Why Chris Chibnall’s “Fam” Were Destined to Fail
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor has three companions. Ryan Sinclair, Graham O’Brien, and Yasmin Khan. People don’t like them much. I think they’re pretty rubbish. In this video essay, I look at how they were never going to work, but how they could have been a bit better.
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Gotta love the irony of specifically going for a diverse cast for the companions, and then making them all functionality identical
I think that´s a problem in general.
YES!!!
B • r • u • h
Tfw you feel more for roses dad in 20 minutes than any of the fam over 2 series
True dat
RIGHT!
Graham seems like a better character than he is because he's played by a likable actor familiar to a lot of the fans. Played by anyone else and he'd be just as bad as the other 2.
This is 100% true. I had high hopes for him because Bradley Walsh is great, but he may have ended up my least favourite as a character
Totally agree.
@@Joe_Brennan_ Bradley would have made a great Doctor.
Yeah, they’re all dull characters but Graham has the standout of being played by a really good actor who, as a more experienced actor than the others, is able to work with what he’s given and make the best of it in a way the others can’t.
I don't think I've seen Bradley Walsh in anything else before and he's still my favourite to watch of the three (four tbh) just from the little he's had to work with.
Honestly the concept of them could be interesting. For example, Yaz is a police officer. That could really work against the doctor, you'd think a police officer would use all their skills to help, but also question some of the doctors moral choices and actions. But instead we have Yaz, who barely remembers she is a Police Officer.
that's a really good point!
But.... but... but.... she was the bestest policeperson evah!!!!
@@michaeldreibelbis9529 Amy Pond's Kiss-O- Gram was more of policewoman than Yaz.
To be fair, Yaz does take control of situations quite a lot with police tactics, she’s very good at rounding people up, settling them down, calmly extracting information and getting the lay of the land. There are many times where she’s actively interviewing a group of people, or goes into police mode. This happens sporadically in series 11, 12 and 13 it’s just missed because everything else happening around her is just god awful
The fact that I forgot she was a police officer until I saw a picture in this video of her in uniform speaks volumes to how little they utilised what could have been an interesting dynamic.
Something else I've noticed about the "fam" is that they remain consistently blandly supportive of the Doctor. Obviously the main role of the companion is to be the Doctor's friend, ask questions and act as an audience surrogate, but another role is to act as the Doctor's moral conscience and keep them grounded, and that includes calling them out from time to time. Think of Rose's response to Nine's bloodthirsty desire to kill the Dalek ("it's not the one pointing a gun at me"), or Martha making Ten tell her about his past ("you don't talk, you never say! Why not?"), or Donna questioning him about the morality of letting Pompeii be destroyed ("is that what you can see Doctor? All 20,000 people? And you think that's alright?"), all fantastic scenes that lend themselves to great drama.
By contrast, we never get scenes like this with the "fam", they never really challenge Thirteen or disagree with her on anything, they just blindly follow her into every single adventure no questions asked. They never actually call out Thirteen for any of her actions, regardless of how heinous they may be (and Thirteen has had *a lot* of morally questionable actions), and they never stand up for themselves when she acts all demeaning towards them. Think of that excellent scene in "The Haunting of Villa Diodati" where she snaps at them and effectively says that in spite of what she's said in the past, she is the leader of the team, and she is more important than the rest of them. You could've had the companions be shaken by this, seeing this as a betrayal of their trust in her, and maybe led to one or more of them turning against her in the finale. But they don't bring up that conversation again, and the next we see them they're back to blindly following her into the Cyber-Wars, almost as if Chibnall is too scared to include any actual conflict between the main characters. This tendency of the companions to just remain passive supporters of the Doctor is really the main reason why I find the "fam" so boring and underwhelming, because in my eyes there is nothing less interesting than watching a story where all the characters get along all the time
Yeah. And with Amy stopping Eleven from killing the star-whale. Seeing the companions have their own minds and bring something other than an extra set of hands to the table. I liked the characters individually, but as companions, they were very lackluster. Honestly, I feel bad for all of them that it was Chibnall writing for them. Had Davies or Moffat been writing, I think they would have been much better characters, and I hope they make a return at some point under Davies so we can hopefully see some of that dissonance that makes them interesting.
"Obviously the main role of the companion is to be the Doctor's friend"
It would be a very interesting series if the companion was NOT the Doctor's friend and they were constantly antagonising each other but for some reason needed to be together. I'd watch that arc :)
@@LittleMAC78 WEll, Donna Noble is coming back to Doctor Who.
I have also noticed that they don''t really shine without the doctor. There was a scene where the Doctor needed to investigate something, with Yas directly into the room. Instead, she does it herself. Yaz is a police investigator. Are you telling me that Yaz in no way was useful?
@@SImrobert2001 she's not an antagonist, though.
What if the Master was the companion for a while...? ;)
Simple: Chibnall is a terrible writer who completely ruined not only his era of the show but also somehow managed to detract from all that came before with his terrible lore alterations.
I wish they'd kept Grace instead of Yaz and had an old married couple and their grandson as the companions.
That’s interesting, I’ve always said they should have kept Grace instead of Graham. But Grace AND Graham would’ve been lovely
I've been saying the exact same thing. Grace was the best of them.
@@williamwatson4354 She had an actual personality, something that for the most part, the other three really lack.
Ryan is pretty wooden.
Thats a really great idea
I think the biggest issue with the "fam" is that they failed to do the one thing the Doctor brings them along for. Keep the Doctor in check. Call the Doctor out when they're going too far. Instead, they just toddle along after the Doctor like lost ducklings. They weren't companions, they weren't her moral grounding, they were her yes-men. They were her live studio audience to clap and make her feel better about whatever heinous decision she made that day. In the very first episode with Donna, the first thing she sees is a man completely willing to drown children and the second is a man willing to let a whole civilization burn for the sake continuity, _and she calls him out_. Eleven's first episode, he leaves Amy waiting for years, taking away any shine he may have had to blind her and when he's about to kill the star-whale, _she stops him_. Grace's death should have been that for the 'fam' but instead, despite their first meeting resulting in someone very important to two of them dying, they all just accept her calls without hesitation, without question. They should have had that shine lost, but they didn't. That's why they failed.
Also with the weird rightward shift the political views took. They really just let her talk about how space Amazon isn’t that bad actually and didn’t speak up when she allowed two weeks of paid leave for a month off
Also please don’t give us robots that thing fucking terrifies me
I’ll still always find it a bit weird that the three actors for the companions and Jodie all have a really good chemistry and dynamic together off camera behind the scenes, but none of that relationship is ever really matched on camera. Maybe if the companions brought more of the actors own personalities to the roles it would work better but then perhaps just giving them distinct personalities would have been a start
Totally agree. Mandip and Jodie, in particular, have enormous chemistry together, and the writers really should have tapped into that. As it turned out, Yaz seems to have had the least interaction with the Doctor of all the Companions. What a wasted opportunity!
Yeah they look like they all love each other and have fun. Would be nice to see that in the TARDIS too
That means the issue is writing (not one of the characters have a decent trait between them) and the direction. They're just given a bad script and basically told. "Okay, we'll put the camera here, we'll move it this way (rarely, seriously, look how rarely the camera pans or sweeps, it's all cut-cut-cut-cut... Like a shitty student film) you guys stand here, here, here and here and do your lines. Perfect! That's a wrap, now lets be smug and superior with our wokeness!"
