Grace O'Brien: Difference between revisions

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{{rename|Where is the surname '''O'Brien''' coming from within the story?}}
{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|image             = Grace O'Brien.jpg
|image       = Grace O'Brien.jpg
|species           = Human
|species     = Human
|job               = Nurse
|job         = Nurse
|spouse            = Graham O'Brien
|affiliation = Sheffield City Hospital
|child            = Ryan Sinclair's father
|origin      = [[Earth]]
|grandchild       = Ryan Sinclair
|grandparent = Ryan Sinclair's great-grandad{{!}}Grandad
|first             = The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)
|spouse      = Aaron's father
|appearances       = [[TV]]: ''[[Arachnids in the UK (TV story)|Arachnids in the UK]]''
|child      = Aaron (Resolution)
|actor             = Sharon D Clarke
|grandchild = Ryan Sinclair
}}'''Grace O'Brien''' was the paternal grandmother of [[Ryan Sinclair]]. She lived in [[Sheffield]] with her second husband, [[Graham O'Brien]], whom she met during her work as a [[Chemotherapy|chemo]] [[nurse]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') 
|first       = The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)
|appearances = {{appears}}
|actor       = Sharon D Clarke
|spouse2=Graham O'Brien}}
{{ImageLink}}
'''Grace O'Brien''' was the mother of [[Aaron (Resolution)|Aaron]] and the paternal [[grandmother]] of [[Ryan Sinclair]]. She lived in [[Sheffield]] with her second [[husband]], [[Graham O'Brien]].


When Ryan was still a child, she told him the fable of ''[[The Lion and the Mouse]]''. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Good Doctor (novel)|The Good Doctor]]'')
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Grace got married ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') and had a son, [[Aaron (Resolution)|Aaron]], whom she was proud to have brought into the world. ([[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]'') In [[2012]], she came to raise [[Ryan Sinclair|Ryan]], Aaron's son, following the [[death]] of [[Ryan Sinclair's mother|his mother]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'', ''[[The Tsuranga Conundrum (TV story)|The Tsuranga Conundrum]]'')


Grace was interested in the [[United States of America|American]] [[Civil Rights Movement]] and was inspired in particular by the deeds of [[Rosa Parks]] and [[Martin Luther King]]. When she learned that Graham was a bus driver, she remarked that he ought not to be like [[James Blake]], who she called "Blake the snake".
She told Ryan the story of ''[[The Lion and the Mouse]]'', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Good Doctor (novel)|The Good Doctor]]'') taught him to control his [[anger]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Rosa (TV story)|Rosa]]'') and tried to teach him how to ride a [[bicycle]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') Despite Aaron's absence, Grace kept his old things. ([[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]'')


Graham recalled that she owned a [[t-shirt]] that said "the Spirit of Rosa", and believed that Grace would have been disappointed that Ryan couldn't recall Rosa Parks' role in the [[Montgomery Bus Boycott]]. Ryan remarked to [[Martin Luther King]] that Grace loved him. He jokingly said that Grace would have started a riot in [[1955]] [[Montgomery]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Rosa (TV story)|Rosa]]'')
=== With Graham ===
Working as a [[chemotherapy]] [[nurse]], Grace met and was attracted to [[patient]] [[Graham O'Brien]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') a [[bus driver]] whom she jokingly remarked had better not be like [[James Blake]] (or "Blake the Snake", as she called him). ([[TV]]: ''[[Rosa (TV story)|Rosa]]'') The two married in [[2015]] after Graham's [[cancer]] went into [[remission]].


