Day 443: The Face of Evil Part 4

It's worth mentioning something, or rather someone, that we haven't touched upon yet in The Face of Evil. Leela is a tribe member of the Sevateem, and by the end of the episode she has become the Doctor's new companion. In her first story she easily sets herself apart from all companions who have come before her. For instance, she is more violent than her predecessors, actively fighting and occasionally killing various people that she comes up against. This is an interesting tack to go along for the new companion, particularly as it introduces an area of conflict between her philosophy and that of the Doctor, something which future episodes can play with to some extent.

However it wouldn't do to just have a violent savage aboard the TARDIS, so Leela must have some other side to her character that will help her fit into some mould of companion for the series. In this case, it is her curiosity and willingness to learn. The Doctor has begun to teach her about technology and the ways of the future, as can be witnessed when she knowingly refers to the place where they met with Xoanon as a computer complex. Her curiosity can also be seen at the very conclusion of the story where she sets the TARDIS into flight, pressing buttons without a care in the world.

And so it's for these reasons, amongst others, that I can be sure that Leela will be a companion to enjoy over the next little while, as the ongoing adventure that is Doctor Who continues...