#orphan 55

Ryan & The Doctor were such good friends.

I'm not just saying that they were good like two people who get along. They were good for each other. Honestly, after how RTD wrote Ruby and Belinda's relationship with The Doctor, the whole Fam is that much more refreshing. They're a support network!

Wow is that why so many people hate on this era?? Are you just not entertained by people who legitimately help each other become the best versions of themselves? Lol oof pocketing that one for later... 😂

These two are truly underrated for their chemistry. They share plenty of comedic moments together and Ryan's scene with The Doctor in his last episode, The Revolution of the Daleks, is so candid. He shows so much maturity. It even becomes clearer that after he leaves, his reason for leaving is having found purpose in the time since being parted with the Tardis.

He knows he is needed by his friends. He feels important to the planet. He sees an opportunity to help in a way that flying around on the Tardis feels a bit like...running away from it all. He found purpose and he's going to run in its direction not the other 'round.

I love you, Ryan Sinclair.

Woah, whoops...how'd that picture get uploaded right here? 😳 *clearing throat; knocking things over in a rush*

This guy was an adorable ball of energy when he wasn't being Mr. Cool standing behind his Granddad taking in the whole of the universe. Just seeing sights and winning at FIFA against his mate. 😄

His most notable moments aside are definitely being the object of King James's affection, his big brother moment with Ada, when he emotionally supported a man he'd only just met give birth (so help me if y'all don't see the beauty of that moment from a science fiction and queer perspective), his conveyor belt moment in Kerblam!, his cute and dorky reaction to meeting Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, the gadget bit in Spyfall, and the time he blew up a bunch of Cybermen on a dying world stranded in time and space.

Hey, I get it if you don't have taste and wanna be like "but he wasn't that well written" or "he was such a background character for most of the show" but I think it helps to pay attention to moments when they happen on screen. I'd say erase your biases too but that's not as easy of a solution. They're not exactly visible or easily perceived. Ryan Sinclair's bright and shining face, however, is right there! Clear as can be 😉 Just look at it!

Did you look?

...lol okay I'm done being a goober.

Here's to you, Ryan Sinclair (and Tosin Cole for playing the role)!

Bonus points for his last scene with Graham in their finale. He keeps trying; he keeps fighting to conquer his dispraxia. He isn't magically gifted with the ability to overcome it as a result of having traveled with The Doctor or anything like that; he simply has to keep at it. That's a highly motivating and emotionally validating subplot and it neatly coalesces with the grief of his grandmother. He's never weighed down by it because he and Graham learned how to open themselves up in their time with the Doctor. That vulnerability and the community that strengthens us in sight of grief becomes their parting gift.

Series - 12 Episode(s) - 3 “Orphan 55” Aired - 12.01.2020 Doctor(s) - Thirteen (Jodie Whittaker) Companion(s) - Yaz, Ryan, Graham (Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole, Bradley Walsh) Notable Guest Star(s) - Laura Fraser, James Buckley Writer - Ed Hime Director - Lee Haven Jones

Graham collects a holiday’s worth of coupons, so the gang head to a spa where mother/daughter issues, sabotage, and mutants expose a grim vision of Earth’s future.

Package deals! Thumb sucking! Child expert! Environmental disaster warning!