DOCTOR WHO: SEASON-BY-SEASON - SEASON ONE

When you've been writing a Doctor Who Blog for nearly 8 years, it's important to keep doing things to keep it fresh. So, here is a new undertaking that I will be working on over the next little while. I will still be peppering the site with my usual entries, but I will also be posting these on a regular basis. 

Until, of course, I get through all the seasons!   

It is clear from all the massive hype that Doctor Who's 60th anniversary is on its way (personally, I would have been happier if they had concentrated harder on promoting Jodie's farewell but I get why the Beeb is doing things this way). No doubt, we are eagerly anticipating it. Many of us even do interesting things in preparation for it. I know I certainly do! 

When the show hit its 50th, I decided to watch every episode in existence. Oddly enough, though, I did it out of order. I started with the Doctor who had the least amount of stories and went all the way to the longest-running one. So I began with Paul McGann and finished with Tom Baker. With a bunch of "Three Season Doctors" in between (and a few who had a slightly different longevity)!  

This time round, I'm watching things in proper order. From Unearthly Child to Whatever Jodie's Last Story Will End up Being Called... And, quite possibly, beyond that. Since I am watching the show chronologically this time, I thought: "I should use this, somehow, in my blog!"  Really, anything I do that's Who-related, I try to incorporate into this silly little hobby of mine! 

So, every now and again, I will simply post my sentiments on the latest season I have completed. With a good 38 seasons, this venture will probably take some time. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the ride! 

SEASON ONE: 

"It's the Daleks!" most fans will tell you, "If they hadn't come in during the second story and captured the imagination of the British Public, the show would not have become what it is today." 

It's an argument that's difficult to contradict. Certainly, the Skarosian Meanies are responsible for a lot of the show's early success. They really did earn themselves a special place in the hearts of the 60s Viewing Public. Their resemblance to Nazi fascists certainly resonated with a society that was still quite fresh from the scars of World War II. And, of course, they were great fun for kids to imitate on the playground. These factors (and more) were key in creating the "Dalekmania" that TV historians and fans, alike, are so keen to reference in discussions about the show's most early days. And none can deny the huge influence the Daleks would have on Doctor Who's most formative years. 

But the Daleks only appear for a handful of episodes in Season One. There's a whole lot more going on that I think also contributes to the show doing as well as it has. 

Quite simply, Season One is rather magnificent. 

It does stumble in places - even in An Unearthly Child. That first episode is most engaging. But then the Cavemen Politics that ensue in the next three parts aren't exactly the most exciting content. There's still some interesting stuff that goes on - particularly the Doctor thinking about killing the wounded caveman - but it does feel quite flat, in places. 

The Daleks, themselves, add to this problem. The first four or five parts of their story are quite brilliant. The debate that ensues after the Doctor realizes he's left his fluid link behind is probably the high point of the season. It really is a gorgeous scene that is both well-acted and well-written. It's quite impressive that an ethical debate in a sci-fi adventure series can actually be so enjoyable. 

But once the debate is over, the tale tends to peter off into some rather bog-standard adventure-serial narration. Which only does so well on a low budget. Those caves that they must assail for quite some time, for instance, come across as looking cheap rather than dark and ominous.   

For the first little while, it's safe to say that Doctor Who is on some pretty shaky ground. The story-telling is rather hit-or-miss as the show takes its first few steps. 

But then we start getting to the Historicals. 

The BBC was already well-known for its ability to re-create the past convincingly. So the visuals improve dramatically. Great sets and costumes run abound. But TV can only succeed so well on good aesthetics, alone. There needs to be more. 

Fortunately, the show brought in John Lucarotti as well Terry Nation. 

To me, Lucarotti makes as valuable of a contribution to the first season of the show but doesn't get a tenth of the recognition he deserves. Nation tends to steal all the thunder! 

It's difficult to say much on Marco Polo. What I've seen from telesnaps and audio or even the novelisation does seem to indicate it was a very solid tale that may have dragged just a little bit in places. But it still maintains a steady quality throughout. We don't get the peaks and valleys we were getting earlier in the season. There's a lot more consistency, here. 

But then we get to The Aztecs. Now we really start to appreciate what Lucarotti delivers. 