Grace would often attempt to teach Ryan how to ride a [[bicycle]], which he struggled with because of his [[dyspraxia]].
Grace tried to get Ryan to call Graham "Granddad", which he refused to do. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'') On [[Christmas]] [[2016]], both Ryan and Graham gave her [[frog]] [[necklace]]s due to her love for frogs and their inability to communicate with one another. ([[TV]]: ''[[It Takes You Away (TV story)|It Takes You Away]]'')


Whilst returning home after an unsuccessful session, Grace and Graham were trapped when a swarm of [[Gathering coil]]s attacked their train in search of [[Karl Wright]], a fellow passenger. She, along with Graham, Ryan and [[Yasmin Khan]], helped the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] battle both the coil and its controller, [[Tim Shaw]].
Grace loved the film, ''[[The Wizard of Oz]]''. Ryan believed that she could relate to it because "[when you] grow up as a black girl in Britain, there's a lot of times you dream of going over the [[rainbow]]". Graham watched the film with her on a few occasions. During their last viewing before her death, Graham had mostly watched Grace's face as she got caught up in it. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Wonderful Doctor of Oz (novel)|The Wonderful Doctor of Oz]]'')


While the Doctor was recovering from her recent [[regeneration]], she slept on the sofa in Grace and Graham's home, with Grace and Ryan witnessing the residual [[regeneration energy]] swirling around the Doctor's body. Grace felt her wrist and realised that the Doctor had a [[Binary vascular system|double pulse]]. Later, Grace and Graham followed the Doctor's orders to pose as construction managers and evacuate the construction site Karl worked at, so the Doctor, Ryan and Yasmin could rescue him.
=== Death ===
[[File:The death of Grace (TWWFTE).jpg|thumb|left|Grace fends off the swarm of [[gathering coil]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'')]]
However, the gathering coils were still active, with Tim Shaw using them to damage the crane that Ryan and the others were on. Despite Graham's protests, Grace climbed up and destroyed the creature by electrocuting it with live cables. However, Grace was also electrocuted in the process and fell to the ground. Mortally wounded, she died in Graham's arms, after telling him to not be afraid without her. Graham later spoke of how Grace inspired him during their three-year marriage at her funeral. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'')
In [[September]] [[2018]], after an unsuccessful attempt to teach Ryan to ride a bicycle, Grace and Graham were trapped on a [[train]] when a [[gathering coil]] attacked. They met the [[Thirteenth Doctor]] and allowed her to sleep on their [[sofa]] whilst recovering from her [[regeneration]].


Graham had several hallucinations of Grace in his house where they both once lived. He told the Doctor that he didn't want to stay in his house as it reminded him of Grace and instead wanted to travel with her to stop thinking about Grace's death. ([[TV]]: ''[[Arachnids in the UK (TV story)|Arachnids in the UK]]'')  
When the Doctor awoke, Grace and Graham, along with Ryan and [[Yasmin Khan]], helped her battle the coil and [[Tzim-Sha]], the couple posing as construction managers to evacuate [[Karl Wright]]'s construction site. Grace destroyed the coil, but was herself electrocuted in the process and fell from a height, dying in Graham's arms shortly after. She told him not to be afraid without her. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Woman Who Fell to Earth (TV story)|The Woman Who Fell to Earth]]'')


