Recapper Note: All screencaps have been inspired by the recent spurt of motivators at my favourite livejournal community, ihasatardis. I’m still not over the loss of Rose and making these help. Really, I am that big a loser.
After the second set of credits without Billie Piper’s name (I twinge) we immediately get introduced to the Doctor’s new companion, Martha Jones. On her way to work, Martha fields phone calls from her sister, Tish, her brother, Leo, her mother, Francine, and her father, Clive. She’s introduced as both a peacemaker to the family and the poster child to eliminate call waiting from your cell phone features.
They’re all fighting about Leo’s 21st birthday party. The U.K. makes a huge freaking deal about this birthday. For those of you not familiar with this tradition, just think of it as your Sweet Sixteen, Quinceanera and one the biggest keggers ever. Now put them together and that’s a half-decent 21st. When I lived in Scotland, they put an announcement on at school saying it was my 21st. I’d like to point out they put that announcement on even though I was the classroom teacher. I only mention it because I’ve been waiting for the better part of a decade for vengeance and here is the perfect opportunity. As the person responsible for the aforementioned announcement has an extremely common name, I don’t feel the least bit guilty!
It's my recap and I'll use it for vengeance if I want to!
The party in question is being hosted by both of Martha’s parents, who had a very acrimonious split when Martha’s father hooked up with Annalise. I don’t care what anyone else says, but Annalise is my favourite member of Martha’s (almost) extended family. She’s a complete and utter moron and has no concept that baby talk at her age is wrong but to then use said baby talk on Martha, a medical student, is even dumber. This woman has no concept of the chaos she’s sashayed into.
Don’t get too attached to her though, you won’t see her again for the rest of the season. Not that I would already know that or anything…
Without having resolved any of the family issues, Martha is confronted with a whole new problem, the Doctor. He walks up to her, takes his tie off and says “Like so.” I don’t know who is more confused by this action, Martha or the fandom.
To make her day even worse, it looks like it’s about to pour rain; she gets bumped into by somebody dressed in all leather and a motorcycle helmet, and gets a static shock from her locker. That last bit is very important because the oh so subtle OMG EERIE MUSIC is playing in the background. Next, she has to go through rounds with a group of med students, having to listen to the pompous Stoker laugh at every diagnostic suggestion. They all take it rather well, so I’m guessing they’re all auditioning to be one of House’s new ducklings for Fox?
The first patient is Mrs. Florence Finnegan. Stoker laughs at all the complicated diagnoses and then asks the patient what she had for dinner, which was a salad. The odd pulse and dizziness are simply due to lack of salt. I’m pretty sure that somewhere in the med students’ lounge is Stoker’s face on a dart board. What a douchebag.
On the way to the next patient, Martha notices the leather-dude joined by his identical twin. This can’t go anywhere but down in the hands of fanfic writers.
Our next patient is Mr. John Smith, who is suffering from severe abdominal pains. I would tell you who he really is but obviously he’s undercover so it would be a shame to ruin his excellent disguise. As Martha examines him, she chastises him for running around outside just to take off his tie, but the patient has no idea who the trainee doctor is talking about. She wonders aloud if he has a brother.
“No, not any more.” He replies. Fanfic writers everywhere give birth to a million plot bunnies. That hospital’s maternity ward’s going to be busy.
Next, Martha makes a shocking discovery; he has two hearts. Stoker’s all “What, you can’t find a heart, loser,” but we all know better. The patient winks at her to keep it a secret. Either that or it’s because Martha Jones is so freaking hot I’m practically melting with envy.
Proving yet again how he is all-knowing, Stoker consults Mr. Smith’s chart but is shocked by static electricity. Everyone comments how they too have been shocked that morning which I think I’m supposed to find odd, but according to the news, means they should all stop wearing Crocs. We get a diversion into the history of static electricity, which the patient knows all about because he flew a kite with Ben. ("Flew a kite with Ben" so sounds like a euphemism, but for what? I'll take suggestions.) What’s ironic here is that Stoker recommends Mr. Smith see a shrink but doesn’t give a diagnosis. See how nicely the know-it-all covered up that he knew jack shit?
