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viomisehunt November 20 2012, 01:01:24 UTC
In the Army of Steel, the Doctor also choose the humble position of server--which is very different from compelling Martha to become His servant, therefore leaving his Companion crippled by the social mores. Rose is a server, but so is he, so she is percieved as his equal.

Leaves her in danger, even - and this is an important point - in order to PARTY with an aristocrat.

He left Rose and Mickey while he went to investigate what was going on with Reinette. She was in danger, and rescuing humans in danger from aliens is what the Doctor does. He expects his Companions to fend for themselves while he does the dangerous stuff. When the Doctor charges into Versailles on his white horse and leaves Rose & Mickey--this time giving the TARDIS no instructions whatsoever-- he did so to save Reinette’s life, as well as the lives of the other people in the room.
But that's kind of his way--he goes off to what is certain Death with the Daleks in Manhattan, leaving Martha -whom he barely considers his guest let alone a companion,-- to fend for herself and the others, although she's decades away from her parents time, let alone her own time.
You travel with the Doctor at your own risk--I think that's been well established.
Ten gets to be the professor, and Rose gets to go back to her lower-class roots and be the help. On one hand as they were undercover at a school; other than the “hot receptionist” what else was Rose supposed to do? She didn't have the training to pretend to be a teacher, especially with genius students.
What is disturbing is the suspicion that the writers deliberately put Rose in her place to contrast the difference between the classic companions’ accomplishment and the Nu Who companion's assets--she's blonde and the Doctor is hot for her. On the surface it seems innocent, but there seems some nagging misogynist tendencies in comparing the female companion’s worth by their personal accomplishments.
The ultimate dismissal of Rose came when Jack informed Martha that the Doctor would be less likely to abandon her (Martha) if she were blonde--. Jack couldn't have known what had transpired between the Doctor and Martha in 1913 and how quickly the doctor as John Smith fell for Blonde Joan, and how thoroughly the Doctor subjected and abandoned Martha to spiritual abuse--but it certainly was a sensitive enough matter for the Doctor to want to take Martha aside and deny this; instead, the Doctor looks as if he’s been exposed and gets sulky.
I think that the fact that Rose was in the kitchen--where she was able to discover the problem with the cooking oil, was less disturbing than Ten's sheepish reaction to Sarah Jane's "Look at you Tiger"and the fact that Rose is inexplicably insulted by the term "assistant", and not, it seems insulted by the implication of Sarah Jane's " assistants getting younger" suggestin that Rose is merely some middle age splurge--like he's Martha fifty year father getting a slinky sports car and trophy bottle blonde with fake tan.
But humbling females-especially those who aspire to independent agency seems very much a pattern on the show.

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