Doctor Who: speculative questions about current and old canon, ships, and other companions

[timepiececlock]

I was re-dicussing with mswyrr our Vash=The 9th Doctor comparison theory here, and it got into a discussion about the Doctor's relationships with Rose, Sara Jane, and other companions.

Some vague discussion of the newest episode was there, and this assertion came up regarding the episode:

mswyrr: "I think it's a rewriting of canon to say previous Doctors loved their companions the way Nine/Ten loves Rose. They didn't."

I've not seen much of the older Doctors except Eight's movie and the 6 minute clip of Sarah Jane's scene for leaving the show. But what I got out of that clip was the sense that the Doctor didn't at all care for her the way he cares for Rose or the way his conversation with Sarah Jane at the end of "School Reunion" implied. He did exactly what Sarah Jane accused him of doing: he dumped her with barely a thought. Which is not to say he didn't care for her at all, but just that it appeared (by his abrupt dumping of her) to be more of a friend/teacher's pet kind of affection. I can't at all imagine him leaving Rose so callously, and I don't buy into the idea that it's just because it was an old tv show and that's how things worked back then.

But my speculation is mostly moot, given how little I know of Four/Sarah Jane except that short parting clip. What do you guys think?

A.) Do you think this latest episode ret-conned to imply a deeper past affection on the Fourth Doctor's part for Sarah Jane than the original series implied? Or do you think it was actually just confirmation and not convenient rewriting of canon?

B.) Do you think that he does or doesn't see Rose as different from his other companions?


I can't answer A, but my answer for B is "yes," because of two main reasons:

(1) because he told her she outright that she was different in this episode (or at least different from Sarah Jane of the past, who he did dump)

(2) because she was clearly that significant to the Ninth Doctor, and the Doctor's Tenth incarnation was literally born from the Doctor's act of giving his life away out of love for Rose [I make the distinction here between sacrificing your life as an act of pure nobility and the deliberately romantic aspect Nine's sacrifice was given]. Though Nine and Ten are becoming more visibly different, I think the Doctor's feelings toward Rose are actually where Nine and Ten are the most similar. No surprise, given the circumstances of his regeneration.


EDIT: I guess I should say that when I think about it, my answer #2 is actually not answering the question B, it's answering a different question entirely: which is whether or not Ten loves Rose enough not to just dump her... That's a different question from "is she different from the other companions?", because I don't necessarily mean that loving Rose meant he didn't love any of his other companions.
...ARGH. I'm confusing myself here. It's really hard to try to answer these questions when I've only seen stuff of Eight, Nine, and Ten, and the most I know of the others is a 6 minute clip of Four. This is why I want your various and sundry opinions.


That's enough of my view; what say you folk?

Comments

[mswyrr]

because she was clearly that significant to the Ninth Doctor, and the Doctor's Tenth incarnation was literally born from the Doctor's act of giving his life away out of love for Rose.

One thing. She isn't the first companion he's died for. The Fifth Doctor gave his life to save Peri in Caves of Androzani.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't say exclusively. :D I meant that part more as a evidence that he was in love with her, based not so much on the fact that he died for someone but the way it was presented in episode 13-- as being an act of love. And the assumption that Rose is different (or at least in the upper tiers, as it were) comes primarily from his quote this episode saying he wouldn't leave her like he's left the others. I guess I was kind of blurring the two points.

Thanks for pointing it out, though. ::goes to clarify, if possible::

[mswyrr]

Well, I didn't say exclusively. :D I meant that part more as a evidence that he was in love with her, based not so much on the fact that he died for someone but the way it was presented in episode 13-- as being an act of love.

Yeah, he can do the same thing for different reasons, and with different feelings. I haven't had the chance to watch Caves of Androzani, but from the summaries/discussions I've read, I think his dying for Peri could be read as him taking responsibility for her safety. He has more than one life to lose, and he's willing to sacrifice it because (1) that's what you do for the fragile creatures with only one life, especially when you're the one who invited them into danger, and (2) he loves her as a friend.

[mswyrr]

Oh, here's a tidbit: when the Fifth Doctor regenerates into the Sixth, he tries to strangle Peri.

We Doctor/Rose shippers can always say, "He died for her -- and then he didn't choke her out! Pwn!" ;)

[vandonovan.livejournal.com]

In answer to A: I definitely think that "School Reunion" retconned the Doctor/Sarah Jane relationship. I've not seen a whole lot of Sarah Jane, but I've seen several of her serials, including the entirity of "The Hand of Fear" where she left and I never got any indication at all that EITHER of them were in love with the other. Now, I can see Sarah's love growing AFTER that. After he's gone and she's realized what she's missing, andhow could any man ever hold up to that again. But I never got the impression that either Three or Four loved her like that. Three was even rather condescending to her, though he did get better.

