Doctor Who praised for delicate handling of same-sex romance between Yaz and the Doctor
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 āYazā Khan (Mandip Gill). Even Gill said in a 2020 interview that she whole-heartedly was āhereā for the āThasminā shippers and loved the idea that her character and the Time Lord could be romantically involved.
Now, the new episode, titled āEve of the Daleksā, 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 āever told herā about her feelings, and Yaz responds by asking if her feelings are āthat obviousā. He admits he figured it out during the āfour yearsā he spent ātravelling the world with youā.
āI donāt know what to do, Dan,ā Yaz responds. āIāve never told anyone. Not even myself.ā
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 Danās 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.
MY THASMIN HEART #doctorwho pic.twitter.com/fWIGbcaWhP
— į° (@vwfls) January 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/spacethirteen/status/1477373115663630337
THE DOCTOR AND YAZ ARE SAPPHIC I REPEAT THE DOCTOR AND YAZ ARE SAPPHIC#doctorwho #thasmin pic.twitter.com/hAuinHnnhA— iz (sapphic version) (@timelesscoven) January 1, 2022
https://twitter.com/DEVSP4TEL/status/1477440361635188738
thirteen after her conversation with dan pic.twitter.com/VVKkuy32fL— august ā§ (@yelenasyaz) January 2, 2022
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.
I think that was the most important scene of the episode. It's not easy for everyone to say "oh yeah I'm gay", it's often harder to admit to yourself than to tell people. And I'm sure this scene will mean a lot to many young people who watch Doctor Who #doctorwho pic.twitter.com/lgGiUBOZmk— ece // dw spoilers (@raggedymangn) January 1, 2022
Please I think this line was so important in Yazās struggles in finding out who she is and her sexuality š„ŗā¤ļø#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/L4dnPlmOC2
— Safe Space Who (@SafeSpaceDrWho) January 1, 2022
Robbie de Santos, director of communications and external affairs at Stonewall, told Metro that it was āfantasticā for Doctor Who to feature a āprominent storyline on attraction between two womenā.
āThere 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,ā De Santos said.
He added: āWe canāt be what we canāt 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.ā
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 āReturn of the Sea Devilsā 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.