@@MANB91UK Good points, although I daresay that the majority of scenes are "non-woke" - even so, they still get directed and filmed in exactly the same stilted manner :)
@@MANB91UK What's really annoying is not just the bad writing but that it's giving wokeness a bad name. The whole point of being woke is to correct injustices and this terrible writing is making people think of it as bland and irrelevant, hence the injustices stand less chance of being fixed. Chibnall seems like the Jeremy Corbyn of writing: focus on the protest and don't worry about whether it's actually connecting with people in a way that can make a difference.
it's been said before but i feel like the fam don't argue enough with 13. all the best companions tested and challenged the doctor. the companions' most memorable moments tend to be them arguing with the doctor (excluding maybe twin dilemma). there were brief signs of this in episodes like the "haunting of the villa in France" and "fugitive" but they are too quickly resolved. to truly get behind yaz I think we need to see her question why she should trust the doctor, which would ultimately strengthen their friendship once resolved.
I absolutely agree, wish I’d covered that side of things. Fingers crossed we get a bit more of that in Series 13...
@@Joe_Brennan_ oh totally yeah. I've heard a rumour that John bishop's character is gonna disagree with 13 a bit but that's prolly just a rumour
definitely! hard to argue when you don't have independent opinions though
@@caitie226 oh totally yeah!
The companions remind the Doctor what it is to be the Doctor, they are a mirror for the character to keep checking itself against and make the right choices, the fam really don't connect with the Doctor in that way, they're just mannequins to be clever at.
You missed Missy's best line of the conversation straight after 'Darling, those are genders'. That line is so true and makes me laugh so much. Just look at Mickey, Captain Jack, and Rory. All generally comic relief. It takes someone who really loves a show to not only identify recurring tropes, but make light of them. That's why I love Moffat Who. Sometimes, he got it wrong, even very wrong, but, I always knew, he loved the show, and I just never feel that with Chibnall.
Her best line of the series is "Wheeeee!"
It's a shame because Jodie's era really needed to work and I think the companions are the main reason why it's not up to par. The thin character traits (dyspraxia, policewoman, old man) are barely ever touched on so what was the point of creating these in the first place? They literally never talk about anything important and they never seem to be that bothered by what's going on. And that Graham line to Yaz about her being amazing is so out of place and comes out of nowhere, it just made me cringe. Also, even though I don't want to rag on the acting, Tosin is pretty bad and has absolutely no emotional range. Still, I'm excited that Yaz is staying, I just really hope they actually just let her talk and show some kind of character growth.
I really wish Jodie’s era was better all round. It’s such a shame that it didn’t do a great job proving the haters wrong. In some ways, it sadly proved them right. Fingers crossed Series 13 is everything it needs to be
@@Joe_Brennan_ Yeah totally. Just all a bit sad.
@@Joe_Brennan_ I think haters is a bit of a negative term. most people that I know that dont like the show anymore dont necessarily "hate" but have simply lost interest due to the drop in quality.... also, many of them, myself included, think the change of sex of the lead unnecessary and a mistake, not for sexist reasons but simply that a female doctor doesnt quite feel right. I've said this a few times on a number or social media sites and been absolutely trolled by, in my opinion, the real haters, haters of anyone that doesnt agree with them... I'm apparently every "ist" under the sun as well as other more choice names. When I see peoples comments on sites like rotten tomatoes or 1mdb, they roughly shadow my own, they are mostly well thought out and from the heart, and yet whenever someone puts a positive review up, the first thing they say is "firstly, ignore the haters giving low scores.." anyhow, rant over!
@@space1999 Thing is, there really are haters out there, and they do give low scores. There's no way an honest but disappointed Whovian (like myself) could give a fairly decent episode like "The Haunting of Villa Diodati" a measly 1 out of 10, yet 426 people went out of their way to do so on IMDB. Even a middling episode like "Praxeus" (not brilliant, but not terrible either) has a whopping 737 one-star reviews, as compared to only 249 four-star ones. No way do either of these stories deserve a score as low as 1 out of 10, so some people with axes to grind are definitely, and deliberately, sabotaging the scores.
I recently had a conversation/arguement with someone on Twitter about Jodies lack of Doctor moments. The person on Twitter agreed that she hasn't had ANY, but was willing to give her time (22 episodes, so far), and was hoping it would happen in s13.
The Thirteenth Doctor's companions feel like a group of people who all wanted to go on holiday with a group of random people, then realised they all had nothing in common and just had to pretend to like each other to stop things from being too awkward. Yaz is probably my favourite of the three, so I'm glad she's staying, Ryan and Graham's relationship with each other was nice, but they didn't really seem to have a relationship with either the Doctor or Yaz, hence why the few moments they get together seem stilted. Hopefully Dan will have more of a relationship with both Yaz and the Doctor so we get a sense the TARDIS team are actually friends and not just 'people the Doctor met one day who tagged along for a ride'
I have high hopes for Dan. I’m not even a huge fan of John Bishop, but he’s incredibly likeable and has a very strong personality. Can’t imagine he’ll be dull
One big problem with Yaz is that, although people say she's a police officer, she is just a probationary one at the moment, who doesn't like her job and hasn't been to work in ages. She thinks more highly of herself than her age & experience justifies and from a managerial standpoint, is not a good employee. It seems only a matter of time until her "secondment letters" are discoverd to be fakes and she is either sacked from the force and/or arrested for forgery.
@@Payne2view I'd like to think she has the sense to stay as far away from the Police Force as possible, Chibnall must be thanking his lucky stars that he didn't make her a complete Police Officer and that he didn't emphasize her role in the Police Force in her past few seasons, hopefully she can just quietly leave the Force in the next season and/or never mention it again
Even people tagging along for the ride can be done well. Season 19 had Nyssa who just didn't have anywhere else and Tegan who stayed purely because there's two young adults, probably in their teens, who can't fend for themselves and a just regenerated random man who can't protect either of them.
Honestly, I think this idea of the Doctor picking up some random people and then finding out none of them work together would be an excellent storyline: the Doctor being their friendly self picking up new companions only to find that whoops none of them get along at all and it's very awkward.
It's ironic how one of the most racially diverse cast has the least differences in personality
Thats because the people who write the show think their Colour IS their difference. :(
It's called ticking boxes. That was my first impression when I saw the press release. One old white male, black male. Pakistani gal. Nothing wrong with diversity but middling personalities was the issue.
When even Handles is a better companion that your main companions you know you've made a mistake
Yaz should have been second in command due to being an officer. She should be more brash, stubborn, and pragmatic, always focusing on deescalating the situation over anything else. In a crisis she reverts to her training, which serves her well but prevents her from adapting. Ryan should be the more curious one, occasionally getting the group into trouble but also making connections not even the doctor could make (à la Donna Noble but less accounting). If there’s a monster, he’ll make friends with it. He should be the one to zero in on any emotional tension rising between the team. Make him the happiest of the 3. Graham is of course going to be a bit protective of Ryan and eventually Yaz. He keeps the other 3 from going to far, but doesn’t care if he loses himself in the process.
e a different reason for travelling. Yaz loved the thrill, Ryan wants to satisfy his curiosity, and Graham wants the adventure and distraction from his loss.
Having different motivations also creates more room for conflicts and pairing off based on situation. The basis was there they just never did anything with it.
This would have been massively better than all the blandness we got
Deescalating situations would be really out of character for a cop though.
She’s a cop so deescalation wouldn’t be there actually
7:22
You didn't have to absolutely demolish my girl Susan like that, but you did anyway and I respect that.
I just saw the opportunity to air a personal grievance and I took it!
the thing is that nobody, even when she appeared in the Five Doctors thought of Susan as an alien time lord because the Doctor wasn't portrayed as an alien during her time on the show and when she made her last appearance, the writers did a poor job of connecting the Fifth Doctor to Susan still being grandfather and granddaughter despite the Doctor looking like Susan's nephew
@@Joe_Brennan_ To be fair, Susan actress Carole Anne Ford, felt the same. That's one of the reasons she left.