=== Legacy ===
In response to his [[grief]], Graham had several visions of Grace in [[Graham and Grace's house|the house]] where the couple had lived together with [[Ryan Sinclair|Ryan]]. He told the Doctor that he didn't want to stay at home, haunted by [[memories]] of all he had lost, and he instead wanted to travel with her. Graham's travels in [[the TARDIS]] helped him cope. ([[TV]]: ''[[Arachnids in the UK (TV story)|Arachnids in the UK]]'') Graham wore Grace's [[frog]] [[necklace]] as a way of keeping her close. ([[TV]]: ''[[It Takes You Away (TV story)|It Takes You Away]]'')
The [[Solitract]] took the form of Grace in order to try to convince Graham to stay in the [[Solitract plane]], but Graham saw through the deception, as the Grace duplicate showed a lack of concern for Ryan when he was trapped in the [[anti-zone (It Takes You Away)|anti-zone]], which was something that Graham knew the real Grace would never do. The Solitract, when talking with the Doctor in the form of a [[frog]] used Grace's voice. Afterwards, Ryan comforted Graham, telling him that he thought about Grace all of the time too and accepting Graham as his grandfather for the first time. ([[TV]]: ''[[It Takes You Away (TV story)|It Takes You Away]]'')
After arriving on [[Ranskoor Av Kolos]], [[Team TARDIS]] was shocked to discover [[Tzim-Sha]] on the planet. Graham sought to kill the [[Stenza]] warrior to avenge Grace while Ryan argued against it, feeling that Grace would've wanted Graham to "be the better man," something that she often told them to do. When finally confronted by Tzim-Sha, Graham couldn't bring himself to kill him and instead did what Grace would've wanted and was the better man in the situation. Graham and Ryan subdued Tzim-Sha and sentenced him to life imprisonment in a Stenza stasis chamber, used by Tzim-Sha for [[Stenza trophy|Stenza trophies]]. As Grace's husband and grandson placed her killer into stasis, they ordered him to hold Grace's name in his mind as he contemplated eternity. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (TV story)|The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos]]'')
While imprisoned aboard [[Zellin]]'s [[Zellin's space platform|space platform]], Graham had a [[nightmare]] about Grace. Finding himself on a [[hospital]] [[bed]] at the [[Sheffield City Hospital]], Grace told him his [[cancer]] had returned. She then hauntingly asked him why he didn't save her. ([[TV]]: ''[[Can You Hear Me? (TV story)|Can You Hear Me?]]'')
After returning to life on Earth, Ryan and Graham again tried to have Ryan ride a bicycle. As they worked together, a vision of Grace appeared from blinding light to smile at them before vanishing. ([[TV]]: ''[[Revolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Revolution of the Daleks]]'')
== Personality ==
Grace was interested in the [[United States of America|American]] [[Civil Rights Movement]] and was inspired in particular by the deeds of [[Rosa Parks]] and [[Martin Luther King]], owning a [[t-shirt]] that said "the Spirit of Rosa". ([[TV]]: ''[[Rosa (TV story)|Rosa]]'') Grace loved watching [[period drama]]s with posh country estates on [[television|telly]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Secret in Vault 13 (novel)|The Secret in Vault 13]]'') Her favourite film was ''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'' ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Mission of the KaaDok (short story)|Mission of the KaaDok]]'') and she was a big fan of [[frog]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[It Takes You Away (TV story)|It Takes You Away]]'')
== Behind the scenes ==
* Graham and Grace are the first companions to be married before they meet the Doctor.
** Grace is also unique that she was, {{as of|2020|1|1|lc=y}}, only alive during one episode she appeared in.
{{Companions of the Thirteenth Doctor}}
{{Companions of the Thirteenth Doctor}}
{{NameSort}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Brien, Grace}}
[[es:Grace O'Brien]]
[[ru:Грэйс О'Брайен]]
[[Category:21st century individuals]]
[[Category:21st century individuals]]
[[Category:Human nurses]]
[[Category:Human nurses]]
[[Category:Human biological mothers]]
[[Category:Human biological mothers]]
[[Category:Human Thirteenth Doctor companions]]
[[Category:Human Thirteenth Doctor companions]]
[[Category:Companions of the Doctor]]
[[Category:Sheffield residents]]
[[Category:Ryan Sinclair's relatives]]
[[Category:Graham O'Brien's relatives]]

Latest revision as of 19:39, 15 October 2023

Grace O'Brien was the mother of Aaron and the paternal grandmother of Ryan Sinclair. She lived in Sheffield with her second husband, Graham O'Brien.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

Early life[[edit] | [edit source]]

Grace got married (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) and had a son, Aaron, whom she was proud to have brought into the world. (TV: Resolution) In 2012, she came to raise Ryan, Aaron's son, following the death of his mother. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth, The Tsuranga Conundrum)

She told Ryan the story of The Lion and the Mouse, (PROSE: The Good Doctor) taught him to control his anger (TV: Rosa) and tried to teach him how to ride a bicycle. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) Despite Aaron's absence, Grace kept his old things. (TV: Resolution)

With Graham[[edit] | [edit source]]

Working as a chemotherapy nurse, Grace met and was attracted to patient Graham O'Brien, (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) a bus driver whom she jokingly remarked had better not be like James Blake (or "Blake the Snake", as she called him). (TV: Rosa) The two married in 2015 after Graham's cancer went into remission.

