History LivingEmotionalCrutch / LiveActionTV

** Clara Oswald, companion of first the Eleventh and then Twelfth Doctors, over [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E1DeepBreath Series 8]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice and 9]]. Twelve has NoSocialSkills and is CreepyGood, embodying GoodIsNotNice and PragmaticHero. As he does not get on well with most people -- even Clara has trouble with him initially -- his relationship with her is one of the few things that keeps him grounded, and grows stronger after they experience mutual tragedies at the end of Series 8. Now she's using ''him'' as a crutch too, outright saying he's essential to her in "Before the Flood". Anyone threatening or harming Clara will find they've pressed a BerserkButton ''hard''; in Series 9 he openly laments that he has no idea how he'll move on from her when the time comes, even bringing up how much he's already lost. And then comes "Face the Raven", in which she is [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]. As she prepares for this, Clara knows he will have a '''very''' hard time handling this, and warns him before they're parted not to let this change him. Alas, he doesn't even have a chance to process his anguish before he's dropped into a torture chamber by his enemies, where he spends [[spoiler:the next 4.5 ''billion'' years basically lamenting Clara]] in the episode "Heaven Sent". In the season finale "Hell Bent", he has firmly become a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, willing to risk the safety of the universe [[spoiler:to save her, heedless of what she wants]]. In the end, he realizes how badly he's gone astray, and accepts that [[spoiler:they cannot stay together because their relationship is too strong for anyone's health]]. In the end, he even accepts [[spoiler:being {{Mind Rape}}d and losing most of his memories of her]] in the service of returning to his best self and making a fresh start. The story that follows, "The Husbands of River Song", sees him initially broody and traveling solo, but his actions show how far he's come emotionally thanks to what he's learned from his recent experiences.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!

** Rose was this to the Doctor in Series 1 and 2. When they were separated the Doctor spent the next season depressed and [[DeathSeeker implicitly suicidal]]. The last time we saw the [[TheWoobie Tenth Doctor]] genuinely happy for any extended period of time was during Series 2!
** All the companions, to a certain extent. They work as a combination of friendship, a MoralityChain, and helping the Doctor see the beauty of the universe again. In the new series, although he loved Rose, he was just as disappointed when Martha left him, completely devastated when Donna's memory was wiped, and became a virtual recluse when he lost Amy and Rory (not to mention going into pure fury when [[spoiler:Amy was kidnapped]]). Even in the classic series, the death of Adric tore him apart. In fact, the Doctor seems to be dependent on these crutches, but unlike many of the other examples on this page, is doomed to outlive all of them. And this reaches an apex with...
** Clara Oswald, companion of first the Eleventh and then Twelfth Doctors, over Series 8 and 9. Twelve has NoSocialSkills and is CreepyGood, embodying GoodIsNotNice and PragmaticHero. As he does not get on well with most people -- even Clara has trouble with him initially -- his relationship with her is one of the few things that keeps him grounded, and grows stronger after they experience mutual tragedies at the end of Series 8. Now she's using ''him'' as a crutch too, outright saying he's essential to her in "Before the Flood". Anyone threatening or harming Clara will find they've pressed a BerserkButton ''hard''; in Series 9 he openly laments that he has no idea how he'll move on from her when the time comes, even bringing up how much he's already lost. And then comes "Face the Raven", in which she is [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]. As she prepares for this, Clara knows he will have a '''very''' hard time handling this, and warns him before they're parted not to let this change him. Alas, he doesn't even have a chance to process his anguish before he's dropped into a torture chamber by his enemies, where he spends [[spoiler:the next 4.5 ''billion'' years basically lamenting Clara]] in the episode "Heaven Sent". In the season finale "Hell Bent", he has firmly become a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, willing to risk the safety of the universe [[spoiler:to save her, heedless of what she wants]]. In the end, he realizes how badly he's gone astray, and accepts that [[spoiler:they cannot stay together because their relationship is too strong for anyone's health]]. In the end, he even accepts [[spoiler:being {{Mind Rape}}d and losing most of his memories of her]] in the service of returning to his best self and making a fresh start. The story that follows, "The Husbands of River Song", sees him initially broody and traveling solo, but his actions show how far he's come emotionally thanks to what he's learned from his recent experiences.

* In ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'', when Ellie starts dating Sean, she insists on bringing her PetHomosexual Marco with her on their dates, and he is explicitly called her security blanket. This is largely because she's never been in a ''real'' relationship before, and had only been someone's [[TheBeard beard]] up till then.