cringecompanionapologist

[cringecompanionapologist]

Turlough is older than the schoolboy he pretends to be. According to Mark Strickson, Turlough looking too old to be a schoolboy is supposed to be the first hint that he generally doesn't belong where he is.

Turlough fans save me, save me Turlough fans: Does Turlough generally get considered as having been older than a schoolboy, or are we expected to de-age Mark Strickson accordingly?

[cringecompanionapologist]

So much color symbolism with Turlough.

The Enlightenment novelization has Turlough play black in the chess game, but there's fitting symbolism to either one.

Planet of Fire also does some interesting stuff with color. Turlough, who normally dresses in black, wears white. This is where he proves he's become a hero like the Doctor. He's also wearing fewer layers as more is revealed about him.

its so simple, but i love that despite the doctor and turlough dressing in analagous colors to the black and white guardians in enlightenment (turlough in black, the doctor in cream), as if to indicate their roles as demonic/angelic (the white guardian even contacts the doctor all by himself), when tegan and turlough are playing chess, turlough plays for the light side. "check. i said check."

[cringecompanionapologist]

five admires the greek male form.

[cringecompanionapologist]

The fact that he's intimidated by the sailors while at least one of them has basically adopted him is interesting. It's like he can't quite comprehend that people are being nice to him.

he's a magnet for it.

[cringecompanionapologist]

My theory is that the Black Guardian, as the Guardian of Chaos, sometimes does shit purely because he thinks it's funny. The rock murder was something he knew wasn't going to work but it amused him.

i think it'd be better if the black guardian wasn't encouraging turlough (or outright possessing him, as in the novelization) during the rock murder attempt and instead it was solely turlough's doing bc during the rest of the story the black guardian is clearly trying to orchestrate the doctor losing all his lives in one fell swoop to mawdryn & co. which makes much more sense as a way to destroy a time lord for good.

[cringecompanionapologist]

NuWho basically split Turlough into River Song and Nardole lol

I just had a random realization that half of you have probably thought of already:

Nardole is very much NuWho's equivalent of/take on Turlough

[cringecompanionapologist]

[cringecompanionapologist]

if you think trion years ≠ earth years, or trions age differently to humans, or he was lying abt his age while on earth, please vote the approximate equivalent to his real age in human terms, and feel free to explain in the notes.

[cringecompanionapologist]

The novelization has this scene from Turlough's PoV and he's written as terrified as he looks, because the sailors look tough. He thinks the Doctor is the only thing stopping them from hurting him. While, from a more neutral perspective, the sailors pretty much adopted him on sight.

The Enlightenment novelization makes a lot of references to Turlough's fear of being bullied. It's not spelled out, but I think this is trauma from Brendon. The sailors in their sleeping quarters might remind him of a boarding school dormitory.

But, unlike at Brendon, where he was bullied and nothing was done about it, he now has someone looking out for him who won't let him get hurt.

The Fifth Doctor is protective. Enlightenment (Doctor Who)

[cringecompanionapologist]

She suspects him of planning on breaking the "no hanky panky in the the TARDIS" rule and only she and Nyssa are allowed to break that one.

i've said it before but i'll say it again. the fact that tegan is SO suspicious of turlough ingratiating himself with the doctor but then doesn't twig AT ALL when turlough asks her abt murdering someone in cold blood is so funny. she doesn't suspect him of being a would-be-murderer she suspects him of... what? being a harlot?

[cringecompanionapologist]

According to the novelization, Turlough pretty much assumes the sailors intend to bully him and the only reason they're not is because the Doctor is there.

these guys were so nice to him :( they didnt deserve to get turlough'd

[cringecompanionapologist]

essentially the thing w one/steven is as follows

1 - i don't personally ship it

2 - of his like main companions, Steven is the first doctor's most viable relationship option. everyone else is either his surrogate granddaughter, actual granddaughter, or coupled up

3 - let's be real if Steven was paired up with basically any other Doctor they would have shippers

4 - there are some doctors where either i honestly think they don't fuck or i could see why some people would think they don't fuck, the first doctor isn't one of them. like i think One fucks or like for sure used to fuck when he was younger.

so in short this is something that should exist in a fairer world. like just a significant ommission from the fandom. everyone is all about fucking that old man until he's an actual grandpa ig.

[cringecompanionapologist]

The Terminus novelization says that Adric's room was the bedroom closest to the console room and was chosen so Turlough wouldn't be too isolated, but if would be funny if the Doctor might be having a bit of a crisis because "I'm attracted to this guy but I'll also being reminded of my Dead Not-Son and that's messed up...Turlough's probably the same age as Adric I need to remember that..." Only for Turlough to be like "Why am I in a dead child's room?" so the Doctor's like "Oh you're not actually a child thank god".

Either funny or tragic or some secret third emotion I don't know the word for.

do you think the doctor like. recognized he had some sort of attraction to turlough when they first met and purposefully put him in adric's room as a deterrent, consciously or not?

[cringecompanionapologist]

Turlough seeing the Black Guardian as his protector at this point has some interesting implications. The Black Guardian has hurt him multiple times, but he's still a protector. Protecting him from what? From Brendon in general? Turlough's experiences at Brendon were apparently so bad that the Black Guardian is preferable.

Seriously what the hell is going on at that school?

absolutely fascinating paragraph. despite the black guardian having already physically hurt him two or three times at this point, turlough is thinking of him as his 'protector.' he's more upset by the black guardian's inability/unwillingness to hold up his end of the bargain and keep him out of the clutches of his old (school)masters than his evilness. and he considers the doctor an equivalent figure to conceivably 'transfer his allegiance to'!

[cringecompanionapologist]

I like the detail of Turlough using technobabble on purpose to alert the Doctor that something weird is going on. Already, very early on in his deal with the Black Guardian, Turlough wants to be on the Doctor's side.

[cringecompanionapologist]

Building onto my "Turlough would've become a companion no matter what" theory.

reminder that turlough thinks he's free of the black guardian when he asks to join the tardis.

[cringecompanionapologist]

He can be charming...He just usually doesn't bother.