Since Brittany and I worked together during the last series of Doctor Who, we thought it was high time we officially team up and bring our Whovian minds together … thus TardisClack was born! And what better way to kick off the column that chatting about the first big DW news in months — the casting of the next companion!
Katie: So, the new companion is here and she’s played by … Jenna-Louise Coleman. Yeah, I didn’t recognize her. The only thing I recognized from her past projects was last summer’s Captain America, where she played the girl Bucky takes out at the beginning of the movie. I think she had one line.
Brittany: Yeah, name’s not ringing a bell either. I guess she’s in ITV’s Titanic and Linus Roache is in that … that’s all I got.
Katie: She’s apparently going to be around for at least 8 episodes, although they said there will be more than that. And she’ll also be there for the 50th anniversary special.
Brittany: How long is Smith contracted for? I can’t recall off the top of my head.
Katie: I think up at least up until the 50th anniversary, but don’t quote me on that. I know he’s been vocal about moving forward fairly soon.
Brittany: So we’re looking at a companion who probably won’t be around that long either (we know Rose stayed on for the switch between 9 and 10, but that was her last year, wasn’t it?). I could be wrong but companions don’t seem to outlast their Doctors.
Katie: That’s very true. Although I’d be alright with her staying for the 12th. It could at least be a nice way to transition from Matt to the next actor.
Now, Moffat is quoted as saying, “Who she’s playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries the Time Lord ever encounters. Even by the Doctor’s standards, this isn’t your usual boy meets girl.” So, from Moffat’s quick description of the character’s story, my first guess is that she isn’t human or at least wasn’t found on Earth.
But at this point, all I’m hoping is that she isn’t in love with the Doctor. To paraphrase the 10th, I just want him to have a mate!
Brittany: I know, right? I hate that (in general) we can’t have a male/female friendship on TV without someone wondering if they have/are going to have sex.
Katie: That’s why I loved Donna’s series … the writers made it perfectly clear that they were just best friends. It’s why I was hoping for a male companion this time around if only for something different.
My other idea (and this is again just quick thoughts after reading that vague description Moffat gave of the new companion), but what if the big mystery the Doctor doesn’t understand is that she IS the 12th Doctor? And then that’s how she stays on the show. They mentioned in the announcement that she’s one of the only people they know who can speak as voraciously as Matt Smith. That’s just a shot in the dark, but it sure would be a way for the writers to ease the fans into liking the new Doctor.
Brittany: Yeah, that would be a really interesting concept, and it’d be awesome for the many fans (myself included) who’ve been curious about the idea of a female Doctor. I’d want to see her acting before I really got behind that idea, but it could work.
Of course, I’d expect that there’d be a fair amount of backlash from people who might not like messing with tradition, but they’d get over it with time. I mean, they did it with Daniel Craig’s Bond, so nyah. And speaking of male companions, I was always kind of hoping Noel Clarke‘s Mickey would take over for Rose.
Katie: I just want her to be full of personality and clever. Clever is important. It’s sad that in one of the articles I found today, the comments are already coming about her looks. “I’d let her grab my screwdriver any day,” was particularly charming. In a lot of ways Coleman is going to work extra hard to prove she’s not just a pretty face.
Brittany: I think that’s true of women everywhere. There’s a vocal segment of the male population that will turn the comments section of any article about an actress, female athlete, female reporter, etc. into something sexually suggestive. It’s gross and annoying but I like to pretend they’re a minority.
Katie: Very true.
Did you see Moffat gave some details about Amy and Rory’s last episode? His words: “Amy & Rory will leave in a final encounter with the Weeping Angels in episode five. Not everyone gets out alive and I mean it this time.” He also said the very next episode will be the Christmas episode introducing the new companion.
Brittany: Oh yay. Hey, we killed someone … now let’s celebrate Christmas! (facepalm)
Katie: To be fair, the “Rose Tyler, I–” moment was right before the next Christmas episode. Not a death, but totally heart-ripping for the shippers.
Brittany: That’s true, and I trust that Moffat and Co. aren’t going to pull one of those sudden gear shifts on us that many shows do, I just found it kind of funny.
Katie: Moffat also confirmed that we’re going to see the Daleks again before Amy and Rory “go away.”
Brittany: The Daleks coming back is neat … they’re always going to be a part of Who. But at the same time, with bringing them back and the Weeping Angels back again, I don’t want Doctor Who to be using the same bad guys all the time either, if that makes sense. The Angels still scare the crap out of me, but if I saw them every series I’d get bored.
Katie: Well, apparently this is supposed to be the “final” time with the Weeping Angels. Whether they really mean it or not is a toss-up (how many times have the Daleks been gone for good, you know?).
So fellow Whovians, what say you? I know we weren’t given much as far as details, but what are your thoughts on Jenna-Louise Coleman and the next series? And considering we know the Weeping Angels will be involved, any guesses on Amy and Rory’s departure?
Clacked by Katie Schenkel 
on Mar 23, 2012 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
All I know is that I will be sad to see Amy and Rory go. I really like the current dynamic.
UNLESS: Either Amy or Rory dies (which would be very sad.) Then, the one that still lives becomes enraged with the Doctor and becomes a super villain and it is actually the trigger for the whole movement of the Silence. And then, you know, maybe River would get involved, and it would be DRAMA. And crazy.
I’m reserving judgement on the new companion. It’s really not fair to judge, because I always expect that they will never compare, but usually they all become my favorite at one point or another. Except Martha.
I miss Amy Pond.
*POST AUTHOR*
Well, she is coming back, Dan… we’re just not sure if she’s going to make it to Christmas.
Like you, I was hoping we’d get a male companion so we could see something different. I really like what the show has done with male companions so far in terms of their character development (Mickey, Rory), so it’d be nice to have one who’s not just along for the ride because his lady is there. Specifically, I was really hoping they’d bring back Clyde Langer from The Sarah-Jane Adventures, as that is a really well-developed character who has a lot of personality. By doing that, they could canonically deal with the death of Sarah-Jane in the more adult series as opposed to just sweeping it under the rug like they did in the kids show. In any event, I’m hoping we somehow get to hear from Clyde, Luke Smith, and Rani again, even if it’s just a cameo.
As for this Coleman girl… yeah, I could see her being the next Doctor. As you said, I’ll want to see her acting first, but based on the stills I’ve checked, there might be something there. (Not that it matters, but I don’t think she’s all that attractive. If anything, that’ll make it easier for me to appreciate the character.)
I wish they would just leave Rory and Amy alone. Not everybody has to have a tragic ending! Why can’t those two lovebirds just get a happily ever after…