I actually love Martha moaning about how the Doctor fell in love with a human but it wasn’t her because it stops her pining after the Doctor. Up until now, I think she had been using the excuse that it was because she was human that he wasn’t interested in her, but she realises now that that isn’t the reason. I think it sets her on a path that is far more interesting and ultimately leads to her decision to leave (which I think is actually one of the best companion exits in New Who)
Bang on. I've always thought this story wouldn't have worked to nearly the same degree with any other companion except Martha. Can you imagine Donna, say, being plonked into this same set-up? The tension just wouldn't have been there.
I don't know if you can say that could have ever really been the excuse because her doing so would have required her to know that Rose hadn't been human, and she know that the Doctor had romantic feelings for her. I mean, the way he used to talk about her I think it's pretty safe to say she could deduce he was in love with Rose, so I don't know if Martha really could have ever used that excuse. Seeing a show despondent she goy when the Doctor spoke about her in The Shakespeare Code.
@@christinewahl3470 It's called For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon. That, and In Flanders Fields by John McCrae are always used at Anzac and Remembrance Day services.
This story made me really fall in love with David Tennant as an actor. [Spoilers ahead!] That scene toward the end in which Smith is struggling with the choice of whether to open the watch and essentially erase his own personality, which is as real to him as anyone's would be, with the mind of the Doctor was just incredible, and the emotional turmoil and, yes, the tears of fear and of sadness at having to leave the nurse behind, having to forget his love for her (at least, the way he experiences it), was truly a master class in acting. There are many great reasons this episode is so well regarded, but that always comes to my mind when I think of it.
Absolutely agree! I rate this as my favourite episode of RTD's era, and fighting with Heaven Sent for my favourite New Who ever. While I like Tennant, I think he was my least favourite New Who actor in the role until Jodie Whittaker. BUT, I 100% believe that nobody else, even Capaldi, could have done John Smith as well as he did. Tennant brings to the role a vulnerability that cannot be overstated. He perfectly encapsulates the fear and hopelessness of his situation, and it's hard not to cry when he does. It's hard to think of anything more tragic than someone who has to sacrifice themselves, despite never doing anything wrong and without even really understanding why. You know that Tennant and the writers and other actors did a great job when The Doctor's return - normally a triumphant moment - feels anything but.
@@midastheunwise2423 Your understanding of this is supberb. Thank you. This is why David Is my favourite actor.He has incredible range with his emotions and how he chooses to play them.
@@christinewahl3470 Ha, thanks! Speaking of his range, I was coincidentally watching a film called Bad Samaritan last night, where he plays a cereal killer who likes to 'break' women like horses before killing them. It was another different side to him, he can certainly do intense and creepy.
The best moment of the episode I don't think you covered was when Joan told him "those boys died because you came here, on a whim" and that just stuck with me through the rest of the series! Because, yeah, the doctor does leave behind a lot of casualties and this is one of the times where I don't think it was truly justified. The doctor could have killed the family and be done with it, but he made a mistake and innocent people paid for it.
My feeling has always been, that had he caught them right away instead of hiding until they died. The punishment would have been less hard aka death only. He feel guilty people died because he ran away, And he is angry because he had to leave the nurse behind. He punish the Family for that too. Yup the Doctor is not always fair
@@Temptation666 If you rewatch you can see where Joan is reading the book outloud and she said "Then it all ends in destruction. I never read to the end, but those creatures would live forever to breed and conquer, for war across the stars for every child." so yeah if he was that type of Time Lord he would have killed them but all he wanted to do was hide away until they died a natural death. The reason he punished them at the end was, as the speech goes "Why this Doctor, who had fought with gods and demons, why he'd run away from us and hidden. He was being kind." Yes many people died but no 'war across the stars for ever child" and he did save Latimer and Hutchinson from dying in the war. Oh man I love having a link to the exact transcripts of every Doctor Who episode ever done. (Evil laughter....)
Perhaps my favorite Tennant episode. He's a totally different character and sells it in the best way. And Martha, oh Martha. None of the Doctor's plan works without her and she steps up big time. She's such an underrated companion and I really enjoyed her time in the Tardis.
I agree, she's my absolute favorite companion and so capable and amazing. It seems like she's getting more of the love she deserves from the fans these days and that makes me happy
The only thing I dislike about this episode is Ten asking Joan to join him after she how she treated Martha terribly- but that's fairly easily explainable as Ten being understandably shaken from that experience. It's a great episode either way.
I think he did that on the basis of trying to alleviate her pain and his guilt for causing that pain. I don’t think he ever would have asked her otherwise
Oh You didn't point out the best part! This is one of the first times we see The Doctor as a truly terrifying being. It was always part of my head canon but here it seeps into the show that The Doctor in particular and the Time Lords in general are very nasty pieces of work. Frankly the difference between eldritch abomination and enlightened protector is what side of the fence you are on. These guys don't have a shot in hell against The Doctor and by the way they know it. The pay off is glorious even if off screen (note that Martha is not there after all no reason to scare the pets).
This particular episode really showed some of the best of Tennants acting chops and I loved the sort of "what if" vibe it had going for it. One of the best of S3.
OMG, thank you for saying that. As a lover of history it's so hard sometimes telling people that the people talked about who did great things in there times WERE good people- just not for how we see them today. We cannot judge a person from the 1930's for example by the standards of the modern era. I'm just so glad to hear someone else say it.
Yeah, I’ve tried to explain that angle myself. It’s true but can be very controversial depending on who you are talking with. I think some people have a rough time putting themselves in another person’s shoes and seeing the world in a different way. I get it, but man can it be frustrating.
When I think of this episode, I always remember the ending in the "Future" at the war memorial. As a Brit myself, emotions related to anything surrounding the First World War always hit me in the gut, likely because we studied it in great detail in secondary school - see Blackadder goes Forth's ending for more.
One of the reasons I will live with Martha pining for the Doctor in this episode is because he does her so dirty here. He puts her in a time period where people won't be kind to her and then leaves her in charge of his fate. It would have been so easy for him to be in trouble and she can't get to him because she's not allowed in the room. To be consistently looked down on and belittled, and then have the person you like fall for someone else with so much ease adds insult to injury. For me, it the start of her realizing that he's never going to love her that way. The fact that he apologizes at the end gives her enough hope to ride on, but in my eyes it starts the path to Martha choosing to walk away from the Doctor at the end of the series.
While I kind of get what you mean about Martha pining after The Doctor, what you failed to mention was just how resourceful and downright brave she was, especially after she realised The Family of Blood knew about The Doctor and she single handedly took on the responsibility for the safety of not just The Doctor but of the school and the village too knowing full well that John Smith was just too weak to help her. Saying that, this two parter just screams quality from start to finish. Funnily (and I'm pretty sure you know this already) this episode was adapted from a novel written in 1995 which featured the 7th Doctor and. strangely enough, I actually think he could have pulled it off, just nowhere near as good as Tennant.
This series and series 4 have a superb run of episodes in their second half, series 4 is also great in it's first half but goddamn I love the second half of series 3, some really phenomenal stuff.
Joan giving the Doctor his comeuppance at the end was brilliant. "If the Doctor not chosen this place on a whim? Would anybody here have died? You can go now." It was nice to see the Doctor speechless and wrong.
That's my favorite part of the whole couple of episodes. Never seen the doctor that gobsmacked and Joan??? What a badass lady and one of the most well written characters in the whole show imo especially for a guest character
I think what bothers me most about Martha's "instalove" plot line with the Doctor is that it overshadowed for a lot of people what a good companion she was. Most other new Who companions did crazy amazing things with the help of the TARDIS or time Lord energy or something, but most of the most amazing things Martha does are just her. Her own strength, her own intelligence, her own wit and courage and grit. But people still name her constantly as one of the top worst new companions. I think most people, like the Doctor treat her worse because she was in love with him so soon after Rose and the Doctor and the audience weren't ready for that/didn't want it.
Martha was the best of the new who companions. The reason a lot of people didn't like her was because she followed rose (worst companion in new who) and some people are racist. Series 3 was easily the best season of new who by far.
The Brits have always been able to look at themselves and their past better (including all the warts) than the US has as a rule. Harry Lloyd as Baines completely steals every scene he is in - it's probably what makes this two parter so memorable, and for all the right reasons :)
Not just the brits, europe, germany, austria, likely more, and harry loyd is awesome, there is a video from him and renlys actor reacting to game of throne scenes. They are both so funny.
"The Brits have always been able to look at themselves and their past better (including all the warts) than the US has as a rule." That's getting less and less true. We have Michael Gove making weak apologia for the leadership in The Great War, when all one had to do was look at the decisions they made - what sort of imbecile orders a slow bayonet advance on machine gun emplacement? - to see what the cream of the British educational system could manage.
From my perspective, this is true but not by much. I studied history at GCSE and there was a whole module on race relations in America, but the British Empire was only mentioned in the context of L'Entente Cordiale, and I've noticed that a lot of what's going on over here now is partly motivated by nostalgia for the British Empire My own country (Poland) is one of the worst offenders though
My favorite episode(s) of any franchise ever. I have no problem with Martha pining for the Doctor, which really exist here and there for a couple of moments in the story. Martha got over it, I wish other people would too. Especially when Martha was basically the prime mover of the story - the Doctor doesn't know he's a Doctor ("God, you're rubbish as a human!" yells Martha) so Martha has to take charge and she does so brilliantly. The entire cast was superb including Freema Agyeman as Martha. And the DVD disk which has Human Nature / Family of Blood / Blink is simply the most perfect DVD ever. Sorry if this post is three months old, but I just got around to reading this.
As well as Harry Lloyd, Thomas Sangster who plays Timothy also appears in Game Of Thrones. He was the brother who went beyond the wall with his sister and Brann.
One of the best ever. I understand your issues with Martha pining for the Doctor, I share them as well, but this episode also shows her strength and resilience. She's truly underrated as a companion.
one of my fave two parters ever. I just really love it. Brilliant writing, brilliant acting, great concept. also you noticed the 9th doctor call back the bit i always notice and love is when Joan is asking John about his parents John says his Father was called Sydney and his Mother is called Verity. this references Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert the original creators of the show back in 1963. Verity also sadly died in 2007 the year this series was broadcast so gives a bit more meaning to her being mentioned here. and i like that they are referenced as someones father and mother because in a way they were the father and mother of the show. just a cute little thing i always notice.