Susan was much more alien and sexual in the original pilot, but they toned it all down by the time they shot what became An Unearthly Child. I can imagine being disappointed with what she became in comparison to her original plan, but I don't think she's a bad character. She has great moments like in The Sensorites and in Dalek Invasion, when she's asked "and what [work] do you do", and she snaps "I eat."
this is where i come to when i have opinions on doctor who that i don’t know how to put into words
You're not the only person to have told me this hahaha, I'm glad to be a sort of medium for people's Doctor Who thoughts.
Here's what they basically do:
Yaz and Ryan get sad, Graham sits down and delivers a speech, they feel better.
Boring.
And wow, Ryan throws a ball? Oh! That is brilliant story arc writing right there(!)
It's a shame as the 'family' companion format was achieved perfectly in the Sarah Jane adventures... It's sad that a spin off was far better than a high budget season.
I maintain that Yaz and Ryan was a completely misguided and wrong headed attempt to replicate the gang from SJA (down to the name of the group), understanding nothing about what made those characters really work and shine. The less academic and spirited young man and the whip smart more professional young girl, except that Clyde and Rani demonstrate these traits well, whereas Ryan and Yaz don’t. The similar races lends credence to my theory, suggesting that Yaz and Ryan are truly shallow attempts to replicate Rani and Clyde (who just should be doctor who companions because they are fantastic, and I’m sure the Doctor could get around their grounding by the Judoon).
DONT EVEN START ME ON SJA LITERALLY ONE OF THE FEW KIDS SHOWS THAT HAS ME CRYING EVERY OTHER EPISODE
The telling sign of Chibnail's failure at characterization is just to compare any of the Fam to someone like Wilfred Mott. Wilf is only in a few select episodes, and doesn't consistently interact with the Doctor that much until the End of Time. For all intents and purposes he's a supporting figure that helps inform Donna's life, yet the writing and Bernard Cribbin's performance injected so much life into him that you had a complete sense of who he was. He went on not only to become one of the most memorable but also most beloved figures in Nu Who, even when he had fairly small screen time in the grand scheme of things.
Which leads to the obvious question, why is that at grandfather of a companion feels more like a more fully realized person than the main cast of the last two series who've had numerous opportunities to be explored?
My problem with the “fam”, besides hating the term as fatuous, is that there is nothing even approaching deep, nuanced relationships between this group. This “fam” is devoid of any real connections.
Ryan’s Yorkshire accent is shocking and it’s amazing to me that they didn’t just drop it.
That was like, the ONE THING about Ryan's character that wasn't immediately dropped. Dyspraxia? Running around and shooting guns with perfect accuracy literally the next episode. His youtube account? It had potential, but got immediately forgotten about. Him training to be a mechanic? He doesn't even know or care about Thomas Edison. He had so much potential when you think about it, and he just ends up as a nothing character.
Wait.... That was supposed to a Yorkshire Accent.... Oh no.
I'm from Yorkshire. That's not a Yorkshire accent.
I’m from Leeds born an bread I would love to hear Ryan say “ tinternet “ I’ve lost my accent after defecting to the southsides and have been here for 27 years which makes me a Londoner I believe , sorry. But yeah Ryan’s accent is just awful.
All the fellow Yorkshiremen in the comments are quite rightfully shocked that they let Ryan's horrible iteration of the accent slide
I'm concerned that Yas is falling for the Doctor and we're gonna end up with either a Rose situation where they try to force too much emotion into her inevitable departure, or a Martha situation where an otherwise good character is ruined because of all the whining about how the Doctor doesn't love her back. The only saving grace on that front is that Yas doesn't really have a character to ruin
More of Martha with the way 13th pushes Yaz aside.
Too much emotion? Rose and Tens departure was perfect it had been growing naturally for 27 episodes at that point
To be fair to Chibbers I actually think he did a pretty solid job with Yaz's exit; she had her heart broken, but was pretty much forced to accept it upon realising that not only was Thirteen not going to be around any more, but also that she herself was far from the first person to be left behind by the Doctor despite being of great emotional value to him/her in the present (on a similar note, I also thought the "companion support group" was a really nice touch).
Tbh I also really enjoyed both Rose's and Clara's romantic interactions with the Doctor, but I completely agree that Martha's incessant bleating was kind of infuriating
It’s everything the “haters” said it was. A badly written season with no character. And keep in mind many of those “haters” are fans who want to see the series become better. But the only way that’s possible is getting rid of the head writer and retconning the timeless child
what good would retconning the timeless child do? If you just wrote as usual as a head writer... what would change? It's not as if in every episode, the doctor goes 'ah yes, my white haired old man incarnation (the first one), yes that was a good time', they should just get on with it. Let's face it, if you don't like it, it's only going to mean more time being spent on it by retconning it.
@@Bagofnowt would fix the damage it did to the franchise and bring fans back to the series. Wouldn’t even be hard to do actually
@@Bagofnowt “ah my yes white haired old man incarnation” you mean the man that started it all and created the character? The first doctor? Yeah. He will always be the first. Thank god bbc is retconning this shit
@@benpage11 not really, no. The timeless child will do as much damage as the brain of morbius did, or the 8th doctor saying he's half human. It's not even an especially new idea. It'll become just another plot point in the doctor's existence, and people will like it or won't.
@@Bagofnowt Nah it’s easy. Hell you could even use the timeless child as a separate character to explain/retcon the half human shit. At the very least the half human shit didn’t destroy the franchise and shred it. Not as harmful as a retcon
I remember thinking Ryan was an odd character. It’s like they wrote a 13 year old and then hired a 20-something. He doesn’t have to call you grandpa just because you married his grandma. He’s an adult. He can call you whatever he wants. He probably has memories of his grandpa so you don’t get that spot. A small child would have been an interesting companion.
4:43 Missy: Hello, I'm The Doctor and these are my companions Boo Hoo, I Miss My Wife, Boo Hoo, I Miss My Grandma and Interchangeable Female Companion #842.
Itchy & Scratchy (Graham & Yaz) & Poochie (Ryan)
Those are pretty charitable descriptions of Ryan and Graham IMO, given how I don't remember Ryan missing his grandma that much, other than a brief mention at the end of a vlog that was mostly about his bike riding. Considering the circumstances of Grace's death, you'd think they'd both be a little bit less indiffent to it.
I mean, most people in their positions would scarcely be able to hide their contempt for this woman calling herself 'the Doctor', who waltzed into their lives one day and, without explaining the risks, roped them into stopping an dangerous alien murderer who then killed the loveliest person they'd ever met. And then, to add insult to injury, she shows up uninvited to Grace's funeral without even changing her clothes.
That issue gets brushed past in-story because the characters _needed_ to like her. Perhaps it would have made the tone too dark if they didn't, but I actually think that having two characters who _hated_ the Doctor, and whose forgiveness she had to earn (because remember they got stuck with her for the next two episodes), would have made a much more satisfying story arc than what we got. Kinda like Jackie Tyler, except more so.
But oh no, we can't have that. She's the "first female Doctor" and too much is riding on her success. We can't afford to risk people hating her, so definitely don't have any characters who hate her guts that the audience can actually empathise with. Everyone but the villains should either treat her really nicely or be a complete pushover.
Yaz needed to bring up modern law, policing, heck, just have her arrest someone!
Graham should be bringing the concept of mortality to the team as a cancer survivor, maybe a tragic comic relief sacrifice?
Ryan needs to blog more, in it for validation to outshine his dyspraxia, boost his confidence.
I have dyspraxia also, I am clumsy.
Seems like he chooses characteristics for a tick in a box instead of expanding on how they would benefit or burden the team or how they would advance the narrative.
It’s a real shame. No detail ever goes beyond the surface level
@@Joe_Brennan_ Nick Briggs must be rubbing his hands to turn these companions into people.
