Series 8 ofDoctor Whodefinitely has its strong points. Viewers and critics praise the strong performances delivered by the lead actors — Peter Capaldi is brilliant as the Twelfth Doctor, Jenna Coleman brings sass and energy as Clara Oswald, andMichelle Gomez' Missy remains one of the show’s best villainsto date. However, some aspects of this series are polarizing. Though it has its memorable moments, some episodes lacked urgency and felt forgettable. Coleman’s performance as Clara was fun to watch, but the character lacked consistency. And one character in particular was treated unfairly by the show’s writers.
Danny Pink (played by Samuel Anderson) was introduced in the second episode of Series 8 as a love interest for Clara, and had a lot of potential. However, towards the end of the series, he met an untimely end that was poorly handled, partly because the series hadn’t done him justice to begin with. Danny’s death felt shoehorned into the show’s plot; it didn’t carry the emotional impact it should have, because the audience hadn’t had the proper opportunity to form an attachment to him.
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Danny’s characterization was bland, and his romance with Clara felt forced. As a result, his cheap, rushed death made it immediately clear that Danny’s purpose, from the beginning, had been his eventual demise. He had always been intended to be “fridged”: needlessly killed off to further the emotional development of another character. This tropehas a long history in pop cultureand is most deadly to female characters, so the gender-swap here is worth noting — but regardless, it’s still lazy writing and makes for unsatisfying storytelling.
That being said,Doctor Whohas never shied away from its tragic moments. Objecting to the manner of Danny’s death doesn’t necessarily mean that he should have survived. Instead, the series should have included the character in major storylines, should have explored aspects of his identity and background and made him a dynamic, three-dimensional character like the others on the show. It should have made himsomeone the audience could care about, andthentragically killed him.
There are plenty of routes that could have been explored to expand Danny’s character, but perhaps the biggest waste of potential involves his background as a soldier, clashing with the Doctor’s disdain for all things military. In fact, one episode early in the series even appeared to set up this scenario. In the “Into The Dalek” (the same episode in which audiences meet Danny and learn of his past), the Doctor frequently butts heads with members of the Combined Galactic Resistance. Even though this order iscombating a Dalek invasion, he demonstrates a distaste for military culture and attitude throughout the episode. At the end, when Liuetenant Journey Blue asks to come along in the TARDIS, the Doctor responds: “I think you’re probably nice. Underneath it all I think you’re kind. You’re definitely brave. I just wish you hadn’t been a soldier.” This seems to perfectly precipitate the Doctor meeting ex-soldier Danny and conflict arising, but that never happened — a huge mistake on the part of the show’s creators.
Danny would not necessarily have had to become a fully-fledged companion, or even a frequent traveler, in order to build his character. After all, those routes had already been explored with Rory and Mickey respectively, two romantic entanglements of previous companions. “The Caretaker,” episode 6 of this season, comes close to involving Danny in adventures, but he remains on the sidelines. Though Danny learns of Clara’s life as the Doctor’s companion, and the Doctor learns of Clara’s feelings for Danny, the two men barely interact. The result is that Danny continues to exist solely through his relationship with Clara — not through connecting with other characters, nor by experiencing the sci-fi world that defines this show.
Doctor Who’s establishing character moments,particularly for companions, tend to come when they are confronted with danger, mystery, alien life, or anything that challenges the way that character sees the world. Because Danny never traveled in the TARDIS, never ventured through time or explored an alien world, viewers never got that moment with him. Danny could have had much more potential for growth if Clara had taken him along even for a single ride in the blue box. Perhaps after the events of “The Caretaker,” she could have snuck Danny aboard the TARDIS in an effort to further explain her double life; alternatively, he could have followed her there after deciding he wasn’t content with her explanations. The Doctor might have discovered him and reluctantly taken him along on an urgent journey, or perhapsthe TARDIS would have taken offwithout the Doctor realizing that Danny was on board.
Regardless of the circumstances, an adventure like this could have built on what viewers knew about Danny. Faced with the unknown, would he recall his military training and seek to eliminate a potential threat he didn’t understand, creating friction with the Doctor? Or would he attempt to cast aside that part of himself, as he desperately wants to do, and try to empathize with unfamiliar creatures? Unfortunately, audiences will never have that answer. Danny should have been given the chance to make those defining choices, and truly show the audience what role he could play in the show’s world.
Undoubtedly, had the Doctor and Danny gotten the chance to interact, there would have been some tension. Any time a new personjoins the Doctor and their companion(s), even if just for an episode, there are obstacles and conflicting ideals. However, that’s not necessarily something to avoid. Instead, this kind of conflict could only have been an opportunity for character growth all around. Though they would have clashed at first, the Doctor may have eventually been able to help Danny move on from the regrets of his past — the two might have even bonded over their struggles to atone for their perceived sins. Clara and Danny’s relationship, once she was no longer keeping secrets from him, could have moved past the tenuous phase it was in for most of Series 8, showing viewers a deeper side of their romance and of both their characters.
In all likelihood, Danny would have met the same fate in the end, even if he had played a larger role earlier in the series. But had he been allowed to grow and develop, the audience would have formed a much deeper connection to him. Viewers would have felt his death the same way Clara did, giving more weight to her motives in thelast few episodes of Series 8. Ultimately, the more complex and deep a character is, the more meaningful their death will be. That is the end that Danny — andDoctor Whofans — deserved.