Excellent commentary. This is episode is near perfect in a lot of ways. First off, the story is incredible in it's own right, and well acted across the board. It's also easily Tennant's best performance in Dr Who, period. His vulnerability as John Smith is handled to perfection, and the crux of the story hinges on Tennant selling us this character. If we didn't connect with John Smith, the last 15 minutes of the story wouldn't pack the intended punch. This is the one time the Doctor's return to save the day isn't a triumphant moment. It's bittersweet at best, and that's what makes it great. But the other reason the episode is so good is because it not only stands alone incredibly well, but it also sets up important elements for the finale. It introduces the Fob Watch which is an important point in Utopia, and perhaps more importantly it showcases Martha's strength of character. It's all too easy to have a strong character fight against the prejudices of the time, but Martha is smarter and knows that the best thing to do is keep her head down, while she's treated as a second-class citizen by everyone around her, both for her race and rank as a maid. Establishing her resilience in this situation makes her year-long mission to walk the Earth in the season finale to seem much more believable.
I agree with you about the "worship of the Doctor" thing. Generally, it's worse in the Moffat era, because at least in the RTD era, we occasionally get stuff like "The Time Lord Victorious is wrong!" to add a bit of balance.
The part where the Doctor asks Joan to travel with him, I think is a great summation of Ten's form of empathy. Remember, the Doctor's not human, he's an alien. So, any sort of empathy he shows towards humans is manufactured. He might have a good idea of how humans feel, and might know what to say to reassure them, but he can never truly know what it's like to be human, _except_ for when he was John Smith! So when he's trying to tempt Joan Redfern, right after John Smith died, it's unintentionally cruel. Maybe he just wanted Joan to tag along because he was vain, or maybe he really was trying to make her feel better. Either way, it shows us just how inhuman the Doctor is, for better or for worse.
I think this is David Tennant’s best Doctor Who episode - which isn’t the same thing as the best episode of Doctor Who with David Tennant in it; that’s Blink. It also shows how badass Martha is. She’s seriously the most underrated companion of Nu Who.
I really liked the bit when John was like: "So he never accounted for love? Well what sort of a man is that?" And when he said: "So you're job was to execute me?"
This was one of my first two parters to see when getting into Doctor Who. Caught one day after school on BBC America and just loved it. It's one of those neat concepts that makes you think. And I love the family of blood, they were an interesting villain. The whole thing was very emotional and well done, always a fav to rewatch
OMG!!! The bloke who wrote these episodes, Paul Cornell, came up with Bernice Summerfield over on Big Finish. She is a huge deal in the Big Finish Doctor Who cannon. Awesome sauce!!!
He wrote a bunch of Doctor Who novels back in the 90s, too, including Human Nature, the 7th Doctor story this is based on. It's 7 and Benny in the novel. It's also on my to-read list this summer, because it's been sitting unread for too long, and I want to compare the two versions of the story. I love that there are two versions to compare.
Kathleen Fowler I love it when “they” do that thing where they change which Doctor is in the story. I’ve listened to the audio production Big Finish (I think it was Big Finish) for the 7th Doctor Human Nature story. I am very partial to Shada and how the 8th Doctor did the same thing as the 4th. I watched The Magician and The Witches Familiar this morning and loved the revisit to the ideas of Genesis of the Daleks. I would love to SEE the 12th Doctor take on the events of the Divergent Series from Big Finish... Zagreus, Zagreus is in your head!!! Lol
Spoilers ahead!! This story is epic... The ending is creepy and gives chills everytime, especally when he trapped the girl. "He trapped her inside a mirror, EVERY mirror......If you ever see something moving behind you, just for a second, thats her, thats ALWAYS her." I mean, come on, we all know that moment, something moving in the mirror ^^
It always seemed very out of character for the Doctor to do that, to me. Several times he's tried to help and/or reform both Davros and a couple of Daleks, yet the family he traps forever? He's always been against immortality, yet he uses it as a punishment.
@@Here_is_Waldo well it sort of make sense, because they family wants to live forever so he grants them that as their punishment. And also I think the reason why he went hard for them is because a little part of the human john Smith in himself seeks revenge on these people for taking away his happiness.
This two parter is arguably the best Doctor Who of the new series. Let's get that out the way first. Tennant gives perhaps a career best performance here, especially toward the end when John Smith realises he has to die to let the Doctor come back and he doesn't want to and is crying in fear of his certain 'death'. From beginning to end it's a solid couple of episodes with great acting, writing and directing and when some people defend Jodie Whittaker's Doctor as the best ever this is the two parter I point to. I tell them to go watch this, watch this performance from Tennant, then come back to me and tell me ANYTHING Jodie Whittaker did in the last season stands up anywhere close. I also agree that romantic entanglements with the Doctor and Companions can be annoying, but I understand why they happen. It's the old adage that good girls fall for bad boys. The Doctor is the ultimate bad boy, lol. He is perhaps the most powerful man in the universe, can take you anywhere in space and time for amazing adventures and to a mere human seeing this for the first time it would be such a shock from their usual mundane world that how could they NOT put him on a pedestal? I will say although I love the scarecrows and they bring back the great horror elements we used to get in some classic Who shows they did seem weak. Also where did they all come from? The Family animate the scarecrows around the town to fight for them yet they all look the same and there are dozens of them?! And why would bullets kill them when they are just made of straw, that I didn't understand and pulled me out of the moment a little. But really that is the only nitpick I have for this two parter:)
With the bullets killing scarecrows thing, bullets can easily go through straw, so they would be able to physically break up the scarecrows. The straw itself might remain 'animated' through all of that but a heap of straw couldn't walk anywhere. The straw was reliant on the ties and clothes holding it together to be able to move. That's what I think anyway.
Human Nature / Family of Blood is probably one of my favourite stories for a long list of reasons. Harry Lloyd, is full-stop an amazing actor. His portrayal of here is so vastly different from what he later did in GoT that I was having a hard time reconciling it was the same actor. His was also the best death scene in GoT, too, at least of the seasons I have seen. But in the Who story, he was vibrant. Without him, the Family wouldn't have held together as creepily as they did and the story would have been lacklustre. I love Martha, I really do. She is one of my favourite companions. She's a bit doe-eyed for the doctor but sets her own feelings aside to be strong and do what's needed. I think it's kind of sad that many Who fans only see the doe-eyed aspect and not the rest of her strengths. Even in this story, she puts aside everything she feels about him to be his protector even knowing he won't know who she is and his falling for another woman right in front of her. Martha is like Eponine in Les Miz. I also love Freema Agyeman and think she's a marvellous actor. The Doctor's solution to banish the Family as a "kindness" is so innovative. The creepiness of it, too, especially for Sister, is so spot on.
Even though I acknowledge this episode is one of the best of S3 in terms of writing and acting, it's not one I personally enjoy or like to go back to. Part of that is because I find it a bit too mean spirited. I know it's set in a harsher time and, as you say, I'm glad they don't shy away from that - but it's the fact that the Doctor chose that place to hide. He knew he had a woman of colour as a companion and decided there was no better place than era which, as a black woman, she would be a servant and probably be treated not even like a friend to the 'man of his age' he would have to become. I dislike Series 3 for the most part because of Ten and Martha's relationship but it hits its peak for me here, he gives her a cursory hug and thanks at the end which, if I were Martha, I would have demanded way more.
This is truly my favourite episodes of the doctor especially seeing him angry and how desperate his human form is and how the doctor was even willing to give his human forms girlfriend a glimpse of what could have been even though that is technically torturing her and how the girlfriend is willing enough to walk away from the doctor
That whole speech from Timothy, was him just trying to make John Smith understand exactly what the universe is losing, if he doesn’t open the watch. And to be fair to Martha, she never actually expects the Doctor to love her back. The situation hurts her, but she knows where the Doctor’s heart is. And she lives with it with (actually) a lot of grace. Sometimes you fall for people who are unavailable. I think she handled the heartbreak of that as well as anyone ever has. It makes sense she’d be hurt. She’s in love with someone who treats her like a nonentity. But she never loses herself in him, ya know? Standing her ground when the Doctor’s playing his whole “well, one more trip” thing. Walking away from him because she damn well knows she deserves better than being second best. I have more respect for her than any other companion. As a person. And I actually LOST quite a bit of respect for Ten. I know he was hurting, but he was so damn careless with someone else’s heart. HE kissed her. HE chased HER down, to invite her along. And when she made it clear how she felt about him, he still kept her around. Knowing she was just filling the emptiness, and that she had no chance of actually mattering to him. It was mean.
