To me, Four and Leela are the Second Doctor of Doctor-companion relationships – and yes, I know that sounds like an incredibly weird thing to say. What I mean is that Leela, much like the Second Doctor, was introduced in a very high-pressure situation, and there was a lot riding on getting her right. Two was the very first time we experienced the Doctor regenerating, and as I’ve said before, if the audience hadn’t taken to him, Who couldn’t have become the British institution it is today. Leela’s situation was less unprecedented, but it was still critical. Four and Sarah Jane were, and are still to this day, one of the most beloved Doctor-companion duos ever. Sarah Jane had been with Four since his beginning, plus a season with Three before that. When she left, her absence was felt, and I’m sure plenty of people weren’t prepared to fall quickly in line with her replacement. But, just as Two did, Leela stepped forward and carved out her own place in the show, bringing a very different vibe than her predecessor. Four and Sarah Jane remain iconic, undoubtedly, but Four and Leela are magic together as well.
Any time the Doctor has a companion who’s highly-capable in a fight, it creates some instant friction, since the Doctor is frequently all about the nonviolence, and Leela poses more of a challenge in that department than most. A warrior of the Sevateem, Leela is most at home wielding a knife or a Janis thorn, and on her travels with the Doctor, she busks her way through a variety of weapons used throughout time and space. She’s a licensed badass, much to the Doctor’s consternation, and it’s understandable that they don’t immediately become besties.
But Leela doesn’t allow herself to be ignored, and it’s through the force of her will that the Doctor sees her as more than simply someone to lecture about fighting. Like a number of other classic Who companions, she isn’t invited on the TARDIS – she asks to come, and when the Doctor tries to beg off, she steps inside anyway. Although he likes her well enough and tries to teach her a little during his time on her planet, Leela isn’t part of his plan. To use a new Who analogy, one might call her the Martha to Sarah Jane’s Rose, the quasi-rebound after a particularly-beloved companion. But Leela, like Martha is awesome, and fortunately for her, Four picks up on that a lot more quickly than Ten does.
It’s probably her curiosity that starts to win the Doctor over. Leela is uneducated and has little experience outside of life in her tribe, but her mind is agile and she relishes in experiencing new things. It’s a pleasure to watch her mind work through trying to understand what a robot is, her delight at the prospect of going to a Victorian theatrical performance. She’s full of questions that often only increase after the Doctor gives her an explanation, challenging the notions that she doesn’t understand. Though a warrior by upbringing and culture, Leela can learn too, take in new ideas and contextualize them. It’s not a simple matter of the Doctor “taming the savage,” but it’s clear that all of Leela’s potential is already there – through the Doctor, she gets the opportunity to realize it.
Additionally, it’s lovely to see how protective Leela is of the Doctor. Even though the Doctor typically avoids violence, they still frequently consider their companions to be under their charge, responsible for anything that happens to them. In pretty much any incarnation, the Doctor is the one to stand between their companions and danger. But as Four moves to shield Leela, she’s already there defending him. This occurs with her combat skills, of course, no matter how much the Doctor might scold her to the contrary, but it also occurs with her loyalty. I feel like, every time I talk about Leela, I bring up “The Invasion of Time,” but that’s because she’s so awesome in it. When the Doctor is putting on a shady act and has by all appearances aligned himself with the bad guys, Leela doesn’t doubt him for a second and won’t listen to anyone who suggests otherwise. She was perhaps raised to value strength and brute force over anything else, but she looks at her odd, intelligent, gentle Doctor and recognizes that he’s someone worth fighting for.
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