Connor Temple

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Connor Temple
Connor's compass goes haywire due to the anomaly's magnetic field.
First appearance	Episode One
Portrayed by	Andrew-Lee Potts
Episode count	13
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Student of Palaeontology at Central Metropolitan University

Connor Temple is a fictional character in the ITV science fiction television series Primeval. He is played by Andrew-Lee Potts, who relates strongly to his character.^[1] He is one of the main characters, a student of Palaeontology at the fictional Central Metropolitan University. He is one of a group of people who discover that prehistoric and extinct animals are passing through anomalies in time and space. When the Home Office assigns his professor Nick Cutter to tackling the problems these creatures cause, Connor tags along and is accepted as an aid to the rest of the team.

[edit] Characterization

Connor is seen as a geek, he enjoys science fiction television and films such as Blake's 7, and Star Wars.^[2] He has an enormous interest in dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, and has created a database of prehistoric creatures. He is also interested in conspiracy theories and cryptozoology. It is this interest in these that piques his interest in a reported monster sighting (of a Gorgonopsid near the Forest of Dean), which he takes to Nick Cutter and eventually leads him and the others into discovering a time anomaly over the course of "Episode One".

While Connor finds the idea of the time anomalies exciting, he questions his own usefulness after he leads Abby Maitland on a wild goose chase in "Episode Two", especially after being reprimanded for it. He is also admittedly unsettled and afraid of some of the more dangerous creatures. Later, he almost leaves the team after one of his friends is killed by a parasite from the past in "Episode 4", but is persuaded to stay by Cutter. He has a well known crush on Abby, who he is currently living with, and dislikes, at least to some extent, Stephen Hart who was the object of Abby's affections for a time. He ended up dating a girl named Caroline Steel in the alternate timeline, but ended up admitting to Abby in 2.4 that he loved her, but due to embarrassment, did not re-approach the matter, and went on a date with Caroline, leaving Abby upset and confused.

In Series 2 Connor revels that one thing his really doesn't like is rats.

[edit] Character history

At the beginning of series one, Connor is seen as a student of Nick Cutter, but one who does not attend many lectures, although he has already completed his dissertation. Later in Episode One, he claims he has 'sinus issues and allergies', but his database proves invaluable and he becomes part of the team.

In Episode Two, he admits he started the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, but did not complete it, due to a sprained ankle.

Connor Temple still lives in Abby's flat in Series 2, and the pair still have a close bond. In Episode 7 Abby and Connor seem to spend a lot more time together than they did in the previous series. Connor is also irritated by the fact that the rest of the team don't trust him with firearms. However, this may be with good reason as in Episode 7, he accidentally shoots Abby with a tranquiliser dart intended for a baby Deinonychus and in Episode 9 he shoots a costumed man playing the furry mascot of an adventure park, mistaking him for a sabre-toothed cat (though being such a poor shot, he fortunately does no real damage).

Connor makes himself useful to the team by building, programming and operating the Anomaly Detection Device, based on Cutter's discovery that anomalies cause radio interference. Connor is also the first character to notice that the team is being followed by the mysterious man, who later turns out to have been working for Oliver Leek.

In the second series, Connor also gets a new girlfriend called Caroline Steel. Caroline and Connor meet in a DVD store and he invites her back to Abby's flat with him. After Connor nearly gets eaten by a giant worm in the episode and gets covered in slime, he accidentally wipes Caroline's number off his hand. Connor clearly worries about Caroline, and by the end of the episode seems to put her ahead of Abby, much to the latter's confusion. In Episode 10, Connor is distraught when Abby is mistaken as dead, and searches for her. He does eventually find her, but is dragged into the future by a creature. When Abby is dangling from the side of a cliff, Connor tells her that he loves her. Abby later confronts Connor about this, but remains second to Caroline. In the following episode, Connor dumps Caroline after he believes that the two are not ideal for one another. (In fact, unknown to him, Caroline has been paid by Oliver Leek to spy on Connor.) This now opens him up to Abby, and seeks Stephen's help as he is still unsure of whether Abby is interested in him.

Connor remains faithful to Abby throughout the final episode of the season, and drags her out of a fight with Caroline. Connor is later shocked to find out that Caroline only went out with him because she was getting paid. Leek says that he and Connor are similar, saying that they are both "Uncool, nerdy and never get the attractive girls". To this Connor makes another sarcastic remark, saying "You can speak for yourself". Connor is very caring towards Jenny, Abby and Caroline who he stays with. He makes sure that they all climb the ladder to escape before he does. Finally, Connor is seen at the end of the episode at Stephen's funeral. He seems close to Abby, but surprisingly Caroline is invited to the funeral, despite the fact the two characters never met. Caroline reminds Connor he has her mobile number and then quickly leaves. As Connor and Abby themselves leave, Abby makes to hold Connor's hand, but Cutter receives an urgent call of a high-priority anomaly. In one of the final scenes, Connor is seen in the back of Cutter's car with a gun, already suggesting that Cutter is trusting him with guns.

In an interview with Adrian Hodges and Tim Haines on the third season, they revealed that Connor and Abby would go through "hard times" but the series would "end happily"(possibly hinting in marriage).^[3].

[edit] References

v • d • e Primeval team members
Series	Series 1		Series 2		Series 3
Episodes	1	6	7	13	14	23
Team members	Nick Cutter
	Stephen Hart				Sarah Page
	Abby Maitland
	Connor Temple
	James Lester
	Claudia Brown		Jenny Lewis
	Captain Tom Ryan		Oliver Leek		Captain Becker
					Danny Quinn