Hey there, sorry to just butt in, but I just came across your comment (kinda randomly) and because you spoke about things I always noticed about this season (and this ep, and this Doctor), I'll just go ahead anyway. Ignore me if you want, just need to get it out :-) Anyway. While I love Donna because of the chemistry between her and The Doctor and her wit and her character-growth, I adore Martha for her spine. Yes, she pines - haven't we all at one time or another? But she ALWAYS gets her act together and does what needs to be done. I am pretty sure that's what attracted her to the Doctor in the first place, on the moon in the hospital. She just takes things in stride and makes sure to get out of it with as many people alive as possible. I love her character for that, I always find it very hard to decide between Donna and Martha as my fav Ten-companions, but I know for sure that it's not Rose. I like Rose, too. But not as much as Martha or Donna. Martha is a really kick-ass companion, just as smart and resourceful and curious as the Doctor himself - the little "we might die..." - "We might not...?"-conversation on the moon makes that quite clear, I think. And her only flaw is maybe that she's in love with someone who will not return those feelings - ever. (literally every) Where I differ from your opinion on the Doctor being mean to her is his intent. I think he genuinely needs her. He never encouraged her - even that kiss (again, on the moon) was given with clear warning that it doesn't mean *anything*. She just doesn't want to believe it. I think he really likes her, tries to keep her at a distance because he *knows* she feels more than friendship for him. He tries to not give her too much hope, but he wants her around because she's spunky and smart and resourceful and can keep up with him. Rose never really cared that she doesn't understand half of what he's doing, Martha actually gets a lot more of the things. Not all - who could - but enough. He *is* cruel. In ... wasn't it even the Christmas-Invasion? I don't remember... Anyway, somewhere he says outright "I am old. I used to have so much mercy..." - clearly saying that now, he doesn't have that anymore. But his companions feel mercy, that's why he needs them around. I think it was the Master who said that that's what the Doctor did to her (Martha), made her into a soldier. And he never wanted that. I'm pretty sure though that it's Martha's own choice, and the Doctor has nothing to do with it. Either way, he didn't force her to stay with him. She chose to go, and the moment she decided to leave, he didn't try to keep her with him. But saying "she had no chance of actually mattering to him" is a bit much, imo. She DOES matter to him. Just because there's no love-interest between the two doesn't mean she doesn't matter. She always mattered - he knows that and I think she knows as well. It's just not enough for her - and actually, I think it wouldn't be enough even if he DID love her like that. She decided to leave him because she felt the need to stay with her family, with Earth and do something productive instead of rushing around the universe, chasing highs. She wanted to leave because she felt it more important to BE someone than to experience things (much in difference to Sarah Jane in "School Reunion", btw - she said life stopped after the Doctor, she never recovered from being on a constant high until he came back and gave her a proper goodbye), she wanted to fix things, help, move things. Use her intellect and her abilities, and she DOES matter, and she does matter to the Doctor, too. But she would have chosen her family any time, no matter if the Doctor was in love with her as much as John Smith was with Joan Redfern. Or the Doctor with Rose. She would have left him - rightly so - and it's not "mean" in my opinion to keep her around in the Tardis even with her feelings between them. She wanted to be there, run with him, see things, experience things no-one else can. She wanted to go away from her constantly squabbling family, wanted to be irresponsible for a bit - not be the one to constantly try to negotiate her parents' and her siblings' lives for them. I am not actually sure she loved the Doctor "that way", truly. Maybe she did, somewhere in the middle of her season with him, but she couldn't possibly *love* him in the first three episodes. But I always got the feeling she grew out of it over the time (certainly over the Year That Never Was). Her decision to leave him and the life with him was a 'no-brainer' for her - Rose fell completely on the opposite side of that. Rose would have dumped her family with no hesitation whatsoever to be with the Doctor and see where it takes her. Martha's just too different for that. As for losing respect for the character of Ten: I understand that, there are a lot of things I would frown about Ten. But casually and cruelly punishing the Family out of sheer rage and hurt for what they more or less made him do (become human, fall in love, having to 'kill' his alter ego, having to hurt Joan - all that) and also his imperfection makes me admire the character of Ten more. Because he's not the cute skinny dude skipping happily through the universe. That's what he's trying to be. What he actually is is 900+ years old and filled with rage and the knowledge of time and the loss of all his kind, of his family, of his wife and children and not just that - he's also the one who killed them all, to end a war. Someone like that would have to be a little selfish at least, to be able to keep going. And he'd have to be aware enough of his power and the cost of his anger to understand the importance of having a human accompany him. Someone with a sense of death and a clear lifespan behind their being. Someone who can judge situations based on much shorter periods - think in smaller scale. And Martha is a prime example for such a person. Of course he'd try to keep her around with him. She's perfect for him. Yepp, sorry for the ramble. Shutting up now ;-)
@@frizzlethecat2084 I know your comment is old but I just want to let you know that I love when people write big chunks of text just to explain their perception of a character or a relationship. And I completlely agree with what you said about Ten and Martha. I love Martha so much, from her first episode I knew that she was going to be "my" companion. I also agree about the fact that Matha was important for The Doctor even though he didn't have romantic feelings for her. I also know that Martha deserves so much better because I think she's such a great human being but I stand with you about the fact that the Doctor didn't intented to be mean to her. She wanted to travel with him and she had occasions to stop (and she took it in the end) and she knew what she was signing for. As for the unrequitted crush, I often have these so I relate to her but I love the fact that I felt that she grew out of it too. It is a great reflection of what I think I would feel as a companion : the high to discover all kind of places and times while having a big crush on The Doctor but ultimately coming to the realisation that he's not a God and that he can be terrifying and feeling the need to come back to real life. And I was never one to complain too much about the normality of my life so I think that the need to build something stable and to live a normal day-to-day life would take over the wonder of discovering time travel. Obviously, I can't know for sure how I would react if I was Martha but I feel a strong bound to her, that's for sure. Finally, about losing respect for Ten, I also agree with you. This episode didn't make me love him any less. Yes, he did mistakes, I'm not denying that. But, you know, I already knew that he was far from perfect. This episode just consolidated that fact and to use your words : "his imperfection makes me admire the character of Ten more". Yep, that's it. It was the moment when I really felt that I knew who Ten was, in all his complexity. I watched Smith's run before Tennant's and at the end of S2 I was like : I love both of them but I feel like 11 is more complex, more complete. I guess I need to watch more of 10. That's what I did and I can finally feel the appreciation for 10 as a whole, not just for his qualities. That's hard to explain but those were my thoughts on your comment :) (if some sentences seemed weird, I'm not native so that explains the possible mistakes)
@@nady2296 Oh! Thank you so much for your reply. I have to re-read what I said now 😁 But I really appreciate the time you took to reply. (And your sentences are fine, no worries. Then again - no native, either, so what would I know 😁 )
@@nady2296 So - I just re-read all I said and I'm still firmly believing them. I'm so happy to see that you love Martha as well - she's an amazing character and again - who wouldn't fall a little bit into a crush with the Doctor? He's very charming. ;-) I admire Martha for her spine and her resolution, and I'm certain the Doctor does so, too. Romantic love isn't the only thing in the world that matters, I would even go so far to say that true friendship is more valuable. If you manage to romantically love your true best friend, you win the lottery of life, but not everyone does. Anyway - I'm happy that you took the chance to re-watch Ten. I still haven't managed to watch Eleven! I feel so bad... Have a great day!
The Doctor-worship in-universe has struck me as too much, agreed. This season it's especially egregious. It's one thing for a fan to be all squee and wish the Doctor were real and take them away in the TARDIS, but it's another for everyone to keep feeding the Doctor's ego and treat him like an idol or messianic figure. This is part of why I like "A Good Man Goes to War," because Amy inverts that so neatly talking to baby Melody. You think she's talking about the Doctor, with the living for centuries, always coming when needed, and building up the man she's talking about as this larger-than-life figure of awe. And then, it's someone else entirely.
I like how John Smith still feels like the Doctor in a lot of scenes. There's a few scenes where I can almost forget that he doesn't know he's the Doctor, just because he still acts so much like himself, minus his alien side. Phenomenal episode, so glad I rewatched this one. I saw it when I was like 10 and didn't have that much thoughts on it at the time but holy crap.
I also love that final confrontation for calling out the Doctor for not considering the collateral damage. The people would have been safe if the Doctor had never shown up. No one would have had to die. And she wouldn't have had to have her heart broken. But the Doctor either didn't consider that or chose to accept the real possibility of the deaths of those innocents for just the chance to offer mercy to the monsters. And he has no answer for her. Honestly, the fact that he has no answer for her is my favorite part of the whole exchange.
Well some of the innocents would subsequently die in WWII, two of whom (?) the Doctor saves. Though that hardly makes up for what the Doctor unleashed on the village and school by hiding there.
What's unsettling about Son of Mine, apart from the way he speaks and that half his face is stuck in some kind of permanent smile, is that he never blinks. Just that creepy, wide-eyed stare.
The only problem I had with "He was being kind" is that a bunch of people died, from enemies he could have stopped in five minutes. At that point he may not have even needed to go that far. Just show them a fraction of what he could do to them. If they were delusional enough that this couldn't stop them, then they'd be relentless enough that running wouldn't work either. Overall it's a good two-parter. I just would have liked a better driving force for the doctor to run.
Perfect story for David as not the Doctor. The life and happiness the Doctor could never has is a gut-punch every time. When John Smith challenges the Doctor's value, that he's afraid of falling in love/hurting someone cuts deeply. So glad it got a call back in his (too long) heroes journey.
I think I can forgive Timothy's character feeding into the otherwise tiresome Doctor Worship trope. Were some kid from a 1913 boarding school to get a glimpse into the life and adventures of the Doctor I think it would legitimately blow their mind wide open. The Doctor would just look impossibly amazing to them.
@@CouncilofGeeks Deifying the Doctor is probably my only major gripe with New Who as a whole. I enjoyed Moffat's tenure overall, but he amped it up to a whole new level. Conversely, I really dislike Chibnall's tenure so far, but I like that the Doctor is just a woman travelling in a box, and not some kind of mega-important being.
How about a whole episode on your “good people for their time” especially as how it probably one of the main reasons we mainly get contemporary companions to prevent this values dissonance.
If I had to pick one nit in this amazing story, I’d say it’s when Tommy finds the watch and keeps it. He opens it up, realizes who the Doctor is, and refuses to give it back when people start dying en masse rubs me the wrong way. His explanation is BS as well. Yes, initially, he’s freaked out by what he sees in the watch, but they do establish that he CONTINUES to open the watch, peering into the Doctors memories, and still he waits till the “right moment” to give it back rather than immediately to stop the bloodshed. It’s a mark against Timothy’s character and a sloppy way to keep the watch out of the Doctors hands.
If he gave it back there would be even more bloodshed and Tommy knew that because he saw the doctors life if he gave the watch back he would of ended the world
@@joshuaescopete yeah, I can agree with you on that. Especially because it's a child and he wouldn't know what's happening. You would think the first thing he would do is give it back since he was afraid, but plots gotta plot I guess
I love the Harry Lloyd appreciation in here! I agree with all of it. He was great in Game Of Thrones and Doctor Who, as well as the old BBC Robin Hood series from 2006 (I don't know if you've seen that series but it's SO good and I would recommend it, even if it does seem a little hokey now)
My only real nitpick with this episode is the ending(s)... it just drags out forever... The kid keeps the watch, saves some people in WWII, the Doctor and Martha see him as an old man... just END IT already! I agree with you about the writers "worshipping" the Doctor too much. No companions ever leave voluntarily,* because the writers all have the attitude of "Well, if I was travelling with the Doctor I'd want to do it forever!" They've also made the Doctor too smart and powerful, so the writing gets into the same problems the Superman comics have: The main character is so invincible that you need to come up with all sorts of convoluted stuff to create anything that's a threat to him. The current writers seem to realize this and have Jodie's Doctor be less omnipotent, but they can't do too much too quickly or it'd be jarring. Compare the current run to the classic era. In Classic Who, it was common for the Doctor to actually be frightened about the situation he was in. In New Who, the Doctor always acts like the enemy of the week is a bunch of ants he can just step on. * I know Martha left voluntarily, but it was because she realized she was neck-deep in love with the Doctor, which really just strengthens my point.
There’s a Seventh Doctor novel by Paul Cornell called Human Nature which this story is based on. Also, I went to St Fagan’s (Saint Faggan’s) museum of Welsh Life which is where most of this story was filmed. It’s a great place to go if you go to Cardiff. You can go past the shop that John Smith threw the cricket ball at to save the baby from getting crushed by the piano amongst other things.
