Top Five Big Damn Hero Moments: Adric (Doctor Who)

Okay, so every time the subject of Adric comes up, I may or may not mention that Adric is, shall we say, not my favorite companion. But 1) I’m a sucker for completism, and 2) aggravating or not, Adric does have his moments. So here we are: five instances where Adric made good (spoilers.)

Distracting the Guards (Series 19, Episode 1 – “Castrovalva:  Episode 1”)

Right after the Fourth Doctor regenerates into Five, team TARDIS is set upon by guards from the Pharos Institute. An ambulance is called for the barely-conscious Doctor, and the guards apprehend and frisk the companions. Adric, awesomely, gripes, “I thought the whole point of this Pharos Project of yours was to track down alien intelligences. We thought we’d save you the trouble and come to you!” He then mesmerizes the guards with talk of E-space, giving Tegan time to steal the ambulance and drive away with Nyssa and the Doctor, where they can safely return to the TARDIS.

Finding the Way Out of Castrovalva (Series 19, Episode 4 – “Castrovalva:  Episode 4”)

Because the Master creates the trap of Castrovalva using Adric’s Block Transfer Computations, Adric is the only one who can still make sense of it when it starts collapsing without his calculations to sustain. As the others are baffled by the disintegrating world growing even more M.C. Escher-y than usual, Adric spots signs of reality peeking through and leads his friends safely out of it.

Protecting the Doctor (Series 19, Episode 8 – “Four to Doomsday:  Episode 4”)

This is an instance of Adric using his penchant for aligning himself with the bad guys to everyone’s advantage. At this point, he’s been more than a little seduced by Monarch’s flattery and promises of power, and he’s eschewed his friends’ attempts to find out what the Urbankans are really up to. However, when the Doctor gets himself into trouble (as usual) and Persuasion orders him executed, Adric stands between the Doctor and the gun, warning Monarch that he won’t cooperate if the Doctor is harmed. Falling in with Monarch may have demonstrated Adric’s poor judge of character, but he risks that position of relative favor and safety to protect the Doctor.

Playing Dumb (Series 19, Episode 14 – “The Visitation:  Episode 2”)

Okay, so this is a solid tag-team with Tegan, but let’s face it: not being a smug know-it-all has to be pretty tough for Adric, so he gets major points for this little misadventure. When Adric and Tegan are captured by the Tereleptils, they both feign ignorance during the interrogation. Tegan gets the best lines, but like I said, this can’t be easy for Adric, and he plays his role well, scoffing at the idea that the Doctor is an alien and generally resisting the urge to prove he knows all the answers.

Disarming the Bomb (Series 19, Episode 20 – “Earthshock:  Episode 2”)

Technically, the Doctor is the one who does most of the actual disarming of the Cybermen’s booby-trap bomb here, while Adric assists. But what’s important about this moment is the fact that Adric is present at all. The Doctor has urged everyone back for their own safety in case the bomb goes off, but Adric stays at his side. For someone who’s generally focused on his own well-being above all, that’s a big step, especially considering that Adric had a major argument with the Doctor at the start of the serial. Even though neither is the other’s favorite person right now, Adric risks death to help the Doctor stop the bomb.