Doctor Who: Thasmin shippers let down in poignant farewell to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor
This is why the 13th Doctor and Yaz never got their kiss. (BBC)
Jodie Whittaker’s final Doctor Who adventure “The Power of the Doctor” saw nostalgia, action and fan favourites bring together an ambitious episode – but Thasmin got lost along the way.
Ahead of the episode – the final part of Whittaker’s three-episode farewell – fans had high hopes for the Thirteenth Doctor and companion Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) – dubbed “Thasmin”.
After years of fan “shipping”, this year’s Easter special confirmed the two had feelings for each other, and many were hopeful for a happy ending of sorts.
While we didn’t have our hearts ripped out “Doomsday” style, what unfolded was a disappointment.
All we got were the same longing glances and unspoken words that have haunted Thirteen and Yaz’ relationship since the beginning.
The episode saw the return of several Doctor Who icons including The Master (Sacha Dhawan), Cybermen, Daleks, Ace (Sophie Aldred), Tegan (Janet Fielding), Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), as well a few Doctors from years gone by.
The Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz Khan in The Power of the Doctor. (James Pardon/BBC Studios)
With so much going on, Yaz and Thirteen’s relationship simply got left behind, with a handful of interactions between the two making any hopes of Thasmin obsolete.
Doctor Who has a long romantic history
Given Doctor Who’s track record and the fact that Thirteen literally told Yaz she loved her more than her wife, River Song, it isn’t ridiculous to assume we would have seen more in the season finale.
Since the return of Doctor Who 17 years ago, we have seen the Doctor’s epic love for Rose (Billie Piper), unrequited love for Martha (Freema Agyeman), and the grand love story that was the Doctor and River Song (Alex Kingston).
The closest we got with Thirteen and Yaz in the episode was when they sat on top of the TARDIS together as the Doctor faced the prospect of her regeneration – sharing their final moments together.
Yasmin Khan in The Power Of The Doctor. (James Pardon/BBC Studios)
While the Doctor did explain to Yaz that there could never been anything between them at the end of “Legend of the Sea Devils”, a big romantic ending would have been a classic Who move.
In “School Reunion” we saw the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) tell Rose that being together would never work – she ended up being paired off with the Meta-Crisis Doctor.
While In “Wedding of River Song”, despite risking the entire universe collapsing in on itself and dying, he married River Song.
While I appreciate that Thirteen sticking to her resolve to not be with Yaz shows her character growth, it is disappointing her lesson is learned just in time to stop a sapphic relationship.
The Thirteenth Doctor in The Power of the Doctor. (James Pardon/BBC Studios)
As for Yaz’ individual journey, although we didn’t get to see her love for Thirteen come to fruition, there is still something so precious about the individual arc she went on.
It is incredibly rare to see South Asians represented in the sci-fi genre, let alone a sapphic South Asian – and watching Yaz come to terms with who she loves and what that means has been truly beautiful.
Mandip Gill put in a strong performance, with Yasmin’s love for Thirteen clear, even after she’s been rejected.
But it was deeply disappointing to not have any closure for Yaz. Although we never got to see her reach her full potential, much like Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), I hope we see more queer South Asian characters in Doctor Who who get to be unapologetically themselves.
Despite the Thasmin disappointment, the episode had several standout moments.
Beyond some of the dialogue and scene transitions feeling clunky as they have the past few seasons, Sacha Dhawan’s return as The Master was truly excellent.
Whether the iconic moment he bursts into dance to Boney M’s Rasputin or his spikes of gleaming madness – he elevated the entire episode to another level.
The Master in The Power of the Doctor. (James Pardon)
Meanwhile, the energy and dynamic between Tegan, Ace and Kate was marvellous, with some quintessential Doctor Who energy.
And, Thasmin aside, Whittaker did not disappoint with her moving final speeches full of anguish and longing to go on.
Doctor Who episode The Power of the Doctor is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
