Martha, Underrated?

Looks like Freema Agyeman is returning to the role of Martha Jones for Big Finish. Not in Doctor Who though, she’s in Torchwood.

She was, IMO, the most underrated companion on NuWho.

I also heard a rumour that Tennant got RTD to give her the boot cos he couldn't stand her. RTD then had to spin her a line about she was only meant for one season but gave her that brief comeback the following to make up for it.

So do you agree with me or Tennant?

I thought she was fab.

Commander Maxil wrote:I thought she was fab.

You are correct.

Rawkuss wrote:Looks like Freema Agyeman is returning to the role of Martha Jones for Big Finish. Not in Doctor Who though, she’s in Torchwood.

She was, IMO, the most underrated companion on NuWho.

I also heard a rumour that Tennant got RTD to give her the boot cos he couldn't stand her. RTD then had to spin her a line about she was only meant for one season but gave her that brief comeback the following to make up for it.

So do you agree with me or Tennant?

I feel like that's a rumour to make people over analyse and spread fake news around (I swear if this is a case of Tennant getting 'cancelled', I'll be livid. Cancel Culture is horrid). From interviews and behind the scenes stuff, it looks like Tennant and Agyeman got on well, especially when Barrowman came on for a few episodes. Maybe he did get on better with Tate or Piper, but I still think he really liked working with her. Maybe it's like Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, when Tom obviously missed Elizabeth but still respected Louise well to work alongside with. Plus, I just don't think he's that kind of person. In fact, I don't think any of the actors to play the Doctor are like that really.

But back to Martha, I adore her. I love how she doesn't take any of the Doctor's shit, and is probably the strongest companion out of NewWho. Freema is also fantastic in the role. Absolutely love her, and is one of the reasons why I put Series 3 high up on NewWho rankings.

I was starting to go off the New Series (and its increasingly toxic fandom) when she joined, so maybe I'm a bit jaded to her and her run. Maybe she did emerge from her shell as she went on, but my main impressions of her were that she was a bit dull and immature, and that sometimes Freema's performance was a bit off, like she was in the wrong genre (though it could've been the on the nose material she was given).

Pretty girl, nice arse; mediocre, but proficient actor.

She (deliberately?) underplayed her role during an era where her co-actors were hamming it up to high heaven.

Everyone said she was wooden. I think she was restrained.

SomeCallMeEnglishGiraffe wrote:I feel like that's a rumour to make people over analyse and spread fake news around (I swear if this is a case of Tennant getting 'cancelled', I'll be livid. Cancel Culture is horrid). From interviews and behind the scenes stuff, it looks like Tennant and Agyeman got on well, especially when Barrowman came on for a few episodes.

Why did she only do one season and what was the reason given for her departure? I would be interested to know. I certainly don't believe she was always intended to be a one series wonder. And as I understand it it was Tennant that wasn't keen on here, I doubt she knew anything about. Also, actors do tend to 'act' nice in public.

Doesn't sound like she thought leaving was right for the character:

Freema Agyeman would “never say never” to a Doctor Who return
“I feel like there was more to explore with Martha,” the actress says

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-02/freema-agyeman-would-never-say-never-to-a-doctor-who-return/

Just because she wasn't as nauseating as Piper, doesn't actually mean she was good. So, no.

I really couldn't stand Piper's constant gurning. Urgh...

Boofer wrote: She (deliberately?) underplayed her role during an era where her co-actors were hamming it up to high heaven.

Everyone said she was wooden. I think she was restrained.

That’s what I also thought. Tennant, Piper and Tate (not to mention John Simm and countless others) were hammier than most hammy villains you’d see in the classic series (and at least that variation of hammy was theatrically inspired as opposed to simplistically hyperactive as in New Who). Tennant became especially caricatured and hammy by series 4, and he actually seemed more reserved with the comparatively restrained Martha.

