Discussion of Episode 3.09 "The Family of Blood" - Aired 06/02/07

[Mr Pointy]

From IMDb - The Doctor must deal with the repercussions of his decision to become human, as The Family Of Blood unveil themselves...
Sheer brilliance! A magnificent conclusion to the two-parter. If you don't have a tear in your eye at the end of this ep you're either cyberised, a Dalek or under 12. Superb adult drama from a family show. Bravo BBC! Huzzah to the Cast and Crew!

Also featured the best description of The Doctor, ever -
'He’s like fire and ice and rage... He’s like the night and the storm in the heart of the sun… He’s ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of time and he can see the turn of the universe... and... he’s wonderful.'

The scarecrows also scared the bejaysus out of my grandson, so bonus "hide behind the sofa" points as well...I knew it was a bad idea to let him stay up late so he could watch both parts...d'oh!

[Angel's vision]

I felt is was great too!

The best lines were; "Look in my eyes he is in there"
"God you make a rubbish human"

"Baines" speach on canning.

The Dr's punishments were awsome!
Most tear jerking part was : "Why can't i be John Smith, isn't he a good person, why can't i stay"

I didn't cry though but i was moved!

The Normal life he saw was great stuff, too, and the line "It's time"
before his aged self dies! awww! that scene was sooo emotional when he
see's the future life he could have!
Any one cry at the war memorial bit?

[N4H]

I'm watching this ep right now.

The Doctor used a Chameleon arc, or arch, or something like that in the last ep to change himself into a human. The Master's Tardis used to use a Chameleon circuit didn't it? More hints at the "Master as Saxon" possibility, I wonder.

Martha: "Don't just stand there move! God you're rubbish as a human." ... Love that.

Martha is a natural hero. Gotta love her. And the BBC is going to sack her? Not likely.

Gotta love nurse Joan too. Not so much in the first part, but taking charge in the second. I was hoping she'd go with the Doctor, but when she put the doctor in his place, and told him why she wouldn't, I got that too.

Loved the whole ep actually. Another best so far.

The only thing I kind of didn't like is I've never like these sluffed off Doctor as God solutions where he basically says to the bad guys, "OK time for you to be done", and then they are.

This 2 parter was based on the writer's novel though so I'm going to give him a by, and say he had to edit for time.

The memorial scene more puzzled me than moved me. Sorry. But that's not a dis. I like to be puzzled.

The preview for next week's is spooky, "Don't blink". I'll be there for that one.

[Mr Pointy]

The Doctor used a Chameleon arc, or arch, or something like that in the last ep to change himself into a human. The Master's Tardis used to use a Chameleon circuit didn't it? More hints at the "Master as Saxon" possibility, I wonder.
I think that the chameleon circuit is standard issue for TARDISes...The Doctor's has one...it's just never worked properly for any more than about one ep of the classic series...previous Doctors were often trying to fix it :) If I remember correctly The Doctor's TARDIS's chameleon circuit had an effect on the area above Torchwood in Cardiff, which enabled them to disguise their lift to the surface...it wasn't directly stated but certainly alluded to...

The memorial scene more puzzled me than moved me. Sorry. But that's not a dis. I like to be puzzled.


I'm intrigued...why were you puzzled?

BTW - if you're interested the BBC has Paul Cornell's original book online...I'm definitely going to find time to read it... http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/human_nature/

[N4H]

I heard the book was originally the Sylvester McCoy doctor.


I'm intrigued...why were you puzzled?


Changing time is kind of a misdemeanor no no in the whoverse, isn't it? The doctor's done it I'm sure, but does he condone it. Was he willful in setting it up for Tim, or did it just happen that way? Why did the Doctor and Martha follow his timeline? Was he really that important? Does the Doctor do that with all the people he meets? Why did they stay in the background. They could have gone up, and said hi. The watch was interesting. Kind of a turn of the century motif, I think. There's kind of a whoverse continuity thing there. Have you seen The Doctor Who Movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxwTtfI3VN0). I watched it on the weekend and the Doctor's Tardis has a turn of century style.

Edit
I'd lost the link to the actual movie, but I just found it - Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaIzsPXkNGk). The symphonic rendition of the theme makes me giggle. Don't know why.

[Mr Pointy]

I heard the book was originally the Sylvester McCoy doctor.
Indeed it was.

Changing time is kind of a misdemeanor no no in the whoverse, isn't it? The doctor's done it I'm sure, but does he condone it. Was he willful in setting it up for Tim, or did it just happen that way?
I think it was always going to happen...didn't Tim have a flash of it before he saw the watch?
Why did the Doctor and Martha follow his timeline? Was he really that important? Does the Doctor do that with all the people he meets? Why did they stay in the background. They could have gone up, and said hi.
Not sure about this bit but I think that The Doctor felt a connection with Tim...possibly because of his abilities...there is a similar scene at the end of the book, which I haven't read except for that last bit and the notes that Paul Cornell added to bring it up to date with the TV adaptation ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/ebooks/human_nature/adaptation.shtml ).
The watch was interesting. Kind of a turn of the century motif, I think. There's kind of a whoverse continuity thing there. Have you seen The Doctor Who Movie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxwTtfI3VN0). I watched it on the weekend and the Doctor's Tardis has a turn of century style.
Well...it was set at the turn of the century(more or less) :) How the watch came about was interesting...according to RTD on Confidential they were originally going to use a cricket ball but decided on the fob watch because it could be opened.
From Paul's adaptation notes -
The biggest continuing debate was about the pod where the Doctor keeps his Doctorishness. Was it going to be a cricket ball? Another Russell solution: a fob watch. Not just because of the Time Lord symbolism, but because a fob watch has a door you can open, an easy something that John Smith can choose to do or not to do.

I think I was one of the few that really liked the movie...though even I balked at some of the mythology that they tried to introduce...half-human indeed...hah!

[N4H]

I think it was always going to happen...didn't Tim have a flash of it before he saw the watch?

Yes, but didn't he say something like "Thank you Doctor", when he actually did jump out of the way, and weren't the Doctor and Tim on a telepathic link of some sort through the watch insinuating the Doctor perhaps had a hand in warning Tim of the event to come. Either way though - through the Doctor, or by Tim alone - the timeline was altered. What puzzles me is what that implies.

Edit

Oh, I just thought of something. If it was McCoy as the Doctor in the book, then it would have been Ace as Martha. I can totally see that parallel with the fearless, take charge hero stuff.

[Mr Pointy]

Oh, I just thought of something. If it was McCoy as the Doctor in the book, then it would have been Ace as Martha. I can totally see that parallel with the fearless, take charge hero stuff.

Actually, the book was part of the New Adventures, which were published after the original series finished and The Doctor's companion was Bernice but I totally see what you mean about Ace, though I don't think she would have been quite as convincing a domestic maid as Martha :)

[N4H]

That's true, plus I'm not really correct about Martha being fearless either. It was more courage, like she was aware of the danger, but jumped into the fray anyway. Ace was more sociopathic, and ballsy. Fear wasn't a thing she had to fight past.