User blog comment:The Milkman/Skyrim's Smorgasbord of Shortcomings/@comment-2219755-20120817105038/@comment-4237253-20120818182814

I managed to do most of the Thieves Guild questline with Jenassa. She's fairly good at sneaking, and when sneaking fails, she has a couple of enchanted blades as backup.

There should also be a "let's get the fuck outta here!" option. Or, if your companion notices that your a kilometre way, running as fast as you can from the ancient dragon, maybe they can do the same.