Later, Martha’s hatched a brilliant plan to stop Annalise from attending Leo’s party; tell their soon to be stepmother that the buffet is 100% carbohydrates. Martha may be the family peacemaker, but she does have a sense of humour. Tish isn’t so easily swayed and tries to get her sister to nip out for a bite a lunch, but Martha’s having none of it. She will not go out in the rain. The problem with the rain is that it’s only over the hospital, like a cartoon.
To make things even more ominous, Mr. Smith wanders by, significantly. That is, if it’s possible to wander significantly. Something else in this scene looks familiar.
More significant than Mr. Smith, is the rain, which has decided that it didn’t study gravity in school, and is going up. After the room shakes, Martha and her completely insignificant pal (so I didn’t bother to learn her name) discover they’re now on the moon and there’s a very big hole on the banks of the Thames where Royal Hope Hospital used to be. It’s a good think this is Doctor Who because if this happened on Grey’s Anatomy I would totally say the show had jumped the shark.
The patients and staff of Royal Hope hospital go completely bat-shit at this discovery. I’d describe it, as it’s all very bat-shittish, but I’m guessing you get the point. It sort of looks like a bad improv exercise run amok. It’s not overly calm on the Earth either.
The only people maintaining a modicum of decorum are Martha, Mrs. Finnegan and Mr. Smith. Yes, I’m aware of the irony of the word “people” in that last sentence before I get a flurry of comments. Martha assures everyone that everything is fine, before running to a series of random windows, to be sure her hypothesis of the hospital on the moon is correct. As she goes to open the window, her insignificant friend cries that the air will all be let out. Calmly, Martha explains the concept of how the NHS would never pay for airtight windows in a hospital. Okay, maybe I added that last part.
The Doctor emerges and I realize that he was just pretending to be Mr. Smith all along! He must’ve been practicing for later on in the series. I didn’t recognize him without his suit! His Mr. Smith disguise was almost as clever as Clark Kent’s. Silly recapper! He’s extremely impressed with Martha’s perspicacity, and invites her to go out, on the balcony, people.
“We might die,” the Doctor warns.
“We might not,” Martha replies. All right, she’s no Rose but this is one hell of an introduction Russell T. Davies! She leaves with the Doctor, leaving her insignificant friend to cry at the realization of her own insignificance.
There’s air out on the balcony and Martha impresses the Doctor further by figuring that some alien technology must be at work. Except, that isn’t really what impresses the Doctor as it’s Martha’s wonder at the beauty of the moon, even though her life is at risk. That’s a skill Rose had that truly amazes the Doctor. In other words, he only appreciates people who feel about the universe the way the fandom feels about the Doctor.
The balcony scene gets a couple of other pesky points out of the way. Martha talks about Adeola, her cousin who died in the battle of Canary Wharf in “Doomsday.” Well, that’s one Whoniverse mystery taken care of, now if only Russell T. Davies would clear up the Gwen / Gwenyth paradox.
Finally, the Doctor introduces himself as “The Doctor.” “Far as I’m concerned, you’ve got to earn that title,” Martha snarks back. Point for Martha.
After throwing a stone, the Doctor discovers a force field is holding in all the air, which means that after the whole improv run amok panic scene, they’ve got an hour or two to live, or maybe only the 30 minutes left in this show.
Ships that would so give Freud wet dreams, land, and the Doctor identifies them as Judoon. The Judoon are giving the two messengers from the beginning of this episode a run for their money on the use of leather. PETA hates this episode.
Meanwhile, in Stoker’s office, Mrs. Finnegan has come looking for help. Although, it’s not of the medicinal kind, nor for a long story about poor Mr. Stoker and his Florida retirement dream; she needs his blood. With the help of the two bike messengers, she’s going to use a plain plastic straw to drink him dry. With a last name like Stoker, what’s his first name, Bram?
The Judoon march into the hospital, sending staff and patients alike to hide behind the chairs in the waiting room. Isn’t that nice, apparently this hospital must treat stupid as a disease. They take off their helmets to reveal the Judoon is just a fancy name for space rhinoceroses, (or is that rhinoceri?) and their language sounds like a set of rhymes from a primary school reader. Once they assimilate the language, they start “cataloguing” the people, and draw an “x” on the hands of those they’ve scanned.
