Because Doctor Who has taken over my thoughts, and I literally lose sleep thinking about the companions. I may as well publish my analysis. Oh, and this may be a little spoiler-y. Proceed with caution.
So I'm going to tell you
-My likes about a companion, because I love everyone for different reasons
-My dislikes about a companion, because there are a few things I need to bring up
-What I think they taught the Doctor, because the Doctor is flawed and learns a lot from his companions over the course of the series
-Who I ship them with, because shipping brings joy to my soul
Rose Tyler
Likes: What I adore about Rose is how realistic she is. She isn't skinny, she isn't some fashionista, she's a flirt, she doesn't have great grades, no special talent. She is completely normal.
But when she meets the Doctor, she's found that she's actually capable of amazing things. She is more than capable of saving the entire universe, and she loves it too.
I love how enthusiastic she is about travelling with the Doctor. She had the time of her life out there, and you could tell. You could just tell how much she loved everything, especially him. I LOVE her relationship with the Doctor. You don't know much I ship them.
I love how about unselfish she was. She just wants to save everyone, even her enemies. Even when there's nothing she can do. She didn't even want to kill that Dalek in season 1 episode 6, because even though it was the Doctor's main enemy and it had just killed most of the workers in that building and almost killed Rose herself, she believes in second chances. She wanted to save him, not kill him. Another example: right before Cassandra "died" in The End of the World. That whole episode she was just dishing out hate towards Cassandra, but at the end she sincerely wanted to help her. It was the Doctor who had to tell Rose, "No, there's nothing we can do for her"
Rose never gives up on anyone. She will save the life of her worst enemy. She's the most forgiving character and strangely, a great example for me.
Dislikes: You know, there's not much I don't like about Rose. I guess she's very dependent on the Doctor, but I don't have an issue with that at all...
What she taught The Doctor: When she met the Doctor, he was going through a huge amount of post-traumatic stress from The Time War. I think she really helped the Doctor recover from that. She LOVED traveling around in the TARDIS, and I think that really helped him remember that, yeah, he loved it too. She helped him remember that the universe isn't just flames and war and hate. It's full of beauty and love and magic.
Who I ship her with: I'm a die-hard Doctor/Rose shipper. They are PERFECT. And I believe that their love transcends whatever incarnation he's in, but she was cutest with Ten...
Mickey Smith
Likes: Mickey's character develops A LOT in the show. He's a very loyal member of the team. He will never, ever desert you, or anyone else in need. Mickey isn't brave in the sense that he doesn't get scared, but he's brave because he does what he must in spite of the fact that he's scared. I like that about him. And I really liked the way he stepped out in Season 2. He knew that taking care of his grandmother was more important than traveling around in the TARDIS, and I was proud of him. He's a good man. He's also quite funny. :)
Dislikes: No one really likes having Mickey along. Even The Doctor had given him the title "Mickey, The Idiot". He's always second best, always the fifth wheel. And I feel so bad for him most of the time because everyone treats him horribly. But he is an idiot a lot of the time.
What he taught the Doctor: Even an idiot can save the world. You don't always have to be brave or clever. You simply have to be human.
(Side Note: I love how much the word human means in Doctor Who. It isn't just a species. It's a plethora of fantastic qualities, emotions, and a desire to love, and work to be loved that other species in the universe don't have.)
Who I ship him with: I don't ship anyone with Mickey, just because he's always the fifth wheel when it comes to shipping. I feel bad saying that, but no one on the show was right for Mickey. And can I just say that I hate Mickey/Martha? Absolutely no development, no chemistry, and I swear they don't even talk to each other until they basically announce their marriage. It was totally random and pointless and stupid. It was a complete injustice to both their amazing characters.
Captain Jack Harkness
Likes: Captain Jack is just one of those characters that you can choose to love, or choose to hate. I personally chose to love him (If he was actually on the series for an extended amount of time then I might hate him, but he isn't, so I've learned to look forward to his infrequent appearances on the show.) He's quite funny, and I love how cocky he is. Like he knows that he actually isn't that awesome, but pretends he is anyway. He also has a surprisingly deep character. He's been hurt, had two years of his life swiped from his mind, but he still goes on like he's absolutely fine.
Dislikes: Jack can be a little annoying at times, and a little ridiculous. But I've learned to just facepalm at these moments and move on with my life.
What he taught the Doctor: Hmmm what HAS he taught The Doctor? I don't really know, you guys... there has to be something, but I can't think what. If any of you have an idea, please tell me. This is going to drive me nuts.
Who I ship him with: I don't have a ship for Jack because Jack ships himself with everyone on the show. ;)
Martha Jones
Likes: I love Martha Jones. She is so level-headed and intelligent. She always knows what she's doing. She's clever, and doesn't let her emotions cloud her thinking. Instead, she lets them fuel whatever she's doing. She expects to be respected, which I think is great. She's trustworthy and witty, and spends a lot of her time with the Doctor thinking she's second-best in his eyes. Which totally breaks my heart because she's cool.
AND she's a Harry Potter fan. Thought I'd throw that out there...
Dislikes: The thing I didn't really like about Martha was her relationship with the Doctor. He was constantly comparing her to Rose. She didn't like that, and was a little insensitive about it. And then she HAD to go and fall for him. I don't blame her at all*, but all this drama came WAY too soon after Doomsday, and it just wasn't a healthy relationship AT ALL. I was glad when she left, not because I didn't like her (quite the opposite), but because she recognized how bad things were between them, and how much she needed to move on. INFINITE RESPECT.
