Doctor Who: Best Episodes To Watch With Ace | Screen Rant
As Doctor Who prepares to reintroduce the Seventh Doctor's companion, Ace, to the series, there's no better time to revisit her best episodes. When she was introduced in 1987, Ace was a breath of fresh air. She was a Doctor Who companion who, despite being whisked away to another world, was firmly rooted in contemporary '80s Britain. In Ace, the seeds were sown for Rose Tyler in Russell T Davies' 2005 revival.
Looking back on the Seventh Doctor and Ace era of Doctor Who throws up a number of similarities with the modern run. Sylvester McCoy's final two years had an increased focus on the mythology, and potential godlike status, of the Doctor. The introduction of Ace, a modern-day character who despised racism and classism, brought the series in line with the more politically aware modern series. Had the series not been canceled in 1990, Doctor Who could have very easily tackled themes similar to the Davies, Moffat, and Chibnall eras.
In many ways, it's surprising that Ace hasn't returned before now. Russell T Davies has said that, had Elisabeth Sladen not very sadly passed away in 2011, Ace would have guest-starred in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was a mark of respect for Ace's position in the Doctor Who canon, given that the only classic characters to appear in SJA were the much-loved Brigadier and Jo Grant from the perceived 1970s golden age of the show. By featuring her in the centenary special, Chris Chibnall is paying tribute to how integral Ace has been to the modern version of Doctor Who. Here are the best Doctor Who episodes featuring Ace to prepare for her return.
Ace was first introduced in Doctor Who season 24's final serial "Dragonfire," written by Ian Briggs. The Doctor and current companion Mel land the TARDIS on Ice World, a trading colony that harbors some dark secrets. Ace is a human teenager, one who has been swept lightyears away from her home in the London suburb of Perivale by a time storm. She makes a strong first impression, dumping a milkshake over a space slimeball and joining the Doctor, Mel, and Glitz on their treasure hunt.
Ace is arguably the first Doctor Who companion to have a properly mapped-out arc, and it begins here. There's a reason for her being sent to Ice World, where she can meet the Doctor. It's a plot device of temporal machinations that surely influenced Steven Moffat's Clara and Missy arc and Russell T Davies' Wilf storyline. It also fundamentally sums up who Ace is, a lost and lonely teenager who rejects authority and pines for something better. That's a description that could apply to most companions from 2005 onward.
Doctor Who season 26 is where Ace's arc converges, and the threads begin to be tied together with this second serial. The previous season ended with "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy," a story in which the Doctor attempts to get Ace to confront her fear of clowns. "Ghost Light" continues this theme, with the Doctor bringing Ace to a creepy old house from her neighborhood with the intention of discovering what evil lies there.
Ace is initially angry at the Doctor for bringing her to the old Victorian house that she firebombed as an angry teenager. However, as the story continues, it becomes clear that there was something much more malevolent stirring in the house than Ace's own anger and frustration with the violent racism that swept through her community. "Ghost Light" has become notorious for being impenetrable and hard to understand, but the dynamic between Ace and the Doctor is the essential thing here. He's challenging her to confront her fears, in the hope of shaping a companion who is his equal. This has been a key theme of Doctor Who from the 2005 relaunch onward, and it owes a huge debt to this episode.
Ace's story continues in the very next season, in which she and the Doctor arrive in England during World War II. "The Curse of Fenric" is also written by "Dragonfire" writer Ian Briggs and reveals the real reason that Ace was sent to Ice World to meet the Doctor. Events have been manipulated by the ancient evil, Fenric, who thought that he could use Ace as a weapon against the Doctor. Understanding this, the Doctor heartbreakingly shatters Ace's faith in him, so that he can defeat Fenric and imprison him once more. It's this that makes the Doctor and Ace the most emotionally fraught and narratively important companion relationship of the classic series.
If being caught between the manipulations of the Doctor and Fenric weren't enough, Ace also comes face to face with her mother as a baby. Long before Russell T Davies introduced the world to Jackie Tyler, Ace's family was a key part of late '80's Doctor Who. One of the defining characteristics of Ace was her hatred of her mother, something which felt practically seditious in BBC programming of the time. By having her fall head over heels for this child who turns out to be her mother, Ace is able to move past these issues and become stronger as a result. "The Curse of Fenric" is a classic serial for a number of reasons, but the focus on the companion's emotional arc feels incredibly modern from the perspective of post-relaunch Doctor Who.
Having settled her differences with her mother, Ace feels free to return to her home in Perivale, North London. "Survival" was the final Doctor Who story of the classic era, and contains within it the seeds of what the show would become in the revival. It's a contemporary Earth story that finds young people, many of whom are Ace's friends from her youth, disappearing from their homes. Their disappearances are the result of the manipulations of the Doctor's arch-nemesis The Master, but it feels more socially relevant than a daft old sci-fi show. It's a modern feeling tale of missing teenagers and the loss of youthful innocence, and one of the finest episodes of Doctor Who ever made.
It's also that rare thing in classic Doctor Who, a story that would be firmly rooted in the companion's backstory. As much as this is the Doctor and Master's final confrontation, it's also a story that feels like the series is on the cusp of being a modern, tuned-in sci-fi show that reflects the experiences of viewers. Unfortunately, Doctor Who was originally canceled before this vision could have been realized, but it says a lot about the plans of script editor Andrew Cartmel that when Doctor Who returned in 2005, it took place in the housing estates of London.
Ace is key to the inspiration for modern Doctor Who's focus on the lives of the Doctor's companions and a more contemporary, socially-aware outlook on the world. Ace became a key figure in spinoff media throughout the 1990s from novels to comic strips and audios. The most recent mention of her in the world of Doctor Who was when Sarah Jane Smith referenced a Dorothy who had founded A Charitable Earth. It's highly likely that this Dororthy will be the character who appears in the centenary special, and her whole story is told through these classic episodes. Having Ace return to Doctor Who for a special that celebrates the series' past 59 years and 100 years of the BBC is the perfect tribute to this hugely influential classic companion.