The Aztecs, to me, is the first Doctor Who story that truly deserves the label of "Classic". It is a wonderful tale with near-lyrical dialogue and wonderful plot twists. There is a genuine Shakespearean quality to it. It really is so well-written that I'm willing to compare it to the works of the Bard! This is the jewel in the crown of Season One. I could fill up this whole entry by just talking about how much I love this Historical. Instead, though, I'll move on. 

Getting Dennis Spooner to compose the last Historical of the season was a very good move. He not only delivers a good plot but also writes in a very different style. The Reign of Terror is dark and gritty and has an emphasis that is unique from the other Historicals of the season. This really is about the TARDIS crew needing desperately to get out of the time period they're stuck in. 

Which brings us neatly to what I think is the strongest quality of Season One: Diversity. The show is trying desperately to find its formula in this season. In doing so, it goes in all sorts of different directions. It explores a wide range of themes and ideas. Some of which we will rarely see again (the Doctor having a love life, for instance!). Others will become critical elements of the core premise. But giving us such a variety of styles really makes the whole thing feel very well-rounded. I do believe that if Doctor Who had tried to streamline itself too much at this stage, it might not have lasted as long as it did. 

The Daleks did certainly help with its success. No doubt, there. But making the adventures so diverse and giving us some pretty high-caliber story-telling contribute just as strongly to its success.   

THE NOT-SO-POPULAR STUFF

Clearly, there are some stories to this season that I haven't mentioned. I don't, necessarily, intend to talk about every single tale in a season when I do these reviews, but this whole entry would feel a bit skewed if I don't bring these other adventures up a bit. 

Keys Of Marinus is probably the first time 60s Who participates in a phenomenon that I simply label: Biting Off More Than It Can Chew. The scope of the plot is just a bit too big for the budget to handle and there are some moments where it feels more like we're watching Plan 9 From Outer Space than Doctor Who. There will be far worse examples of this in the next season, but it does happen a bit, here, too. 

But I also think Marinus is great fun. Some very imaginative ideas are at work in the adventure. They're not always executed so well - but, overall, it's an enjoyable romp. 

Fans don't seem to speak so favorably of The Sensorites. I'm not sure why. The most common complaint is that it seems to move too slowly. To which I respond: "Which story in Season One doesn't move a bit too slowly?!" It might have been better if Verity Lambert had either hired more writers to create shorter stories or just taken on less episodes, in general. Even four-parters seem to struggle a bit in places to provide enough plot to fill the run-time. A lot of this, I think, had to do with financial restraints. You can only make your stories so exciting when working on a shoe-string budget. Inevitably, you have to create scenes with characters just standing around and talking a lot! Padding, at this stage of the show, seemed a bit unavoidable. And, apparently, that padding is much more noticeable in The Sensorites than it is in the other stories this season. 

To some extent, I agree with this sentiment. There are moments where the tale really does drag. However, for the most part, The Sensorites is actually impressing me. 

We will talk endlessly of the brilliance of Malcolm Hulke in days to come. How he created these beautiful aliens who were three-dimensional characters. Like humans, some leaned towards peaceful intentions while others were more malevolent. And the humans, themselves, weren't always such good guys in Malcolm's plots. 

As great of a job as Hulke did at accomplishing this sort of characterization, it all happened in The Sensorites, first. Peter R. Newman, essentially, gives us Silurians long before they're even a twinkle in Hulke's eye! While there are some problems with pacing, Sensorites frequently comes across as maturely-written sci fi that was probably even a bit ahead of its time. 

In my opinion, at least. I don't know. Maybe it is slow and I'm just too patient with it!

And then, finally, there's that hastily-written two-part filler we like to call The Edge of Destruction (or is it Brink of Disaster?!  I can never remember!). Here is where I think we really see evidence of the quality of work that went into making this first season. This story had every right to fall flat on its face. It was thrown together in a last-ditch attempt to fill two more episodes. The TARDIS was the only set available. The four leads were the only characters the writer could work with. 

And yet, most of it stands up pretty good! It does still drag hideously a bit here and there (which is extra impressive for a two part story!) - but it's also quite intriguing during other moments. It's even a bit creepy and disturbing, in places. The coda that's added with the Doctor apologizing to Barbara is a particularly poignant moment. For the first time, the Doctor is moving from anti-hero into something softer...