This is a ridiculously mature story. Martha feels more competent than Rose over all of her run in this story alone. Yeah the love arc is irritating but I can forgive that. I think season three was too short. Until episode 6, Martha is still on her 'first trip' deal. 8-13 are the final run of the season, meaning the only episode left is 42. We don't really get a true Doctor-Martha episode which is why it's not my favourite season despite having the best run of the show (8-12)
The ending was amazing. One of the best conclusions to a story from the RTD era. There is no better example of the Doctor having other, more sinister ways to deal with threats aside from outright killing. To paraphrase a famous quote _Sometimes dead is better_
I've got a question about the Doctor's plan of pretending to be Human, why did he go to 1913? Also I sort of wonder how Rose or Donna would have handled the same situation (other than possibly having 10x the amount of issues of John Smith falling in love in the case of Rose).
When I recently introduced Doctor Who to a friend of mine, I started by showing her this episode, and she was completely into it---and yes, she teared up during the memorial scene at the end just like everyone else. Honestly, this continuous string of episodes, starting with Human Nature and ending with The Sound of Drums, is why Series 3 is my favorite in all of New Who thus far. It's just great television, period, which more than makes up for the weaker, first half of the series. I look forward to the commentary on them.
I’ve never read the novel this story was based on (a 7th Doctor New Adventures Novel from early 90s) but it would be really interesting to do a comparison video of some kind.
Human Nature/Family of Blood is the first time I truly got obsessed by Doctor Who. I had to watch those eps over and over because there was so much there. I believe the Doctor was being disingenuous when he indicated he turned himself into a human to escape the Family of Blood. He could have dealt with them in a different way. He used the chameleon arc because he'd always wanted to, it fascinated him and this was a good excuse. And I love that Joan calls him on that at the end, "how many died?" because he recklessly, selfishly came to that town. I also found it hard to deal with the caning scene. It was totally opposite of who the Doctor was, I thought it was even a stretch for John Smith. I never liked the Martha pining thing either. But it was already established here, it had to be part of it. And Rose NEVER could have pretended to be a maid for months while babysitting the Doctor. Martha showed how good she really was here.
Possibly the best monologue of nu-who, one of the best endings, was Son of Mine's monologue about what the Doctor did. Definitely the best story of season 3.
Kind of think the watch thief kid was added to pad out the show, and to add peril. "Oh no, is the Doctor stuck as Mr Smith forever? Turns out, No, what a surprise."
Does anyone else think this could have worked as the series 3 finale if we forget the mr Saxon arc? For example, Martha realises that the doctor will never love her back, she sees him dispatch of the family and is horrified and leaves.
Our first look at the Time Lord Trumpet, our first glimpse of the Valeyard The Valeyard was, according to the Master, an "amalgamation of the darker sides of [the Doctor's] nature, [taken] somewhere between [his] twelfth and final incarnation", And as Matt would later say, he was the last, the final incarnation. The meta-crises David Tennant, one heart, with Rose, Doctor, born in Rage, is/would have been the Valeyard
Fwiw one of the actual historical guys Mel's character is based on in the Patriot did choose to have freedmen not slaves work for him (at least partially, it's been years since I read about the making of The Patriot) and maybe not lots of people chose to do that but people absolutely did choose to do that in Revolutionary Era America.
First off, love the suit! Pardon the pun, but it does suit you! I agree with you on all of it, including the nitpick about Martha's feelings about the Doctor and the reverence given to him.
Not at all related to this series but I watched boom town yesterday and I thought what if it was switched into season 2 instead of love and monsters. We never saw 10 with the slitheen and would have liked to see how the story would have played out with him. Especially the restaurant scenes. Not quite sure how it would work with Jack but I feel like it would've worked better as it would've given us more time between the two slitheen stories and would have eowkred more with the fact 'Margaret' spent a long time as a human in Cardiff and it would have correlated to the time between the two stories. I feel 9 would have added more humour to love and monsters and obviously the story would have changed quite a lot with him but the fact Rose thinks he looks 'a bit slitheen' would work more than actually including the slitheen again in the same season. Just think boom town would have worked more in season 2.
Apparently the slaves in "The Impossible Planet" were originally going to be Raxacoricofallapatorians who thought the Beast was their god who could free them? Is this true?
Ngl that woman the doctor fell in love with was the most boring part of the whole story, and the doctor being so moany and useless was so pathetic, but I enjoyed it bc it allowed Martha to shine like she finally deserved. A story that FINALLY showed her off without comparing her to Rose - Martha is one of the greatest companions of NuWho, and certainly better than the romantic bullshit we got with Rose. Martha is only topped by Donna for RTD’s era. (Moffat’s era companions are a whole other issue)
This was the first episode i ever saw of doctor who, i didnt even knew what doctor who was, im from mexico and this show isnt really known in the general public, so one day my dad left the tv on bbc just because our cable company did just added it to the channel list and we wanted to see what they had to offer, so i was playing half life and had to pause and sit in front of the pc to watch both episodes, i remember my dad saying "oh so the show is called doctor who because he doesnt remember who he is" (we tought this was the first episode), after that we watched every single episode of the new era, the last time i had such a good time watching something with my dad was the first time we saw dragon ball when i was a kid, so watching the whole doctor who new series in a weekend was a good memory i have. Sorry for bad grammar, i love doctor who
It was kind of contrived from the point of view of the later reveal of the Master hiding in human form at the end of the universe. But it this episode is done so well it doesn't feel like it
I’m on board with your opinion on particularly how refreshing it is to see characters from the past realistically portrayed in tv film. (Who’s ever seen that show Sam Waterson had before Law & Order called I’ll Fly Away?) The flip side with that as particularly with me being a person of color it takes me and out of the story all at the same time if that makes any sense.
@@HOTD108_ I suppose it comes down to the definition of bad, ignorance and intent. If someone does something immoral without having the understanding of the detrimental repercussions that their actions have and/or that those actions and results are in fact immoral then they are misguided but not necessarily a bad person. If someone is given all of the information and have a sufficient grasp on the subject without ignorance but still knowingly choose to be immoral than you could be considered a bad person. Someone who's been indoctrinated for instance is generally misguided rather than a bad person depending on the actions taken by said individual in certain context. I don't believe that everyone who owned slaves were bad people but the majority of the people going to war to keep slaves were bad people as a group. If you own slaves today, you are a bad person because I would assume that you had the knowledge, wisdom and compassion that we as a society have reached together to inform your actions and your moral compass but it has to be judge individually. I think being a good person comes down to knowledge, wisdom, compassion and action. I don't know if you actually wanted a serious answer or not but maybe you disagree with my conclusions?
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who say, "There are two kinds of people in the world: those who say there are two kinds of people in the world, and the other kind," and there's who don't say. Well, then there's me. - J.R. "Bob" Dobbs
@@HOTD108_ Not to knock what KerstinMamma says but a simpler way of putting it is : Bad people do bad things for bad reasons. Misguided people do bad things for what could be seen as good reasons.
It is such a fantastic 2 parter. Your heart breaks for her. I agree with Martha honestly I think it undermined her time as a companion so much the lovesick over the Dr thing as it would have been so much better without it over all.
I never understood why people gave Martha such flak for being in love with The Doctor so overtly, not only is he a charismatic, smart, amazing man willing to die for people he doesn’t know, but he took her with him, and showed her the stars and all the impossible things that people only dream of. Yes, the love story between The Doctor and Rose was more subtle, that also had to do with the fact that Rose already had someone in her life filling that role and she wasn’t interested in anything of that nature with anyone else. You could look at it like this, because she had Mickey she didn’t even think anything of her relationship with The Doctor until she fell for him, plus was it me or did it feel like Mickey loved her way more than she loved him, and he was always a safe option for her and she knew it, which may have put her off him a little, especially when travelling with The Doctor, maybe it made her not want to be that way with The Doctor as it could have put him off of her. Rose was in love with The Doctor but only had love for Mickey, Martha was in love The Doctor but he only had love for her. I always felt sorry for Micky and Martha (until the end of their storylines), because they were in love with people who were in love with each other, they had no chance.
Do.not. make the doctor angry-everrrrrrr!!!!!!!! The only novel they have adapted so far (7th doctor) and you can see the 7 doctor doing what he does at the end to the family of blood. God, terrifying!
I actually love Martha moaning about how the Doctor fell in love with a human but it wasn’t her because it stops her pining after the Doctor. Up until now, I think she had been using the excuse that it was because she was human that he wasn’t interested in her, but she realises now that that isn’t the reason. I think it sets her on a path that is far more interesting and ultimately leads to her decision to leave (which I think is actually one of the best companion exits in New Who)
I agree. and her realizing this makes it all the sadder.
Morgan Newitt I think Martha is the best companion of new who. Would’ve loved to have seen her in a few episodes with #11
Bang on. I've always thought this story wouldn't have worked to nearly the same degree with any other companion except Martha. Can you imagine Donna, say, being plonked into this same set-up? The tension just wouldn't have been there.
I don't know if you can say that could have ever really been the excuse because her doing so would have required her to know that Rose hadn't been human, and she know that the Doctor had romantic feelings for her. I mean, the way he used to talk about her I think it's pretty safe to say she could deduce he was in love with Rose, so I don't know if Martha really could have ever used that excuse. Seeing a show despondent she goy when the Doctor spoke about her in The Shakespeare Code.
At the end of the Family of Blood episode when we saw a modern day Timothy at the war memorial on Remembrance day was very moving.
#Actually Autistic Katrine Basso that part is so good! Tear up every time!
@@SirMeowsAlot89 I tear up, too. What is the poem that is read?Was this episode first shown on Rememberence Day?
@@christinewahl3470 It's called For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon. That, and In Flanders Fields by John McCrae are always used at Anzac and Remembrance Day services.
@@ksaunders4362 Thank you K. gor your answer and additional information. Iwill google it.
This story made me really fall in love with David Tennant as an actor. [Spoilers ahead!]
That scene toward the end in which Smith is struggling with the choice of whether to open the watch and essentially erase his own personality, which is as real to him as anyone's would be, with the mind of the Doctor was just incredible, and the emotional turmoil and, yes, the tears of fear and of sadness at having to leave the nurse behind, having to forget his love for her (at least, the way he experiences it), was truly a master class in acting. There are many great reasons this episode is so well regarded, but that always comes to my mind when I think of it.
Concerned Citizen I agree
Absolutely agree! I rate this as my favourite episode of RTD's era, and fighting with Heaven Sent for my favourite New Who ever. While I like Tennant, I think he was my least favourite New Who actor in the role until Jodie Whittaker. BUT, I 100% believe that nobody else, even Capaldi, could have done John Smith as well as he did.
Tennant brings to the role a vulnerability that cannot be overstated. He perfectly encapsulates the fear and hopelessness of his situation, and it's hard not to cry when he does. It's hard to think of anything more tragic than someone who has to sacrifice themselves, despite never doing anything wrong and without even really understanding why. You know that Tennant and the writers and other actors did a great job when The Doctor's return - normally a triumphant moment - feels anything but.