They could have done more with dyspraxia with Ryan. I really thought his had dyslexia
@@firegirl26 I think the writers forgot he had it.
@@HillarySJohknaym or he could come back as a dalek or cyberman and kill them off since they are useless anyway
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said more diversity. The failure of the fam it based on a failure in understanding diversity. The pc culture would say it was perfect diversity, “a woman in charge, and Indian woman, a black man, and an old man. We got that with the new Doctor, but what it proves is that diversity comes from who you are, not what you look like.
It's a shame. I really did like the story of Ryan and Graham becoming more of a family and I loved Yas visiting her family in the past, but yeah there just weren't enough moments like these. I also think the characters of Ryan and Yas could have been fused into one, not because three companions aren't possible, but because these writers clearly couldn't handle three at once.
Indeed. I don't know why Chibnall did it, maybe it was his interest in the old show and the fact that it seemed to work in Davison's era, but I believe that even Davison himself might have commented on it not always working.
I don't hate the 'Fam', but I can understand why people complain about the them.
These writers clearly can’t handle the doctor. Why would they do better with lesser characters? The question is why is the BBC behind them as the viewers decline? Why???
Bill wasn’t an all time great companion but she still had more personality than Yaz, Ryan, Graham and Whittaker’s Doctor put together.
Bill is better but she annoyed the living heck outta me with the constant questioning.
@@einezcrespo2107 it upsets me more because i actually felt like bill was set up for more than what she got..... like she could easily have become a big addition to the team, you could really explore bills character because there is so much established, like bill easily can have a spinoff with her and heather, bill could have a story from her childhood in the system and losing her mom, bill could have stories that relate to her arch in the monks, she literally SHOT THE DOCTOR...in a perfect world Bill shouldve been mel and the new fam being ace let the baton be passed..... like legit what can ryan yaz and graham do? Yaz can look at the doctor with that love spark companions are so oftenly written with, ryan is polite and has manners, and graham can either act like wilfred with having his own spin while also being rejected anytime he tries giving any depth..........
I think the episodes where the companions were split up actually worked the best for them. Like in Rosa where they all had their separate tasks, or Spyfall when Yaz and Ryan had to go get info on that dude. Felt more interesting than them all being in the same room and not doing much.
With hindsight, it just seems so clear where they went wrong and what else could've been done
Ryan and Graham should have been like Mickey and Jackie in Series 1 and 2, Earth-bound pseudo-companions (Well, Mickey counts. Roll with me here.) that aren't around all the time. We should have just had Yaz, and adapted their roles in the story around that.
I agree. All too often, we've seen the Fam stand in line, playing "pass-the-parcel" with dialogue that's been arbitrarily divvied-up between them, when the lines could easily have been given to one Companion alone. Same goes for the actions they're given to do. Not only does this often look and sound stupid, but it just serves to underline the fact that there's not enough justification to have three permanent Companions at all.
That would have worked a lot better, but honestly they had a lot of opportunity to write in some characterisation as was. I don't think there was really a lack of space. So frustrating because the stereotype of plot plot plot, character dead last scifi rarely happens in doctor who imo.
I think we can look at character first episodes for a case study. (These will be simplified here)
The doctor wanted rose to travel with him because she showed fight and drive beyond her current life, but he only showed this warmth once they’d accidentally met a couple times
With Martha the doctor didn’t acc want to have her as a companion, but they’re lonely - this theme is explored through the series
The doctor only travels with Donna once we have that established bond in partners in crime
Etc etc ...
Yaz Ryan and Graham travel with the doctor coz .... they were there when the doctor crashed ,, and followed her about ??
I feel like you could make a ‘moments they became a companion’ compilation , rose swinging on the rope to kick the auton, Donna mouthing to the doctor through the window, amy when she asks for help with the crack on her wall etc etc .... this TARDIS team don’t have these moments so I feel they’re set up for a more difficult journey
And then they remained pretty stagnant.
Yes I believe the doctor should be accepting - but because they see good in everyone and BRING OUT THAT GOOD, not coz they’ll put up with whoever
I absolutely agree
And then Clara who was.....a mystery box? Well, at least she became a more developed character later on. Oh, and being extremely attractive helped too.....
@@mattevans4377 Clara (dalek) would have been accepted because she showed wit and intelligence in Asylum, then Victorian Clara showed real potential but had her tragic death, original clara was unfortunately just a mystery box until that was solved, but in some ways that meets 11's characterisation quite well given that was why he took Amy along in s5.
I can't really say much. I pretty much agree with everything you said. One thing I noticed in my first run through of Series 11 and 12 is that the opportunities for this team was wasted, not just in development, but actual picking and choosing who went on what adventure. In 20 episodes, we couldn't get a Doctor-Ryan-Yaz combo? A Doctor-Graham combo? A Doctor-Yaz combo? Doctor-Graham-Yaz? Doctor-Ryan-Graham? Doctor-Ryan? This really could have led to unique moments where we got to see how companions felt without the others present at the time. Heck, it'd even help show off how they do have jobs and daily duties to adhere too, unlike The Doctor who doesn't have to live on Earth. Maybe Yaz admits she once had a crush on Ryan in primary school or Graham expresses his frustrations as a Grandfather/father figure to Ryan or Ryan learning to overcome one of the things his Dyslexia causes him by an adventure with the Doctor. Also, have them clash with The Doctor. Yaz's policing clashing with the Doctor's methods, Graham finding The Doctor at times to be too outlandish for her supposed seniority, or Ryan calling her out on some hypocrisy which The Doctor has done before. The whole arc of them feeling that she was keeping them distant from her had potential, but it literally went nowhere other than revealing she is a Time Lord, from the planet Gallifrey, and really it was to just sprinkle in the later point of The Timeless Children's plot. I can only hope with Dan, they offer something unique, and Yaz is more flourished for Series 13.
This is an excellent comment. In a similar vein, something I’m looking forward to about Series 13 is seeing Yaz and the Doctor as a team on their own. Even if it’s very briefly before Dan joins the crew. I just want to see how these characters interact
Imagine how both heartfelt and comedic a conversation between the Doctor and Graham about being Grandfathers could have been!
@@timidwolf Instead we had that incredibly stupid line from the Doctor where Yaz say's "It's complicated." and the Doctor responds "Yeah. Dads are, so I've heard." Like excuse me? You have been a dad before! Hell, you've had a granddaughter!
truth be told, an on/off companion team sounds like an awesome idea
I found it weird how the fam were so independent so early, they were able to go into situations without the doctor and improvise the authoritative tone and ask the right questions to get them where they needed to be. If this had happened later into series 11 or in series 12 it would have made sense to me (they're getting used to the situations and growing as characters) but the fact they could immediately do that was weird and left little room for development.
Not many people know this, but FAM is not actually short for 'family'. And yes, all capitals is how you spell it because it's an acronym of each character's defining qualities: Funny (Graham), Annoying (Yaz) and Meh (Ryan).
On paper, I love the idea of the fam cast. Having a member of the police, and a step family duo. It's such a shame the characters weren't handled with care that these characters deserved
I think your point about the companions being what makes a Doctor work definitely holds a lot water. I don’t think the 2nd doctor was as good in season 4 as he is in the rest of the era and I think Ben and Polly might’ve been one of the main reasons, I just found them both a bit bland and they didn’t really have that interesting of a dynamic with the Doctor. But then Jamie comes along and I think the second doctor just really comes alive.
Same goes for the sixth doctor, I think the big reason that he works a lot better in the audios is because they pair him up with strong willed companions like Evelyn and Constance who challenge him more than his tv companions did.
