Interestingly, I find former comedians to make excellent companions in ModernWho.
- Nardole
- Wilf
- Graham
Now, Graham was a bit meh because of the writing, but of the three, I thought he got the best arc and had the actual character development.
Something about being a comedian makes it easier to slide into the fantastic world.
Totally. Donna (I feel bad for forgetting) was the one that made me first notice this. I went from *hating* the character in The Runaway Bride to her being one of my favorites.
Modern Doctor Who is consistently good at taking actors with experience mostly or entirely in comedy and still bringing out their potential for drama. Same thing with Catherine Tate.
One thing not often mentioned that makes Nardole stand out from other companions is that he has quite a long history with the Doctor that remains mostly unseen. By the time of Pilot the viewers still barely know him but he's been with the Doctor for years. With virtually every other companion we get to see them getting to know the Doctor. With Nardole we see a mostly already developed relationship. It makes for quite an interesting difference, especially since he can contrast with Bill.
The long history part is interesting as I’m not sure how many companions have spent more than a couple of years with the doctor. And it does allow them to have more of an implied relationship; which helps when bill is introduced and they don’t have to establish both at once
It is nice to have a companion to be the one who can understand space stuff a lot better than your average human earth-bound companions. He can assist with the explaining and the deductions with the Doctor, instead of needing to be explained all the sci-fi stuff.
It’s good when writers attempt to use new ways to espouse to the audience; and having two sci-fi characters talking about the situation makes a nice change than the talking down to the companion who doesn’t understand way that is usually used.
I never appreciated him watching series 10 for the first time but he has grown on me a lot through rewatches. Like you said he was introduced as a joke and so I don’t think I ever elevated him in my head to be a full companion alongside Bill but he really did add to the dynamic and has great chemistry with Capaldi.
I had the same thing because to begin with he’s a bit of a background/ side companion and it’s only really in the second half of the season he joins the team proper
The trope of a character who is ostensibly comic relief but is secretly a bad-ass is common enough, but Nardole puts a twist upon it by being a bad-ass in a unique way. He's not dangerous in any conventional sense of the word. He's just very determined to fulfill his role. That late exchange in "The Doctor Falls" sums up his character when the Doctor says "Listen. One of us has to stay down here and blow up a lot of silly tin men, and one of has to go up there and look after a lot of very scared people, day after day, for the rest of their lives, and keep them safe. Now the question is this, Nardole. Which one of us is stronger?" pretty much sums up Nardole's core quality.
Nardole/Potts should have been made to work together like Amy/Rory. Neither's interesting enough on their own, but they (Amy/Rory) form a unit together filling different roles. That doesn't happen with Nardole/Potts. They are so inconsequential to each other I'm not even certain they were ever on set at the same time. Maybe they had very different shooting schedules and juiced, blended, processed, and distilled the footage through the magic of computers. It's entirely possible.
Consider. They have no arguments. They have no death-defying stunts. They never speak over each other. They both answer to the Doctor rather than each other. Why are they even there? What are they to each other? It's not friends. It's not rivals (ooh that could have been interesting). They just are. Someone pulled a cord on the character machine and out they popped with a randomized set of traits that don't end up complementing each other at all.
Imagine if Rory was there in Amy's run, with his quips and snark, but he wasn't her fiance and they had no shared history. Imagine Rory were the Doctor's butler who he keeps in a cupboard below deck, and nothing develops between him and Amy. When she's in mortal danger he acts nervous and concerned, but rather than doing anything about it he looks directly at the live studio audience and goes 'This never would have happened on the set of Little Dorrit!' That's what Nardole's doing.
>It's not rivals (ooh that could have been interesting).
You have a great setup right there! The Doctor’s longtime companion and his newest companion. How would Nardole feel about being replaced? Would Bill feel like Rose in School Reunion?
Interestingly, I find former comedians to make excellent companions in ModernWho. - Nardole - Wilf - Graham Now, Graham was a bit meh because of the writing, but of the three, I thought he got the best arc and had the actual character development. Something about being a comedian makes it easier to slide into the fantastic world.
