29.09: The Family of Blood

[Lenny]

It is 1913, and war has come to England a year in advance, as the terrifying Family hunt for the Doctor.

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A good episode, I thought, although it didn't have the same feel as the previous.

Whereas I've watched last weeks four times, I don't think I'll give this another run through.

Interesting to note what Matron said about people dying had the Doctor not turned up.

Oh, and I thought that Baines was excellent, again. The little girl, on the other hand, wasn't, to put it bluntly.

 

[Foxbat]

I really liked this episode...not because of the scary scarecrows or even the family itself. What impressed me was the strong element of pathos caused by referencing the oncoming WW1. The defence of the schoolboys was almost the Great War in a microcosm....tears, fear but still determined to follow orders and do their duty.

I agree...little girl not much cope, Baines brilliant.

On the whole, well done the Beeb.

 

[Lenny]

Oh, one thing I forget to mention that got a chuckle out of me - the Doctor pretending to be Mr. Smith, falling against all the buttons and levers.

And what on earth is this "ventriloquism of the nose"?

 

[Dave]

It was almost as good as the first part and I liked it too. It didn't answer all the questions from last week - how did Martha (dressed in leather, in a present-day city-scape run into the boy and say "excuse me" and he calls "Martha")? - was that a possible alternative reality (like the Doctor having children and dying)? It didn't seem to be the same kind of vision.

Speaking of which, the marriage and children shown in last weeks preview, but actually only a vision of an alternative reality, was very bad form!

And I think the boy was able to cheat death by knowing the exact time and place of his demise by looking at it with the watch. Is that what evryone else thought?

And it didn't answer how the boy had had visions of the future before he touched the watch.

I also expected this story to somehow segue into next weeks present-day episode. But there was no mention of Mr Saxon or anything already set up previously at all.

 

[Foxbat]

And I think the boy was able to cheat death by knowing the exact time and place of his demise by looking at it with the watch. Is that what evryone else thought?

And it didn't answer how the boy had had visions of the future before he touched the watch.

To answer the first...yes. That's what I thought too.

On the second, the doc/smith character mumbled something about the boy probably having low level telepathy or somesuch babble.

 

[HappyHippo]

It was almost as good as the first part and I liked it too. It didn't answer all the questions from last week - how did Martha (dressed in leather, in a present-day city-scape run into the boy and say "excuse me" and he calls "Martha")? - was that a possible alternative reality (like the Doctor having children and dying)? It didn't seem to be the same kind of vision.

I think he was the Doctor, when he held the watch - in some way - so he was 'seeing' Martha through the doctor's eyes. Maybe before the first episode, as the Doc did mention he'd been around for a couple of days, trying to trace the whatchamacallits the Rhinos had set up? It fits for setting and time reference.

I really liked the last ten minutes, it was really well written, and Joan was butt kickingly good. Talk about a brush off! I also liked the way he disposed of the Family - although I think Dad got the pants punishment.

On the whole; wahey! (And I still don't really like it!)

 

[Kostmayer]

I especially liked the bit where she tells him that people died because the Doctor chose to hide there. I was thinking the same thing for the whole 2 episodes. This Doctor seems a bit inconsistent towards his attitude towards death. For me, the Doctor always seemed willing to just brush off the death of an individual because many more lives were at stake. This Doctor seems to get angry at the death of an individual, but can happily shrug off a few hundred needless deaths, usually resulting from his presence,

 

[the_faery_queen]

baines was great. he was the best actor in the bunch
that whole thing made me cry it was so sad. really made you think about the sacrifice those soldiers made and how awful it was that boys died to keep britiain free. kinda makes me wish our history lessons were different. that we learnt more about the personal impact instead of just the factual one.

and i did like what he did to the family, tho i think the girl and the son got the worst of the lot. able to watch the world go by and things change but unable to interact with it.

 

[Gipsy Girl]

Such a sad ep i cried

 

[Lenny]

A quick side point, and something that I thought last week as well, but forgot to post - he's in 1913, hair products will be but a whisper of the future, yet he STILL manages to keep his hair gelled into perfection! How?

 

[Susan Boulton]

A quick side point, and something that I thought last week as well, but forgot to post - he's in 1913, hair products will be but a whisper of the future, yet he STILL manages to keep his hair gelled into perfection! How?

I was going to say Brylcreem, but that wasn't invented until 1928, so I suppose he used Petroleum jelly or Macassar oil

 

[Alienweirdo]

or it was just naturally greasy?

the only thing i didn't get was, when the family sniffed the Doctor when he was on board their ship, how come they couldn't tell he was a time lord when in actual fact he was..?