As for OTHER companions though, I'm quite certain he loved them. There wasn't a lot of chemsitry between Four and Romana, but I definitely did get the impression, at times, that there was something there. He certainly treated Romana more like he treats Rose. She was also his equal (being a Time Lady), so that seemed to give him some interesting footing, compared to, say, his relationship with Leela, who was a savage/cave woman and the completely opposite of Romana. I never got a romantic vibe from Four/Leela.

There are companions he's been interested in romantically, in the book. There was a girl named Charley, as well as someone named Benny, I believe. They were unsexual love, and could probably be tweaked into "family love" as opposed to "romantic love" but nevertheless, his feelings for them, in the books, was very strong.

And of course, he had to have had some slight interest in Grace in the TVM.

All the same, I don't feel any of those previous companions, not even Romana, were treated the way he treats Rose. Whetther this is because Rose is special, or because he's so very broken after the Time War, or a combonation or whatever, the dynamic is definitely different. (He was, after all, rather canonically asexual prior to this.)

As for B... I think that does go hand in hand. There are times when I think he sees her just like the other companions. (In "Father's Day" I believe, he tells her she's just a stupid ape, like the rest.) But I also think she IS different than the other companions. If the Daleks could be wiped out simply by forcing the TARDIS open and looking into the Eye of Harmony, the Time Lords would have done it. (though, perhaps, that's how Eight intially destroyed them, who knows.) Anyway, I think that another companion couldn't have done that. I think there is something about Rose that allows her that power -- whether it's her connection to the Doctor that the TARDIS recognizes, or what, I dunno. But I think she is different from the other companions, we just don't know it yet.

Go watch more old Who! :D

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the detailed answer!

All the same, I don't feel any of those previous companions, not even Romana, were treated the way he treats Rose. Whetther this is because Rose is special, or because he's so very broken after the Time War, or a combonation or whatever, the dynamic is definitely different. (He was, after all, rather canonically asexual prior to this.)

I think "treatment" is a better word; thanks. Maybe what I'm trying to ask is not so much whether Rose is different or not but whether or not she is treated differently.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

Maybe what I'm trying to ask is not so much whether Rose is different or not but whether or not she is treated differently.

Possibly, it could be a product of it being only Rose and the Doctor traveling around. Most of the time, the Doctor had more than one companion or, in the case of Three, people who associated with him in his adventures. It wasn't so centralized (I'm not sure if I like that word as a descriptor, but I'm going with it for now).

As for the issue of Romana, I've only seen all of Romana I and he definitely forged a relationship of teacher/student with her. Yet, the tension between them felt like if there was a bit of push, it could've become another relationship entirely.

The second incarntion, however, was a different personality, so their relationship was reflected accordingly. I've only seen "City of Death" for II, and it's apparent the connection with them is unlike any he's had before. Honestly, I would chalk that up to the fact Romana was an equal, unlike any of his previous "companions". She may've been academically "smarter", but he was 500 some years older, with life experience.

I can speak to Five quite well, since I've seen nearly everything of him - except the four serials in Series 20 I can't seem to get a hold of. He comes off as more human than any of the others. Yes, he's much older, wiser, advanced than any of the companions he's traveled with, but it hardly ever surfaces. He always took time - when he had it - to explain things to his companions. The one time I saw him completely pissy was in "Four To Doomsday", but everyone except Five was acting like an idiot there. Esp. Adric.

when the Cybermen were threatening Tegan's life in "Earthshock", he tried to play as unconcerned and it backfired on him. The leader called his bluff, forcing him to admit he had feelings for her. I'm not saying it was a feeling of romantic love, but of deep enough caring to throw himself between her and the Cybermen for. Still, he used the opportunity to rail the Cybermen for having no feelings because they made life worth living. Someone above mentioned the loss of Adric, which did affect him very much. They couldn't spend time on mourning him since the end of "Earthshock" went straight into "Time-Flight" and the events of that serial required almost immediate attention. However, when Tegan suggests he go back in time and rescue Adric before he's killed, that upsets him even more. Because he can't. It violates Time Lord law. Though, for a second, it seems like he considered doing it, then told her and Nyssa to never ask him to do something like that again.