FINAL VERDICT

I will be the first to say: Season One is far from being perfect. In several different ways, it's off to a fairly shaky start (not just because it was dwarfed by the news of Kennedy's assassination). The Historicals seem to shine the most brightly but the low budget imposes some difficult limitations on every episode. Which interferes quite a bit with the overall narrative process. 

But even the weaker offerings of the season still have quite a bit of charm to them.  The production team is still clearly trying to make the best possible program that they can - even with all the obstacles that get thrown at them. And, for the most part, they succeed. There is a lot to love, here. Not just the Daleks. 

There would be better seasons to come, of course. But this one is still quite solid. In fact, it's the best for quite some time. And that really is one of the greatest sources of the show's longevity: Season One is an extremely sturdy foundation upon which the rest of the show could build itself.  

First Season reviewed. I'll work on some other stuff for a bit while I get through Season Two. Making my way through The Web Planet even as I write this!   

  

 

POINT OF DEBATE: SHOULD WE CONSIDER THEM COMPANIONS? - THE BRIGADIER

I hadn't planned to write another essay in this category so soon. But the response from the last one was quite strong. There were lots of interesting discussions in the fangroups that allow me to post links (thanks to all those admins who do that for me! If there's anymore that want to - you're welcome to let me know!). The hits, in general, for the entry were quite high. So I figured I should keep the ball rolling a bit longer. As someone who actually works as a professional entertainer, I understand the value of giving my audience what they want! 

This one is almost a bit of a request. Each time I post in this series, lots of people express quite strongly how they feel about this particular character's status on the show. Sentiments to the nature of: "He's a companion and don't tell me, otherwise!" or "If he's not a companion then I'm an Ogron's Uncle!". And various other words to that effect (though I'm not so sure why everyone wanted to be an Ogron's uncle. They could have just as easily been the relative of a Sycorax!). It seemed logical that I should talk about him soon. 

So, without any further delay, here's his entry:

There is, perhaps, no character more unique in the entire history of the show than Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. He has met almost all of the Doctor's incarnations from the Classic Series (don't try to talk to me about him and Six in Dimensions in Time - I drink to forget that Special!). We have actually watched his lineage from his father to his daughter. He is, quite likely, one of the Doctor's closest friends. The tribute they paid to Nicholas Courtney's passing in Wedding of River Song brings a tear to my eye every time. On top of all that, of course, he was brilliantly-performed and, quite often, masterfully-written (admittedly, it was a bit annoying how painfully stupid he gets in Three Doctors!). 

The Brigadier was awesome. While we never met him in the New Series (don't talk to me about Sarah Jane Adventures, it's a fun little kids' show but it is not canon!), his legacy lives on in all sorts of different ways. Even before we met Kate, he would often get referenced in New Who UNIT stories. 

Quite simply, the Brig was a great man.... 

..... but was he a companion?     

RUNNING HIM THROUGH THE QUALIFIERS

I will be intensely-lazy and just copy and paste my 2 Main Companion Traits into this entry. I'll include the link that discusses them in greater detail, too. You should read it. It really breaks things down nicely. I'm really good at complimenting my own writing, aren't I?!    

Onscreen Longevity: A character has to be on the show for an extended period of time and we have to actually see them in multiple episodes. 

Travelling in the TARDIS from Story-to-Story: A companion leaves with the Doctor at the end of a story and goes on to travel with him for several more.    

If you'd like a more in-depth examination of these two traits, check out this link:   https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2022/03/point-of-debate-should-we-consider-them.html 

There you go. Exposition taken care of. Down to Business! 

WARNING: As strongly as you might feel about the Brigadier's status as a companion, the Qualifiers will indicate that he does maintain a certain level of ambiguity in terms of how he fits into the show. Please do not rage at me. I'm just doing my job! 

THE FIRST TRAIT

Certainly there is no disputing this one. The Brigadier definitely has some serious Onscreen Longevity. 

With only a few notable exceptions (the actual First Doctor and, maybe, Sarah Jane Smith) no one has had a presence that has spanned as much of the show as he has. But the nature of his Longevity can call things into question a bit. 