I really enjoyed listening to the Sixth Doctor's stories with Charley, especially as he was such a contrast to the Eighth Doctor, both for me and for Charley. I really think the cast surrounding a Doctor can be make-or-break and unfortunately this lot broke
Peri sorta challenged him in a passive aggressive manner. Most recently someone on Twitter posted a video of Peri mouthing the A word after The Doctor patronized her big time in The Two Doctors. I never noticed after decades. lol Mel was supposed to bounce off 6th's Doctor and they only had a brief time together onscreen. Bonnie Langford wasn't too keen on how Mel came off on the TV series but I've heard Mel in the audios was better written.
I really liked you thoughts on why the "Fam" (hate that!) doesn't really work. It made me think - if you took the 9th Doctor and pitted him with, say, Martha Jones, and you took the 12th Doctor and pitted him with, say, Amy Pond, the Doctor himself would be different, because there would be a new dynamic to both seasons. Martha is not Amy, Amy is not Martha, and the dynamics of both seasons and both Doctors would be very different. Every companion up to and including Bill bring new things to the show and changed the show and The Doctor. Now if you took Yaz and matched him with 9 and matched 12 with Ryan, all you would have is the usual Doctors we know, and a couple of companions who barely have personalities. The Doctors would be their usual selves, except they probably be bored and would have to carry the whole show. P.S. Hey, I'm a "Brennan" too!
Probably one of the most noticeable aspects is how little 13 and her companies disagree with each other. Quite a bit of interesting dynamics that usually come from Doctor and companion dynamics is when there’s conflict between them and how they move beyond that as friends, a friendship where there’s also excitement to be had like when 9 had lunch with Jack, Mickey, and Rose in Boom Town. 13’s companions just seem to take a rather subservient, withdrawn role in which they really seem to talk to her beyond “Yeah, nice to be with you too.” And even rare things like Ryan questioning 13 using weapons after she criticized him for using a weapon is frustratingly excused away even though the validity of self-defense is really something you can’t ignore and would cause more conflict, but it doesn’t here, because Ryan is basically told to shush and accept it as if he can’t have a valid opinion on that.
Yaz: Should be the Rose Tyler archetype. She's a police officer make her character fit that. Have her be the curious one asking all the questions, running into danger, investigating things. Set her apart by making her the one that challenges and ocassionally clashes with the Doctor. Her arc is to learn to trust the Doctor and not be so reckless.
Ryan: Give him an interest in computers or science. As a guy with dyspraxia Ryan should be the one asking for caution, preferring to take back seat and for the most part provides a support role. Like Mickey, he stays out of trouble but uses his skills with computers or science. Ryan is less curious than Yaz and he tends to just trust the Doctor almost being a yes man at first with his arc being one of confidence growth eventially becoming his own person.
Graham: The level headed moral centre. While Yaz is a loose cannon and Ryan is kind of a wimp, Graham is the one that thinks things through. He clashes with the Doctor when he thinks she's being reckless or immoral. He's the Donna Nonle type stopping the Doctor going off the rails. Generally though he see's the Doctor as a force for good and the two have a lot of respect for each other. He's basically a hybrid if Donna and Wilf.
In short.
Yaz: Exposition
Ryan: Comic relief
Graham: Moral centre
Great video! I especially love the type of Doctor Who jokes you make, it's really telling what type of fan someone is by hearing the jokes/references they do and i just found myself laughing a lot at side jokes in decent video essay of the fam, i agree they could of deffo been great characters if they had some individuality! Like Yaz being a police officer is like PRIME STORY MATERIAL that is thrown out the window, Ryan wouldn't be a vlogger/youtube like he's set up to be, but if there was a "instagram influencer/youtuber" would started traveling in the TARDIS then i'm sure they'd be filming/livestreaming things, making posts, they could even run the account in real life like an ARG profile but whatever, the point is there is SOOOOOO much story potential with these 3 characters that was just never used one bit, like even Demons of the Punjab (yeah it''s good but from an an indian perspective it's "just okay" for me personally) Yaz barely even stands out in that episode, like maybe she could of spoke the language and we got a funny reaction to the TARDIS translation?? Like these are just "off the top of my head" ideas I just don't get why someone who LOVES Doctor Who like Chibnall does and has watched it as long as he has, doesn't know how to make individual companions?
I am full of questions about why Chris Chibnall does what he does. But the inner machinations of his mind are an enigma
I actually adore Graham. He’s hilarious, and he carries sandwiches everywhere. That’s a perfect combo.
In my opinion, Grace was the best companion (or just character) of the fam by far, and she didn’t even last an episode.
what u said about naturalistic dialogue is so interesting. i love some of moffatt's more dramatic moments (the iconic "do u think i care for u so little" scene plays in my head 24/7) but i love a good realistic down to earth moment too. i think rtd did that so perfectly in the end of the world when the doctor asks rose if she wants to go home and she responds by asking him if he smells chips. i love that moment it feels so real and it's so well acted and somehow it tells us so much about rose without having to explicitely say anything. but there are no moments like that in chibnall's era :(
"I've got chips, though..." - The best line in the series delivered by Ryan.
Yep exposition resources - three of them. Bonus points for the words intangible spark. That sums up beautifully what the Doctor is at heart and why Whitaker didn't really work. Great video.
I think Chibby just really didn't understand that The Doctor isn't the main focus of the show: it's the companion. We see most things through the eyes of the companions, as said in the video, they're the stand-in for us. Just look at Turn Left, it's the prime episode to show why the companions matter so much and it's like Chibby really doesn't care. He's more focused on "woman Doctor" and making sure everyone treats her like the queen she is rather than good storytelling and character development.
I had hummus and pita bread for breakfast this morning. I've had that for every meal this week because we're in finals for college and I don't have time to cook. This video was really great to listen to while working on a project due tomorrow:)
I’m proud to have been the accompaniment for your work. Good luck on the project!
@@Joe_Brennan_ Thanks!;)
Good luck with you ventures.
@@eastlynburkholder3559 Ty! I ended up doing okay.
I had Weetabix for breakfast this morning, you now know more about me then we do about the Fam.
Smh why don't I know Ryan's cereal habits. Lazy writing
The issue with the companions is that they were never chosen on he basis of the actors ABILITY, but on their ability to tick the right boxes.
What would actually be cool is if the TARDIS could fill in for the Doctor for a Season...imagine the Doctor goes missing and the TARDIS has to try and find humans, on her own, to help track The Doctor down. The TARDIS could help them by taking the humans to the planets where the Doctor was last spotted and give them a basic rundown on the local species using her monitors, but as she’s a machine she wouldn’t be able to interact with the people on these planets directly and would have to use humans as a PROXY.
As much as I would appreciate a Suranne Jones spin-off, let's focus on getting the basic formula right for now.
I really like this idea, I’m not sure how long they could draw it out for. But it has potential...
@@Joe_Brennan_ It might actually make for a good post-regeneration episode. Doctor goes missing, we get introduced to the new companion(s) and it's not until the end of the episode that the new Doctor is revealed.
I like the idea of the TARDIS selecting the new companions based on them being what the Doctor needs rather than what they would necessarily choose for themselves. Even a bit of a hostile relationship between Doctor and companion(s) at first would give them a lot of good character moments/development. Have the companion believe in the importance of the mission but not necessarily the Doctor's way of solving problems. The Doctor can even try to chuck the companion out several times but have the TARDIS keep finding them and bringing them back until they discover common ground.
Oh man I relate heavily to the opening of this video, writing the introduction is always the worst part. Great analysis!
The problem was they DID give us diversity it was just physical diversity. I agree they were basically interchangeable. If they were going to go the direction that they did. They should have let either Ryan or Graham remain on earth for the first episode (to mourn or whatever) and allow the other two to grow. Then after a bit have a situation in which the 3rd is needed ala Mickey via Rose and add them that way. It has been done several times before.
Nice to see you use the RLM's clip of 'describing original and prequel trilogies' characters by personality only'.