I don't know. I've come to the conclusion that different Doctors' personalities chose their companions. Tegan, Adric and Nyssa played better off of Five than they did Four. Really, he didn't have to keep anyone with him, and if someone wanted to leave, he would oblige. I believe Ten hit it on the head in "School Reunion" of why he didn't put up much of a fight. If they stayed on forever, he would eventually watch them die. Either of old age, or by something that happened on one of their trips (Adric and Katarina). Rose is "special" to Nine and Ten, I just don't see her having that instant effect on 8 down to the original.

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

There are companions he's been interested in romantically, in the book. There was a girl named Charley, as well as someone named Benny, I believe. They were unsexual love, and could probably be tweaked into "family love" as opposed to "romantic love" but nevertheless, his feelings for them, in the books, was very strong.

Charley was actually the subject of similar arguments back when Scherzo came out! *giggle* It implied romantic love and that romantic love was (oh, of course superior).

And the Doctor and Benny almost certainly had sex at the end of the The Dying Days. (Eight's first conquest of many. That slutboi alien tease.)


And of course, he had to have had some slight interest in Grace in the TVM.

I think there is something about Rose that allows her that power -- whether it's her connection to the Doctor that the TARDIS recognizes, or what, I dunno.

It's a big yellow truck. ;)

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Sorry, replied to wrong comment!

[redeem147.livejournal.com]

Then there's Benny's seduction of the Eight Doctor in The Dying Days. I saw a romantic vibe between Romana II and the Fourth Doctor, around the time they were actually together in real life. And the Third Doctor and Jo. And the Sixth Doctor and Peri after the hiatus (they're very chummy when they step out of the Tardis, and look at his reaction when he thinks she's dead - actually, I don't buy the Yrcanos/Peri thing, so she probably really was dead).

I do think his relationship with Rose is different. When he meets her he's truly alone. She's feisty like Ace, but with less emotional baggage. I think she's the right person at the right time.

And the Eighth Doctor had discovered that kissing girls is fun ;)

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

And the Eighth Doctor had discovered that kissing girls is fun ;)

I watched the Eighth movie and I was like "OMG, the old Doctor kisses people! Up against trees!" It was cute. For Grace I got this vibe that was similar to Nine's reaction to Rose in episode 1-- he liked her, he was charmed by her, he was attracted to her (more than Nine was to Rose in episode 1, probably), and they flirted well together. It was more a host of possibilities, possibilities that Grace decided to turn down.(I get why she did, but man... I'd totally jump on the space ship.)

*in from time_and_chips*

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

mswyrr: "I think it's a rewriting of canon to say previous Doctors loved their companions the way Nine/Ten loves Rose. They didn't."

I... would probably argue otherwise. Mostly because: "it's just because it was an old tv show and that's how things worked back then."

Seriously, there is no way that the level of affection Rose (or Jack) is shown would have happened back in the day. It was all to be kept "clean" and so on. I think the Sarah stuff in SR pretty much backs this up, because the baseline in the new series is entirely different and to me saying "the Doctor likes Rose more because she gets more open affection" is like saying "the vast majority of alien planets look like a cheaply done-up studio in Television Centre." (Disclaimer: maybe they do, I have never been to an alien planet.) Old Skool Who is something where, yes, if we use the new series as a baseline the Doctor was not all that close to these people. Using the SR factor, it's a place where the Doctor and Sarah were in love, he and Jamie were totally at it, and City of Death is porn. Otherwise we have to wonder how he managed to get a grandchild.

But what I got out of that clip was the sense that the Doctor didn't at all care for her the way he cares for Rose or the way his conversation with Sarah Jane at the end of "School Reunion" implied. He did exactly what Sarah Jane accused him of doing: he dumped her with barely a thought. Which is not to say he didn't care for her at all, but just that it appeared (by his abrupt dumping of her) to be more of a friend/teacher's pet kind of affection.

It's just less emotive. And I call upon The Susan Factor to point out that the only other companion to get dumped (other than Tegan, twice, under abnormal circumstances) is Susan. And, really, we can't say that the Doctor didn't love Susan, flesh of his flesh and all that.


I can't at all imagine him leaving Rose so callously

He won't, because he's allowed to have emotions and a sexuality these days. Which is, of course, A Good Thing. I would not be shocked if she was barely mentioned after she left, though. (Heard anyone mention Jack lately?)


A.) Do you think this latest episode ret-conned to imply a deeper past affection on the Fourth Doctor's part for Sarah Jane than the original series implied? Or do you think it was actually just confirmation and not convenient rewriting of canon?