At first, he seems more like a recurring character. We meet him for the first time in Season Five (grrrr!!  I hate you, Guy Working at the TV station that kept Episode Three of Web of Fear!). He returns again about a year later in Season Six to help combat a Cybermen Invasion. At this stage of the game, he is more like Professor Travers. In fact, he almost seems to be a replacement for Professor Travers! When the Second Doctor comes back to Earth in the 20th Century to fight an evil alien, either Travers or Lethbridge-Stewart shows up to help him. 

But then the Doctor regenerates. And the exile begins. And the Brigadier is there in full force! 

For two Seasons, at least. 

Season Seven and Eight have the Brig in every single story. Even when Jo and the Doctor do get off-world in Colony In Space, the production team makes sure to bookend the plot with cameos from him (it is great fun when he shouts: "Doctor! Come back here, at once!" and the Time Lord actually shows up!). This is, without a doubt, the period of the show where he really does feel like a companion. He is not only in every tale, but, quite often, he has a very solid presence in them. The writers frequently assign him very large plot threads that take care of significant portions of the narration. In the same way that any other companion is used. And he's doing this week after week for a good two years.  

As we get in to the latter part of the Third Doctor Era, however, he does start taking on a bit of a River Song Vibe. It's a very slow progression, but he still becomes more and more of a character who is just dipping in and out of the show. 

While he is still in exile during Season Nine, the Doctor does get sent on the occasional mission for the Time Lords (did a whole entry about this - check it out, here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2017/05/analytical-missions-for-time-lords.html). He goes on two of them during this season. During both of these adventures, we do not see the Brigadier at all. This, at least, has some logic to it. The Doctor is on alien worlds and the Brig doesn't want to go with him. The Sea Devils, however, is almost unsettling! For once, the Doctor enlists the aid of the Navy to assist him in fighting the latest menace to humanity. UNIT wasn't there at all. Nor was, of course, the Brigadier. It's the first time in two years that he does not show his face in a story taking place on 20th Century Earth.    

Season Ten is equally brutal to the character. Finally earning his freedom at the end of The Three Doctors, our favorite Time Lord races off to various foreign planets and futuristic time periods to experience all sorts of wild adventures. He only returns to Earth at the end of the year to combat the problems at Global Chemicals. So we only get the Brigadier at the beginning and end of the season. 

Season Eleven is a little kinder. Although the Brigadier is only around for the beginning of The Time Warrior, he has a very solid presence in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. He comes back again for Planet of Spiders and is in most of its episodes, too. And then, of course, he gets to watch the Doctor regenerate. 

But the arrival of the Fourth Doctor really marks the end for the character. This new production team wants to move away from the UNIT Family and take things in a new direction. Season Twelve had the original intention of bookending things with the Brigadier, again. After regenerating, the Doctor hangs around for a bit in Robot and assists the Brig with handling Think Tank. At the end of Revenge of the Cybemen, the Doctor receives a message from his old friend on the Time/Space Telegraph that he left him. Terror of the Zygons was meant to finish off the season but had to be postponed to the beginning of the next one. 

Season Twelve marks the first time in five years that we have only seen the character once. 

Season Thirteen does the same thing. We even get two more stories that year that involve UNIT. But, on both occasions, the Brigadier is conveniently away at the time. No doubt, Nicholas Courtney sensed that the character's days were numbered and felt the need to move on. 

For quite some time after this, the Brig appears to just fade away into the woodwork. 

But then the JNT Era welcomes him back with open arms! 

But the arms are actually only so open. Mawdryn Undead was, in fact, originally intended to bring back Ian Chesterton. But, for whatever reason, William Russell wasn't available at the time. But good 'ole Nick Courrtney was up for a return if they needed him. Re-writes were done and the Brig became a Math Teacher. And the story worked great. Courtney does an amazing job of portraying the character at two different points in his life. 

A few months later, the Brig is back to get into mischief with Two during The Five Doctors. Which is great. It would have been a crime if the 20th Anniversary Celebration had not included him/ 

And then, finally, we get to Battlefield. Quite a few years have passed since his last appearance so some pretty radical changes have been made to the Brig's lifestyle. Because of the time between Five Doctors and this tale, we're able to accept that he's done working at a boy's school and has gotten back together with Doris. 