I think about it all the time; using it as an exercise to demonstrate underwritten characters that appear fleshed out on the surface level
The biggest joke is that chibnall managed to basically set up everything for almost every character to be great and still decided to keep them as bland as possible.
One thing about the original 1963 TARDIS team I always enjoyed was not only their different perspectives, but their different roles.
The Doctor was there to be the expert, the main source of drama, as well as be the driving force of an episode in whatever way it was called for.
Ian was there to serve as the physical young hero, always giving the audience a character to route for in action sequences.
Barbara was there to maintain the morality of the TARDIS team, challenging The Doctor at every turn that was needed.
Susan was there for her curiosity. She was always wanting to explore, which often got the team into trouble.
Of course, as time went on, The Doctor absorbed some of these traits, making the companion role often just exclusively for the audience's surrogate, sometimes being a substitution for a single member of the '63 team.
Honestly? I think Jodie Whittaker's Doctor would probably be best if she didn't have a companion. The episodes and moments without the fam were often her best.
This just makes me want to go back and see Matt Smith.
i actually laughed out loud when you said the point about Susan 'being a stupid child who whined all the time'.
okay legit tho, like shes an alien from the most civilised race of beings, has travelled the universe and yet all she does is scream and whine
I wanna see more companions from weird time periods or other planets. I was really excited about Clara in Asylum and the Snowmen because I thought she’d stick, but then she was just modern day like all of them. And I love Nardole because of both that aspect of him and his sexiness.
Personally I suspect Chibnal is not talented enough to write for four main characters. The salient point you made about the dialogue being written for one companion and then parcelled out to the rest is spot on! Chibnal and Co (the story team) have been in the past accused of lazy script writing. Better if Chibnal had ditched Ryan and Yaz and settled for the Graham character. He could of explored the paradox of a Grandfather (Graham) and Granddaughter (the Doctor) like theme.
I think that had they kept Grace not Graham that everyone would look at Doctor 13 and The Fam differently. She had a big personality. She would hve questioned the Doctor more, and taken her to task. The relationship dynamic with Ryan would have been totally different and more genuine. Ryan would have literally been the odd man out which would have been an avenue to explore. Yaz could have looked to Grace as a Mother figure and that could have impacted her relationship with The Doctor in a different manner. Just that one change and I think everything would have been not only different but better. ~Be Blessed
I often found the companions to be a part of the Doctor that he/she was missing or that they needed at that time. For example, in one of their first couple of regular episodes together, Donna and the Doctor go to Pompeii. She turns out to be a bit of his conscience, getting him to save someone even though he kept saying it is a fixed point in time and he cannot do that. That episode set the stage for who she was as a companion, and what the interplay between the two would be like. So while she was also exposition, she was also conscience in the dynamic. I watched the first Jodi Whittaker season and I never felt like I understood why I could not connect with any of those companions and your video really laid it out and I think that is why. I have had no idea who they were supposed to be other than exposition, exposition, and exposition. They don't seem to provide much to group otherwise. What would the three have done in Pompeii with the Doctor? Would any of them lobby as hard as Donna to get the Doctor to save the family? Or would they all just go "what is going on oh wise and powerful Doctor? Explain it to us and the viewer"
For me I just found them to just tick boxes for diversity first and then forgot to add the character later. Ryan and his contextual dyspraxia being the prime example, it is literally only mentioned when he is required to do something that his dyspraxia would make more difficult and even then it's only to add tension! The rest of the time, he's absolutely fine and has no issues with his condition. I'm not against diversity and showing disabilities etc, completely the opposite actually but for me, the small moment in S5 when dyslexia is mentioned and the doctor replies with "dyslexia didn't stop Einstein and it's not stopping you" (or something like that) it was impactful, it was much less forced and promoted the idea that this disability isn't something that will stop you from being great. Having a character with any kind of disability is brilliant, using it only to add fake tension to an occasional scene is just wrong to me. Individually I find them bland and forgettable, together that problem is exacerbated tenfold, the show just became a slog to watch and I was so unengaged that I couldn't carry on watching it, I just didn't care about them and couldn't bring myself to watch
The frustrating thing is that we've had loads of excellent black/Asian actors in NuWho, and I don't just mean the "big names" like Zawe Ashton and Sophie Okonedo - few had heard of Freema Agyeman or Pearl Mackie before, but they were superb. And it's not just in the ranks of the Companions; other relatively unknown black/Asian actors have also done good work in bit-parts and supporting roles.
I wonder if Chibnall's decision to set Doctor Who in Yorkshire artificially restricted his options to a limited pool of Yorkshire actors, or at least ones who could do passable accents. Maybe if he'd been more flexible as to where the characters were from, he could have cast a better net... and netted a better cast :)
@@ftumschk it's because the diversity policy clause was included in the bbc charter around 5 years ago. From that point they HAD to include every section of society every time, resulting in many poor choices due to a restricted pool of actors/composers/directors/writers that fit whichever box was required.... prior to this, there was much more freedom just to get the right person for the job without narrowing down your choices. If u think about it, everything wrong with who now is because of this. The incidental music (written by a virtually untested but diverse composer), the poor direction in some of the stories (again, look up the directors AND writers for s11 and s12 and look up their previous experience... some have never worked with sci fi and some never even on tv, however, again they tick certain boxes)
@@space1999 The BBC diversity policy doesn't dictate that there somehow must be one or more "companions of colour" on the TARDIS, that there must be a black composer or directors/writers of ethnic origin - only that programmes fairly represent the diversity in society in some way. How that is achieved is entirely down to the choice of Chibnall and his production team and I have no issues with the idea of a "diverse" TARDIS crew in principle.
Where I DO have issues is with the specific casting choices, but that's got nothing at all to do with the ethnicity or skin colour of the actors - in point of fact, I've not exactly been overwhelmed by Chibnall's choice of white male companion either. As said in my previous post, we've seen plenty of examples of excellent black/Asian actors in Doctor Who, so there's no shortage of talent.
@@ftumschk actually it does. It states a specific quantity of diverse people (sex, race, disability) HAVE to be put forward on screen, of course it doesnt specify individual programs so it wont list the "tardis crew" but any policy that is inherently racist/sexist and calls for one specific gender/race/disability can only do harm to media output. Of course it's right to be inclusive but not over and above program quality. Let's say the policy dictated only one person of colour allowed in a show, how many great actors would have to be overlooked just because they are of colour? Chinball gave an interview in the radio times, when he was announced as showrunner, and in it he specifically said it was HIS AIM to represent as diverse a workforce as possible in front of and behind the camera as possible. I remember even then that this was worrying as surely the aim should be to make a great TV show first and everything else after...
Because you and I are not in on the behind the scenes recruitment we can never know for sure why the doctor and her companions were selected specifically, we weren't there. However looking at circumstantial evidence, ie what we actually have seen produced, I would stick my neck out and say they may not be the most talented actors available, I am therefore forced to conclude they were hired for other reasons. The same goes for the writers and directors and the fellow that took over the incidental music I'm afraid.
@@space1999 _"actually it does. It states a specific quantity of diverse people (sex, race, disability) HAVE to be put forward on screen"_
Even if that's what the BBC policy literally says, which I doubt, that commitment would be easily fulfilled by representing diversity among the supporting characters; it doesn't predicate or stipulate that this should apply to the main cast.
_"Chinball gave an interview in the radio times, when he was announced as showrunner, and in it he specifically said it was _*_HIS AIM_*_ to represent as diverse a workforce as possible"_
Well there you have it - it's Chibnall's own decision, and isn't down to the BBC policy itself.
