When it comes to a new incarnation, Doctor Who fans will admit that certain companions have found a way into their hearts. When it came to The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), many fans loved his chemistry with Rose (Billie Piper).
This pairing was different from its predecessors as it was the first time fans saw a romance brewing between the Time Lord and his partners. There were a few mixed reviews as it was seen to be unconventional. Nevertheless, it hadn’t stopped fans from shipping them - even years after both actors had departed the show. But could it have lasted in the long run? Keep reading to find out the 5 reasons why Ten and Rose were the perfect couple (& 5 why they weren’t).
Perfect: Bring the best out of other
One of the highlights in Rose and Ten’s relationship was how they brought out the good in one another. When Rose was first introduced into the show, she felt like she had nothing going for her. Yet, traveling with the Doctor turned her into one of the strongest and fearless heroines on the show, taking down Daleks and Cybermen without hesitation.
In turn, Rose brought a lightness to The Doctor’s life, which he admits made him feel like a better person (“Journey’s End”). As soon as she disappeared from his life, he grew solemn and darker. There was always a Rose-shaped hole in Ten’s life after this.
Not Perfect: The parallel universe
When people say the universe had spoken, the Doctor Who writers took this in the literal sense and pulled Ten and Rose apart. This all came about in the episode “Doomsday” when Ten found himself in the middle of the Battle of Canary Wharf. Here, he and Rose took on the Cybermen and Daleks, who were determined to take over the world.
When Ten and Rose are about to send the aliens into the breach, Rose almost falls into the void and has to be rescued by Pete. However, as the breach closes, Rose becomes trapped in the parallel world with her family. With no way for her return, Rose and Ten were heartbroken by their forced separation.
Perfect: Crossing through universes to reunite
It shows how much Rose loved Ten when she broke the rules of Time for a chance to see him again. In the episode “The Stolen Earth,” Rose made her return to warn The Doctor of the collapse of reality. She arrives well prepared to battle with the Daleks and seeks out the Nobles.
When she finally tracks him down, both of them are delighted to see one another. This time, Rose does get her happy ending when she returns to the parallel universe with Ten’s half-human clone. Yet, this does not mean that she wasn’t affected by the original Doctor leaving her again as she attempted to the TARDIS once it disappeared again.
Not Perfect: His restlessness
The Tenth Doctor and Rose’s relationship would not have lasted because it lacked stability. With every incarnation we have seen, The Doctor has shown that they hate staying in one place. If anyone had a time machine, we all would act in the same way as it’s a chance to see all of history.
However, if Rose engaged in a relationship with The Tenth Doctor, it wouldn’t have lasted long since he didn’t engage much with her personal life. Other than a few interactions with Jackie and Mickey, fans never got to see Rose’s other friends. He didn’t even care that Rose had been putting her life on hold for him either. It just seemed wrong that she was making sacrifices for him while he didn’t make any in return.
Perfect: A strong bond with the in-laws
Bonus points have to be awarded to Ten and Rose’s relationship for his bond with Jackie. One of the most underrated and funniest friendships occurred between Ten and Jackie, who grew closer after his newest incarnation became a lot warmer and kinder towards her.
Although he has often teased Jackie about her appearance and her talkative nature, Ten has proven he cares about her through his protective nature. Jackie has also said she considers him to be part of her family, inviting him to have Christmas dinner and affectionately greeting him when he returned. It’s the only time Ten has got along with his companion’s mother.
Not Perfect: His other romances
Rose wasn’t the only person who fell for the tenth incarnation, as fans may recall the brief romance in “The Girl in The Fireplace.” In this episode, Ten, Rose and Mickey find themselves on a spaceship created in the 51st century. The Doctor chooses to stay after he became intrigued by the time windows leading to 18th century Versailles.
He soon discovers that all these windows are linked to the life of Madame De Pompadour and realizes her life is at risk. As Ten begins his watch, he and Reinette grow closer and had a brief romance. Their connection was so strong that The Doctor entrapped himself in the past to save her life, leaving Mickey and Rose stranded on the ship. He didn’t look like he cared about that at all.
Perfect: He was greatly affected by her loss
Many critics have spoken how the relationship between Ten and Rose was one-sided, with the companion showing more affection than the Time Lord. Yet, how does that explain the grief and longing he showed during her absence?
During the Martha and Donna eras, Ten never failed to pay tribute to his first companion, referring to her on several occasions. She had proven to cement a place in his heart when Ten decided she was the last face he wanted to see before his ‘death’. Ten ended up sharing an emotional farewell with Rose before resigning to his fate.
Not Perfect: Chances of regeneration
Another factor that Rose and Ten would have had to face was his regeneration cycle. When Rose first joined The Doctor, he was in his ninth incarnation. The partnership between the two was based on a foundation on friendship before it took a more romantic turn with Ten.
However, since The Doctor’s life was always at risk, the chances of Ten regenerating were high. In turn, this could have affected their relationship in the long run as The Doctor’s personality tends to change too. The chemistry between Ten and Rose could have dissipated if the newest incarnation was cold, mean or rude.
Perfect: Their commitment to one another
It wasn’t hard to see how committed Rose was to Ten when she pledged to be at his side “forever.” Fans saw how much she meant the oath when she traveled across the universe to see him again. She also never abandoned Ten, even when he asked her to.
Ten went above and beyond his “duty of care”, valuing her life more than all his other companions. A prime example of this being in “Rise of the Cyberman” when Ten chose to follow Rose and not Mickey because he was more worried about Rose’s safety. He also put everyone at risk in “New Earth” because Cassandra refused to leave Rose’s body. He would have done anything to keep her safe.
Not Perfect: The age gap
The biggest obstacle that would have got in the way of Ten and Rose was the age difference. With nearly 900 years separating the pair, the age gap would have cropped up eventually. The relationship may have worked short term, but people would have noticed if Ten never aged and Rose did.
There is also the aspect that Rose may get bored with all the dimensional traveling and would want to settle down. While she was only young when she began traveling with The Doctor, who’s to say she wouldn’t want to put her roots down 10 years later. Let’s not forget she had a life on Earth with her family and friends - Rose could have missed out on a lot of milestones.