Apparently, there had been intentions to kill the character off in this adventure. More than likely, it would have been during that awesome confrontation with the Destroyer (when the demon asks: "Are you the best champion this world can offer?!" I always want to shout: "Yes! Yes he is!" rather than hear the humble answer that the Brigadier actually gives!).  I am glad that they decided not to go with the decision to let him die. The happy ending that he gets with Doris suits the mood of the programme much better. The Brig trying to get Seven and Ancelyn to help him with his "honey-do list" is a great final image for the character. 

I took the trouble to chronicle all of his appearances so that you could see for yourself what sort of presence he has had in the series. Admittedly, during most of his involvement with the show, he is more like a recurring character than a companion. He pops in for a story and then disappears again for a bit. Then returns a short while later. There are also several tales like The Time Monster, The Time Warrior and Planet of Spiders where he disappears from the plot for multiple episodes. These are all traits that we also attributed to River Song's Onscreen Longevity. And it was difficult to determine what her status on the show was, too. 

But then, there's Season Seven and Eight. Where the Brigadier is faithfully by the Doctor's side for, pretty much, every adventure. And it's a very real presence, too. The sort of presence that makes me feel like he is more akin to Captain Jack than River Song. Like Jack, he was a legitimate companion for a period of time and then moves on to just appearing now and again for several years afterward. 

As much as we'd like to see him that way, however, Trait #2 will cloud the issue even further... 

THE SECOND TRAIT

This, unfortunately, is where the waters will truly get muddied. 

While I do speak fondly of  how much we see the Brig in Seasons Seven and Eight, it should be noted that he does not travel once in the TARDIS during all that time. Yes, it isn't functioning well during either of those seasons but he did, at least, have a bit of an opportunity during Colony in Space and wanted no part of it. During his two "big seasons", he doesn't even bother to step into the Console Room and remark how it's bigger on the inside. This, to me, does detract greatly from him achieving companion status. During the time when he is heavily involved with the show, he doesn't do anything aboard the TARDIS. Yes, in some ways, he can't because the Time Lords have shut it down. But there could have still been ways to work around that (the Doctor repairs the TARDIS enough to have it travel in time but still not be able to leave Earth, perhaps?). It would have been nice if, somehow, an opportunity had presented itself for the Brigadier to take a trip or two aboard the Doctor's ship during this period. Particularly in Season Seven. It would stop us from having to, someday, indulge in a debate of this nature about Liz Shaw, too!   

The Brigadier will, of course, finally enter the TARDIS for the first time a season or so later in The Three Doctors. But, in some ways, it almost doesn't count! He is much more of an incidental character by this point. So a TARDIS trip during this period feels more like just a Support hitching a lift than a companion seeing the Universe. Also, he only travels in the time vessel within the context of one story. He does not leave with the Doctor and Jo on their next adventure to Inter Minor. Instead, he stays behind on Earth. 

We could nitpick even harder and point out that the TARDIS doesn't truly make a trip, here. It is actually transported by Omega to the Singularity Point. So the Brig actually just happens to be aboard the time craft as it is whisked away. Can we truly label this a trip aboard the TARDIS if it isn't actually travelling by its own volition?! 

Like I said, it's pretty nitpicky. But it still needs to be pointed out! 

Several years later, he takes quite a few trips aboard the TARDIS during Mawdryn Undead. He even does it during two different periods in his life! But, again, this is not happening during the proper point in his Onscreen Longevity. He is in "incidental guest-star mode" rather than "companion mode". And, once more, all the travelling takes place within one story. Neither of his selves choose to ride along with them to Terminus. 

Though assisted by Rassilon, I would count the strange journey he takes with Two at the end of The Five Doctors to also be a "proper" TARDIS trip (unless, of course, you're watching the "Deluxe" version. Then they are definitely being time scooped, again). One might even speculate that the Doctor doesn't quite get the Brig home right away. That they might have a few adventures together before returning him to the time period he belongs in. But that's all speculation and has no onscreen proof. So, again, this trip falls to the usual disqualifications: wrong period in the Brig's life and all within the context of one story. 

It's sad to say that even someone like Katarina does better in this category than the the 'ole Brig does! 