@@midastheunwise2423 Your understanding of this is supberb. Thank you. This is why David Is my favourite actor.He has incredible range with his emotions and how he chooses to play them.
@@christinewahl3470 Ha, thanks! Speaking of his range, I was coincidentally watching a film called Bad Samaritan last night, where he plays a cereal killer who likes to 'break' women like horses before killing them.
It was another different side to him, he can certainly do intense and creepy.
@@midastheunwise2423 "He can certainly do intense and creepy."
Agreed; have you ever seen "Jessica Jones"?
The best moment of the episode I don't think you covered was when Joan told him "those boys died because you came here, on a whim" and that just stuck with me through the rest of the series! Because, yeah, the doctor does leave behind a lot of casualties and this is one of the times where I don't think it was truly justified. The doctor could have killed the family and be done with it, but he made a mistake and innocent people paid for it.
And I particularly love that he doesn't have an answer for her. Because he knows she's right.
Yeah I absolutely loved that part of the episode.
My feeling has always been, that had he caught them right away instead of hiding until they died. The punishment would have been less hard aka death only.
He feel guilty people died because he ran away, And he is angry because he had to leave the nurse behind.
He punish the Family for that too. Yup the Doctor is not always fair
@@Temptation666 If you rewatch you can see where Joan is reading the book outloud and she said "Then it all ends in destruction. I never read to the end, but those creatures would live forever to breed and conquer, for war across the stars for every child." so yeah if he was that type of Time Lord he would have killed them but all he wanted to do was hide away until they died a natural death. The reason he punished them at the end was, as the speech goes "Why this Doctor, who had fought with gods and demons, why he'd run away from us and hidden. He was being kind." Yes many people died but no 'war across the stars for ever child" and he did save Latimer and Hutchinson from dying in the war. Oh man I love having a link to the exact transcripts of every Doctor Who episode ever done. (Evil laughter....)
So many people died because of the Doctor’s mercy.
Perhaps my favorite Tennant episode. He's a totally different character and sells it in the best way. And Martha, oh Martha. None of the Doctor's plan works without her and she steps up big time. She's such an underrated companion and I really enjoyed her time in the Tardis.
I agree, she's my absolute favorite companion and so capable and amazing. It seems like she's getting more of the love she deserves from the fans these days and that makes me happy
The only thing I dislike about this episode is Ten asking Joan to join him after she how she treated Martha terribly- but that's fairly easily explainable as Ten being understandably shaken from that experience. It's a great episode either way.
I think he did that on the basis of trying to alleviate her pain and his guilt for causing that pain. I don’t think he ever would have asked her otherwise
Oh You didn't point out the best part! This is one of the first times we see The Doctor as a truly terrifying being. It was always part of my head canon but here it seeps into the show that The Doctor in particular and the Time Lords in general are very nasty pieces of work. Frankly the difference between eldritch abomination and enlightened protector is what side of the fence you are on.
These guys don't have a shot in hell against The Doctor and by the way they know it. The pay off is glorious even if off screen (note that Martha is not there after all no reason to scare the pets).
What's off screen?
This particular episode really showed some of the best of Tennants acting chops and I loved the sort of "what if" vibe it had going for it. One of the best of S3.
Channel Pup for sure, in my opinion it’s the best of S3
I would have an issue with everyone falling for the tenth doctor and call it unrealistic...if he weren't played by David Tennant.
To think that people objected to him at one point. On the grounds that he isn't blue-eyed. How silly.
OMG, thank you for saying that. As a lover of history it's so hard sometimes telling people that the people talked about who did great things in there times WERE good people- just not for how we see them today.
We cannot judge a person from the 1930's for example by the standards of the modern era. I'm just so glad to hear someone else say it.
Yeah, I’ve tried to explain that angle myself. It’s true but can be very controversial depending on who you are talking with. I think some people have a rough time putting themselves in another person’s shoes and seeing the world in a different way. I get it, but man can it be frustrating.
When I think of this episode, I always remember the ending in the "Future" at the war memorial. As a Brit myself, emotions related to anything surrounding the First World War always hit me in the gut, likely because we studied it in great detail in secondary school - see Blackadder goes Forth's ending for more.
12:12 the doctor actually says "coward, any day" but we get the point
One of the reasons I will live with Martha pining for the Doctor in this episode is because he does her so dirty here. He puts her in a time period where people won't be kind to her and then leaves her in charge of his fate. It would have been so easy for him to be in trouble and she can't get to him because she's not allowed in the room. To be consistently looked down on and belittled, and then have the person you like fall for someone else with so much ease adds insult to injury. For me, it the start of her realizing that he's never going to love her that way. The fact that he apologizes at the end gives her enough hope to ride on, but in my eyes it starts the path to Martha choosing to walk away from the Doctor at the end of the series.
While I kind of get what you mean about Martha pining after The Doctor, what you failed to mention was just how resourceful and downright brave she was, especially after she realised The Family of Blood knew about The Doctor and she single handedly took on the responsibility for the safety of not just The Doctor but of the school and the village too knowing full well that John Smith was just too weak to help her. Saying that, this two parter just screams quality from start to finish. Funnily (and I'm pretty sure you know this already) this episode was adapted from a novel written in 1995 which featured the 7th Doctor and. strangely enough, I actually think he could have pulled it off, just nowhere near as good as Tennant.
Next is Blink! Two of the best doctor who stories in a row.
Then the Master three-parter! One of my favourites
@@Ben-vf5gk For sure, all of the last six episodes in this season are flawless imho!
Nah I gotta give that to Silence in The library two parter into Midnight then we get the finale. The peak in the whole series for me
The second half of Series 3, and Series 4 are just amazing.
This series and series 4 have a superb run of episodes in their second half, series 4 is also great in it's first half but goddamn I love the second half of series 3, some really phenomenal stuff.
Joan giving the Doctor his comeuppance at the end was brilliant. "If the Doctor not chosen this place on a whim? Would anybody here have died? You can go now." It was nice to see the Doctor speechless and wrong.
I love when she gives him what-for
That's my favorite part of the whole couple of episodes. Never seen the doctor that gobsmacked and Joan??? What a badass lady and one of the most well written characters in the whole show imo especially for a guest character
I think what bothers me most about Martha's "instalove" plot line with the Doctor is that it overshadowed for a lot of people what a good companion she was. Most other new Who companions did crazy amazing things with the help of the TARDIS or time Lord energy or something, but most of the most amazing things Martha does are just her. Her own strength, her own intelligence, her own wit and courage and grit. But people still name her constantly as one of the top worst new companions. I think most people, like the Doctor treat her worse because she was in love with him so soon after Rose and the Doctor and the audience weren't ready for that/didn't want it.
Martha was the best of the new who companions. The reason a lot of people didn't like her was because she followed rose (worst companion in new who) and some people are racist. Series 3 was easily the best season of new who by far.
The acting was superb... for my money, Tennant and Agyeman best performance.
Freema Agyeman was great in this.
The Brits have always been able to look at themselves and their past better (including all the warts) than the US has as a rule.
Harry Lloyd as Baines completely steals every scene he is in - it's probably what makes this two parter so memorable, and for all the right reasons :)
I believe the Germans do it the best
Not just the brits, europe, germany, austria, likely more, and harry loyd is awesome, there is a video from him and renlys actor reacting to game of throne scenes. They are both so funny.
"The Brits have always been able to look at themselves and their past better (including all the warts) than the US has as a rule."
That's getting less and less true. We have Michael Gove making weak apologia for the leadership in The Great War, when all one had to do was look at the decisions they made - what sort of imbecile orders a slow bayonet advance on machine gun emplacement? - to see what the cream of the British educational system could manage.
From my perspective, this is true but not by much. I studied history at GCSE and there was a whole module on race relations in America, but the British Empire was only mentioned in the context of L'Entente Cordiale, and I've noticed that a lot of what's going on over here now is partly motivated by nostalgia for the British Empire
My own country (Poland) is one of the worst offenders though
My favorite episode(s) of any franchise ever. I have no problem with Martha pining for the Doctor, which really exist here and there for a couple of moments in the story. Martha got over it, I wish other people would too. Especially when Martha was basically the prime mover of the story - the Doctor doesn't know he's a Doctor ("God, you're rubbish as a human!" yells Martha) so Martha has to take charge and she does so brilliantly. The entire cast was superb including Freema Agyeman as Martha. And the DVD disk which has Human Nature / Family of Blood / Blink is simply the most perfect DVD ever. Sorry if this post is three months old, but I just got around to reading this.
As well as Harry Lloyd, Thomas Sangster who plays Timothy also appears in Game Of Thrones. He was the brother who went beyond the wall with his sister and Brann.
lwaves I just know him as the voice of Ferb.
Jojen Reed
One of the best ever. I understand your issues with Martha pining for the Doctor, I share them as well, but this episode also shows her strength and resilience. She's truly underrated as a companion.
This two-parter, followed by Blink, is for me the best three episode run in the whole of new Who.
Whitestripe71 I would include Utopia in that equation as well.
one of my fave two parters ever. I just really love it. Brilliant writing, brilliant acting, great concept. also you noticed the 9th doctor call back the bit i always notice and love is when Joan is asking John about his parents John says his Father was called Sydney and his Mother is called Verity. this references Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert the original creators of the show back in 1963. Verity also sadly died in 2007 the year this series was broadcast so gives a bit more meaning to her being mentioned here. and i like that they are referenced as someones father and mother because in a way they were the father and mother of the show. just a cute little thing i always notice.
Excellent commentary. This is episode is near perfect in a lot of ways. First off, the story is incredible in it's own right, and well acted across the board. It's also easily Tennant's best performance in Dr Who, period. His vulnerability as John Smith is handled to perfection, and the crux of the story hinges on Tennant selling us this character. If we didn't connect with John Smith, the last 15 minutes of the story wouldn't pack the intended punch. This is the one time the Doctor's return to save the day isn't a triumphant moment. It's bittersweet at best, and that's what makes it great.
But the other reason the episode is so good is because it not only stands alone incredibly well, but it also sets up important elements for the finale. It introduces the Fob Watch which is an important point in Utopia, and perhaps more importantly it showcases Martha's strength of character. It's all too easy to have a strong character fight against the prejudices of the time, but Martha is smarter and knows that the best thing to do is keep her head down, while she's treated as a second-class citizen by everyone around her, both for her race and rank as a maid. Establishing her resilience in this situation makes her year-long mission to walk the Earth in the season finale to seem much more believable.
