Peri... why do people like her?

[TJ Sinclair]

Seriously, I'm trying to understand, and I just can't. It seems a good portion of the classic fanbase likes Peri and I have no idea why.

Having seen her now in Vengeance on Varos, The Two Doctors,and Mark of the Rani, as well as having heard her in a couple of Big Finish audios, I cannot stand her. At all. If she were my companion, I'd probably end up treating her worse than the Doctor does. She's an annoying, simpering, whiny, unobservant, clumsy, incompetent bitch. She's a hundred times worse than Tegan to me, and has absolutely become my most hated companion of the classic series. If I keep watching her episodes, I might end up hating her more than Rose and Grace put together.

And yet people seem to like her. Is it because of the emotion of Caves of Androzani? Please, someone, help me understand.

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Get off the fence. Say what you really think of her!

 

[Allyn Gibson]

No, it's because of the bikini scene in "Planet of Fire." Or the pink leotard thing in "Attack of the Cybermen."

In short, I really think that Peri is beloved as a character wholly because of her sex appeal.

I think she's a better realized character in Robert Holmes' scripts ("Androzani," "The Two Doctors," "The Mysterious Planet") because Holmes wrote her as Sarah Jane. (Quite literally so in the first case, and in the latter two cases I can "hear" Lis Sladen saying Nicola Bryant's lines.) In Eric Saward's scripts, though, she's written with few redeeming features.

In the tie-in fiction, I think she's popular because she's such a blank slate.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

I think she's a better realized character in Robert Holmes' scripts ("Androzani," "The Two Doctors," "The Mysterious Planet") because Holmes wrote her as Sarah Jane. (Quite literally so in the first case, and in the latter two cases I can "hear" Lis Sladen saying Nicola Bryant's lines.) In Eric Saward's scripts, though, she's written with few redeeming features.

In the tie-in fiction, I think she's popular because she's such a blank slate.

I will say she wasn't nearly as bad in The Two Doctors as she was in the other Sixth Doc episodes I've seen. Though I mainly chalked that up to the fact that I was more interested in Jamie and Two. Still, her annoying qualities were considerably toned down. If that's because of Holmes, well that's another debt fans owe him. Still don't like her, though. It's nothing against Nicola Bryant... the character is just horrible, IMO.

 

[od0_ital]

Its all about the boobs.

She's a physically attractive woman in a scifi series that, until the revival, had a dominant male audience.

 

[Davros]

I'm going with the her being hot reason for her popularity.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Its all about the boobs.

Pretty much sums up Peri, IMO.

Had she really been an American, she would have kicked the Doctor's ass for trying to strangle her. Forget holding up a mirror...

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Add me for another "hot" vote.

She doesn't come off much different in The Airzone Solution or the three Stranger vids she did with Colin.

 

[Psion]

I wouldn't even say she's hot. That personality of hers puts me right off. But if she's only sun bathing, she's got a great figure.

Mind you, the actress herself always seems wonderful in interviews, it's just the moronic way Perpugilliam was written that makes her intolerable. She's a twit with a peek-a-boo American accent.

 

[Stevil2001]

I dunno, my wife likes Peri, so there's got to be more to it than the breasts. I think that at her best, she's the same kind of sharp, gung-ho companion that Rose was... she's usually just written as a bickering idiot instead, though.

 

[Green Lantern]

Peri is one of my favourite companions of all time.

I don't know why I like her so much. She's hot (even the present older version of Nicola Bryant is sexy), a bit funny, she's just a default companion to me with that nice little spark. Plus I like her chemistry with Colin Baker.

Plus I've never seen the Caves of Androzani, so I can't say anything about her in that.

The companion I don't really like for some reason (oh man I know I'm going to get trolled for saying this) is Sarah Jane. She just bores the death out of me, I find her annoying. The only thing I haven't minded her in is Planet of the Spiders, although she's been okay in the revived series.

I'd say my favourite companions are Ace, Rose, and Peri. Also a big Jack fan, but I don't quite count him as a companion.

 

[Procutus]

Its all about the boobs.

Any questions?

 

[DWF]

Peri started out in Planet Of Fire being pretty smart and brave even standing up to the Master, but she quickly turned into a screamer. Still the relationship between Peri and the Doctor mellowed in The Trial Of A Time Lord season and that made things alittle bit better. And yes Nicola Bryant is great looking woman who oddly enough doesn't seem to age, she must have some picture of her inthe back of her closet of a grey haired old woman kind of like Dorian Grey.

 

[Nerys Myk]

"Don't like her? What's wrong with her? She's beautiful, she's rich, she's got huge... tracts of land"

 

[sidious618]

She was excellent in Trial of a Time Lord. They nailed down her character that season and I wish she'd stuck around.

 

[Sparky]

I dunno, my wife likes Peri, so there's got to be more to it than the breasts.

Maybe there's more to your wife than you know.

 

[Candlelight]

...sorry, what was the question?

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

She had some pretty good quotes.

"Circular logic will only make you dizzy, Doctor!" (Also in my sig.)

(To the Doctor) "Maybe you should see a doctor?"

"I never saw anyone love himself so much for less reason."

The Master: I AM THE MASTER!
Peri: So what? My name is Perpigilliam Brown and I can shout just as loud as you can!


I did like her better with the Fifth Doctor, though. He brought out the sweeter elements of her nature, while she never really trusted the Sixth Doctor after the whole regeneration fiasco.

EDIT: But, I guess I am a lesbian, so maybe I got the wool pulled over my eyes by her boobs as well.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

...still recovering from someone saying they didn't like Sarah Jane...

...holds heart and starts to faint... "I'm comin', Elizabeth!"

 

[Green Lantern]

...still recovering from someone saying they didn't like Sarah Jane...

...holds heart and starts to faint... "I'm comin', Elizabeth!"

I just didn't really gel with her character much at all. Plus she' from one of my least favourite periods of Doctor Who.