THE FLASHBACKS FIGHT BACK

No doubt, those of the "Brigadier is a Companion Don't Tell Me Otherwise"  Camp are not particularly thrilled with me. He didn't do well with the two Qualifiers. But, just as with Katarina and Sara Kingdom, there are other factors at play, here. 

In fact, one of the key points I made in support of the two women being companions was the mentioning of the flashback sequence we see in Resurrection of the Daleks. We get a whole montage of past Doctors and companions displayed on a screen as the Daleks suck away the Doctor's memories. In that whole little image gallery, both Katarina and Sara make an appearance. Which heavily re-enforces the idea, of course, that we should consider them companions. 

Well, guess what? Someone else that appears in that flashback is good 'ole Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, himself! It stands to reason, then, that if this is something that works in Katarina and Sara's favor - it should also help to support the idea that the Brig is a companion, too. 

But it doesn't end there! If we go back a bit further, there's another flashback sequence that will build the argument even better. As the Doctor hangs from the Pharos Project Satellite Dish in Logopolis, he has a vision of all his greatest enemies taunting him one last time. Then he drops to the earth and hallucinates again. This time, all his old companions call out to him. 

And who do see in the companion flashbacks? You guessed it! The Brigadier is there, too. I would even emphasise that these were only meant to be companions of the Fourth Doctor. The Brig only met this particular incarnation twice and he still makes it into the sequence. 

Flashbacks definitely help to build the Brigadier's credibility as a companion!

THE BIGGEST FACTOR OF THEM ALL

So we've looked at Companion Traits and Flashbacks, now let's examine the real reason so many fans will die on a hill for the Brigadier's status as a companion. 

As I said at the beginning of all this nonsense, the character of Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart has a very unique relationship with the show. If you follow this idea to its logical conclusion, you realize that he had a very unique relationship with the Doctor, himself. I would go so far to say that he was probably one of the Time Lord's closest friends. 

And this is why so many of us still consider him to be a companion. On paper, he's probably more like River Song. He has a very strong place in the life of one incarnation but his presence spreads a bit further to stories both prior and after that particular Doctor. He does travel a bit in the TARDIS but not in the way a companion should. 

But none of these facts mean a whole lot to us. The Brigadier was an amazing character who cared deeply for his eccentric Scientific Advisor. And we love him for that. So much so, that we feel he should be a companion. Even if he doesn't quite fit the criteria. As far as many of us are concerned, the rules for companion status should be bent a bit in order to fit the Brigadier in.  He had so many gorgeous moments (oftentimes, very understated, too. Which, somehow, gets us to love him all-the-more) that made him stand out and shine brighter than any supporting character ever could. 

I still remember the moment where I decided the Brig was a companion. It was during one of those middle episodes of Ambassadors of Death. The Doctor is getting ready to go up in a rocket to retrieve the missing astronauts, himself. Lots of subplots are afoot so we're expecting him to just climb into the cockpit and head out. 

But who stops by to see him one last time before he goes? It should be Liz. She's meant to be the companion at the time (although, that will get disputed in this series at some later point). Instead, it's the Brigadier that pops in. They have a brief scene where both characters show a degree of genuine warmth to each other. And we see that all the arguing and working together out of necessity was only a small part of what was really going on between them. 

That's the moment that cements if for me. Up until then, the Brigadier seems almost - but not quite - a companion. After that scene, however, he makes that transition seamlessly into being more than just a support. He is a companion. 

Maybe not on a technical level, but he is. 

For the first time in this series, I truly reach a conclusion about whether a character is or isn't a companion. I probably won't at any other time. But this is the Brigadier we're talking about, here. He's  all about being the exception to the rule.... 

Other installments in the series....

River Song

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2022/03/point-of-debate-should-we-consider-them.html

Katarina and Sara Kingdom

https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2022/06/point-of-debate-should-we-consider-them.html

   

POINT OF DEBATE: SHOULD WE CONSIDER THEM COMPANIONS? - KATARINA AND SARA KINGDOM

A long time ago, waaayy back before I did my REVIEW OVERVIEW of Umbrella Seasons, I premiered a new series of POINT OF DEBATE essays. Should We Consider Them Companions? looks at characters who seem "companion-like" or even "companionish" and runs them through a series of qualifications. I thought it might be fun to bookend my Umbrella Season Review Saga with another chapter in the series.