*David Tennant is so hot. I would fall for him, too, Martha...
And before I move on, I've heard people complain that "she just isn't Rose" Or "she gets in the way of Rose" I can't stand that. You can't hate someone for not being someone else! That's ridiculous! And she never, not once, got in the way of his love. The Doctor loves Rose with all his heart(s), and he never even showed interest in Martha. That much was obvious. And I really don't think unrequited love makes her any less awesome. Sorry.
What she taught the Doctor: From the very start, Martha unconsciously teaches the Doctor to just slow down, and care (like when she closes the dead man's eyes in Smith and Jones. You could see how much that meant to him). Especially after what he had just gone through in Doomsday I think he had issues with caring about people. I love how Martha was sort of a therapist for the Doctor in season 3.
Who I ship her with: I STILL ship Martha/Riley Vashtee, with a passion. He was the only man who actually had chemistry with her, and they were adorable together. And there were so many good romantic quotes from that episode (42). It's a darn shame there wasn't more of him.
Donna Noble
Likes: UGH this woman is amazing. She is so dedicated to the Doctor, as his best friend. She understands him and his quirks so well, even though she hadn't known him very long. And she needs him as much as he needs her. Also, she's beautiful, she's funny, she's adorable, and she's incredible. She can be so deep and compassionate, too, as is seen in EVERY episode she's in. She's so cute and happy when she goes places, but when it comes to the saving-people part of being a companion, she takes it so seriously and feels so much for people. She's the most important woman in the whole of creation and is totally humble about it, which just makes her more amazing. And the tragedy of her story makes it one of the best, in a heart-wrenching way. She and Rose are my favorite companions.
Dislikes: DONNA IS FLAWLESS, GUYS. I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING.
What she taught the Doctor: She and the Doctor had so much fun together. They loved being around each other. It was adorable. But as far as deep meaningful life lessons go, I think she showed him passion. Passion for saving people, and things and just a general sense of right and wrong. Donna had so much integrity. She wanted so much to save everyone and do what's right. I think he really got a sense of that and admired her for it.
Who I ship her with: Donna/Lee McAvoy, her husband in Forest of the Dead. He was absolutely perfect for her, and I think she was perfect for him. I cried my heart out when he called to her and she just didn't hear.... And now she'll never know he was real. (brb crying more)
Amy Pond
Likes: I love Amy. For one, she's gorgeous; for two, she's scottish; and for three, her character is very well developed. She starts off being a cute little girl who isn't afraid of anything, turns into a jerky mc-jerkface whom I hated, then turns into a totally AWESOME young woman who knows what she wants and has a totally romantic storyline. She's absolutely beautiful and adorable. She has just the right amount of cheek. And she has such great chemistry with both her "poncho boys", Rory and Eleven. You can totally see how much she loves both of them, especially Rory. She is a fantastic edition to Team TARDIS, and I can't imagine The Eleventh Doctor traveling with anyone else.
Also, she always has perfect style, perfect hair, and perfect nail polish. It's awful how beautiful she is sometimes...
Dislikes: Not to dwell on the negative or anything, but she was a jerky mc-jerkface before Amy's Choice. I honestly hated her for a while. She had this really attractive and awesome boyfriend, yet she obviously didn't care about him at all since she was willing to cheat on him. She didn't seem to have any good qualities, other than maybe being pretty. (which just made me more angry for some reason.) She was honestly very stupid and mean. She never smiled, and was very immature. And she made me not want to watch DW anymore. But luckily, I kept going and by her 7th episode she lost all those qualities that made me hate her and became totally awesome... thank goodness.
What she taught the Doctor: I think Amy showed the Doctor how easy it is for time travel to mess everything up. He messes up her life SO many times. But luckily, he realizes this and fixes everything.
Though if I'm being honest, she learns so much more from him than he does from her. That might be a part of why I like her.
Who I ship her with: Amy/Rory 4ever! Amy didn't really deserve him at first, because she was a jerk, BUT as time went on she really worked hard to be worthy of him, which makes me really proud of her. By the time we reach the season 5 finale, they are absolutely flawless together.
Rory Williams
Likes: I am in love with Rory Williams. I don't think you understand; Rory is the best, most perfect-est person ever. He can do pretty much anything, punch everyone, stuff Hitler in a closet, and come back from the dead as many times as he wants. I'm not even kidding, he's died so many times. And yet, he never ever dies. His love for Amy makes him invincible. Speaking of his love for Amy, his dedication to her is the BEST! He loves her SO MUCH, guys. It's so cute.
And I'm just a babbling fangirl, and can give no coherent thoughts. Ignore me.
Dislikes: Nothing. LIVE WELL, LOVE RORY.
What he taught the Doctor: Life is wibbley-wobbley, Doctor. You can die and turn into a Roman just like that. Anything, LITERALLY ANYTHING is possible. Especially if you're Rory Williams, the manliest and most attractive man ever to live...
Okay, I'm just making stuff up. I'm a fangirl, and I can't think clearly when he inhabits my thoughts. It's not my fault.
Who I ship him with: Amy/Rory. I mean, duh, they are meant to be. And even though Amy didn't deserve him at first, he loved her SO MUCH that he totally deserved her. I mean, he waited 2000 years for her. That's so romantic that anything else is invalid.
River Song