"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Top (Two) Big Damn Hero Moments: Kamelion (Doctor Who)


I’m a completist, so I had to at least try to do a Big Damn Hero post for Kamelion, even though he’s barely on the show and spends most of it psychically controlled by someone else (poor Kamelion, seriously, he’s more prone to psychic interference than an Ood!) Easier said than done, and as it was, I could only come up with two. Coincidentally, they’re basically the only two moments in the show where he has some real agency and he uses it for good, which means that, regardless of his short tenure on the show, Kamelion does still have the heart of a companion (spoilers.)


Removing the Comparator (Series 21, Episode 16 – “Planet of Fire:  Episode 2”)

Poor, put-upon Kamelion is just incredibly susceptible to being taken over psychically, and the Master is the chief culprit in that sort of mischief. Here, the Master is driving Kamelion remotely, first pulling the image of Peri’s stepfather out of her mind and then managing to take full control and have Kamelion assume his own form. However, Kamelion fights back and is able to overcome the Master’s control just long enough to warn Peri and remove the comparator from the Doctor’s TARDIS, giving it to Peri so the Master won’t be able to force Kamelion to steal it.


Asking for Destruction (Series 21, Episode 18 – “Planet of Fire:  Episode 4”)

Kamelion is still under the Master’s control here, but the Doctor finds a way to bind him temporarily. Again, Kamelion briefly overcomes his psychic control. This time, it’s long enough to apologize to the Doctor for the hurt the Master caused through him, and to ask the Doctor to destroy him so no one will ever co-opt him like that again. If that’s not a heroic sacrifice, what is?

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