Sunday, August 5, 2018

Character Highlight: Sgt. John Benton (Doctor Who)


The UNIT years introduced several characters whose companion status is debateable.  The three main soldiers that the Third, and later Fourth, Doctor interacted with regularly are involved in the episodes and adventures, but they don’t get quite the same regard – from the show or the Doctor – as definite companions from that time period on par with Liz, Jo, Sarah Jane, and Harry.  The Brigadier is the closest to getting the honorary companion label, thanks to his reappearances with later Doctors (and again on The Sarah Jane Adventures,) but Benton has at least some claim as well – he did go on a trip in the TARDIS once, which might be enough to qualify him.  At any rate, I enjoy all the UNIT chaps, and Benton is a treat (a few Benton-related spoilers.)

It’s tempting to write Benton off as the UNIT booby prize.  After all, if someone needs to be knocked over the head, dressed down by the Brigadier, or temporarily de-aged to infancy (yep, that happened,) it’s probably going to be Benton.  Yates gets more of the cool action stuff, and while the Doctor likes to treat the Brigadier like a simpleton with no head for the extraterrestrial, the Brig is a commander who generally comes through when it’s important.  If a “sad trombone”-type mishap is needed, who else but Benton can get the job done?  Poor Benton can’t even get a bit of grub while on duty without Yates waltzing in and pinching his sandwich.

These are the moments that often come to mind first with Benton, but they’re actually just a few prominent examples in an overall characterization that’s much more even-handed than that.  Even the Brigadier’s exasperated way of saying, “Sergeant!” is taken from that impression of Benton rather than his general performance as a soldier.  Benton makes his first appearance with UNIT’s debut in “The Invasion,” before the Doctor’s exile, and then sticks with the show through the Third Doctor era and fades into the background, with the rest of UNIT, when Four goes his separate ways with the organization in “Terror of the Zygons.”  While he’s not in every story, that’s a long time to be part of the fabric of the series, and in that time, he does a lot of good for the Doctor and for UNIT.

Benton is hardworking and dedicated.  On the occasions when he does make a mistake, he works twice as hard to fix it and goes above and beyond the call of duty without much in the way of recognition.  He has tremendous respect for the Doctor and the Brigadier, and he’s very loyal to everyone at UNIT; if someone is in a bad spot, he’s the first to want to help.  Not to mention, he’s quite brave, on one occasion offering to take the greatest risk upon himself because he knows he’s more expendable than the Doctor or the Brigadier.

Personality-wise, Benton is just an unfailingly decent guy.  As a soldier, he carries himself professionally, but he’s not so strict about it that he can’t settle down and be personable.  He’s friendly with the Doctor, his companions, and his other colleagues, and his most identifiable adjective, I think, is “nice.”  I know that sounds a bit “bless him, he tries,” as well as kind of bland – and he is, a little – but by and large, I think Benton makes a good addition to the UNIT crew, a pleasant character to have around who does his job well about 90% of the time.

Plus, I’d say Benton still wins the award for best TARDIS reaction.  As he takes in the sight of the console room in “The Three Doctors,” the Doctor asks, “Well, Sergeant?  Aren’t you going to say, ‘It’s bigger on the inside that it is on the outside?’  Everybody else does.”  Benton’s reply?  “Well, it’s… pretty obvious, isn’t it?”  Ha!

No comments:

Post a Comment