Doctor Who: 10 Times The Doctor Was Actually A Bit Of A Dick
7. He Forced Ace To Confront Her Fears
Ace travelled with the Seventh Doctor for several years and was a popular companion amongst fans and is often credited as being one of the first ‘modern’ companions of Doctor Who, despite featuring on the show before the re-launch in 2005. While she and The Doctor did have a good relationship, it was tested during the serial Ghost Light.
In this story The Doctor brought Ace back to Gabriel Chase, a building that she burnt down several years ago in her past. While The Doctor didn’t bring her back here just to face her fears, he doesn’t tell her where they are and instead insists it is a surprise. While The Doctor may have had good intentions of helping Ace overcome her guilt for her mistakes, the way he goes about it is quite manipulative.
As Ace explains, she wishes to confront these issues on her own terms. The Doctor, well intentioned or not, robbed her of this choice. He certainly could’ve gone about helping Ace overcome this guilt in a less manipulative and hurtful manner.