Eight's Companions
Like the Doctors before and after him, Eight collects quite a few companions along his way through time and space. Unlike the Doctors before him, however, most of Eight's companions join him mostly one at a time, and choose to leave him after a time for various reasons. It's also interesting to note that Eight's longest-lasting companions are strong-willed, adventurous and fiery women, contrasting brilliantly with his gentler, more charming approach. Meet Eight's companions in the summaries below:
Dr. Grace Holloway (TV Movie, 1996)
Before Meeting the Eighth Doctor
"Amazing Grace," as she is known by her fellow staff members, is the top cardiologist at the San Francisco hospital where the Seventh Doctor ends up after being shot. The attending medical staff call on Grace because the Doctor's heart is apparently fibrillating very badly (they don't believe that the X-ray depicting two hearts is accurate). Grace is currently attending an opera with her boyfriend, Brian, but hurries back to the hospital when her pager goes off.
Grace does her best, but she's not prepared at all for the Doctor's unusual cardiac anatomy, and thus the intravenous probe she uses to find the source of his heart problem snaps off inside him, triggering a seizure that leads directly to his death. Horrified but undeterred, Grace resolves to find out what has happened to her patient...which would be significantly easier had his body not vanished from the morgue overnight!
Caught up in this mental drama, Grace could almost ignore and brush aside the strange, obviously confused man who meets her in the hospital elevator, claiming that she and he have met before...
Personality
Grace is an intelligent realist, analytical yet also appreciative of the arts (as seen by her interest in and enjoyment of opera). Her inherent curiosity has naturally led her into science and medicine as a career, and so the Doctor (in both his Seventh and Eighth incarnations) presents her with quite a puzzle.
Initially, she waffles between being highly skeptical of Eight and believing him; it's only after the Master attacks her in the ambulance that she realizes the situation is much more complex than she first understood, and that the Doctor, however addled he may seem, is clearly on the "good side" of this conflict. Once she sees this for herself, she firmly allies herself with Eight, and proves to be his saving "grace" in a literal sense as well. Her realism and his idealism balance each other out perfectly, and together they have a wonderful joking repartee that is absolutely magical to see.
Why She Chooses Not to Stay With Eight
Much to this fan's initial consternation, Grace politely rejects Eight's invitation to become his companion on a more permanent basis, despite the obvious connection the two of them have forged during all the crazy events of the movie. (I literally shouted my disbelief at the screen, LOL!) But after many (MANY) viewings of the movie and much pondering, I think I finally understand why she chooses to remain on Earth: she simply prefers terra firma right then.
The Doctor's presence in Grace's life has shaken her world up more than she could have ever imagined. In the space of less than two days, she has lost her significant other (and a good bit of their shared furniture with him), not to mention that she's quit her job, and the cause of both of those things can be traced back to the Doctor's appearance on Earth. Also, Eight's very existence and identity as an intelligent extraterrestrial being prove to Grace that there is so much more about the universe than what she thought she knew and understood. But instead of being galvanized by this opportunity to explore, she resists the internal pull of her own curiosity, because she wants some stability and security back, and she already sees that adventures with Eight will be far too unstable and chaotic for her.
However, she does have a compromise in mind: the Doctor could just stay with her, becoming a part of the new stable world she will create for herself. Though Eight admits it is "tempting," he doesn't get the chance to accept or reject her idea--she interjects with "I'm gonna miss you." I believe that even as she suggests to him the option of staying with her, she realizes that it would be like caging a bird, imprisoning a wild creature which ought to be allowed its freedom. Eight accepts her decision (though you can see it wounds him a little that she would reject him); I think they both understand that they are part of two very different worlds and neither one is ready to give up their world for the other.
More About Grace
Chang Lee (TV Movie, 1996)
Before Meeting the Eighth Doctor
For the Seventh Doctor, Chang Lee is the closest thing to a friendly face after the Doctor has to emergency-land the TARDIS in San Francisco circa 1999. The bullets that strike Seven were meant for Lee, who was fleeing from a group of armed rival gang members, and so Lee feels a certain responsibility for the Doctor's well-being...especially since this strange man looks like he's quite wealthy. Lee is the one who calls for an ambulance and rides along, playing the part of "concerned friend" up until the point that he is entrusted with the Doctor's belongings. Then, he reveals what he was really after--things to sell for a quick buck.
Still in this mindset, he allies himself with who he quickly comes to know as the Master, simply because the Master is strong and Lee is looking for protection. But when he sees the Master's plan for the Doctor beginning to unfold toward the end of the movie, Lee begins to realize perhaps he's chosen the wrong side...
Personality
Chang Lee seems more two-dimensional than Grace at first blush, but he actually does get a good bit of character development during the course of the movie. He begins as a street-smart, wisecracking Chinese-American teen, surviving on the cutting edge of poverty as part of a gang, functioning as a rather selfish opportunist. But by the end of the film, he has lost most of his gang "family" and has painfully learned that there are powerful people whom you shouldn't blindly follow. Lee's experience with the Master begins in nervous, hopeful trust, and ends in the glaring realization that the Master has lied to him about everything; after this, he shows a remarkable resolve, refusing to help the Master anymore. His choice gets him promptly killed for his insolence...and when the TARDIS restores him to life, he awakes with a new sense of gratitude and more honesty than he's ever displayed before.
Why He Chooses Not to Stay With Eight
At the end of the movie, when Eight lands the TARDIS back on Earth on January 1st, 2000, Lee gives the Doctor back his belongings--including the two bags of gold dust that the Master had given him. Eight, however, magnanimously tells Lee to "please keep them," which of course makes Lee a very happy guy! He immediately departs, only staying to hear one final premonition-like warning from the Doctor about not being in San Francisco during the next Christmas.
I believe Lee chooses to leave at this point because he has everything he ever hoped for--the ability to get money enough to survive on. The gold dust is literally a life-changing substance for Lee; he doesn't really care about adventuring through time and space, nor does he really need to be away from Earth now. Lee's got a rare opportunity to make something more of himself than just a statistic, and with his recent experiences, he's also gained a good bit of wisdom about how to handle the financial gain he's just gotten. (I also believe Eight realizes this about Lee, too, and knows that Lee's not quite ready to go adventuring off-world when there's so much growing left for him to do on Earth still.)
More Companions to Come!
So as not to give myself spoilers, I'm not going to profile the rest of Eight's MANY companions here until I have read/listened more for myself! I'm partway through the Main Range of Eight's Big Finish adventures alongside Charlotte "Charley" Pollard, which is proving to be an emotional rollercoaster, and I've also begun to read some of the newest Eighth Doctor comic adventures, so...let's just say I have a TON of catching up to do!! LOL! Check back for future updates!