I think implies a grand retcon that asks us to up the emotional content of the old series, but doesn't name names or whatever, leaving us to argue about which companions the Doctor was in love with. Frankly, it was either that or be forced to have every emotional moment in the old series gutted and rendered meaningless on the grounds that the new series wears its feelings more openly. For true, if he didn't care about the old companions then we lose so much of the Doctor's emotional baggage that it's not even funny.

B.) Do you think that he does or doesn't see Rose as different from his other companions?

I think he'd probably claim to see them all as different and special. Love-wise I do think the Doctor had some love for all of them. Even Mel. Romantically all we're given is the very, very strong implication of feelings for Sarah-Jane and from that I think we can assume Rose is not unique in being fancied. Cos, dude, there's an awful lot of time when the Doctor and Romana are off-screen and if Sarah was a romantic interest then those two were at it like bunnies in heat.


(1) because he told her she outright that she was different in this episode (or at least different from Sarah Jane of the past, who he did dump)

I'm not sure I believe him, though. Not in a "lying to the silly human" way, more in a "lying to oneself because they do all leave and that is painful" way.

Re: *in from time_and_chips*

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Seriously, there is no way that the level of affection Rose (or Jack) is shown would have happened back in the day.

I think you misunderstood the context of "it's just because it was an old tv show and that's how things worked back then." I didn't mean a lack of affection along the lines of gazing-into-each-other's-eyes and holding hands; I meant more that (in that one scene) he didn't give much indication that he was at all bothered by the idea of leaving her behind. If there was the kind of affection that "School Reunion" suggests, then it wasn't at all indicated in that parting scene. What I meant by the reference to old TV is that it being old doesn't mean they didn't know how to write a properly moving goodbye scene, whether or not open physical affection was a factor. Maybe it was just a poorly done scene?

(1) because he told her she outright that she was different in this episode (or at least different from Sarah Jane of the past, who he did dump)
-----
I'm not sure I believe him, though. Not in a "lying to the silly human" way, more in a "lying to oneself because they do all leave and that is painful" way.

My reaction to that scene was, actually, "I the audience member believe him, but if I were Rose I'm not sure I would buy it, after having met Sarah Jane." For exactly the reason you mentioned.

Re: *in from time_and_chips*

[nostalgia-lj.livejournal.com]

I think you misunderstood the context of "it's just because it was an old tv show and that's how things worked back then." I didn't mean a lack of affection along the lines of gazing-into-each-other's-eyes and holding hands; I meant more that (in that one scene) he didn't give much indication that he was at all bothered by the idea of leaving her behind. If there was the kind of affection that "School Reunion" suggests, then it wasn't at all indicated in that parting scene. What I meant by the reference to old TV is that it being old doesn't mean they didn't know how to write a properly moving goodbye scene, whether or not open physical affection was a factor. Maybe it was just a poorly done scene?

Companion departures I'd say are by far one of the weak spots in old DW. You get actors/actresses leaving abruptly, departures being written by people who don't know the character, and to be honest a lot of them are a bit OOC. (Hell, I'd say that scene loses a bit even just by implying that the Doctor is Gallifrey's bitch.) I can't remember the circumstances of Sladen leaving, but in general the moving farewells just didn't happen all that much. (Leela's is the worst for me. It's just so bizarre.) Hand of Fear's thing is, I'd say, implying repression going on a bit, because losing Sarah is painful and he doesn't want to get into it and she's all angry and emo.

Re: *in from time_and_chips*

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

The Susan Factor to point out that the only other companion to get dumped (other than Tegan, twice, under abnormal circumstances) is Susan.

I'm wondering how Tegan was "dumped"? For the entirety Series 19, she was on Five's case about his inability to get her back to Heathrow Airport, so she could get on with her life.

When "Time-Flight" (series finale) rolled around, she'd arrived back on Earth, at Heathrow, in her time period, but discovered through a discussion with Nyssa that traveling with them was much better than what she'd planned to do. (She may've been in a flight attendant's suit, however, she'd never actually done the job. She was on her way to work for the first time when she stumbled into the TARDIS and was mixed up with the Fourth's little adventure on "Logopolis".)

She wasn't present when Five and Nyssa were cornered by the airport police about the TARDIS being on airport property again (long story), so he had to get out of there as quickly as possible before trouble started. He assumed that Tegan wouldn't want to come along as she was finally back where she belonged. The look on her face at the end of Part 4 distinctly says otherwise.

