TV

Doctor Who praised for delicate handling of same-sex romance between Yaz and the Doctor

Screenshots of Doctor Who stars Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill from the show

Doctor Who addresses the feelings between Yasmin “Yaz” Khan (Mandip Gill) and the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker). (YouTube/Doctor Who/BBC)

Doctor Who fans are ecstatic after the series essentially confirmed a same-sex romance between the Thirteenth Doctor and her companion Yaz.

Fans have long speculated that there might be feelings between the Time Lord (Jodie Whittaker) and Yasmin “Yaz” Khan (Mandip Gill). Even Gill said in a 2020 interview that she whole-heartedly was “here” for the “Thasmin” shippers and loved the idea that her character and the Time Lord could be romantically involved.

Now, the new episode, titled “Eve of the Daleks”, has made the relationship between Yaz and the Doctor a bit clearer. In the episode, the Doctor, Yaz and Dan (John Bishop) are stuck in a time loop with a Dalek Executioner hot on their heels.

During the years stranded in the time loop, Yaz and Dan become close friends, and Dan eventually notices that the police-officer-turned-companion has secretly been harbouring romantic feelings for the Doctor.

Dan bluntly asks Yaz if she “ever told her” about her feelings, and Yaz responds by asking if her feelings are “that obvious”. He admits he figured it out during the “four years” he spent “travelling the world with you”.

“I don’t know what to do, Dan,” Yaz responds. “I’ve never told anyone. Not even myself.”

Later in the episode, Dan prompts Yaz to confess her feelings and even outright tells the Doctor how his friend feels. The Time Lord seemingly pretends not to understand Dan’s clear message, and Dan once again pleads for the two women to talk to each other.

Needless to say, the on-screen acknowledgement of romantic feelings between the two characters (and a potentially a future romance) had Doctor Who fans in an absolute tizzy on social media.

https://twitter.com/spacethirteen/status/1477373115663630337

https://twitter.com/DEVSP4TEL/status/1477440361635188738

https://twitter.com/robstenstardis/status/1477770490362093571

Other fans were struck by the heartfelt moment where Yaz opened up about her struggle to discover her sexuality.

Robbie de Santos, director of communications and external affairs at Stonewall, told Metro that it was “fantastic” for Doctor Who to feature a “prominent storyline on attraction between two women”.

“There have long been LGBTQ+ themes in the show, and the storyline between Yasmin Khan and the Doctor is one of the most significant examples so far,” De Santos said.

He added: “We can’t be what we can’t see and seeing same-sex attraction represented in one of our most popular TV shows will delight viewers and mean so much to LGBTQ+ people across the country.”

Fans will have to wait until the spring to find out if Yaz and the Doctor do finally admit and explore their feelings for each other.

The “Return of the Sea Devils” will see the Time Lord, Yaz and Dan trying to help a 19th-century Chinese coastal village under threat from pirate queen Madame Ching (Crystal Yu) and alien forces.

The episode will also be the final episode before the Thirteenth Doctor regenerates, and Doctor Who has not yet confirmed who will be stepping into the iconic role after Whittaker.

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