Peri is, in many ways, THE default companion. She exists only to be rescued, is adept at screaming and ankle breaking, and perfectly fufills the capacity of young attractive Earth female.
But does anyone have a harder time?
1. She is stuck with the Sixth Doctor. It's not like other versions of the Doctor weren't cranky, but he took abrasion and arrogance to a fine art. His underlying tenderness was also far less obvious than, say, Doctor Nine. Of course they were friends, but both had a very funny way of showing it, hence the constant arguments. At times, you can almost see her thinking "let me have Peter Davison back!"
2. She is, statistically, in far more peril than any other companion* The Sixth Doctor had an admirable nose for danger, deliberately looking for things to save and baddies to topple, in contrast with the others who at least operated on the pretense they were going to somewhere relaxing. Other companions tagged along as the Doctor bumbled into danger - Six dragged her straight after him, and he was headed right for the heart of trouble. He does make up for this by being very overprotective (but see no. 6...)
*no actual data for this generalisation.
3. Companions exist, as we've observed, to get kidnapped and rescued. Peri had the additional misfortune of being around at a time the show discovered sex. Sharaz Jek and the Borad slime all over her, Shockeye also finds her flesh fascinating, Yrchanos falls in love with her, Katrika plans to marry her off, Jamie jumps on her in Two Doctors, then continues to fancy her afterwards and even a random Timelash grunt comments that she's nice to look at. It's exacerbated by the fanboys, who have exactly the same reaction...
4. She's also the companion for possibly the show's nastiest stretch since it's inception. Seasons 21 and 22 are dangerous places to be, very dangerous indeed. It's unusual for episodes not to end in a nihilistic bloodbath, and massacres come and go almost without comment. The Doctor's world is a dangerous place - but never moreso than during the 80s!
5. Look at her episodes. Planet of Fire sees her, potentially, lost somewhere on Sarn's surface. Androzani is Androzani. She gets to see the future of her Earth in Ravalox' destruction, gets to face the Cybermen at their most sadistic and dangerous, and if Mark of the Rani is anything to go by, the Master loathes her personally...
6. No companion should have to go through Mindwarp. The Doctor's strange behavior is terrifyingly plausible to her (especially after the Twin Dilemma strangle), and she doesn't have the confidence in him which Ace or Martha would have had in a similar situation. It all culminates in possibly the nastiest companion exit of all time.
7. No, that luvvy duvvy resolution does not soften it. Perhaps it makes it worse? Earlier on in Mindwarp, she expresses deep homesickness. Her final meeting with the Doctor is still at a point when he's behaving oddly - it's the cliffhanger when Yrchanos attempts to kill him, and she prevents it. No Doomsday, no "my Sarah Jane!", no happy ending. She gets stranded in the future, marries Yrchanos because it's her best and only option, and as far as she knows the Doctor really did turn evil and abandon her. Think about it. Pip'n'Jane attempt to soften the blow of Peri's horrible death, and miraculously make it even more downbeat!
8. And no one likes those episodes anyway...!
1 comment:
Interessant!
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