It's so refreshing to hear someone discuss why the recent series of Doctor Who was bad without accusing it of being too "woke" or moralistic
A moralizing Doctor Who can absolutely work (and has in the past). That's not the problem. The problems are with the nitty-gritty of the writing choices, not the thematic choices. There's no limit to the themes that a great writer can explore, but you actually need a great writer in the first place
: some people think it's down to bad acting
(Ryan and Yaz in shot)
: Maybe this is true but I don't think so (Graham enters shot)
Bradley Walsh is the absolute highlight of this team
I think it got fixed a bit when Dan came in and took over for Ryan and Graham, if you're going for the exposition and comedy approach then I think him and Yaz managed it, except that Yaz became less of exposition the more she got comfortable working with the doctor, kinda like Clara in her final season.
You actually missed the classic Shakespeare quote, "a rose by any other name is called bill."
But yeah, nothing memorable about the new 3 which contributed to lots of bland episodes
This is a very good comment
I congratulate you on this video, mainly because it's constructive as well as being honest.
My own opinion as to why the "revamp" didn't work is the fact that we have a very poor show runner.
A strong show runner would never have chosen Whittaker for the lead, she is completely out of her depth and hopelessly miscast. She only got the job due to being a weak showrunners buddy.
I also feel chibnall knew very well that he was incapable of writing to Moffat's or RTD's standards, so he decided to trash everything (timeless child), instead in order to make an impact.
A cheap, dishonest, and disrespectful approach which is a bit like swearing on children's TV in order to get attention.
I really enjoyed your video, and I respect that you have avoided the trap of simply slagging it off like others do so.....
I'll do it for you.
The show is now a ghastly substandard shadow of its former self. It has consistently short changed its audience, and in its misguided pursuit of inclusively, has managed to alienate more than it has engaged.
An epic, damaging, stinking failure of galactic proportions in every category...
Acting. Writing. Dialogue. Character development. Concept. Set design. Backing music. Camera work. Inclusivity.
As a spin off with another name it could have worked, but seen in the light of what preceded it, this show now rots before our very eyes.
Take a bow BBC 💩
_"I also feel chibnall knew very well that he was incapable of writing to Moffat's or RTD's standards, so he decided to trash everything... instead"_ - I really don't think Chibnall decided to trash the show; he's been a fan since most modern Who fans (or some of their parents!) were even born, and I feel that he genuinely thought he'd come up with good ideas. The fact that he didn't is probably because he's the least imaginative producer/showrunner I can remember, and one of the weakest main scriptwriters the show has ever had. I'm sure he believes he's done his best, but it just wasn't good enough.
I always wanted more variety in companions than young is adults (Normally female) from the 21th century. Which is why I loved Jack, Wilf, Nardol and wished for victorian Clara.
Even Donna was slightly out of the mould and that worked great!
I understand that RTD's era did a lot for the show's popularity because of how relatable the companions were, but I don't think that should mean they should be scared of originality
@@Joe_Brennan_ For sure, Rose and Martha are my favourite companions (probably because they were my doctor and companions as i grew up) but after this many similar companions you have to change it.
I've been trying to put my thought son this into words for ages and I think you've done it. if someone asked me what each companion's personality is, I would not be able to describe them very differently other than Ryan being a bit more cynical than Yaz. Graham is entertaining but he would have been put to so much better use if he had been paired with other characters. I think that character moments are so important in this show, and series 11 and 12 seem to so desperately focus on trying to scrape together a story that they completely forget what the audience is actually watching. In Doctor Who, the story isn't told like someone recalling their dream form the night before, it's told through the character interactions and their relationships with each other. I think this is why series 11 and 12 seem to lack that spark that most of the others do.
In my opinion, Series 11 was a reboot that didn't need to be rebooted. If Series 11 was broadcast about 5 years later, then maybe it might have a different response. But after Series 10, Doctor Who didn't go on a hiatus. It came back literally the following year. So to see a series that acted as a blank slate wasn't refreshing, it was underwhelming.
Excellent observation!
Not so sure about that. Remember Moffat's first season came out only mere months after RTD's final episode, and look how well that season was received- and it was definitely a soft reboot/revamp for Doctor Who at the time. It was Chibnall's vision that was the problem and that's what it all comes down to.
I actually forgot two of them had left the show until you mentioned it
I felt nothing at Ryan's and Graham's departure - something I haven't experienced since the Classic Era. I'm actually glad that Ryan's left, as I found him the dullest Companion in the show's history.
No Nardole is the obvious reason smh
He’s cute. He’s tall. He’s got gorgeous eyes. And a stunning smile. I didn’t say a name, but he popped into your head, didn’t he?
I think a lot of the problems with Whittaker's era is a general lack of respect for the source material- Jodie herself said she did no research for the role, poor writing- there's a saying in scriptwriting: 'show don't tell' and Chibby doesn't manage this, preferring to say things like "I'm just socially awkward" instead of letting us, the viewers, arrive at that conclusion. BBC box-ticking is also an issue with the 'fam' (such an insufferable name for them!) notice how they're all a broad range of demographics but devoid of any actual personality? that's because someone at the BBC said "we need x number of this demographic and x number of these..." and you get token characters with no reason to be there. Not sure how on-the-ball I can be, I bailed out of Dr Who three episodes into Whittaker's run and it will take a lot to bring me back. I've heard about The Timeless Child...
Yeah it’s like all the characters in the new seasons were barely used and underdeveloped like- Jack- HES AMAZING AND THEY BARELY USED HIM! I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE HIM AND HE WAS BARELY EVEN NOTICABLE!!! :(
The most egregious use of Jack IMHO was him giving a pep-talk to Yaz, in which he empathised with her about feeling left behind by the Doctor. Jack was a free spirit, for God's sake, not a "Companion" in the strict sense of the term, and as a result I found this scene un-earned and jarringly unbelievable.
In my opinion:
The only member of the Doctor's " Fam " that had a decent storyline was Graham, but unfortunately, that storyline was completely abandoned by the second year, with Graham and Ryan barely acknowledging each other and whatever relationship they had during that first year, just forgotten.
Ryan's storyline was promising to start with, but turned to drivel and the person chosen to play him simply CANNOT act.
But the worst member of the " Fam " has to be Yasmin Khan. A completely inept character, played by someone with absolutely no acting ability, making her the most useless companion in the history of Doctor Who.
More useless than Adam Mitchell?
I tend to agree, although tbf I think that Mandip Gill has more acting ability than Tosin Cole. The problem is, they didn't give Yaz enough to do and focused on Ryan instead, and I found him insufferably wooden. It's all relative, mind you, as I don't think any of the "fam" are particularly good actors. Not even Bradley Walsh, who I'd argue endeared himself to audiences mainly because he's an engaging personality in his own right, rather than because of his acting ability. As older supporting characters go in Doctor Who, Graham's not remotely in the same league as Jackie, Wilf or Rory's dad.
@@EditedAF987 Without wanting to defend Adam Mitchell too much, he does bring a unique energy to that team. He's very different to the Doctor and Rose
I still suspect the writing is at fault. If the lines had been given to fewer or one companion, they'd still be as flat. Their interchangability aside, they're not gripping, or even interesting. They have no strong drives or goals, so we can't care if they fail to do anything. In all of Jodie's run, there aren't any episodes I want to watch again. It never feels like there's any nuance or subtlety to rediscover. I just wish Jodie had had some better scripts. It just doesn't feel the same as any of the previous years of Nu-Who, at all. The morals are muddled, the lessons poorly written. It's wrong to grant the spiders a quick death, but asphyxiation is kinder?! Daleks want a confederate when they want to commit genocide? It just feels like there was so much more going on, under RTD or Moffat. I hope Chris doesn't get cancelled, and I truly want to see the Doctor when I look at Jodie. But, she just slips away, too bland, I felt something in the Witchfinder story. A flash of the Doctor in her defiance, but I'm really looking for hope.