I prefer Martha to both others additionally due to the fact that her character wasn’t made out to be some sort of miraculous deity who was granted magical powers via an inconceivable Deus-Ex-Machina, as was the case with Rose and Donna in Parting of the Ways and Journey’s End respectively. Although I guess the sheer fuckwittery of the end of Last of the Time Lords substituted for it.

Regardless, I thought Martha was OK. And Piper’s gurning was indeed insufferable, though this was also the case with Eccleston and Tennant.

Rawkuss wrote:

SomeCallMeEnglishGiraffe wrote:I feel like that's a rumour to make people over analyse and spread fake news around (I swear if this is a case of Tennant getting 'cancelled', I'll be livid. Cancel Culture is horrid). From interviews and behind the scenes stuff, it looks like Tennant and Agyeman got on well, especially when Barrowman came on for a few episodes.

Why did she only do one season and what was the reason given for her departure? I would be interested to know. I certainly don't believe she was always intended to be a one series wonder. And as I understand it it was Tennant that wasn't keen on here, I doubt she knew anything about. Also, actors do tend to 'act' nice in public.

Doesn't sound like she thought leaving was right for the character:

Freema Agyeman would “never say never” to a Doctor Who return
“I feel like there was more to explore with Martha,” the actress says

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-08-02/freema-agyeman-would-never-say-never-to-a-doctor-who-return/

I'm not disproving your points, but I think that any issues are more on RTD having Martha on for one Series, because he had a love boner for Rose Tyler. RTD probably let Freema come back because he lost his boner for one second and actually thought "huh, Martha has a lot of potential, let me bring her back in Series 4 and Torchwood so I can use her potential properly". And Tennant and Freema's chemistry feels too genuine for me to not believe that they didn't get on. Plus, it's rare to hit it off well with a colleague.

I think it was more that RTD wanted Tate back ASAP (ugh).
I like her. She's certainly the best and least annoying companion of the Davies years. Actually, she's probably the 2nd best female companion of the whole of New Who (granted, aside from Mad Kazza, that's not really saying very much).

Love Martha. Freema Agyeman is great, very likable, strong willed and has a gorgeous speaking voice. She was let down by her teenage infatuation with the Doctor. Had she been in another era she'd be among the all time greatest.

Her and Karen Gillan are unquestionably the best New Who companions, and Martha is probably the most gorgeous New Who actress (after Ingrid Oliver of course who is the most gorgeous actress from either.)

As for why Martha was written out, the original intention was to have the Doctor be in love again. RTD said he didn't want him to be in love with the next companion after Rose, so as not to cheapen it, but that the one after that was going to be a companion called Penny who the Doctor would be head over heels in love with.

Here's his descriptions of Penny.

RTD wrote: Under all this is my need to write The Doctor In Love again. I think we’ve handled it exactly right for Series Three: he’d never fall in love with Martha, because he can’t just love the next woman to walk in the door, after Rose. That would cheapen the whole thing. […] Penny is walking into the Doctor’s life at just the right time. […] The first time that the Doctor sees Penny, it should be like — wham! Both hearts.

Ultimately when Catherine Tate became avaliable she was cast instead for publicity, so Penny was dropped which RTD said was one of his biggest regrets.

Can you imagine how much worse Rose's return would have been with Penny?

Oh God. I think maybe we dodged a bullet with Tate, and that's not something I ever imagined saying!

I think that quote sums up what bothers me about the whole RTD-orchestrated Ten-and-Rose romance.

In the right circumstances, I would not be totally opposed to a Doctor-companion relationship if it feels earned and developed naturally. I probably would not have minded if Four and Romana became an item during Season 17/18. Likewise I probably could've lived with Eight and Charley becoming a romantic coupling.

The problem is, Ten and Rose seem to become an awkwardly, romantically entwined pairing for no other reason than just because RTD wishes it, and he cynically thinks audiences will lose interest otherwise, so he has the show change what made it unique for the sake of meeting those imagined common standards. Regardless of the fact the Doctor would probably set his standards for someone far more mature and brainy. It feels wrong really that the relationship happened just to make Rose feel that special.