Yeah, Ace is a good companion because she gets really obviously scared, but at the same time she buckles down and does whatever she has to. "In a way that we could, if we were brave enough," is a good way to put it, and I think that's at the heart of what makes a lot of the best companion moments--ordinary people choosing to be brave enough.

The Doctor being more grown-up and less self-pitying is something elisi told me to watch for. And I do love Eleven and Ten and how goofy and petulant they are, but it is quite nice for a change to have a Doctor you don't feel someone needs to babysit. :P

I think I'll probably stick to Seven for now--I still have a bunch of RTD Who to catch up on as well, as I never quite finished all of it. I have seen a little bit of Four, though--before Seven, my only Classic Who experience had been "Pyramids of Mars" and "City of Death."