, glared stonily at the air six inches in front of him while they died and the Drama!Music played, and then metaphorically gone away to cry and suck his thumb for a few hours.

That's not an insult. I adored Ten, he was awesome. I loved the fact that the writers weren't afraid to put him in morally unwinnable scenarios, force him to make difficult choices, and then show him reacting with anguish at the unfairness of it all. And sometimes even have him make an arguably bad choice and then call him on it. The guy was complex, easy to relate to, and very human in how his actions tormented him.

But after four years of this, I'm kind of glad that the angst has died down a little. I'm a proponent of the theory that each regeneration is the Doctor's subconscious attempt to "correct" certain aspects of himself, and that he was sick of being the universe's whipping boy.

It makes sense in-story: the Doctor struggled for years with the survivor's guilt he had after the Time War. He hated himself for what he had done. But the return of the Time Lords made it abundantly clear that his choice was necessary, and this time he sends them to hell with no signs of regret. And then, when the universe screws him over one more time and kills him (a fate he desperately wanted to avoid), he turns into a guy who is less worried about making these sorts of decisions, and more concerned with enjoying life while he has it.

Sorry for the wall of text, I'm bored and Doctor Who is a topic I can pontificate on endlessly if given the chance.

[Helanna]

I, too, think that Smith is the best Doctor yet. I might get shot for saying this in the wrong parts of London, but I actually think Tennant was the worst (or, more accurately, least-amazing) of the three new Doctors. I thought Eccleston portrayed the horror of the Time War and the massive guilt he had very well, and I think Smith does the crazy genius thing perfectly. Tennant was somewhere in between for me, and didn't have the personality I feel in the other two.

I agree with the Tenth Doctor being the worst. I loved David Tennant and all, but the character was just getting on my last nerve by the end of his run. He was just kind of whiny and irritating, not to mention the whole "Rose is the most important person to me, ever, that in all my travels I have ever met, ever. Watch me completely ignore my next companion in favor of moping over her." Which is why I don't mind at all that Smith isn't as serious - I'm tired of it. I want a Doctor that's quirky and happy-go-lucky like that.

Nobody wants to be the third wheel or the gooseberry. And that's exactly what Rory is. He's not contributing in story terms, and in-universe, he's getting in the way of the Doctor/Companion relationship.

And yes, travelling alone is less fun than travelling with someone you like. But from an entertainment point of view, I find Rory to be detracting from the show rather than adding to it. He has no purpose in the show other than to be Amy's husband. And what exactly is that contributing in story terms? He's Mickey without the brains to realise that he's just getting in the way.

I love Rory. I find that some of my favorite lines are just one-off/background lines from him (although I think my favorite line ever is always going to be "Did you wish really hard?"). I agree that he isn't particularly contributing to the plot, but I strongly disagree that he's actively detracting from the show. He's comic relief, and provides a strong foil to the Doctor and Amy. Those two are extremely similar - both ready to just jump in head-first to whatever adventure they've stumbled on. Rory is more cautious and inclined to hang back and try to bring logic into things.

Besides which, I've always wished for more diversity in the New Who companions. I mean, all of time and space and he consistently ends up with one human female? I'm glad that there's two companions, since they provide more interaction and conflict, and I'm glad it's a married couple for a change. I do wish Rory would actually participate more, but so far I think he's fulfilling his role just fine.

Edit: Dammit, this is why I don't post. Ignore everything I said and read Starscream's post again instead, he explained everything I was thinking, except better.

[Syka]

Yeah, pretty much what Starscream said.

What I adore most about Rory is he knows he's waaay in over his head, but he doesn't let that distract him from keeping Amy (and the Doctor and himself) safe. His introduction to the TARDIS in Eleventh Hour just kinda perfectly sums up his character for me. He was too busy being worried to recognize that it should NOT look like that inside. x.x

I though I would really like Amy at first, but I'm bordering on "couldn't care less". In my ranking of companions she falls somewhere between Donna/Rory/Jack/Wilf* and Martha. Not as annoying as the forever swooning, but nowhere near my favorites.

Additionally, I've gotten a dark angry scary vibe from Eleven. It's just not as...obvious. He's far more subtle, and that quiet anger is far scarier. He's resigned to what he has to do and I think that makes most of Ten's theatrics redundant.


*No particular order, and don't make me choose. It would be like making a parent choose their favorite child.

[Dienekes]

Starscream, you hit every nail I could want to hit firmly and succinctly on it's head. Well done.

In my ranking of companions she falls somewhere between Donna/Rory/Jack/Wilf* and Martha.

The correct order is Wilf. Just Wilf. Wilf is cool.

[Mkhaiwati]

Yeah, pretty much what Starscream said.