The Doctor and Martha are watching, cleverly hidden behind some fake hospital plants. He espouses on the wonders of having a small shop in the hospital, the one flaw he found with the hospital in “New Earth,” that is if one doesn’t take into account the whole breeding humans for testing part.
He exposits that the Judoon are police for hire, sort of an interplanetary version of Blackwater. They used an H2O scoop to move the hospital to the moon to find someone who is non-human, which isn’t so good for our Doctor. It’s only now that Martha figures out that he’s an alien although, you’d think the two hearts would give it away.
The Judoon continue cataloguing in a very methodical manner, until one man fights back, smashing a conveniently placed vase over on of their heads. He is immediately executed. Damn those conveniently placed breakable objects!
The Doctor is using his sonic screwdriver to scan hospital records to find the other non-human, but Martha finds the concept of a sonic screwdriver laughable and asks if he has a laser spanner. Apparently, he did, until Emmeline Pankhurst stole it. Some women will do anything for the vote, won’t they?
To make matters worse, if the Judoon don’t find the non-human who isn’t the Doctor, they’ll execute everyone in the hospital. When Martha goes to asks Stoker for help, she finds him being sucked on by Mrs. Finnegan (not that way!).
As she’s being chased by the two leather henchmen, she runs into the Doctor, who has a brilliant idea, but we’ve seen it before.
They wind up in an X-ray room and irradiate the henchman – which is actually called a Slab, a creature made entirely of leather.
Martha’s forgotten the whole Doctor’s not human thing, and wonders if the radiation is going to kill him next. Not only did he play with that radiation as a child, but also, he’s absorbed it all and in now expelling it through his left shoe. Of course, he looks ridiculous with only one shoe on, so now, in the Doctor’s words, he’s “barefoot on the moon,” which I think is a sequel to a Neil Simon play.
Unfortunately, there is one more victim in all this; the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver is fried. Everyone, please give a moment of silence for the passing of the beloved sonic screwdriver.
The only one not complying with my moment of silence request is Martha, who is trying to explain that Mrs. Finnegan is the big baddie, but the Doctor doesn’t pay any attention until she calls him “Doctor,” thus proving he’s earned the title in her eyes. It’s a really sweet bonding moment, ruined by the discussion that Mrs. Finnegan is a blood sucking Plasmavore, who drinks blood not only for food, but also to hide from the Judoon scanners. This, as we see immediately, works.
The Doctor avoids any personal questions about being alone, as he hides with Martha. They’re too busy bickering that they miss the arrival of the irony fairies, which have the Judoon identify the Doctor as non-human immediately after she expresses doubt that he’s an alien. It’s the Doctor Who equivalent of “Things can’t get any worse” in a horror movie.
Without even asking if things can get worse, they do, the oxygen’s getting thin and the Doctor is able to confirm that Mrs. Finnegan is a Plasmavore by looking at Stoker’s body. The Doctor’s ready to run off again, but we get the reminder of why as Donna put it, he needs someone to stop him. Martha pauses a moment to close Stoker’s eyes.
The Doctor needs to get to the MRI lab, where he’s sure Mrs. Finnegan has gone but he needs to slow down the Judoon, but can only come with one solution, which, he assures Martha, means nothing.
Neither Martha, nor the fandom are entirely convinced that it’s nothing. The Judoon arrive, and do not listen to anything Martha says, which must remind her of her family back home, and give her a full scan because of trace elements of alien DNA. Well, if you’re going to get a little alien on your mouth, Martha certainly went about the right way of doing it. Once the full scan reveals she’s human, the Judoon gives her compensation. Like she’s going to find a lawyer and sue them now is she?
As Martha’s dealing with the Judoon, the Doctor finds Mrs. Finnegan playing with the MRI, and decides to play dumb, getting her to confess that she’s and alien and she’s rigged the MRI to vaporize a good portion of the moon, the Judoon and, damn it, Earth doesn’t rhyme. He scares her into using him as a snack, because the Judoon have increased their scans to setting 2. As she pulls out her straw, he jokes that he’d love a banana milkshake. Bananas, number two on the list of things he loves, after his sonic screwdriver.