 

[Lenny]

Haven't a clue how he carried it out, but the Doctor said something about "Simple ventriloquism of the nose". He is a Time Lord, after all - he can do anything!

 

[Dr.Jackson]

I think that this has been the best two-parter since the series re-started. Full of emotion, and everything you want in a good drama. DT got to flex his acting muscles in this and show people who may not have seen anything else that he's done, just how good he is.
I extend my sentiment from last weeks episode and say that both parts could be held up as examples of how good shows can be. You really felt the struggle going on in John Smith, whether to resume the mantle of Time Lord and be alone for all time, or live as Smith and have a shorter, but happier life.

It was good to see how malevolent The Doctor can be when pushed. Wouldn't want to p**s him off! He can be a serious badass when called for.

I also loved the fact that The Doctor and Martha came back to the school for Rememberance Day to let old Tim know that they hadn't forgotten him, that was quite touching.

... - how did Martha (dressed in leather, in a present-day city-scape run into the boy and say "excuse me" and he calls "Martha")? - was that a possible alternative reality (like the Doctor having children and dying)? It didn't seem to be the same kind of vision.

It has been said that Tim (the boy) was partly psychic, which is possibly why the watch called out to him. On holding the watch and bumping in to Martha, he was able to see through the disguise and the fact that she came from a different time - the watch just amplified his ability. We were shown the actual version of events, interposed with his perception, given his latent 'Doctorness' (DT said in Confidential that there was always supposed to be something of the Doctor about the boy).

 

[Dave]

It has been said that Tim (the boy) was partly psychic, which is possibly why the watch called out to him. On holding the watch and bumping in to Martha, he was able to see through the disguise and the fact that she came from a different time - the watch just amplified his ability. We were shown the actual version of events, interposed with his perception, given his latent 'Doctorness' (DT said in Confidential that there was always supposed to be something of the Doctor about the boy).

I think he was the Doctor, when he held the watch - in some way - so he was 'seeing' Martha through the doctor's eyes. Maybe before the first episode, as the Doc did mention he'd been around for a couple of days, trying to trace the whatchamacallits the Rhinos had set up? It fits for setting and time reference.

Thanks! That is enough to explain it for me.

 

[Ice fyre]

This episode was the best in the season so far.

It lived up to the level that the first episode set and promptly raised the bar.

The death of John Smith was excellently played, what a piece of acting, not too long not too short wasnt overplayed, just....painful to watch and so very sad.

I nearly cried at the end when the doctor watched the young boy's parade I am almost crying thinking about it..

So much symbolism so little time. I find this episode will hant me for many years to come.

I will say no more, I'm sorry, I find I cannot.

 

[daisybee]

I loved these episodes, so sad, especially when John Smith is all like I don't wanna be a stupid time lord, or something similar. Fabulous. Joan totally rocked, telling him to essentially shove it-loved that, the Doctor really should appreciate his companions more, I thought Martha shone, I loved it when she said he was rubbish as a human! Made me laugh that did. Baines scared me, as did Mother (can't recall maids name), and I was moved by the ending, tears in my eyes.

 

[Pyan]

If this isn't worthy of a BAFTA nomination, there ain't no justice.

 

[PTeppic]

Been away for the weekend, so only just returned to find the VHS worked this time. And so glad it did. Agree with everything above: maybe not quite as highly scored as last week but very well done. Need to watch again though. I did think the whole moving on from escaping the exploding invisible space-ship (which, according to Confidential, is a bigger health and safety issue than you'd imagine...) to the punishment seemed a tad fast and almost confusing. But generally excellent. I also think I'll claim a "close enough" with my prediction last week about what the vision of the Doctor and Joan's family was.

Having just been, within the last month, to the funeral of a remarkable lady whose brothers went to the front in the Great War and never came home, the only slight error in all the otherwise superb period detail was that "old Tim" was nowhere near old enough. He'd have to be over a hundred and "only" looked about 70-80. Otherwise, as said, it was remarkably effective as a message against war (c.f. the equally emotive, touching, and surprisingly effective Blackadder 4, final episode)

 

[the_faery_queen]

well we don't know when the rememberance day was, do we ? i mean, ok it LOOKED really modern, like it was now, but in theory, as doc who travels in time, that could have been a rememberance day 20 10 years ago, or so.

tho to me, the boy was really young to start with. i can't imagine he would ever have been old enough to fight. he looked about 10!