The most interesting thing about this episode is, oddly, not the main plot. Instead, it's the new companion, Adam, who was brought into the series in the previous episode, Dalek, and leaves the series in this episode. It's not an awfully long tenure, and it's easy to see why when you watch this episode.
The Long Game feels like Russell T Davies showing the audience that the role of companion isn't just for anyone. After however many years of the Doctor seemingly picking random people off the street and choosing them to be his companion, Adam is the one that manages to buck the trend in a massive way. He's not an example of what we as humans should strive to become, with the most heroic act that he does within this episode being to bravely try a 'kronkburger' in order to experience the culture of Earth in the year 200,000. Everything else that he does is profoundly selfish, as he wanders through the story trying to get as much information as possible about the future, such that he can return to Earth and use it for his own purposes. This ends up creating a lot of problems, not least of which putting the Doctor and Rose in danger when they end up being captured.
So, upon realising that he's made a terrible mistake and that Adam is going to be a nuisance, the Doctor takes him home and dumps him. It's the first companion that we've ever seen get explicitly dumped, everyone else leaves more or less of their own accord. Suddenly, the role of companion feels just that bit more sacred in the eyes of the viewer, because we get to see someone fail at it. It draws to attention just how good the previous companions have been, if only by contrast to the way in which Adam managed to ruin it for everyone. And whilst I'm not the biggest fan of Adam, I do appreciate what he represents, being The Companion Who Couldn't (to quote the working title for the story), and showing us how fantastic companions have been, both past, present and future.
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