I'm pretty much the opposite to you - I found her bland and generic in season 7, a placefiller companion who ticked all the boxes of what a companion is supposed to be but had no individuality or independence. You can tell me she and 11 had a 'magical relationship' all you like, but I don't see it. Plus her only storyline in season 7 was the 'impossible girl' thing, which was frankly Bad Wolf Mark II and yet another example of Moffat being unable to write a woman without her being a mystery to be solved.
Whereas in season 8, she developed an actual personality, and became a character rather than just a caricature. 12 gave her someone to react against in a way 11 never did, and she became a much stronger presence for it. I much prefer her in season 8 to season 7, because there's actually something there to care about. It doesn't bother me if some of her actions are unsympathetic - at least that means she's getting a reaction, which she never did before. Plus she wasn't saddled with more timey-wimey bollocks - the writing actually concentrated on character in season 8 instead.
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This.