I felt similarly about her in Witchfinders. That episode is probably my favourite of the Chibnall era, not just because Alan Cumming is superb but because the whole thing feels like Doctor Who to me, in a way other stories haven’t. I hope we see more of that in Series 13.
@@Joe_Brennan_ As I said, I've not rewatched it. But, I'm sure there was a scene with the King dismissing her as just a woman. There was a flash of anger. She couldn't deny that she is a woman, she wasn't going to deny her sex. There was a trace of _'I'm so much more',_ in her look. I hope I didn't imagine it...
I think one of the biggest problems (that I don't think you mention - sorry if you did) with the Fam is that they're all Yes-men, so to speak. I can't think of anything that they disagreed with The Doctor about, with the exception of Graham's want to kill Tim Shaw in the S11 finale. But then again, while that one had potential, it essentially boiled down to -- "I'm gonna kill him." "You shouldn't - that'd be bad!" "Okay! You're right!" -- This is especially a problem when coupled with the fact that Jodie's Doctor has been the most morally questionable, to put it mildly; I think I can count on 1 hand how many times The Doctor took a moral stance that I personally found myself opposed to, and the show didn't try to say that The Doctor was wrong. This happens frequently during the Chibnall era, Arachnids in the UK and Kerblaam being the most egregious examples.
You could have introduced Yaz in episode 2 (taking the place of one of the racers), have her be pretty technically minded having done all the rally and be a bit more street smart than Ryan/Graham given she is from the future; boom 13 now have a female friend that we can have scenes of doing mechcanical jobs maintainence around the TARDIS. Women doing STEM stuff? Crazy!
Ada Lovelace was such a breath of fresh air and this is a concept that would have tapped into that same refreshing characterisation. Oh, what could have been...
@@Joe_Brennan_ exactly that energy with a full time character. Nardole also works well because as you mention he knows about aliens and stuff and this even doubles up as a insert for the more long term fans of the show who know what a dalek and a space ship is, could have been that type beat
I want to thank the algorithm for recommending you to me. I just binged all your videos and I love your perspective. It entirely lacks the cynicism and toxicity of most Doctor Who RUclips channels, even when you talk about things you don’t like. It reminds me why I love Doctor Who. You deserve all the subscribers. You have one from me and an alert for when when you post something new. Keep up the good work!!
Really funny showing a clip of Rose from The End of Time when you said The End of Time
Some people say they just have the audio on in the background, and I just worry they're missing out on the visual gags
The full experience is definitely visual, but I'd be lying if I hadn't just listened to some of them
I threw up in my mouth every time someone said "Fam."
Rich Evans is beautiful
Can’t believe I got him for this video
I can’t believe he got him for this video
It’s like poetry.....
@@richardmattocks it rhymes
To be honest, I went off the whole idea of them the minute they started getting called "The Fam." It's the kind of name a cringey, middle-class and approaching-menopausal woman would use for a bunch of teenagers who were stuck with her company, because she thought it made her sound 'cool' and 'down with the kids.' Oh... wait....
But it goes beyond that. Simply by giving them a 'group name,' it highlights that they *are* a homogenous unit, rather than three individuals - like 'The Borg' in Star Trek, or 'The Walkers' in The Walking Dead. Companions never had 'group names' like 'The Fam' in Who's past, even when there was an actual group of three people - because, as you've pointed out, they were different enough from each other that there wasn't a name you could give them that would 'fit' all three of them.
I think one important way they could've done it, is have Yaz be a strict police woman, one interested in how the Laws of everywhere works and having to learn to relax a little. Ryan could've been that happy-go-lucky type of guy who wants to explore and enjoy life but needs to learn to grow up. Graeme then is someone they save in the first or second episode. He's Ryans Grandad who was meant to die on a specific date, but they accidently bring him along the day before he dies. This could've lead, of course, to Ryan and the Doctor not wanting to tell him this, and it's a bomb just waiting to explode. Graeme then has to come to term with the thought that he knows he's going to die when they return, and there's nothing he can do about it. So he spends his time being wanting to relax and laze around at times.
Graeme learns to appreciate the time that we have. Ryan learns to slow down and be careful, Yaz learns to open up and let others take control. The 13th Doctor could've so easily been a mixture of all their faults and their eventual growths, that we see how they all change. This then leads to a finale where they drop Graeme off, tell them they love him and he spends one last night with his wife before his death. We've spent a season with three characters, now we go down to two and in their shared grief, Yaz and Ryan slowly get closer than friends as they realise how much they've grown and become dependant on each other.
But thats just my general thoughts on how the 3 companions could've worked in a general sense.
Grim but better than current written now
How about:
Yas is the accomplished police officer like you mentioned but...
She was in the middle of apprehending Ryan who was trying to steal something from Graham at the time the Doctor turns up who accidentally takes them all away from Earth in the TARDIS so the 3 humans are stuck onboard with the Doctor, trying to resolve their own conflict along with the mission of the week.
Then you'd get natural dynamics of four very different people and potential for character growth as they had to work together.
It’s simple:
Bad script,bad acting.
Doctor I’m always right, men bad.
Police woman I ask stupid questions
Man I have problem I ask questions
Old man I ask questions I’m funny haha.
And let’s not go to the fact that Jodie disrespected the past doctor who work.
I loved it when 3 companions were announced before s11. Nearly everyone said it would work because it had worked in the past. How I laughed. 3 companions worked in the past because the stories were longer, and each companion could have their own adventure. Even during the JNT era, there was fair criticism of too many companions. You can't have 3 companions in a 50/60 minute story. I said that then, and continue to say it...now.
It seems you might have been right
Great shirt. Well written and well produced video. Subscribed !!
this is such a solid analysis. i absolutely can’t stand matt lucas, but even he was more bearable than the “fam” :-)
I absolutely HATE Yaz, for one very simple reason: the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip. In the strip, Yaz is CONSTANTLY using police procedures, training, talent, and generally behaving LIKE A POLICE OFFICER. Something she NEVER does on TV. The closest we get is her wearing a uniform in her first episode, and that "Sherlock" type investigation web in the TARDIS in the last Special. On TV, she never feels quite real. It's like Ryan's dyspraxia. The show tells us he has it, but it never comes through in either the writing or the performance (I have dyspraxia myself).
I find Rian Johnson's face in the background very disturbing. But maybe it's just because I find the man discomforting in general.
I loved this video and I think you're right. The 'fam' (barf for the word) was forgetful, and that is Chibnall's biggest crime (well one of). One thing: your voiceovers were very crisp but your your talking head inserts were not. Did you have mic problems?
1:55 Now I’m just imagining Rian Johnson taking over Doctor Who...he’d probably have the Doctor travel back to the Library of Alexandria and be the one who started the fire, since Johnson seems to love the idea of wise mentor characters becoming book burners
Yoda didn’t burn any books 😉
... But the Doctor did actually do that.
At least with Moffat you could feel the love.
spitting facts as ever mr brennan
Thank you Jaymes ❤️
Very good video, one thing I only noticed last year was that the problem starts right with the companions introduction to the Doctor. They all meet her at the same time under the same circumstances so they all have the same relationship with her. We've never had that before in Doctor Who, but it makes the fam essentially the same character.
Video essay on Joe's Video essays when???
The longer I make them, the more I’ll become cynical about the formula. So it’ll probably happen eventually
My favorite companions are those that are capable people without the Doctor being there. Captain Jack was a time agent, Rory was given the skills of a roman centurion (and even before that was a trained nurse.), Martha Jones was a qualified doctor, Ace an explosive expert. Yes, they were often used for exposition but when the Doctor was out of the picture still had a set of skills that could move the story forward so it wasn't only exciting when the Doctor was on screen.
I don't feel any of the companions had this.