shipping meme, day 17
A pairing you never thought would work, but did.
Martha/Ten, Doctor Who
Let's follow up yesterday's exploding-comment-fest with another controversial one, shall we? First, a few disclaimers: I think the Doctor and Rose were in love with each other, and I liked it. But I don't think the Doctor and Rose were soulmates for ever and ever, and I didn't like the way their relationship ended. I liked it better when she was just a flirty teenager and he was trying not to get in over his head.
All I knew of Martha going in was that she had a crush on the Doctor. I really don't like unrequited love plotlines, so I was dreading a season of Martha staring gooey-eyed while the Doctor bumbled around. Female characters have a tendency to become useless and mushy when this happens, and the bar was set pretty high after Rose.
I've never been so relieved to be proved wrong. Martha Jones kicks so much ass. She has a crush on the Doctor for the same reason all the rabid Rosefen do: she saw him in action. She's overjoyed to be there with him, but she keeps her head and comes home to look after her family. Ten was at his most whiny and adolescent in this season, and I couldn't think of a better companion for him to bounce off of. Where Rose was ruled by her emotions, Martha didn't let them destroy her.
Oh, and that pathetic, useless schoolgirl crush that kept Martha from developing and growing as a character? She literally saved the human race with it. Right before ditching the hottest incarnation of the dreamiest alien in sci fi so she could do something with her life.
the other days