My Family Of Blood and Other Animals

“He never raised his voice. That was the worst thing. The fury of the Time Lord. And then we discovered why, why this Doctor, who’d fought with gods and demons, why he’d run away from us and hidden. He was being kind.”

“That’s all I want to be, John Smith. With his life, and his job – and his love. Why can’t I be John Smith? Isn’t he a good man? Why can’t I stay?”

As you get older, you realise a few things: 1. You will never be that person you thought you would. 2. You’ll never actually keep in touch with everyone you said you would. 3. You’ll start to be more sensitive of the things you always took to be silly, or sentimental, or previously reserved for that domain labelled ‘other people’s views’. And perhaps the most important to me this day would be: 4. Humanity is found in the tiniest of events.

It’s Sunday afternoon over here, and we’ve just sat through the latest ‘Doctor bloody Who’ episode, ‘Family Of Blood’. And right now I’m wondering if it’s me that’s changed, or that TV’s got better. Or a bit of both.

It was a damn fine episode, a damn fine episode. How fab was Martha? What kind of hero is she for staring down aliens with guns, prepared – and lest we forget, firing off warning shots – to save her Doctor when he doesn’t even know who he is? For putting up with all his “I’m not the Doctor” moments, for not giving up, for not taking any shit off some nurse who tries to tell her that black women can’t be doctors themselves? For trying to look out for everybody? For being balls-out bloody fab? For just being Martha?

Poor Matron. She were a trooper an’ all, of course. Is that why John Smith loved her? Because she had a touch of the ol’ Companion Material about her? We’ll never know. And perhaps it’s better that way.

Baines – oh, was he ever a bad, bad monkey. What an excellent psycho, a freaky villain, a baddie of James Bond proportions! ‘Super, super fun!’ Loved it! And he knows how to use that jaw of his. What a profile. What a character…

Wee Latimer. What a star! What a lil urchin bundle of Knowing and Waiting! Loved it! Although me heart nearly stopped when the war flashback became a ‘now’ segment.

Purr wee Davey John Smith, finding out he has to do the honourable thing after all, despite everything he might want or care for. He raised some good points, although I did suddenly think that, for such a nice, ordinary bloke, he could be a little selfish at times. Just because he didn’t think this Doctor was much cop, did it give him the right to refuse his return? “A man who doesn’t plan for love? A life without love?” he says, “That’s terrible!” ~ and suddenly I have Christian and Satine’s argument running through my head ~ but that’s the Doctor alright. And who says he’s without love anyway? Lest we forget Jo, Leela, Tegan? Perri, Romana, Sarah Jane? Jamie, Ace, Rose? So we’re back to the old, old argument that’s been going these forty years ~ does he ever really need to ‘fall in love’, or has he already done that – with his life, his quest, his TARDIS?

Where was I. Oh, yeah, the episode, and Being Older. (And is it me, or does that wee girl wi the balloon remind anyone else of the Test Card girl from Life On Mars?) I nearly blubbed a few times. Now, back in the day, I would never have blubbed at a ‘Doctor bloody Who’ episode. Hidden behind the sofa, yes. Shouted with glee and jumped up and down on said sofa, most definitely. But never blubbed (well, alright, maybe I had summat in me eye at the end of Perri). And so here I am, older but not necessarily wiser, surprised and oddly pleased that I nearly did. I think it’s a good thing. I think.

Anyway, hope you’ve enjoyed the screencaps here. Hope they show up alright on your ‘pooter, I don’t trust any browser to show ‘em right. Well, except Safari, of course…

Peach and lube, people. ‘Tis a beautiful Sunday afternoon.


Tags:
Doctor Who ~ David Tennant ~ Martha Jones ~ Freema Agyeman ~ BBC