I blame Joseph Campbell.

Pretty inexcusable racist drivel. In conjunction with Classic Who's wider history of anti-Asian racism, problematic aspects of Leela's arc that really become hard to ignore by this story, and just how central and constant the racist crap is, it's hard to be willing to give any benefit of the doubt here. No idea why this story still enjoys the reputation of one of the most beloved Fourth Doctor stories. J&L are incredibly overrated too.