kthnxbai, Doctor, I'm off to rule the world
I've been watching companion departures from old Doctor Who episodes for vidding purposes, and the difference between old school and new school is really startling. Generalizing, one might say that new school companions are forced out of the TARDIS, and there's much wailing and gnashing of teeth about it, while old school companions leave voluntarily and with very little angst.
That's not quite to do with happy endings/sad endings. Rather, I think it's a question of agency. Short of actual deaths, the most tearful ending of old Who I've seen so far is Tegan's, and she chose to leave - there are so many people dying around her that travelling around the universe has ceased to be fun. A new school (non-companion) example of agency without a happy ending is Harriet Jones: she chooses to stand up against the Daleks and faces her death without regrets. An opposite case would be Sarah Jane, who is forced out of the TARDIS, yet is cheerful and whistling when we see her leave. (30 years of later pining notwithstanding.)
One might divide the companion exits into three groups: Those who keep their agency, those who have their agency removed by third parties, and those who have their agency removed by the Doctor.
Of the old school companions, most have left voluntarily. (Ian and Barbara, Vicki, Dodo, Ben and Polly, Victoria, Jo, Leela, Romana, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, and Mel. I'm not quite sure what happened to Liz, and Harry seems to have faded out more than anything else.) Steven's strongly urged to stay and be a peacemaker for the Elders and the Savages, but he isn't forced, so I'm going to count this as voluntary too.
As for the deaths, Adric may be counted into the group that had their agency removed by villains, although the death is such a brave one that I think Adric to an extent still kept his agency - to all intents and purposes, he's dying in battle. Kamelion and Katarina died too, but Kamelion specifically asked to be killed and Katarina voluntarily sacrificed herself to kill Kirksen, so they both keep their agency. I'm not 100% sure if Sara Kingdom realized that the time destructor would kill her or not - if not, it would be a rare case of sheer accident. (If she did realize it, she would of course be counted as keeping her agency.)
Peri's death is faked by the Valeyard, and by the time the Doctor finds out she's alive, she has already married Brian Blessed Yrcanos, so I'm counting this as having her agency removed by Valeyard. Jamie and Zoe are forced back to their own time and space, having their agency removed by the Time Lords.
Sarah Jane is kicked off, and it seems like this is the Doctor's choice, though it's unclear from the episode if the Time Lords are demanding that he come alone. Susan is the most unambiguous old school case I've seen of the Doctor removing a companion's agency (he locks her out of the TARDIS), though even here it's clear that Susan is tempted to leave anyway, but feels a duty not to leave the Doctor. I suppose it could also be argued that being her grandfather and primary guardian, the Doctor has a certain right to make decisions for Susan.
In New Who, Martha left voluntarily, as did Mickey, Jack the second time, and Donna the first time. Rose the first time had her agency removed by the villains, accident, or her father, depending on how you look at it. The second time she had her agency removed by the Doctor, as did Donna the second time, and Jack the first time. The only multiple-ep companions to never have their agency removed by the Doctor, in other words, are Martha and Mickey, who both left because they weren't appreciated. (Concerning Donna, I think this might be the reason behind those accusations of "mind rape." The Doctor saved her life, and the way the story was written hardly could have acted differently, but looking at the story as story, it's yet another case where the companion's fate is left for the Doctor to decide.)
This is of course a side effect of RTD thinking that life with the Doctor is the bestest thing ever. And no doubt it's a brilliant life, but at the same time, you're always playing by the Doctor's rules. He has the power to decide where to go next, how long to stay there, and largely what to do there. That's the reason why I can't understand people who claim River Song is a "male fantasy". She's not sitting around twiddling her thumbs, waiting for the Doctor to pay her a visit. On the contrary, she's off having adventures, and has the Doctor literally at her beck and call to show up when she so chooses. (I don't care much for her ending, true - yet another example of the Doctor removing agency from a new school companion - but it should be noted that River is not the POV character of the episode; CAL is. For the children watching, the issue isn't "would River want children" but "would CAL want a mommy?") Though time travellers might point and laugh at archeologists, I imagine archeology could still be fun for someone who has time travelled, sort of the way jigsaw puzzles are fun, and you can't excavate a homestead and travel in the TARDIS at the same time.
Other things you can't do while travelling in the TARDIS include ruling a planet, working for UNIT (of course, you can always remove the TARDIS and give the Doctor a common car instead), a leper colony, or as a journalist (unless your editor accepts some very erratic deadlines), or rebuilding the Earth from a Dalek attack. I suppose you might get married and stay in the TARDIS (if the Doctor didn't mind your significant other hanging around), although if you want kids as well staying is probably not such a good idea. We don't want your tots kidnapped by the Master.
It should also be noted that of the new school companions, Mickey is the only one who makes more or less a clean break. (And, I suppose, Donna, but since she has no idea what she's breaking from I don't count her.) Jack spends 100 years rebuilding Torchwood in the Doctor's memory, waiting for him to return. Rose gets her own private half-Doctor. Martha gets engaged to "a Doctor who travels a lot." (In old school marriages, Andred may be a Time Lord and David a hero, but they're both very clearly not Doctor methadon - although I have to admit that Jo's professor Jones is.)