“You’re quite the funny man and yet I think laughing on purpose, at the darkness. I think it’s time you found some peace.” Somewhere in the middle of this scene, we veered off the moon and arrived in the galaxy of Meta. Someone needs to tell Mrs. Finnegan that Meta is almost entirely the property of the Doctor or the Face of Boe.
Once she’s done draining him dry, the Judoon arrive with Martha and confirm he’s dead. Once she gets over the shock, she realizes the Doctor’s plan and scans Mrs. Finnegan. Bet the old woman wished she’d gone for that banana milkshake as she registers as non-human and is charged with the murder of the child princess of Patrivole Regency Nine. She tries to defend herself, saying the princess deserved it, because of her pink cheeks, blond curls and simpering voice. So, let me get this straight, the child princess of Patrivole Regency Nine is Shirley Temple?
The Judoon execute her, but not before she sets the MRI on overload, and then clear out, not caring if the hospital runs out of air, and half the Earth’s population is slaughtered. So exactly how is Martha supposed to collect her compensation then?
Literally giving her last breath to the Doctor by CPR, Martha revives him.
He crawls to the MRI, and after first reaching for his now dead sonic screwdriver, he has to find another equally complicated method of stopping the magnetic pulse, unplugging the machine. I told you it was complicated.
As the oxygen level goes to zero and the Judoon take off, the Doctor carries Martha to a window, pleading to no one that the hospital be returned to Earth.
As soon as he finishes pleading, it starts raining on the moon. In typical Doctor fashion, he shares his excitement with his new, if unconscious companion, imploring her to look at the wonder of precipitation on the moon.
The hospital materializes in front of an amazed Tish, who is thrilled to see her sister. One of the interns is taking credit for saving the day, but Martha knows otherwise as she watches the Doctor, again in typical Doctor fashion, escapes the messy cleanup by hightailing it to the TARDIS.
Later, Martha is getting ready for Leo’s party but I think the family would excuse her if she cried off on this one. She’s listening to the interview of the intern who took all the credit talking about how amazing it is. In essence, this scene is entirely irrelevant except for providing this week’s obvious Mr. Saxon reference.
Probably thinking it would have been better to stay home, Martha has to listen to her family argue outside the pub where the party is being held. Annalise is upset over Francine insulting her fake tan while Francine is angry that Annalise accused Martha of lying about her whole trip to the moon. The whole family gets in on the argument and then stomps off in separate directions. No wonder she chooses to follow the Doctor.
Proving he’s learned from his mistakes with Rose, he answers all of her questions about his species and even proves to her that he can travel in time. After a brief trip in the TARDIS, he steps back out with his tie off.
Amazed at the TARDIS, she asks if the Doctor has a crew. “There was recently a friend of mine, Rose, her name was, Rose, and we were together, anyway… With her family, happy. She’s fine. Not that you’re replacing her…” He insists Martha is only getting one trip.
It’s at this moment where I things went wrong with Martha. Yes, there is a sizeable portion of the Fandom supports the change as part of the normal workings of this show, but to lose Rose the way we did means another sizable portion of us is still hurting. Rose was in love with the Doctor, and, as admitted by Julie Gardner, (and since she’s one of the producers, I believe her) he loved Rose. Therefore, the banter Martha has about him kissing her and then wearing a tight suit and asking her out on a date is cringe-worthy. It’s too fast for those of us still in mourning for Rose. When Martha jokes that she only goes for humans, there was a chance to salvage it, but it’s killed by her expression that clearly she doesn’t mean it.
After such an awesome introduction, to ruin it by shoehorning her into the same flirty relationship he had with Rose is a disservice to the character. In “The Runaway Bride” Donna specifically said he needed someone to “stop” him, not anything more. Since that was her Meta moment, she’s definitely right and Martha’s clever enough to fulfill that role. She is a different character and needed a different relationship with the Doctor. Whether one likes Martha or not, one has to agree she’s had a difficult time being accepted. The way I see it, a good portion of that animosity can be traced back to this moment. Feel free to disagree with me, just do it nicely or I'll cry. In fact, I'd love to know how do you solve a problem like Martha? She's really made of awesome, so what happened?
The episode ends with the TARDIS having a bumpy ride into their future, or should I say past?
delicious
digg
yahoo
Stumble this
Technorati Tags:
