When we first meet her, she’s just a simple girl working in retail to get by and pay her bills. No real ambitions, no real prospects or opportunities for a different or better life, but still she’s somewhat content in a way that most of us are while still having a nagging feeling of frustration in the back of her mind. She’s incredibly relatable; she could be you or me (oh I wish). While she may not have a certain aptitude for anything per se (that we know of anyway), she’s got excellent instincts and while she can’t talk her way out of most things, she never gives up or backs down for even a second. She doesn’t let fear get the best of her and will die for the ones she loves and even for people and creatures she’s never met, just because it’s the right thing to do. She’s got a pretty good sense of humour, too, which is great when you’re running alongside an alien you can’t really begin to comprehend, getting into trouble you could have never imagined possible.

She gets the Doctor. She shares his love for adventure and is always up for anything, but she also knows how and when to ground him. She’s extremely emotional, but makes it clear that doesn’t make her any less tough. Having empathy does not interfere with her bravery. She is also the only companion who ever really worries about her family and makes a point of checking in often, even though her family is just her mom and, let’s be honest, Jackie can be more of a burden than anything else sometimes. We should also appreciate how straightforward she is when breaking up with Mickey. She doesn’t try to lead him on or shy away from the fact he can’t give her the life she wants and she’d rather live an exciting adventure-filled life than stay in their secure yet boring relationship. He, in turn, takes it pretty well and just wants her to be happy, even if it is with someone else. I think we could all learn a little something from their breakup, could we not?

One thing I often found myself thinking throughout the other seasons is “This episode would have been so much better with Rose.” Maybe it’s just the chemistry between her and the Doctor that makes things flow so wonderfully. But I think it’s actually because she has a way about dealing with things that can turn a seemingly simple story into something much more emotionally involved. She makes you care about others and what they’re going through by putting herself in their shoes. And that’s the main thing I love about Doctor Who. It’s got a bunch of wacky aliens and makes for some great family friendly television but, at the same time, there’s also those times where the stories and characters manage to wrench your heart out and break it into a million pieces, then slowly mend it back together with the power of a sonic screwdriver.

One thing I’m certain will always break my heart beyond repair is ‘Bad Wolf Bay’. Their love story is up there with the greats of literature. And, let’s face it, you must be truly amazing if someone is burning up a sun just to say goodbye.

Martha Jones

When I first started watching Doctor Who I was late to the party as I only started watching it in 2005. I happened to stumble upon re-runs of it and I was hooked. I loved the atmosphere, story and adventure in it.

Christopher Eccleston was not my favourite doctor. I liked him but I would not say I was a huge fan of his. I liked his companion more than I liked him but then David Tennant came along and I fell hard. Everything about him made me swoon. When it came to a change in companions, I was quite skeptical at first and then I saw Martha Jones. First of all, I wholeheartedly admit to my bias as to one of the reasons I loved Martha so much. She was relatable for me. I saw and could imagine myself in her shoes, so that was a huge deal for me and let me turn a blind eye to her acting skills at the beginning.

I have always thought that Martha had a really tough time as the Doctor’s companion; not only was she basically a rebound for the Doctor but she fell so hard for him it hurt. She is also often underrated in my opinion. She was always able to think on her feet in dire circumstances (something all companions could do typically) but her thing was her resourcefulness. Other companions had other traits that made them loveable; Rose, her charm, and Donna, her wit. Martha, on the other hand, was resourceful.

When the Doctor couldn’t remember he was a Time Lord, she hung around and looked after him. She took her position as his companion seriously, she joined him on a whim and left a life she was very content with to travel the stars with this magnificent and wonderful man. Another thing I loved about Martha is her attachment to her family; she kept in touch as regularly as she could and personally that would be something I would definitely do as well.

She is strong and independent which shows in her decision to leave the Doctor. She had pined for long enough and she knew she deserved better so she left for herself and that type of strength doesn’t come easy.

I feel quite sorry for Martha because she is usually slagged off as a bad companion because of where she is between Rose and Donna. She suffers from middle child syndrome effectively. The oldest is loved, the middle one somewhat fobbed off and the youngest is allowed to get away with murder.

I love Rose, Martha and Donna but Martha was a lot of things for me and that is why I think she was an amazing companion. Plus the others didn’t think of a Harry Potter spell in the heat of the moment did they?

VOTE NOW 

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[Words, Tendai Muzwidzwa & Pompberry]

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