What I like about RTD's treatment of the companions is that they come off as important POV characters with separate lives, committments, and motivations. What I don't like is that none of it matters, because at the end of the line they're still All About the Doctor.
That's not quite to do with happy endings/sad endings. Rather, I think it's a question of agency. Short of actual deaths, the most tearful ending of old Who I've seen so far is Tegan's, and she chose to leave - there are so many people dying around her that travelling around the universe has ceased to be fun. A new school (non-companion) example of agency without a happy ending is Harriet Jones: she chooses to stand up against the Daleks and faces her death without regrets. An opposite case would be Sarah Jane, who is forced out of the TARDIS, yet is cheerful and whistling when we see her leave. (30 years of later pining notwithstanding.)
One might divide the companion exits into three groups: Those who keep their agency, those who have their agency removed by third parties, and those who have their agency removed by the Doctor.
Of the old school companions, most have left voluntarily. (Ian and Barbara, Vicki, Dodo, Ben and Polly, Victoria, Jo, Leela, Romana, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, and Mel. I'm not quite sure what happened to Liz, and Harry seems to have faded out more than anything else.) Steven's strongly urged to stay and be a peacemaker for the Elders and the Savages, but he isn't forced, so I'm going to count this as voluntary too.
As for the deaths, Adric may be counted into the group that had their agency removed by villains, although the death is such a brave one that I think Adric to an extent still kept his agency - to all intents and purposes, he's dying in battle. Kamelion and Katarina died too, but Kamelion specifically asked to be killed and Katarina voluntarily sacrificed herself to kill Kirksen, so they both keep their agency. I'm not 100% sure if Sara Kingdom realized that the time destructor would kill her or not - if not, it would be a rare case of sheer accident. (If she did realize it, she would of course be counted as keeping her agency.)
Peri's death is faked by the Valeyard, and by the time the Doctor finds out she's alive, she has already married Brian Blessed Yrcanos, so I'm counting this as having her agency removed by Valeyard. Jamie and Zoe are forced back to their own time and space, having their agency removed by the Time Lords.
Sarah Jane is kicked off, and it seems like this is the Doctor's choice, though it's unclear from the episode if the Time Lords are demanding that he come alone. Susan is the most unambiguous old school case I've seen of the Doctor removing a companion's agency (he locks her out of the TARDIS), though even here it's clear that Susan is tempted to leave anyway, but feels a duty not to leave the Doctor. I suppose it could also be argued that being her grandfather and primary guardian, the Doctor has a certain right to make decisions for Susan.
In New Who, Martha left voluntarily, as did Mickey, Jack the second time, and Donna the first time. Rose the first time had her agency removed by the villains, accident, or her father, depending on how you look at it. The second time she had her agency removed by the Doctor, as did Donna the second time, and Jack the first time. The only multiple-ep companions to never have their agency removed by the Doctor, in other words, are Martha and Mickey, who both left because they weren't appreciated. (Concerning Donna, I think this might be the reason behind those accusations of "mind rape." The Doctor saved her life, and the way the story was written hardly could have acted differently, but looking at the story as story, it's yet another case where the companion's fate is left for the Doctor to decide.)
This is of course a side effect of RTD thinking that life with the Doctor is the bestest thing ever. And no doubt it's a brilliant life, but at the same time, you're always playing by the Doctor's rules. He has the power to decide where to go next, how long to stay there, and largely what to do there. That's the reason why I can't understand people who claim River Song is a "male fantasy". She's not sitting around twiddling her thumbs, waiting for the Doctor to pay her a visit. On the contrary, she's off having adventures, and has the Doctor literally at her beck and call to show up when she so chooses. (I don't care much for her ending, true - yet another example of the Doctor removing agency from a new school companion - but it should be noted that River is not the POV character of the episode; CAL is. For the children watching, the issue isn't "would River want children" but "would CAL want a mommy?") Though time travellers might point and laugh at archeologists, I imagine archeology could still be fun for someone who has time travelled, sort of the way jigsaw puzzles are fun, and you can't excavate a homestead and travel in the TARDIS at the same time.
Other things you can't do while travelling in the TARDIS include ruling a planet, working for UNIT (of course, you can always remove the TARDIS and give the Doctor a common car instead), a leper colony, or as a journalist (unless your editor accepts some very erratic deadlines), or rebuilding the Earth from a Dalek attack. I suppose you might get married and stay in the TARDIS (if the Doctor didn't mind your significant other hanging around), although if you want kids as well staying is probably not such a good idea. We don't want your tots kidnapped by the Master.
It should also be noted that of the new school companions, Mickey is the only one who makes more or less a clean break. (And, I suppose, Donna, but since she has no idea what she's breaking from I don't count her.) Jack spends 100 years rebuilding Torchwood in the Doctor's memory, waiting for him to return. Rose gets her own private half-Doctor. Martha gets engaged to "a Doctor who travels a lot." (In old school marriages, Andred may be a Time Lord and David a hero, but they're both very clearly not Doctor methadon - although I have to admit that Jo's professor Jones is.)
What I like about RTD's treatment of the companions is that they come off as important POV characters with separate lives, committments, and motivations. What I don't like is that none of it matters, because at the end of the line they're still All About the Doctor.