10 Times The Doctor Wasn't Very 'Doctory'
2. The Curse Of Fenric - Using Ace As A Pawn
When looking back, Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor is the first incarnation which could truly be considered dark. Although his debut Season 24 is generally very light-hearted, this era of the show takes a darker turn over the next two seasons.
The Seventh Doctor becomes the great schemer, with the scheming and willing to do things other incarnations maybe wouldn’t have done.
And in these schemes his greatest pawn was usually his companion Ace. On several occasions, including Ghost Light and the Curse of Fenric, as well as plenty of Big Finish audios, Ace is manipulated by the Doctor in order to achieve his plans.
Ace’s journey in the TARDIS was all due to a time storm caused by Fenric, to use her in their battle, something the Doctor knew but neglected to tell her, allowing the plot to move on as a part of a complex game.
A feature prominent throughout Doctor Who is that part of the Doctor’s strength comes from his friends, and this is all the truer for Ace, but not in the usual meaning. The Doctor’s companions are those closest to him and he’ll do anything to keep them safe. Sadly Ace is quite often put in harms way so that the Seventh Doctor can right wrongs in the universe.
No companion has been taken advantage of as much as the Doctor used Ace.