3. Manipulation Of Ace By The 7th Doctor
The 7th Doctor's seemingly befuddled demeanor and appearance was, like the 2nd Doctor, merely a mask to disguise a devious mind with an unknown agenda. His manipulation of his companion Ace begins almost as soon as they meet, and comes to a head in "The Curse of Fenric", where he finally admits that Ace has been used as a pawn in the ancient battle between him and Fenric, in order to shake her faith in him. Their unconventional teacher/student relationship was originally meant to culminate with Ace going to the Prydonian Academy on Gallifrey to train to become a Time Lord, however, the series cancellation in 1989 left this intriguing development unfulfilled. Without this goal being mentioned, the 7th Doctor's treatment of Ace seems needlessly cruel: whenever he's not badgering her with endless questions about their surroundings, he constantly lies and withholds information from her to keep her in the dark about his true intentions. He certainly wasn't this controlling with his previous companion Mel, perhaps the shrillest and most annoying cast member of the classic series.