*snip*

In my ranking of companions she falls somewhere between Donna/Rory/Jack/Wilf* and Martha.

Yeah, I agree with starscream.

The only one of the new companions I don't like is Rose. and the dog, Mickey. They were just too much.

Wilf was cool. I liked Martha. She was smart and independent. I also really liked Donna. At the Planet of the Ood, she looks up and says "They have a real spaceship. You have a box and they have a Ferrarri!" And let us not forget the poison/antidote/charade scene from The Unicorn and the Wasp. "Harvey Wallbanger" "Camptown Races" It also showed Tennants comedic side with that scene.

I think Rory also completes Amy, so it doesn't turn into the companion swooning over the Doctor like Rose and Martha.

And bring back Jack.

[Kobold-Bard]

That's the out-of-series explanation but why would the Doctor really need such a person? Okay, sometimes he likes to feel superior, maybe but mostly his in-series reason is because travelling alone is boring. And it doesn't matter if a person fills a slot or fulfills a narrative purpose. I think that's a poor way to look at a piece of entertainment, picling it apart and thinking 'What purpose do you serve? None? Why are you here? Because it would make sense in real life? Well, this isn't real life. Get lost.'

Watch this. From 1:20 onwards it's the Dr. explaining why he keeps a companion around.

Edit: Watch the whole thing though. Space Gandalf

[dehro]

I don't like to think of Rory and Amy as separate companions.
they come as a package and between the two of them they make one awesome wall for the Doctor to bounce off of, if you see what I mean.
I think that Amy without Rory was cute, but not half as entertaining as with him...and I also like to think that should he put his foot down she'd stay home for him. he doesn't "tag along"..he's consciously chosen to take part to the adventure together with his wife.
let's not forget that he's gone literally through death for her (lol..they killed him again ) ...and has waited for 2000 years for her, protecting her with all he got. also, he has hidden depths behind his stumbling nature, like in the pirate episode, when he basically took matters in hand and told Amy what to do to resuscitate him, instead of panicking and/or waiting for the Doctor to bring the solution...or when the Doctor confronts him asking whether he still remembers being the gladiator..(2k yo gladiator rory was epic!)
no..I wouldn't call Rory a gooseberry.
I like my Doctor with the gravitas Tennant brought to him, but mostly I feel that to rebound from the gravitas into sillyness and inane behaviour... mmmh, it's too much of a clean break for me.. and no, Smith isn't half as scary as Tennant, not even when he tries. he may say scary things or do scary stuff, as that's what the script says, but tennant would do it better.

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and yes, "sexy" simply flooding the place was kind of an easy way to solve the matter..I mean..considering how easily House had lured her/pulled her out of the tardis in the first place.
I guess that the power of being really pissed off still counts for something

[Eldan]

Exactly what Dehro said. Smith's scripts may call for scary, but I'm not feeling the scary. Maybe others feel it, but I just get nothing when he does it.

[The Big Dice]

Liking Rory is all well and good. Heck, Arthur Darvill has taken over from David Tennant as the guy on the show who likes talking about the show. Just watch Confidential of you want proof of that. Matt Smith comes across as having a very uncomfortable relationship with the who Doctor Who whirlwind that he's at the centre of. But Darvill seems to thrive on it in the same way that David Tennant did.

BUt that doesn't answer the fundamental question of, what is he there for? What is his story purpose? And the family dynamic thing is something they already did back in the 60s. First with William Hartnel's crotchety grandfather figure, then with Patrick Troughton (a strong contender for Best Doctor Ever) and his crazy uncle relationship with his companions. And Jon Pertwee was a more paternal, fatherly figure, as well as being another contender for Best Doctor Ever. And that covers the first ten or twelve years of the show.

Now, I get the Moffat is a fan of the show, and what we've got now is very much like the setup of Jaimie, the Doctor and Victoria travelling round in the TARDIS. I say Victoria because Zoe was a super genius from the future who could do complex maths in her head and had total recall. And Amy isn't the most highly qualified companion ever. And other than Rory being married to Amy, there's no real need for him to be on the show. He's just there to make up the numbers. And the numbers didn't need making up.

When it comes to Matt Smith, I have to say, he's not a great Doctor. He actually reminds me of Colin Baker. That's to say he's a good actor, but. Whenever he's on screen, I get a feeling like I'm watching a performance. He's trying too hard for some reason. Maybe he's not being allowed to have his own input on the character, which I know was a big issue for Colin Baker.

The late Barry Letts, former producer and the man who cast Tom Baker said it best. He said when he was looking for an actor to replace Jon Pertwee that whoever played the Doctor had to be able to draw your eye whenever he was on screen. Even if he hasn't got very much to do. And much as I want to like MAtt Smith, he doesn't seem able to draw attention without coming out with his schtick of waving his hands around and so on.