I agree with you about the "worship of the Doctor" thing. Generally, it's worse in the Moffat era, because at least in the RTD era, we occasionally get stuff like "The Time Lord Victorious is wrong!" to add a bit of balance.
Totally agree Reviewer of Mine.
>Finally gets a Tennant cosplay
> Immediately reviews New Who's only multi episode Doctor lite story.
The part where the Doctor asks Joan to travel with him, I think is a great summation of Ten's form of empathy. Remember, the Doctor's not human, he's an alien. So, any sort of empathy he shows towards humans is manufactured. He might have a good idea of how humans feel, and might know what to say to reassure them, but he can never truly know what it's like to be human, _except_ for when he was John Smith! So when he's trying to tempt Joan Redfern, right after John Smith died, it's unintentionally cruel. Maybe he just wanted Joan to tag along because he was vain, or maybe he really was trying to make her feel better. Either way, it shows us just how inhuman the Doctor is, for better or for worse.
I think this is David Tennant’s best Doctor Who episode - which isn’t the same thing as the best episode of Doctor Who with David Tennant in it; that’s Blink. It also shows how badass Martha is. She’s seriously the most underrated companion of Nu Who.
I really liked the bit when John was like: "So he never accounted for love? Well what sort of a man is that?" And when he said: "So you're job was to execute me?"
They gave John (and by extension David) great emotional moments!
This was one of my first two parters to see when getting into Doctor Who. Caught one day after school on BBC America and just loved it. It's one of those neat concepts that makes you think. And I love the family of blood, they were an interesting villain. The whole thing was very emotional and well done, always a fav to rewatch
OMG!!! The bloke who wrote these episodes, Paul Cornell, came up with Bernice Summerfield over on Big Finish. She is a huge deal in the Big Finish Doctor Who cannon. Awesome sauce!!!
He wrote a bunch of Doctor Who novels back in the 90s, too, including Human Nature, the 7th Doctor story this is based on. It's 7 and Benny in the novel. It's also on my to-read list this summer, because it's been sitting unread for too long, and I want to compare the two versions of the story. I love that there are two versions to compare.
Kathleen Fowler I love it when “they” do that thing where they change which Doctor is in the story. I’ve listened to the audio production Big Finish (I think it was Big Finish) for the 7th Doctor Human Nature story. I am very partial to Shada and how the 8th Doctor did the same thing as the 4th. I watched The Magician and The Witches Familiar this morning and loved the revisit to the ideas of Genesis of the Daleks. I would love to SEE the 12th Doctor take on the events of the Divergent Series from Big Finish... Zagreus, Zagreus is in your head!!! Lol
Spoilers ahead!!
This story is epic...
The ending is creepy and gives chills everytime, especally when he trapped the girl.
"He trapped her inside a mirror, EVERY mirror......If you ever see something moving behind you, just for a second, thats her, thats ALWAYS her."
I mean, come on, we all know that moment, something moving in the mirror ^^
Either that, or you've got a Phantom behind your mirror. ;)
It always seemed very out of character for the Doctor to do that, to me. Several times he's tried to help and/or reform both Davros and a couple of Daleks, yet the family he traps forever? He's always been against immortality, yet he uses it as a punishment.
@@Here_is_Waldo well it sort of make sense, because they family wants to live forever so he grants them that as their punishment. And also I think the reason why he went hard for them is because a little part of the human john Smith in himself seeks revenge on these people for taking away his happiness.
This two parter is arguably the best Doctor Who of the new series. Let's get that out the way first. Tennant gives perhaps a career best performance here, especially toward the end when John Smith realises he has to die to let the Doctor come back and he doesn't want to and is crying in fear of his certain 'death'. From beginning to end it's a solid couple of episodes with great acting, writing and directing and when some people defend Jodie Whittaker's Doctor as the best ever this is the two parter I point to. I tell them to go watch this, watch this performance from Tennant, then come back to me and tell me ANYTHING Jodie Whittaker did in the last season stands up anywhere close.
I also agree that romantic entanglements with the Doctor and Companions can be annoying, but I understand why they happen. It's the old adage that good girls fall for bad boys. The Doctor is the ultimate bad boy, lol. He is perhaps the most powerful man in the universe, can take you anywhere in space and time for amazing adventures and to a mere human seeing this for the first time it would be such a shock from their usual mundane world that how could they NOT put him on a pedestal?
I will say although I love the scarecrows and they bring back the great horror elements we used to get in some classic Who shows they did seem weak. Also where did they all come from? The Family animate the scarecrows around the town to fight for them yet they all look the same and there are dozens of them?! And why would bullets kill them when they are just made of straw, that I didn't understand and pulled me out of the moment a little. But really that is the only nitpick I have for this two parter:)
With the bullets killing scarecrows thing, bullets can easily go through straw, so they would be able to physically break up the scarecrows. The straw itself might remain 'animated' through all of that but a heap of straw couldn't walk anywhere. The straw was reliant on the ties and clothes holding it together to be able to move. That's what I think anyway.
A wonderful review of two great episodes! And it shows some great acting skills from Tennant.
Your enthusiasm really is a nice thing to see. Yeah, I like this episode block, too (though I'm not a big fan of the Doctor-worship moment either).
Human Nature / Family of Blood is probably one of my favourite stories for a long list of reasons. Harry Lloyd, is full-stop an amazing actor. His portrayal of here is so vastly different from what he later did in GoT that I was having a hard time reconciling it was the same actor. His was also the best death scene in GoT, too, at least of the seasons I have seen. But in the Who story, he was vibrant. Without him, the Family wouldn't have held together as creepily as they did and the story would have been lacklustre. I love Martha, I really do. She is one of my favourite companions. She's a bit doe-eyed for the doctor but sets her own feelings aside to be strong and do what's needed. I think it's kind of sad that many Who fans only see the doe-eyed aspect and not the rest of her strengths. Even in this story, she puts aside everything she feels about him to be his protector even knowing he won't know who she is and his falling for another woman right in front of her. Martha is like Eponine in Les Miz. I also love Freema Agyeman and think she's a marvellous actor. The Doctor's solution to banish the Family as a "kindness" is so innovative. The creepiness of it, too, especially for Sister, is so spot on.
9 said "Coward. Any day." But I'd still call it a reference.
The thumbnail for this video is perfect.
Even though I acknowledge this episode is one of the best of S3 in terms of writing and acting, it's not one I personally enjoy or like to go back to. Part of that is because I find it a bit too mean spirited. I know it's set in a harsher time and, as you say, I'm glad they don't shy away from that - but it's the fact that the Doctor chose that place to hide. He knew he had a woman of colour as a companion and decided there was no better place than era which, as a black woman, she would be a servant and probably be treated not even like a friend to the 'man of his age' he would have to become. I dislike Series 3 for the most part because of Ten and Martha's relationship but it hits its peak for me here, he gives her a cursory hug and thanks at the end which, if I were Martha, I would have demanded way more.
Oh you sexy thing (in that new suit.) 5 ⭐️ or sonic drew drivers who can catch the episode that line was pulled from.
The Doctor's Wife ;)
This is truly my favourite episodes of the doctor especially seeing him angry and how desperate his human form is and how the doctor was even willing to give his human forms girlfriend a glimpse of what could have been even though that is technically torturing her and how the girlfriend is willing enough to walk away from the doctor
That whole speech from Timothy, was him just trying to make John Smith understand exactly what the universe is losing, if he doesn’t open the watch.
And to be fair to Martha, she never actually expects the Doctor to love her back. The situation hurts her, but she knows where the Doctor’s heart is. And she lives with it with (actually) a lot of grace.
Sometimes you fall for people who are unavailable. I think she handled the heartbreak of that as well as anyone ever has.
It makes sense she’d be hurt. She’s in love with someone who treats her like a nonentity. But she never loses herself in him, ya know? Standing her ground when the Doctor’s playing his whole “well, one more trip” thing. Walking away from him because she damn well knows she deserves better than being second best.
I have more respect for her than any other companion. As a person.
And I actually LOST quite a bit of respect for Ten. I know he was hurting, but he was so damn careless with someone else’s heart.
HE kissed her. HE chased HER down, to invite her along. And when she made it clear how she felt about him, he still kept her around. Knowing she was just filling the emptiness, and that she had no chance of actually mattering to him.
It was mean.
Hey there, sorry to just butt in, but I just came across your comment (kinda randomly) and because you spoke about things I always noticed about this season (and this ep, and this Doctor), I'll just go ahead anyway. Ignore me if you want, just need to get it out :-)
Anyway.
While I love Donna because of the chemistry between her and The Doctor and her wit and her character-growth, I adore Martha for her spine. Yes, she pines - haven't we all at one time or another? But she ALWAYS gets her act together and does what needs to be done. I am pretty sure that's what attracted her to the Doctor in the first place, on the moon in the hospital. She just takes things in stride and makes sure to get out of it with as many people alive as possible. I love her character for that, I always find it very hard to decide between Donna and Martha as my fav Ten-companions, but I know for sure that it's not Rose. I like Rose, too. But not as much as Martha or Donna.
Martha is a really kick-ass companion, just as smart and resourceful and curious as the Doctor himself - the little "we might die..." - "We might not...?"-conversation on the moon makes that quite clear, I think. And her only flaw is maybe that she's in love with someone who will not return those feelings - ever. (literally every)
Where I differ from your opinion on the Doctor being mean to her is his intent. I think he genuinely needs her. He never encouraged her - even that kiss (again, on the moon) was given with clear warning that it doesn't mean *anything*. She just doesn't want to believe it. I think he really likes her, tries to keep her at a distance because he *knows* she feels more than friendship for him. He tries to not give her too much hope, but he wants her around because she's spunky and smart and resourceful and can keep up with him. Rose never really cared that she doesn't understand half of what he's doing, Martha actually gets a lot more of the things. Not all - who could - but enough.
He *is* cruel. In ... wasn't it even the Christmas-Invasion? I don't remember... Anyway, somewhere he says outright "I am old. I used to have so much mercy..." - clearly saying that now, he doesn't have that anymore. But his companions feel mercy, that's why he needs them around. I think it was the Master who said that that's what the Doctor did to her (Martha), made her into a soldier. And he never wanted that. I'm pretty sure though that it's Martha's own choice, and the Doctor has nothing to do with it.
