The Face of Evil

After Elisabeth Sladen announced that she would be leaving the show, Tom Baker apparently tried to convince Doctor Who's producers that they didn't need to hire another companion. He felt that he could carry the show by himself. The producer's rightfully argued that the Doctor needed someone to talk to, someone to tell the Doctor how brilliant he was. The Deadly Assassin was, in part, a concession to Tom Baker. And while that serial was a success, there was no getting around the fact that the Doctor needed a new companion. It's painfully obvious in The Face of Evil's first episode. The Doctor steps out of the TARDIS into a mysterious jungle. He starts to mumble to himself about needing to repair part of the TARDIS while mugging to the camera. It's awful. As much as I like Tom Baker, it's a tough scene to watch. Thankfully, moments later, the Doctor meets Leela, a savage warrior woman. The Doctor and Leela team up to defeat an unhinged supercomputer and bring an uneasy peace to the planet's two opposing factions. When the Doctor attempts to leave at the end of the serial, Leela makes her way into the TARDIS and becomes his new companion, despite his protests.

Rating: I forget if I forgot%