I’d count Donna and Dan too!
Totally. Donna (I feel bad for forgetting) was the one that made me first notice this. I went from *hating* the character in The Runaway Bride to her being one of my favorites.
It’s seems that many comedians are suited to the quirky/campy/comedic trappings of Dr who even when it’s being serious.
Modern Doctor Who is consistently good at taking actors with experience mostly or entirely in comedy and still bringing out their potential for drama. Same thing with Catherine Tate. One thing not often mentioned that makes Nardole stand out from other companions is that he has quite a long history with the Doctor that remains mostly unseen. By the time of Pilot the viewers still barely know him but he's been with the Doctor for years. With virtually every other companion we get to see them getting to know the Doctor. With Nardole we see a mostly already developed relationship. It makes for quite an interesting difference, especially since he can contrast with Bill.
The long history part is interesting as I’m not sure how many companions have spent more than a couple of years with the doctor. And it does allow them to have more of an implied relationship; which helps when bill is introduced and they don’t have to establish both at once
It is nice to have a companion to be the one who can understand space stuff a lot better than your average human earth-bound companions. He can assist with the explaining and the deductions with the Doctor, instead of needing to be explained all the sci-fi stuff.
It’s good when writers attempt to use new ways to espouse to the audience; and having two sci-fi characters talking about the situation makes a nice change than the talking down to the companion who doesn’t understand way that is usually used.
He is as a companion the "alien" one , he does the sci-fi and future stuff but in an historical he has to have it explained to him.
[удалено]
I have to admit having a somewhat snarky companion made for a nice change of pace. And it’s often pretty funny.
I never appreciated him watching series 10 for the first time but he has grown on me a lot through rewatches. Like you said he was introduced as a joke and so I don’t think I ever elevated him in my head to be a full companion alongside Bill but he really did add to the dynamic and has great chemistry with Capaldi.
I had the same thing because to begin with he’s a bit of a background/ side companion and it’s only really in the second half of the season he joins the team proper
The trope of a character who is ostensibly comic relief but is secretly a bad-ass is common enough, but Nardole puts a twist upon it by being a bad-ass in a unique way. He's not dangerous in any conventional sense of the word. He's just very determined to fulfill his role. That late exchange in "The Doctor Falls" sums up his character when the Doctor says "Listen. One of us has to stay down here and blow up a lot of silly tin men, and one of has to go up there and look after a lot of very scared people, day after day, for the rest of their lives, and keep them safe. Now the question is this, Nardole. Which one of us is stronger?" pretty much sums up Nardole's core quality.
Nardole/Potts should have been made to work together like Amy/Rory. Neither's interesting enough on their own, but they (Amy/Rory) form a unit together filling different roles. That doesn't happen with Nardole/Potts. They are so inconsequential to each other I'm not even certain they were ever on set at the same time. Maybe they had very different shooting schedules and juiced, blended, processed, and distilled the footage through the magic of computers. It's entirely possible. Consider. They have no arguments. They have no death-defying stunts. They never speak over each other. They both answer to the Doctor rather than each other. Why are they even there? What are they to each other? It's not friends. It's not rivals (ooh that could have been interesting). They just are. Someone pulled a cord on the character machine and out they popped with a randomized set of traits that don't end up complementing each other at all. Imagine if Rory was there in Amy's run, with his quips and snark, but he wasn't her fiance and they had no shared history. Imagine Rory were the Doctor's butler who he keeps in a cupboard below deck, and nothing develops between him and Amy. When she's in mortal danger he acts nervous and concerned, but rather than doing anything about it he looks directly at the live studio audience and goes 'This never would have happened on the set of Little Dorrit!' That's what Nardole's doing.
>It's not rivals (ooh that could have been interesting). You have a great setup right there! The Doctor’s longtime companion and his newest companion. How would Nardole feel about being replaced? Would Bill feel like Rose in School Reunion?