Either way, he didn't force her to stay with him. She chose to go, and the moment she decided to leave, he didn't try to keep her with him. But saying "she had no chance of actually mattering to him" is a bit much, imo. She DOES matter to him. Just because there's no love-interest between the two doesn't mean she doesn't matter. She always mattered - he knows that and I think she knows as well. It's just not enough for her - and actually, I think it wouldn't be enough even if he DID love her like that. She decided to leave him because she felt the need to stay with her family, with Earth and do something productive instead of rushing around the universe, chasing highs. She wanted to leave because she felt it more important to BE someone than to experience things (much in difference to Sarah Jane in "School Reunion", btw - she said life stopped after the Doctor, she never recovered from being on a constant high until he came back and gave her a proper goodbye), she wanted to fix things, help, move things. Use her intellect and her abilities, and she DOES matter, and she does matter to the Doctor, too. But she would have chosen her family any time, no matter if the Doctor was in love with her as much as John Smith was with Joan Redfern. Or the Doctor with Rose. She would have left him - rightly so - and it's not "mean" in my opinion to keep her around in the Tardis even with her feelings between them. She wanted to be there, run with him, see things, experience things no-one else can. She wanted to go away from her constantly squabbling family, wanted to be irresponsible for a bit - not be the one to constantly try to negotiate her parents' and her siblings' lives for them.
I am not actually sure she loved the Doctor "that way", truly. Maybe she did, somewhere in the middle of her season with him, but she couldn't possibly *love* him in the first three episodes. But I always got the feeling she grew out of it over the time (certainly over the Year That Never Was). Her decision to leave him and the life with him was a 'no-brainer' for her - Rose fell completely on the opposite side of that. Rose would have dumped her family with no hesitation whatsoever to be with the Doctor and see where it takes her. Martha's just too different for that.
As for losing respect for the character of Ten: I understand that, there are a lot of things I would frown about Ten. But casually and cruelly punishing the Family out of sheer rage and hurt for what they more or less made him do (become human, fall in love, having to 'kill' his alter ego, having to hurt Joan - all that) and also his imperfection makes me admire the character of Ten more. Because he's not the cute skinny dude skipping happily through the universe. That's what he's trying to be. What he actually is is 900+ years old and filled with rage and the knowledge of time and the loss of all his kind, of his family, of his wife and children and not just that - he's also the one who killed them all, to end a war. Someone like that would have to be a little selfish at least, to be able to keep going. And he'd have to be aware enough of his power and the cost of his anger to understand the importance of having a human accompany him. Someone with a sense of death and a clear lifespan behind their being. Someone who can judge situations based on much shorter periods - think in smaller scale.
And Martha is a prime example for such a person. Of course he'd try to keep her around with him. She's perfect for him.
Yepp, sorry for the ramble. Shutting up now ;-)
@@frizzlethecat2084 I know your comment is old but I just want to let you know that I love when people write big chunks of text just to explain their perception of a character or a relationship. And I completlely agree with what you said about Ten and Martha. I love Martha so much, from her first episode I knew that she was going to be "my" companion. I also agree about the fact that Matha was important for The Doctor even though he didn't have romantic feelings for her. I also know that Martha deserves so much better because I think she's such a great human being but I stand with you about the fact that the Doctor didn't intented to be mean to her. She wanted to travel with him and she had occasions to stop (and she took it in the end) and she knew what she was signing for. As for the unrequitted crush, I often have these so I relate to her but I love the fact that I felt that she grew out of it too. It is a great reflection of what I think I would feel as a companion : the high to discover all kind of places and times while having a big crush on The Doctor but ultimately coming to the realisation that he's not a God and that he can be terrifying and feeling the need to come back to real life. And I was never one to complain too much about the normality of my life so I think that the need to build something stable and to live a normal day-to-day life would take over the wonder of discovering time travel. Obviously, I can't know for sure how I would react if I was Martha but I feel a strong bound to her, that's for sure.
Finally, about losing respect for Ten, I also agree with you. This episode didn't make me love him any less. Yes, he did mistakes, I'm not denying that. But, you know, I already knew that he was far from perfect. This episode just consolidated that fact and to use your words : "his imperfection makes me admire the character of Ten more". Yep, that's it. It was the moment when I really felt that I knew who Ten was, in all his complexity. I watched Smith's run before Tennant's and at the end of S2 I was like : I love both of them but I feel like 11 is more complex, more complete. I guess I need to watch more of 10. That's what I did and I can finally feel the appreciation for 10 as a whole, not just for his qualities.
That's hard to explain but those were my thoughts on your comment :) (if some sentences seemed weird, I'm not native so that explains the possible mistakes)
@@nady2296 Oh! Thank you so much for your reply. I have to re-read what I said now 😁 But I really appreciate the time you took to reply. (And your sentences are fine, no worries. Then again - no native, either, so what would I know 😁 )
@@frizzlethecat2084 Fans come from all around the world (France in my case) so it's not surprising that a lot of us aren't native 😉
@@nady2296 So - I just re-read all I said and I'm still firmly believing them. I'm so happy to see that you love Martha as well - she's an amazing character and again - who wouldn't fall a little bit into a crush with the Doctor? He's very charming. ;-)
I admire Martha for her spine and her resolution, and I'm certain the Doctor does so, too. Romantic love isn't the only thing in the world that matters, I would even go so far to say that true friendship is more valuable. If you manage to romantically love your true best friend, you win the lottery of life, but not everyone does.
Anyway - I'm happy that you took the chance to re-watch Ten. I still haven't managed to watch Eleven! I feel so bad... Have a great day!
The Doctor-worship in-universe has struck me as too much, agreed. This season it's especially egregious. It's one thing for a fan to be all squee and wish the Doctor were real and take them away in the TARDIS, but it's another for everyone to keep feeding the Doctor's ego and treat him like an idol or messianic figure.
This is part of why I like "A Good Man Goes to War," because Amy inverts that so neatly talking to baby Melody. You think she's talking about the Doctor, with the living for centuries, always coming when needed, and building up the man she's talking about as this larger-than-life figure of awe. And then, it's someone else entirely.
This was always my *favorite* Martha Jones story!
I like how John Smith still feels like the Doctor in a lot of scenes. There's a few scenes where I can almost forget that he doesn't know he's the Doctor, just because he still acts so much like himself, minus his alien side.
Phenomenal episode, so glad I rewatched this one. I saw it when I was like 10 and didn't have that much thoughts on it at the time but holy crap.
16:35. yes... I've seen it....
One of my all time favourite Doctor Who stories, loved it since the day I watched it. 10/10.
I love this two parter. They are good episodes. You look amazing in the suit. I’m glad it finally arrived.
I also love that final confrontation for calling out the Doctor for not considering the collateral damage. The people would have been safe if the Doctor had never shown up. No one would have had to die. And she wouldn't have had to have her heart broken. But the Doctor either didn't consider that or chose to accept the real possibility of the deaths of those innocents for just the chance to offer mercy to the monsters. And he has no answer for her. Honestly, the fact that he has no answer for her is my favorite part of the whole exchange.
Well some of the innocents would subsequently die in WWII, two of whom (?) the Doctor saves.
Though that hardly makes up for what the Doctor unleashed on the village and school by hiding there.
The ending of the second part is one of my all time favorite monologues
What's unsettling about Son of Mine, apart from the way he speaks and that half his face is stuck in some kind of permanent smile, is that he never blinks. Just that creepy, wide-eyed stare.
The only problem I had with "He was being kind" is that a bunch of people died, from enemies he could have stopped in five minutes. At that point he may not have even needed to go that far. Just show them a fraction of what he could do to them. If they were delusional enough that this couldn't stop them, then they'd be relentless enough that running wouldn't work either.
Overall it's a good two-parter. I just would have liked a better driving force for the doctor to run.
To be fair, he's called out on this point by Joan. So you could consider that a fault of the character, but I don't think it's a fault of the story.
@@CouncilofGeeks Yeah, that too I guess
This is the perfect story for David Tennant as the Doctor. Fantastic story, definitely one of the best.
Perfect story for David as not the Doctor.
The life and happiness the Doctor could never has is a gut-punch every time. When John Smith challenges the Doctor's value, that he's afraid of falling in love/hurting someone cuts deeply. So glad it got a call back in his (too long) heroes journey.
I think I can forgive Timothy's character feeding into the otherwise tiresome Doctor Worship trope. Were some kid from a 1913 boarding school to get a glimpse into the life and adventures of the Doctor I think it would legitimately blow their mind wide open. The Doctor would just look impossibly amazing to them.
I mean, I get it, it's one of the more justified instances. But as I find myself saying quite often: the problem is the pattern.
@@CouncilofGeeks Very true.
@@CouncilofGeeks Deifying the Doctor is probably my only major gripe with New Who as a whole. I enjoyed Moffat's tenure overall, but he amped it up to a whole new level. Conversely, I really dislike Chibnall's tenure so far, but I like that the Doctor is just a woman travelling in a box, and not some kind of mega-important being.
How about a whole episode on your “good people for their time” especially as how it probably one of the main reasons we mainly get contemporary companions to prevent this values dissonance.
If I had to pick one nit in this amazing story, I’d say it’s when Tommy finds the watch and keeps it. He opens it up, realizes who the Doctor is, and refuses to give it back when people start dying en masse rubs me the wrong way. His explanation is BS as well. Yes, initially, he’s freaked out by what he sees in the watch, but they do establish that he CONTINUES to open the watch, peering into the Doctors memories, and still he waits till the “right moment” to give it back rather than immediately to stop the bloodshed. It’s a mark against Timothy’s character and a sloppy way to keep the watch out of the Doctors hands.
It's implied that since the watched showed him glimpses of the future that he had to give it back at a certain point, or it would need everything ul
Jacob Wheeler If that’s the case, it’s lazy writing, then.
If he gave it back there would be even more bloodshed and Tommy knew that because he saw the doctors life if he gave the watch back he would of ended the world
@@joshuaescopete yeah, I can agree with you on that. Especially because it's a child and he wouldn't know what's happening. You would think the first thing he would do is give it back since he was afraid, but plots gotta plot I guess
The cricket ball thing was a throw back to classic Who - 2, 4, 5, and 8 all used them at one time or another, both on TV and in prose adventures.
Love this two parter! Particularly the Doctor getting called out on putting all those people in danger.
I love the Harry Lloyd appreciation in here! I agree with all of it. He was great in Game Of Thrones and Doctor Who, as well as the old BBC Robin Hood series from 2006 (I don't know if you've seen that series but it's SO good and I would recommend it, even if it does seem a little hokey now)
My only real nitpick with this episode is the ending(s)... it just drags out forever... The kid keeps the watch, saves some people in WWII, the Doctor and Martha see him as an old man... just END IT already!
