Gosh, I guess it's a case of "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone" isn't it? I thought I had things bad with Peri; she complained, she didn't do anything, etc, etc. Surely the next companion had to be better than her though, right? I mean, you can only dig yourself so deep. But instead, we're stuck with Mel, who, for lack of a better description is a louder more obnoxious (hard to believe, isn't it?) Dodo Chaplet. Always perfectly chirpy and enthusiastic, no matter how much in mortal danger she appears to be. Oh, and she's also a computer programmer from Pease Pottage. That's about all we know about her, really. Who's thinking up these characters? Give us Peri back!!
To be perfectly honest, I dislike Mel on multiple levels, but one aspect I'd really like to talk about today is her screaming. Doctor Who has frequently been criticized for having its female companions be "screamers". Up to this point in the series though, apart from Susan, I have never personally been bothered by characters screaming upon sight of a monster, or something like that. I mean, many of the Doctor's companions are inexperienced young women. When put in mortal danger, what would you expect their reactions to be? Realistically, shouldn't we expect some screaming? Most of it seems pretty natural to me given the context.
Mel's screaming is indescribably piercing, however. No wonder she manages to escape from the monsters most of the time; they are probably so stunned by the violent resonance of her super-sonic cries that they are hesitant to continue their attack. Is she calling friends? Is it a defense mechanism? Is she just a terrified little girl screaming her head off? Man, I can barely think over the noise....retreat!!
Below is a video cataloging all of Mel's screams over only her six serial long tenure. Before you play the video I would suggest you turn your sound down to appropriate levels unless you wish to have a hear ache. Enjoy!
To be perfectly honest, I dislike Mel on multiple levels, but one aspect I'd really like to talk about today is her screaming. Doctor Who has frequently been criticized for having its female companions be "screamers". Up to this point in the series though, apart from Susan, I have never personally been bothered by characters screaming upon sight of a monster, or something like that. I mean, many of the Doctor's companions are inexperienced young women. When put in mortal danger, what would you expect their reactions to be? Realistically, shouldn't we expect some screaming? Most of it seems pretty natural to me given the context.
Mel's screaming is indescribably piercing, however. No wonder she manages to escape from the monsters most of the time; they are probably so stunned by the violent resonance of her super-sonic cries that they are hesitant to continue their attack. Is she calling friends? Is it a defense mechanism? Is she just a terrified little girl screaming her head off? Man, I can barely think over the noise....retreat!!
Below is a video cataloging all of Mel's screams over only her six serial long tenure. Before you play the video I would suggest you turn your sound down to appropriate levels unless you wish to have a hear ache. Enjoy!