The second time, in "Ressurection of the Daleks", Tegan chose to stay behind on Earth. She'd seen a lot of death during her travels with Five and she couldn't take it anymore. After the way they lost Adric, I was suprised she didn't bail sooner.

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

I'm just about to run off to work, so I can't give as full as a reply as I'd like, but I just want to mention that my opinion re: "possible retconning of the Sarah/Four relationship" is that everything that was said by Sarah... well, it came from Sarah. Ten didn't have much to say about it, did he, beyond looking a bit awkward and having a couple of angsty moments.

Imho, what happened quite probably counts as retconning, but I considered it very plausible in how it was managed - we're finally hearing how Sarah Jane really felt about the Doctor, and it's all through her filters.

In '73 - '76 (or whenever it was when she did the show) I'm sure it was written strictly as all good chums together, because that's just how the show was back then. Before "Moonlighting" et al, the Beeb just didn't go for UST all over the place *makes patrician harrumphing sounds*

And now I gotta get to work - thanks for the thoughtful post!

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

re: "possible retconning of the Sarah/Four relationship" is that everything that was said by Sarah... well, it came from Sarah. Ten didn't have much to say about it, did he, beyond looking a bit awkward and having a couple of angsty moments.

That's almost exactly how I was reading it for most of the episode, until we got to the goodbye conversation and he randomly asked her about her love life, then seem kind of bashfully pleased about her answer being about him. My brain went from assuming it was platonic on his side and romantic on hers to wondering if it was romantic on his too.

[chicketieboo.livejournal.com]

From what I read from alto2 and what my boyfriend has explained to me about SJ, my conclusion about the whole ret-conned idea is basically this.

Even if Sarah did finally get the Doctor was leaving her for good, sometimes one goodbye isn't enough. If you care about someone and you have to leave eachother abruptly without much time and in a never see eachother again situation, over time you will feel cheated for not getting the full slow, take-your-time goodbye.

Plus, I don't think that Sarah was inlove with him when they were together, but overtime if your constantly thinking about someone, and they seem to be better in everyway then all men around you, your idolizing of one man will grow. She was enraptured with him from what I've been told. Thirty years is alot of time to go over what you had with someone that no one can match up too.

As for Ten's reaction to Sarah. Over time he's started to break away a bit from his previous asexual andriod behaviours. We see him angst, we see him care, we see him love and hate. These are all very human emotions and instead of him having some human emotions dumbed down because he's an alien, it seems that he's almost evolving emotionally and becoming more passionate then the typcial human in every emotion.

Here's a companion that he hasn't seen in thirty years, not one that died, but left him, and not because either one wanted it to happen. He obviously cared for her deeply, and his 'my sarah jane' talk makes me feel like he's so happy that she's doing well for himself and maybe feeling a touch like an ass. But he told Rose, he doesn't go back to see them, his whole time-lord curse. The Doctor's a layered character and we definately don't know everything about how he thinks or feels, but I don't really believe he was inlove with SJ when he was with her, nor in that episode. I think he was going through alot, just suprised and ecstatic with her being there and healthy and happy, (till he finds out she's not so happy)

I'm a Rose/Doctor shipper at heart, but I don't delude myself into believing they'll be together forever, and I don't think it will be a happy breakup.

[dark-zephyr.livejournal.com]

i think we need to define love--do we mean romantic love, familial affection, friendship? because i think he cared for sarah jane--he loved her as a friend or maybe as he would a daughter (maybe more like as if sarah jane were his protege?) but i don't think there was ever any thought of romantic love with her. however, the sexual tension is so strong between rose and him that i am fairly certain there is romantic love between them. so...

A. at first glance, i thought it did ret-con but now i'm not so sure. if i remember right, he never actually even apologized to sarah jane for leaving her, right? he looked sort of awkward when she called him on it but he never actually said he felt bad about it. sarah jane did most of the talking and made it clear that she was still hung up on him but it wasn't made clear that the feeling was mutual. he only gave rose an explanation and in that explanation told rose that he wouldn't leave her.

i think that in his conversation with sarah jane, the doctor finally realized that the loose ends he tends to leave behind don't always get tied up properly. well, i guess he saw that on sattelite 5 too but in this case he left emotional loose ends. quite frankly, if he had wanted to, he could have easily found sarah jane again after being done with gallifrey. but he didn't. it's not like she was old when he left her... and i don't think he made it clear to her at the time he left that it would be forever...i think that at the time, sarah jane was under the impression he would come back for her. but i can't remember, i could be wrong.

