The Family of Blood

"You speak with someone else's voice."

Writer: Paul Cornell

Format: TV

Broadcast: 2 June 2007

Series: 3.09

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

With the school under attack and the Doctor still unaware of his true being, the Family of Blood have taken over. Unable to find the fob watch, Martha tries to convince the Doctor that the dreams he has recorded in his journal are real, and that it's his life as a schoolmaster that is the fantasy...

Verdict

The Family of Blood was an excellent episode to conclude the story already started in Human Nature! This really is a stellar follow up to round out what is an instant classic when it comes to Doctor Who. This is right up there with my all time favourites and after watching again for the first time in years, that opinion has not changed. The follow on from the cliffhanger is good and keeps things moving quickly and I like how little Latimer can instigate proceedings by the simple opening of the fob watch that contains everything that makes up the Doctor. The power contained within was really good and I liked how Martha was desperate to have it united with John Smith again in order to bring back the Doctor. Her understanding of the situation being coupled with frustration was brilliant and I think this is probably her best episode yet as companion. She's tremendous. The moment where she proves her point to Redfern by naming all of the hand bones was great and I just thought she led things at a time when leadership was lacking. The Family of Blood were firmly established in their new forms here and Father of Mine locating the TARDIS was a big move and the image of him and Scarecrows surrounding it was superb. For me, the highlight of this episode has to be the performance of David Tennant. He's incredible here and I would argue it's his best outing which is ironic given that technically he isn't playing the Doctor for the better part of the two episodes. The contemplation of becoming the Doctor again was outstanding and the turmoil this created with the prospect of killing John Smith was sublime. For the Doctor he just changed, but for John Smith he chose to die in order to save the locals from the Family. That was so powerful. The moment where the Doctor reemerged inside the Family of Blood's ship after giving them the useless fob watch was magnificent and his feigning still being John Smith was terrific. It was all nicely done. We saw a different side to the Doctor when it came to the treatment of the Family and how he granted them their wishes of immortality in the most gruesome and enduring ways imaginable. Gemma recalling how the fate of Sister of Mine troubled her as a child was really intriguing and I think it's the most devious of all of the treatments. The conversation at the end between the Doctor and Redfern and him offering her to travel with him was fantastic. Her line about the deaths and if they wouldn't have occurred if the Doctor had chosen this place on a whim was incredible, and the look from the Doctor spoke so many words. It was sensational. The way things came full circle for Latimer with the escape of the bomb during the War and then being much older and at a remembrance service and seeing the Doctor and Martha not aged was lovely. It was all very nice and a fitting way to end what was quite a dark episode on a nice note. Overall, a tremendous episode! 

Rating: 10/10