Doctor Who - Family of Blood
Jun. 3rd, 2007 12:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caz963Another good episode, nicely tying up the story from last week. But then we knew it would - it's Doctor Who, after all!
I started to jot down a recap, but then I started to think about the things that had really stood out for me in this episode, and wanted to say something about those instead. So, as far as the plot goes, like I just said, it's DW - everything worked out okay in the end.
I think this two-parter was probably the highlight of the season for me, so far. The writing was excellent, and the themes addressed were adult and complex, whilst the show remained accessible and entertaining for children.
So - firstly, the poignancy of the boys at the boarding school, in 1913, hauling out guns and ammunition to fend off the "army" of scarecrows unleased on them by "the family." The looks on their faces - fear, uncertainty - some of them in tears as they repeatedly fired at the enemy. Because of course, the following year some of them (and yes, I'm aware these were fictional characters) would be doing this for real - some, never to return. I thought it was a wonderfully drawn parallel, underscored beautifully by a hymn - "To Be a Pilgrim" sung by a boy's choir. Beautifully done.
But the real meat of the episode was the Doctor's conflict - between his desire to remain human and his desire to stop "the family" from flattening the village and killing everyone around them. He couldn't do the latter without relinquishing the former, and this is where David Tennant got the chance to remind us that there's more to him than just a manic grin. His desperation as he insisted that his journal was nothing more than a collection of stories, as he repeatedly asked "why can't I stay?", "why can't I be him?" (John Smith). But he knew, you could tell he knew he was really the Doctor, and he was clinging to the last hope that he could turn his back on that and have a "normal" life - as we saw in the flash-forward he and Joan saw when they were both holding the watch - all the things he could never have as the Doctor, all the things he wanted to have and could have had as John Smith.
But of course, he's a hero, and does the right thing in the end - well, the right thing for everyone else, anyway, changed back into a Time Lord and saves the universe.
But that wasn't the end of it. In a voice over, Baines explains that "the family" now knew why it was that the Doctor chose to hide from them. It wasn't because he was scared of them - he did it to be kind. Those scenes where we see him disposing of the individual members, "mother of mine" into a vortex in space, "sister" into a mirror, every mirror - she's the thing you catch moving out of the corner of your eye when you glance into a mirror - setting up Baines as a scarecrow, forever guarding the fields of England - all very chilling and reminding us again that there's a brutal side to the Doctor, one who will stop at nothing when he has to. It's the first time we've seen that side of him in a long while - possibly back as far as the Season 1 finale.
These episodes showed us again just how good this show can be. They seem to do about three two part stories per season - maybe they should think about doing more and fewer one-offs. After all, Doctor Who began life as a weekly serial, and there's certainly time for more story and plot and character development in an hour and a half than in forty-five minutes. And the one-offs this season, with the exception of "Shakespeare Code" haven't really been all that great.
Oh, and by the way - best line of the night went to Martha.
God, you're rubbish as a human!
I started to jot down a recap, but then I started to think about the things that had really stood out for me in this episode, and wanted to say something about those instead. So, as far as the plot goes, like I just said, it's DW - everything worked out okay in the end.
I think this two-parter was probably the highlight of the season for me, so far. The writing was excellent, and the themes addressed were adult and complex, whilst the show remained accessible and entertaining for children.
So - firstly, the poignancy of the boys at the boarding school, in 1913, hauling out guns and ammunition to fend off the "army" of scarecrows unleased on them by "the family." The looks on their faces - fear, uncertainty - some of them in tears as they repeatedly fired at the enemy. Because of course, the following year some of them (and yes, I'm aware these were fictional characters) would be doing this for real - some, never to return. I thought it was a wonderfully drawn parallel, underscored beautifully by a hymn - "To Be a Pilgrim" sung by a boy's choir. Beautifully done.
But the real meat of the episode was the Doctor's conflict - between his desire to remain human and his desire to stop "the family" from flattening the village and killing everyone around them. He couldn't do the latter without relinquishing the former, and this is where David Tennant got the chance to remind us that there's more to him than just a manic grin. His desperation as he insisted that his journal was nothing more than a collection of stories, as he repeatedly asked "why can't I stay?", "why can't I be him?" (John Smith). But he knew, you could tell he knew he was really the Doctor, and he was clinging to the last hope that he could turn his back on that and have a "normal" life - as we saw in the flash-forward he and Joan saw when they were both holding the watch - all the things he could never have as the Doctor, all the things he wanted to have and could have had as John Smith.
But of course, he's a hero, and does the right thing in the end - well, the right thing for everyone else, anyway, changed back into a Time Lord and saves the universe.
But that wasn't the end of it. In a voice over, Baines explains that "the family" now knew why it was that the Doctor chose to hide from them. It wasn't because he was scared of them - he did it to be kind. Those scenes where we see him disposing of the individual members, "mother of mine" into a vortex in space, "sister" into a mirror, every mirror - she's the thing you catch moving out of the corner of your eye when you glance into a mirror - setting up Baines as a scarecrow, forever guarding the fields of England - all very chilling and reminding us again that there's a brutal side to the Doctor, one who will stop at nothing when he has to. It's the first time we've seen that side of him in a long while - possibly back as far as the Season 1 finale.
These episodes showed us again just how good this show can be. They seem to do about three two part stories per season - maybe they should think about doing more and fewer one-offs. After all, Doctor Who began life as a weekly serial, and there's certainly time for more story and plot and character development in an hour and a half than in forty-five minutes. And the one-offs this season, with the exception of "Shakespeare Code" haven't really been all that great.
Oh, and by the way - best line of the night went to Martha.
God, you're rubbish as a human!
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no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 12:15 pm (UTC)Well, the other two-parter this year is easily the low-point of the season for me - and the worst two-parter since Aliens of London/World War III. So I don't think two-parters are necessarily a good idea.
Whereas these two episodes are definitely the highlight of the year so far - reaching the heights of the best of New Who.
The weakest standalone this season might just be "Smith and Jones" - even though it was enjoyable enough.
Paul Cornell has set a high quality mark for this year. But if anyone can top it, it will be Steven Moffat next week or Russell T Davies three final episodes of the season.
no subject
Date: 2007-06-03 12:26 pm (UTC)Actually, I remembered that after I'd posted :) But you're right, having more time is no guarantee of quality; it's having good writers and ideas, and given those a 45 minute ep can be as good as a longer one. I just meant that it allowed more time to explore some things and themes that could get pushed aside in shorter ones.
The trailer for next week looked interesting -it would be great to have a good springboard into the final three.