Doctor Who is one of those series whose fans have opinions. Plenty of passionate opinions, to be precise. Whether it's which Doctor is the best, or which episode was the worst, Whovians have a lot of feelings about their favorite sci-fi series featuring a flying box and a two-hearted protagonist.
I, of course, am no exception. Being a relatively (read: incredibly) passionate Whovian, I have plenty of opinions about the series. Yeah, I know they're fictional characters, but I just really passionate about fiction! Yet, for non-fans and fans alike, I must confess, there's one opinion which I must throw out there: Donna Noble was a phenomenal companion.
Now, for the uninitiated, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) was the final companion of the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), her first appearance being the season 3 Christmas Special, and her main time to shine being season 4. A loudmouthed temp from Chiswick, Donna had quite a personality, and a capacity to either be one's favorite companion, or one's least favorite. As you can all guess, I fall toward the former.
I've had friends tell me, "I hated her. She was so annoying! She's why I dropped the show!" And, hey. I get it. She's not for everyone. But, when people tell me, "Oh, she was so stupid!" and "She was an awful companion!" I say to them: "Are you sure you were watching the same series I was?"
She's not perfect by any means. Still, you know what? That's what I love about her. As a female character, she is one of the most believable women I have ever seen in fiction. She is emotional. She is aggressively heterosexual. She cries easily. She is a space cadet. She sometimes doesn't catch on to the obvious. She's loud. She's sometimes obnoxious. But, there's so much more to her character than her shouting and sassiness.
Donna's story arc is about finding confidence in yourself, with the help of friends. About accepting the things that you can't change about yourself, changing yourself for the better, and using the talents you didn't even realize you had. Donna is actually very smart; she's a space cadet, yeah, but in reality, she's great at finding patterns, crunching numbers, creating plans, and reading The Doctor, helping him out when he needs someone to tell him to get himself together. She has a strong sense of justice, making sure that they can at least save someone when they land in Pompeii and telling off The Doctor, or helping out an enslaved race of aliens called the Ood because her heart weeps for them.
She is unbelievably kind and empathetic. Incredibly loyal, going so far as to offer herself up as a shield shortly after meeting The Doctor after some events make her question her life choices, even if she'd been berating him earlier. She is affectionate and very clearly loves her friends and family.
In short, Donna cares, almost too much, and in fiction especially, that is so refreshing. People assume that strength is being stoic or cold, but I beg to differ. You can be a strong woman, or even a strong human being, if you have feelings, even if the world likes to tell us otherwise. And that's what was so radical to me about Donna Noble when I first watched Doctor Who when I was in High School--she was an emotional woman with flaws, but the show didn't berate her for it; she was so endearing and realistic because of it.
Plus, her friendship with the Doctor is one of my favorite relationships in fiction. These two best friends forever--like a brother and sister--are incredibly sweet, making me feel emotional just thinking about them. Ten and Donna's friendship was wonderful, because they both worked to make each other better.When one messed up, or hurt the other, the other would raise them up and apologize, and vice versa.
When one mourned, or was hurt, one would give the other a big hug. This is especially apparent in scenes like this one, from Midnight, where The Doctor survived a near-death experience, traumatized, and Donna does the best she can do: Comfort her best friend.
Even if they aren't romantically interested in each other (another thing I found refreshing), they really do love each other. And isn't that what friends--especially best friends--are for? A sort of family not made of blood, but of love?
Still, I could ramble on for days about my love for the Best Temp in Chiswick. My favorite Earthgirl and her Spaceman. But, you know what? I related a lot to her. As I've grown older, I still do. More and more by the day.
So, in short, give Donna a chance next time you watch Doctor Who. If you do, I'm sure you'll find a new favorite companion.