Grace tried to get Ryan to call Graham "Granddad", which he refused to do. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth) On Christmas 2016, both Ryan and Graham gave her frog necklaces due to her love for frogs and their inability to communicate with one another. (TV: It Takes You Away)

Grace loved the film, The Wizard of Oz. Ryan believed that she could relate to it because "[when you] grow up as a black girl in Britain, there's a lot of times you dream of going over the rainbow". Graham watched the film with her on a few occasions. During their last viewing before her death, Graham had mostly watched Grace's face as she got caught up in it. (PROSE: The Wonderful Doctor of Oz)

Death[[edit] | [edit source]]

Grace fends off the swarm of gathering coils. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)

In September 2018, after an unsuccessful attempt to teach Ryan to ride a bicycle, Grace and Graham were trapped on a train when a gathering coil attacked. They met the Thirteenth Doctor and allowed her to sleep on their sofa whilst recovering from her regeneration.

When the Doctor awoke, Grace and Graham, along with Ryan and Yasmin Khan, helped her battle the coil and Tzim-Sha, the couple posing as construction managers to evacuate Karl Wright's construction site. Grace destroyed the coil, but was herself electrocuted in the process and fell from a height, dying in Graham's arms shortly after. She told him not to be afraid without her. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)

Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]

In response to his grief, Graham had several visions of Grace in the house where the couple had lived together with Ryan. He told the Doctor that he didn't want to stay at home, haunted by memories of all he had lost, and he instead wanted to travel with her. Graham's travels in the TARDIS helped him cope. (TV: Arachnids in the UK) Graham wore Grace's frog necklace as a way of keeping her close. (TV: It Takes You Away)

The Solitract took the form of Grace in order to try to convince Graham to stay in the Solitract plane, but Graham saw through the deception, as the Grace duplicate showed a lack of concern for Ryan when he was trapped in the anti-zone, which was something that Graham knew the real Grace would never do. The Solitract, when talking with the Doctor in the form of a frog used Grace's voice. Afterwards, Ryan comforted Graham, telling him that he thought about Grace all of the time too and accepting Graham as his grandfather for the first time. (TV: It Takes You Away)

After arriving on Ranskoor Av Kolos, Team TARDIS was shocked to discover Tzim-Sha on the planet. Graham sought to kill the Stenza warrior to avenge Grace while Ryan argued against it, feeling that Grace would've wanted Graham to "be the better man," something that she often told them to do. When finally confronted by Tzim-Sha, Graham couldn't bring himself to kill him and instead did what Grace would've wanted and was the better man in the situation. Graham and Ryan subdued Tzim-Sha and sentenced him to life imprisonment in a Stenza stasis chamber, used by Tzim-Sha for Stenza trophies. As Grace's husband and grandson placed her killer into stasis, they ordered him to hold Grace's name in his mind as he contemplated eternity. (TV: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos)

While imprisoned aboard Zellin's space platform, Graham had a nightmare about Grace. Finding himself on a hospital bed at the Sheffield City Hospital, Grace told him his cancer had returned. She then hauntingly asked him why he didn't save her. (TV: Can You Hear Me?)

After returning to life on Earth, Ryan and Graham again tried to have Ryan ride a bicycle. As they worked together, a vision of Grace appeared from blinding light to smile at them before vanishing. (TV: Revolution of the Daleks)

Personality[[edit] | [edit source]]

Grace was interested in the American Civil Rights Movement and was inspired in particular by the deeds of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, owning a t-shirt that said "the Spirit of Rosa". (TV: Rosa) Grace loved watching period dramas with posh country estates on telly. (PROSE: The Secret in Vault 13) Her favourite film was My Fair Lady (PROSE: Mission of the KaaDok) and she was a big fan of frogs. (TV: It Takes You Away)

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Graham and Grace are the first companions to be married before they meet the Doctor.
    • Grace is also unique that she was, as of 1 January 2020 (2020 -01-01), only alive during one episode she appeared in.
v • e
Companions of the Thirteenth Doctor
Original to television
Multi-story
Single-adventure
Narratively ambiguous
Original to prose
If a medium is not mentioned, then this incarnation did not have companions who were original to that medium; it does not mean that this Doctor failed to appear in that medium.
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