Following the conclusion of Ruby Sunday’s story in season 14 of Doctor Who, it is really important that season 15 doesn’t leave her with the same fate as another one of The Doctor’s companions. Martha was the main companion traveling with the tenth Doctor in the show’s third season, before Martha decided to leave Doctor Who following the season 3 finale, only for her to return as a guest in the franchise’s subsequent installment. Martha’s story has quite a few similarities with Ruby’s, as Ruby also decided to leave The Doctor after her first season of traveling with him.
Similar to Martha’s story, Milly Gibson has been confirmed to return to join The Doctor and new companion played by Varada Sethu in season 15, despite leaving at the end of the show’s fourteenth season. It hasn’t been confirmed whether or not Ruby will play a major role in the upcoming season or if she will have a more minor involvement. Whatever her role, the most important thing is that the character doesn’t just return for the sake of showing her face. She needs to play an important role in the overall story to avoid Martha’s fate.
The Last Time A Doctor Who Companion Took A Smaller Role In The Following Season, It Didn’t Work Out
Matha’s Appearence In Season 4 Lacked A Purpose
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When Martha Jones reappeared in the Doctor Who universe in season 4, she only featured in five episodes of the season. Although she helped The Doctor defeat the Sontarans and was present for “The Doctor’s Daughter” story arc, her appearances felt underwhelming and overshadowed by everything else going on. Audiences had a love-hate relationship with Martha as she came in and replaced the iconic Rose Tyler after season 2. However, Donna was much more beloved than Martha. So, since Donna was the main companion in season 4, Martha became an increasingly peripheral presence.
Martha also returned for the season 4 finale. This episode saw every main companion from the show’s revival (as well as the members of Torchwood) work together to fight against Davros and the Dalek race. Martha’s presence in these two episodes, despite almost destroying the Earth, still felt unsatisfying to watch. There were too many characters to focus on, and her return was completely overshadowed by the reunion of The Doctor and Rose. While it was nice to see Martha on-screen again, her return just felt like it had little purpose as bigger things were going on.
Ruby Sunday’s Return Must Not Get In The Way Of Varada Sethu’s New Doctor Who Companion
Ruby’s Return Needs To Have A Purpose And Play A Larger Role In The Overall Story
Ruby Sunday’s appearance in the show’s fifteenth season must learn from the mistakes the show made surrounding Martha’s return after she left the show. It’s important that Ruby doesn’t overshadow Varada Sethu’s new companion and vice versa. Ruby’s return needs to have an impact on the wider story and should be more than a nod to fans who miss the character. There are still so many unanswered questions surrounding Ruby that the new season could focus on, such as why she can make it snow indoors.
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After the amount of build-up Russell T Davies has created surrounding Ruby’s story, it would be a shame not to revisit it in the next season and explore her past even more. Viewers are also anxiously waiting to discover the identity of Mrs. Flood (Ruby’s next-door neighbor), so it makes sense for Ruby to return to the story of Doctor Who whether it’s as a leading companion or a limited episode run. As long as she has more impact than Martha in season 4, her role in the new season could yet be great.