Of course, this didn't quite happen. An "Emergency" entry about the Timeless Child needed to be produced to deal with an issue I was seeing in various fangroups. But now that we've dealt with the problem (much to the chagrin of some Chib-bashers!), we can get back to our original intentions....

THE FIRST TIME....

For the first two seasons, they kept things pretty simple. Companions came, travelled with Doctor for a bit and then left. It was super-easy to determine who was just a supporting character for that story and who was in it for the long haul. Susan, Barbara, Ian, Vicki and Steven - a great little progression! The OCD Fanboy in me loved it. 

But then, Season 3 came along. Vicki left at the end of The Mythmakers and Katarina seemed to be replacing her. It looked like she was going to be the Doctor's first "primitive" companion. How she would interpret all the advanced technology around her could prove quite interesting. 

If only it had stayed that way! 

Never afraid to be bold, the production team has the Woman of Troy killed off only a few episodes into The Dalek Masterplan. Immediately, a debate must ensue among the nitpickers. She only travels from one story to the next in the TARDIS and then dies. Should we consider her a companion? Or just someone who hitches a lift briefly with the Doctor and then has some really bad luck?!    

But then things get even more complicated. Sara Kingdom seems to step into Katarina's place and starts travelling with the Doctor and Steven for the rest of The Dalek Masterplan. It looks as though she's going to be the new female companion. Which is cool because she's pretty bad-ass. However, just as it seems as though things are all sorted out, Sara ends up dying in the final moments of the story. 

A short while later, Dodo comes along and gets a long enough stint aboard the TARDIS to be considered a legitimate companion. But there is this very muddled period between Mythmakers and Dalek Masterplan where we're very uncertain about things. 

So, let's try to sort it out. 

THE QUALIFIERS

Normally, when I am writing for this series, I will try to deal with just one character per entry (like I did with River Song last time). But, since we have two "grey area companions" that happen back-to-back, I figured we should tackle them both at once.

In my first entry in this series, I laid down what I felt were two very important "companion qualifiers". Two traits a character must have to be considered a proper companion. There are, of course, other characteristics that will re-enforce their identity - but these two absolutely have to be there. 

They are: 

Onscreen Longevity: A character has to be on the show for an extended period of time and we have to actually see them in multiple episodes. 

Travelling in the TARDIS from Story-to-Story: A companion leaves with the Doctor at the end of a story and goes on to travel with him for several more.    

If you'd like a more in-depth examination of these two traits, check out this link:   https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2022/03/point-of-debate-should-we-consider-them.html 

SO HOW DO THEY MEASURE UP? - TRAIT #1

It should just be said, upfront, that neither Katarina nor Sara Kingdom do well in either of these categories. But, rather than slam the door in their faces, I will take the trouble to examine some other qualities that they have that could make them companions. But only after we take a thorough look at how well the Qualifiers apply to them. 

In this first trait, Kingdom does a bit better than Katarina. The handmaiden begins her era mid-way through a four-parter and continues for the first few episodes of Dalek Masterplan. All in all, she gets about 5 episodes to her existence. 

An episode or so after Katarina dies, Sara Kingdom first appears. From Episodes Four to Twelve of the Epic Dalek Tale, she adventures with the Doctor and Steven. Which gives her a total of 8 episodes. Some do like to note that she is actually trying to kill the TARDIS crew, at first. But this does not disqualify her in any way. Turlough attempted to murder the Doctor for 12 whole episodes and was still considered a companion the whole time! 

The real problem lies in the fact that neither of these characters are really around for all that long. Especially when you consider the companions that came before them. Ian and Barbara, for instance, were in a whopping 72 episodes before they left the show. Steven Taylor got 45. Even Dodo -who would come after them and not even stay a full season - got a total of 19 episodes. This, to me, constitutes some real Onscreen Longevity. 

Five and Eight episodes doesn't really cut it. There are any number of supporting characters who were never considered companions that were around just as long or even longer than these two (anyone who was in a 6-parter easily beats Katarina and several recurring characters, at the very least, tie Sara Kingdom). 

It seems quite obvious to me that these two characters do not have adequate Onscreen Longevity 

HOW DO THEY MEASURE UP? -TRAIT #2: 

In this instance, Katarina comes out ahead. She, at least, goes from Mythmakers to Dalek Masterplan aboard the TARDIS. Which does mean she travels once from one story to another. I'd hardly say this really qualifies her, though. Can we really consider one trip of this nature to be adequate (there will be other characters that we examine in future essays that have also only taken one journey of this nature. Their status as a companion is also highly subjective)? 

Sara Kingdom, on the other hand, doesn't fare so well, here. She does, indeed, take several trips aboard the Doctor's time vessel. But it's all within the context of a single story. Yes, it's one of the longest stories, ever. But it's still just one tale. In many ways, we can consider her to be in the same situation as the Laurence Scarman Example that I gave in the last essay of this nature. A supporting character can get a ride or two in the TARDIS. If it happens all in just one story, however, they're still just a supporting character. 

If we want to be extreme nitpickers, Katarina scores a point for this trait. She does, indeed, travel from story to story aboard the TARDIS. It is only one trip, but it still meets the bare essentials. Sara Kingdom, however, definitely fails. 

In the overall scheme, however, I would say neither of them properly qualifies to achieve this status. In my opinion, you have to show both of these traits to be considered a companion. Sara and Katarina both fail on the first one. And Katarina barely passes the second. 

If we were to use this Measuring Stick alone, there would be no debate. I would not consider either of these women to be companions. They don't make the grade.   

NOT COMPANIONS. AND YET, THEY COULD BE....

So, after being a Big Negative Nancy, let's bother to look at a few things that legitimately negate the two stringent premises I just laid down.   

Probably the biggest argument in their favor is the plain and simple fact that the show worked to a certain formula back then. The Doctor travelled with, at least, one male and one female companion. When a companion left, someone of the same gender would arrive immediately thereafter. Sometimes there was an overlap and the new companion would be met in the same story that the old was leaving in (The Chase). Other times, we'd meet the new companion in the next story (The Rescue). So, even though Katarina and Sara Kingdom are only around for a very short time, they were fulfilling the role of the female companion while they were there. Other women who would have better longevity would come in after them and take up the role. But, for the brief time that they are there, Katarina and Sara are companions. 

Secondly, both these characters are widely regarded by production teams and fans, in general, as being companions. According to my Qualifiers, they shouldn't be. We should be calling them something else. Allies or Supports or something. But not companions. And yet, in most discussions, we still refer to them as companions of the First Doctor. In the end, that's probably all that really matters. I can present facts all day to the contrary. But, if the people who made the show and who enjoy the show say otherwise, then who am I to argue? 

The final bit of evidence that I should bring up is that famous flashback scene in Resurrection of the Daleks. As the Doctor is getting his memory drained, we see images of all his past incarnations and companions. While it is very quick and indistinct, we do see Katarina and Sara Kingdom in the sequence (although we don't see Leela - so, maybe, we can't take this evidence too seriously!). 

THE FINAL VERDICT

As we make a good, broad assessment of the situation, we can see that Katarina and Sara Kingdom are a very odd case. Sometimes, the very solid qualifiers that I've laid down (if I dare say so, myself!) will only apply so well. Ultimately, other factors can come into play. 

I do still think that their status in the show is a bit ambiguous. Even if they do show up in Resurrection of the Daleks flashbacks, that only carries so much weight. It's still difficult to claim with any solid certainty what they truly are. But I will also admit that things do lean quite strongly to the positive with this one. They are, for the most part, regarded as being companions. 

What I find to be far more interesting about Katarina and Sara is that they demonstrate just how eager the show was to challenge its own formula. Less than 3 full seasons in, a key element of the format is radically altered. While most other TV is happy to just keep cranking out the same plot structure every single episode, Doctor Who is quick to re-invent itself on a regular basis.  

This is one of the biggest reasons why I love this show so much. It rarely allows itself to fall into any kind of rut.   

And a second installment in the Should We Consider Them Companions? series is complete. In some ways, it's a very special entry. This is the first time in the show's history that a debate of this nature arises. 

The argument, however, returns again and again over the years. Which means there are more essays of this nature to come....