B. yes, i think rose is different. there are so many things that are different with her. he keeps taking her back to her mom for visits (that's never happened before as i recall) despite his supposed dislike for domestics, the way 9 looked at her, how she and 10 are so giddy together, how he lets her show off in front of adam when they first get to sattelite 5...there are lots of little things. and, she made it clear on more than one occasion that she would give her life for the greater good and for him...she even ended the time war completely for him.

[redrose999.livejournal.com]

As I recall she did. Sarah went to return the the Tardis saying she wasn't serious when it left her. My memory could be wrong here though.

I would like to point out that the earlier doctors Indeed loved their companions, just in a parental way. Or so, it was how I saw 2, with his companions. He was very fatherly to Victoria and Zoe, and Jamie they were very close. I lovely scene inthe space priates, when he got horridly flustered when he thought his actions would kill Jamie and Zoe. Huddling on the floor holding each other. It was as close as they could get to the "LOVE thy friends" idea in the sixites.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

B. yes, i think rose is different. there are so many things that are different with her. he keeps taking her back to her mom for visits (that's never happened before as i recall) despite his supposed dislike for domestics, the way 9 looked at her, how she and 10 are so giddy together, how he lets her show off in front of adam when they first get to sattelite 5...there are lots of little things.

Another thing to consider is the fact that Nine and Ten are living in a completely different universe than One through Eight did. He literally has nothing and no one - except his TARDIS - when he shows up in the basement of Rose's workplace, and seems to be going on the best he can. His race, his family, everything he ever had in previous incarnations is gone.

He can't go back to his own planet, Earth's always been his second home, so why not visit as often as possible? Despite a dislike of domestics, as he claims, he must miss what will never be again. He's found a new family in Rose and Jackie, along with Mickey to an extent, so it makes sense he would return as he does. Rose is a different kind of companion because he's a different kind of Doctor now. He's admitted as much twice since he's regenerated into Ten. If that means he ends up with her "4 eva", then that's what will be.

[donna-c-punk.livejournal.com]

He did exactly what Sarah Jane accused him of doing: he dumped her with barely a thought.

A bit of background that might clear up why it seemed he didn't care. At the end of the "War Games" (Second Doctor), the Doctor was forced to regenerate and pretty much exiled to Earth. Three spent almost his entire stint with UNIT on Earth, probably never thinking he'd see Gallifrey again. When Sarah Jane - after ranting and saying that he never listened to her and she was leaving - left to pack up her things, Four received a telepathic message from the Time Lords to return home.

From the look on his face, his emotions are everywhere. He can go home again, they're asking him to come back. So, when Sarah Jane returns with her junk, Four's pretty much, "Well, you're already packed. Good. I have to leave you on Earth, I'm going to Gallifrey". At the end of "Hand of Fear", it wouldn't have mattered if Sarah Jane wanted to stay or not, she couldn't go to Gallifrey with him, anyway. If she thought he might come back for her, that's another matter entirely. He seemed distant to her because his mind was reeling over the fact he was able to go home again.

[alto2.livejournal.com]

At the end of the "War Games" (Second Doctor), the Doctor was forced to regenerate and pretty much exiled to Earth. Three spent almost his entire stint with UNIT on Earth, probably never thinking he'd see Gallifrey again.

Well, sort of. Three was of course exiled from the get-go, but the Time Lords needed him in The Three Doctors, and after he deals with the Omega-revenge-plot problem, they lift his exile--all is forgiven. He's only exiled for 2/3 of his third incarnation, and after that, any time he spends on Earth is voluntary.

The TLs also are in contact with Four in Genesis of the Daleks, so it's really not the case that he couldn't go home until Sarah's departure. He just didn't want to. After all, he's the renegade who ran off rather than be a part of TL society on Gallifrey, so it's not too surprising that he doesn't visit too frequently. He goes back at the end of HoF because he's needed, not because he wants to--though I think you could make a case that, despite running off in a stolen TARDIS, he does feel a sense of loyalty and helps out when he's asked (after all, he's never refused a Time Lord request, unless we count his presidential duties in that category).

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Just adding my two cents in that I do think there's a lot of repressed emotion in that scene. But then, the entire episode, he's terribly concerned for her at times (and she for him), so it seems obvious to me that he's worried about her.

Not to mention, what can he say to the woman who's traveled with him for so long (iirc, she's the longest-running companion after Adric and K9)?

And he always hated goodbyes.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

iirc, she's the longest-running companion after Adric and K9

Jamie, surely? Looking at the guide, I think Adric was in 42 single episodes, that's less than Tegan, Jo, Romana...