I agree with you about the writers "worshipping" the Doctor too much. No companions ever leave voluntarily,* because the writers all have the attitude of "Well, if I was travelling with the Doctor I'd want to do it forever!" They've also made the Doctor too smart and powerful, so the writing gets into the same problems the Superman comics have: The main character is so invincible that you need to come up with all sorts of convoluted stuff to create anything that's a threat to him. The current writers seem to realize this and have Jodie's Doctor be less omnipotent, but they can't do too much too quickly or it'd be jarring. Compare the current run to the classic era. In Classic Who, it was common for the Doctor to actually be frightened about the situation he was in. In New Who, the Doctor always acts like the enemy of the week is a bunch of ants he can just step on.
* I know Martha left voluntarily, but it was because she realized she was neck-deep in love with the Doctor, which really just strengthens my point.
There’s a Seventh Doctor novel by Paul Cornell called Human Nature which this story is based on. Also, I went to St Fagan’s (Saint Faggan’s) museum of Welsh Life which is where most of this story was filmed. It’s a great place to go if you go to Cardiff. You can go past the shop that John Smith threw the cricket ball at to save the baby from getting crushed by the piano amongst other things.
This is a ridiculously mature story. Martha feels more competent than Rose over all of her run in this story alone. Yeah the love arc is irritating but I can forgive that. I think season three was too short. Until episode 6, Martha is still on her 'first trip' deal. 8-13 are the final run of the season, meaning the only episode left is 42. We don't really get a true Doctor-Martha episode which is why it's not my favourite season despite having the best run of the show (8-12)
The ending was amazing. One of the best conclusions to a story from the RTD era. There is no better example of the Doctor having other, more sinister ways to deal with threats aside from outright killing. To paraphrase a famous quote _Sometimes dead is better_
I think the cliff hanger at the end of Human Nature is one of the best in Nu Who.
I really love the uncut version of the doctor’s tape to Martha. You can find it on UA-cam if you type in “I hate pears Doctor Who”.
I've got a question about the Doctor's plan of pretending to be Human, why did he go to 1913? Also I sort of wonder how Rose or Donna would have handled the same situation (other than possibly having 10x the amount of issues of John Smith falling in love in the case of Rose).
When I recently introduced Doctor Who to a friend of mine, I started by showing her this episode, and she was completely into it---and yes, she teared up during the memorial scene at the end just like everyone else.
Honestly, this continuous string of episodes, starting with Human Nature and ending with The Sound of Drums, is why Series 3 is my favorite in all of New Who thus far. It's just great television, period, which more than makes up for the weaker, first half of the series. I look forward to the commentary on them.
I never really noticed that Thomas Brodie-Sangster's character said the same thing as the 9th doctor. Such a cool callback.
I’ve never read the novel this story was based on (a 7th Doctor New Adventures Novel from early 90s) but it would be really interesting to do a comparison video of some kind.
I’d love to see more Paul Cornell scripts in the series. Not a novel sentiment, I know.
Human Nature/Family of Blood is the first time I truly got obsessed by Doctor Who. I had to watch those eps over and over because there was so much there.
I believe the Doctor was being disingenuous when he indicated he turned himself into a human to escape the Family of Blood. He could have dealt with them in a different way. He used the chameleon arc because he'd always wanted to, it fascinated him and this was a good excuse. And I love that Joan calls him on that at the end, "how many died?" because he recklessly, selfishly came to that town.
I also found it hard to deal with the caning scene. It was totally opposite of who the Doctor was, I thought it was even a stretch for John Smith.
I never liked the Martha pining thing either. But it was already established here, it had to be part of it. And Rose NEVER could have pretended to be a maid for months while babysitting the Doctor. Martha showed how good she really was here.
@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 She couldn't even make it like three days as a lunch lady without whining and begging the Doctor to let her quit.
Possibly the best monologue of nu-who, one of the best endings, was Son of Mine's monologue about what the Doctor did. Definitely the best story of season 3.
Kind of think the watch thief kid was added to pad out the show, and to add peril. "Oh no, is the Doctor stuck as Mr Smith forever? Turns out, No, what a surprise."
Harry Llyod is also great in counterpart as Peter Quayle
One of my favourite episodes.
Now read the book the story is based on. If you were to review it it would make for an interesting comparision, too.
Does anyone else think this could have worked as the series 3 finale if we forget the mr Saxon arc? For example, Martha realises that the doctor will never love her back, she sees him dispatch of the family and is horrified and leaves.
Our first look at the Time Lord Trumpet, our first glimpse of the Valeyard
The Valeyard was, according to the Master, an "amalgamation of the darker sides of [the Doctor's] nature, [taken] somewhere between [his] twelfth and final incarnation",
And as Matt would later say, he was the last, the final incarnation. The meta-crises David Tennant, one heart, with Rose, Doctor, born in Rage, is/would have been the Valeyard
Fwiw one of the actual historical guys Mel's character is based on in the Patriot did choose to have freedmen not slaves work for him (at least partially, it's been years since I read about the making of The Patriot) and maybe not lots of people chose to do that but people absolutely did choose to do that in Revolutionary Era America.
First off, love the suit! Pardon the pun, but it does suit you!
I agree with you on all of it, including the nitpick about Martha's feelings about the Doctor and the reverence given to him.
Tell me where u got the suit, I need it as I want to cosplay as the Tenth Doctor someday
Not at all related to this series but I watched boom town yesterday and I thought what if it was switched into season 2 instead of love and monsters. We never saw 10 with the slitheen and would have liked to see how the story would have played out with him. Especially the restaurant scenes. Not quite sure how it would work with Jack but I feel like it would've worked better as it would've given us more time between the two slitheen stories and would have eowkred more with the fact 'Margaret' spent a long time as a human in Cardiff and it would have correlated to the time between the two stories.
I feel 9 would have added more humour to love and monsters and obviously the story would have changed quite a lot with him but the fact Rose thinks he looks 'a bit slitheen' would work more than actually including the slitheen again in the same season. Just think boom town would have worked more in season 2.
Apparently the slaves in "The Impossible Planet" were originally going to be Raxacoricofallapatorians who thought the Beast was their god who could free them? Is this true?
Ngl that woman the doctor fell in love with was the most boring part of the whole story, and the doctor being so moany and useless was so pathetic, but I enjoyed it bc it allowed Martha to shine like she finally deserved. A story that FINALLY showed her off without comparing her to Rose - Martha is one of the greatest companions of NuWho, and certainly better than the romantic bullshit we got with Rose. Martha is only topped by Donna for RTD’s era. (Moffat’s era companions are a whole other issue)
This was the first episode i ever saw of doctor who, i didnt even knew what doctor who was, im from mexico and this show isnt really known in the general public, so one day my dad left the tv on bbc just because our cable company did just added it to the channel list and we wanted to see what they had to offer, so i was playing half life and had to pause and sit in front of the pc to watch both episodes, i remember my dad saying "oh so the show is called doctor who because he doesnt remember who he is" (we tought this was the first episode), after that we watched every single episode of the new era, the last time i had such a good time watching something with my dad was the first time we saw dragon ball when i was a kid, so watching the whole doctor who new series in a weekend was a good memory i have. Sorry for bad grammar, i love doctor who
Spoiler alert for the 2 people on the planet who haven't seen the first season of Game of Thrones.
Not to steal River's line but, "Now THAT is a suit!"
I’m oddly distracted by how good that lip color you’re wearing looks. What is it and where can I get it?
The one thing I can find to criticise, is how come the Family didn't realise that he was a Time-Lord again at the end.
It was kind of contrived from the point of view of the later reveal of the Master hiding in human form at the end of the universe. But it this episode is done so well it doesn't feel like it
I liked this two-parter sooooooo much.
I’m on board with your opinion on particularly how refreshing it is to see characters from the past realistically portrayed in tv film. (Who’s ever seen that show Sam Waterson had before Law & Order called I’ll Fly Away?)
The flip side with that as particularly with me being a person of color it takes me and out of the story all at the same time if that makes any sense.
There is an important difference between bad people and misguided people.
@@HOTD108_ I suppose it comes down to the definition of bad, ignorance and intent.
If someone does something immoral without having the understanding of the detrimental repercussions that their actions have and/or that those actions and results are in fact immoral then they are misguided but not necessarily a bad person.
If someone is given all of the information and have a sufficient grasp on the subject without ignorance but still knowingly choose to be immoral than you could be considered a bad person.
Someone who's been indoctrinated for instance is generally misguided rather than a bad person depending on the actions taken by said individual in certain context.
I don't believe that everyone who owned slaves were bad people but the majority of the people going to war to keep slaves were bad people as a group. If you own slaves today, you are a bad person because I would assume that you had the knowledge, wisdom and compassion that we as a society have reached together to inform your actions and your moral compass but it has to be judge individually.
I think being a good person comes down to knowledge, wisdom, compassion and action. I don't know if you actually wanted a serious answer or not but maybe you disagree with my conclusions?
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who say, "There are two kinds of people in the world: those who say there are two kinds of people in the world, and the other kind," and there's who don't say. Well, then there's me. - J.R. "Bob" Dobbs
@@HOTD108_ Not to knock what KerstinMamma says but a simpler way of putting it is : Bad people do bad things for bad reasons. Misguided people do bad things for what could be seen as good reasons.
Well it's favourite story of the revival really terrific stuff the original novel is well worth reading although it is a very different beast.
I do need to rewatch this story
Does this count as a Doctor lite story?
Arguably.
It is such a fantastic 2 parter. Your heart breaks for her. I agree with Martha honestly I think it undermined her time as a companion so much the lovesick over the Dr thing as it would have been so much better without it over all.
I never understood why people gave Martha such flak for being in love with The Doctor so overtly, not only is he a charismatic, smart, amazing man willing to die for people he doesn’t know, but he took her with him, and showed her the stars and all the impossible things that people only dream of.
Yes, the love story between The Doctor and Rose was more subtle, that also had to do with the fact that Rose already had someone in her life filling that role and she wasn’t interested in anything of that nature with anyone else. You could look at it like this, because she had Mickey she didn’t even think anything of her relationship with The Doctor until she fell for him, plus was it me or did it feel like Mickey loved her way more than she loved him, and he was always a safe option for her and she knew it, which may have put her off him a little, especially when travelling with The Doctor, maybe it made her not want to be that way with The Doctor as it could have put him off of her.
Rose was in love with The Doctor but only had love for Mickey, Martha was in love The Doctor but he only had love for her. I always felt sorry for Micky and Martha (until the end of their storylines), because they were in love with people who were in love with each other, they had no chance.
Do.not. make the doctor angry-everrrrrrr!!!!!!!! The only novel they have adapted so far (7th doctor) and you can see the 7 doctor doing what he does at the end to the family of blood. God, terrifying!
He tells us what radio vs the martians is as if we don't all know by now since the last few times 😂
Hey, still new at this sponsorship gig.