Like
Adric before him, Turlough starts him time as a companion in a very non-heroic
place. He’s self-serving and sly, often turning to underhanded means to get
what he wants. As time goes by, however, the Doctor and co. start to rub off on
him a little and he starts to think of others more. Here are five times when
Turlough made good (spoilers.)
Helping Tegan Escape (Series 21, Episode 2 –
“Warriors of the Deep: Episode 2”)
Okay, so
let’s be honest here: at the start of this episode, when a guard knocks the
Doctor in the water, Turlough waits approximately two seconds before giving him
up for dead and urging Tegan to do the same. In other words, classic Turlough.
However, he makes up for it a bit here. While he and Tegan are trying to get
back to the TARDIS, the guards come upon them. Turlough warns Tegan to run, and
when he gets cornered, he yells for her to keep going. It’s a rather surprising
moment of selflessness for our favorite Trion.
Protecting the Doctor (Series 21, Episode 8 –
“Frontios: Episode 2”)
In the
time-honored tradition of Who, the
colonists turn on the Doctor when they mistakenly think he’s caused the danger
that’s befallen them. The Doctor faces a firing squad, and Turlough grabs the
nearest “weapon” at hand to protect him. This just so happens to be the
hatstand from the recently-exploded TARDIS (“The Pandorica Opens” wasn’t the
first!), but since 1) the colonists aren’t familiar with such a thing and 2)
residual energy from the explosion makes it spark when Turlough picks it up,
the colonists are convinced that the hatstand is deadly and Turlough is able to
hold them at bay with it.
Making the Quarry Connection (Series 21,
Episode 8 – “Frontios: Episode 2”)
It’s not
terribly often that Turlough does the typical companion thing of being
helpfully perceptive and asking Excellent Questions all over the place, so it’s
nice to see him here deploying his cunning for an ultimate good. After Turlough
reasons that going underground would keep the colonists safe from bombardments,
Norna’s vague explanation of why the quarry was shut down snags in his brain.
That’s when he really turns his powers of observation on. First, he notices
that some of the rock samples in the research lab are too recent for people who
haven’t used their quarry in years, and next, he twigs the true purpose behind
a block-and-tackle with no obvious immediate use: it’s to lift up a floor plate
covering a secret tunnel leading down to the quarry. Discovering all this puts
him and Norna on the road to learning about the Tractators and really getting
to the bottom of the mystery behind Frontios.
Rescuing Peri (Series 21, Episode 15 – “Planet
of Fire: Episode 1”)
This
one’s a classic hero move (something else we don’t see from Turlough too
often.) When Peri is drowning, Turlough not only swims out to save her, he
takes her into the TARDIS to rest and recover. This might be a byproduct of
Tegan having recently left the TARDIS, because it’s a surprisingly thoughtful
and selfless act by Turlough, plus definite proof that traveling with the
Doctor and co. is making him a better person.
Disabling the Sacrificial Flame (Series 21,
Episode 17 – “Planet of Fire: Episode
3”)
The
Master (sort of – it’s complicated) has positioned himself as a messenger to
the people of Sarn from their god, as you do. And because it’s the Master, he
uses it to demand the Doctor and all the “unbelievers” be executed/sacrificed
in the “sacred flame.” Luckily, Turlough comes along just in time. He’s
recognized that the technology here is from his planet of Trion, and although
it’s antiquated, he’s still able to use it to disable the sacred flame just in
the nick of time, saving the Doctor and the others.
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