Doctor Who: Family of Blood (Episode 309/3009)

Because I’ve seen him. He’s like fire and ice and rage. He’s like the night and the storm and the heart of the sun. He’s ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of time and he can see the turn of the universe.
And he’s wonderful.

Like Cordelia’s simple but eloquent declaration of love to her father, Lear, it’s the most truthful description of the Doctor ever given. It’s said by Tim at a moment when, like the Shakespearean tragedy, the listener does not want to hear it. Unlike Lear, and like what I said last week that there’s one crucial difference between John Smith and the Doctor, there’s another crucial difference between Lear and John Smith’s reactions. It’s that reaction, that decision, which can change everything.

Of course, this event will come much later. Right now, back to the beginning of “Family of Blood.”

After a brief overview of what happened in “Human Nature,” I wonder if it’s egotistical of me to recommend reading my recap – as it’s far more detailed than the exactly 60 second review we’re given here. Although, considering it’s only 1 minute, it gets across the main points rather well.

The opening credits run and we’re back at the cliffhanger moment, when John Smith must choose between the lives of Martha and Joan. Fortunately, he never has to make that decision as Tim momentarily opens the watch, giving Martha time to gain the upper hand over Jenny/Mother.

Martha has a showdown with the family of aliens, and she wins with her argument: “scared and holding a gun, not a good combination.” The aliens may be psychopathic killing machines, but they are inherently logical. They release Joan and Martha orders everyone out of the room.

This whole time, John Smith stands there, unable to properly function, and it’s Joan who takes the lead, ushering everyone out.

Only once everyone else is safe, does John Smith realize that Martha’s put herself in an impossible situation. She’s forfeit her life for the good of everyone else as there’s no hope for escape. For all Martha’s been through with the Doctor, I believe this is the moment that she realizes not only what choice John Smith would have made but also that the Doctor is never going to return her feelings. She orders him to see Joan to safety. What’s worse is that after a moment’s hesitation, he does leave her. No matter what anyone may think of Martha, it’s an utterly admirable sacrificial act.

Martha only manages to get away because of the scuffle over the gun and is shocked to find John Smith and Joan still outside the dance hall. “You’re rubbish as a human!” Martha yells at him. Martha wins this year’s “most effective use of understatement” award.

Most of the family heads off to the school, while the father heads off to find what secrets Martha was hiding. Once there, Baines sends the sister into the school for surveillance. She gleefully skips to her duty. In the plethora of creepy kids that have ever been on television, this girl is definitely one of the creepiest. Wednesday Addams would think twice before taking this girl on.

At the school, John Smith finally makes a decision and it’s one that appalls both Joan and Martha. He awakens the entire school and tells the boys to take arms. Essentially, he’s just put an army of children between him and the Family of Blood. The headmaster surprises me as once the story of the killings in the town is confirmed by Joan, he’s also all right with sending children off to die for him. My real question is why aren’t the adults, those in charge, taking weapons as well?

To give the headmaster, a little bit of credit, he does order the police be called and heads outside to investigate – although without taking a weapon. Even when Martha tells him it isn’t safe, the headmaster dismisses her. The man is so inherently full of himself, that he can’t trust the very practical advice from someone who witnessed the carnage and I’m not sure if it’s because she’s female or because she isn’t white. Not that it matters as either one of those reasons makes you a prick.

Martha heads off, with Joan at her heels, in search of the watch. I know it isn’t supposed to be funny, but they run right by Tim, who is huddled in the corner holding the aforementioned watch. It’s not like he’s invisible or anything. For a watch, it’s certainly talkative, as it’s telling Tim, “Hold me.”

The headmaster confronts the Baines, Jenny and the army of scarecrows. Again, his inflated sense of self importance gets in the way of anything useful, as he blames the entire mess on feminine wiles orders them to cease and desist. Yeah, like “Respect mah authority!” is going to work.

Baines lays out the demand. He and his “Family of Blood” want Mr. Smith and they brought with them a straw army to help them achieve the goal. Either ridiculously foolish, or too full of pride (although, those two things do go nicely together when looking at faults in war) the headmaster reminds Baines that the school is armed.

“All your little tin soldiers,” Baines smirks. Giving the headmaster a glimpse into the future, Baines tells him of World War I and all the little boys he’s training “falling down in the mud.” The entire scene creeps me out, as my great-grandfather was blinded at Passchendaele from doing exactly that.

The headmaster blunders through, justifying teaching children war is honourable, but Baines, in the great private school tradition, counters in this debate with his own infallible argument. He kills the science teacher, Mr. Philips, sending the headmaster running back into the school for safety.

Horrified, John Smith watches from the window.

Inside, orders are given to fortify the school and while that is being done, Draco finds Tim, and drags him out to do his duty. The alien girl watches the boys prepare, through a window. In what I’m sure must be an editing mistake, while the girl is looking out the window, it appears to be raining, even though, it isn’t. Nice catch there, continuity people!

Both armies, the boys at the school, and the scarecrows, prepare to fight. I’m pretty sure the use of a scarecrow army is supposed to be symbolic of how all armies are taught to see their enemies, but it’s a little too obvious subtle for me. Sadly though, the school is clearly outnumbered.

Inside the school, the family’s spy, the daughter or theirs, is determined to find out what John Smith is hiding.

Speaking of what he’s hiding, Martha’s frantically looking for the watch, while also trying to explain the Doctor to Joan. For the record, Martha is far kinder than I ever would be in that situation. Clutching John Smith’s “Journal of Impossible Things,” Joan tries to find fault with Martha’s assurances that everything in it is real, by saying that Martha would never be permitted to train as a doctor, being both a female and not white. Unfortunately, it’s a valid argument by 1913 standards. Trying to prove Joan is wrong, Martha recites the bones of the hand. Personally, after everything she’s had to take in the past two episodes, I’m surprised she didn’t try to prove it by demonstrating open heart surgery on John Smith, without anesthetic.

Afraid that the man she knows and loves isn’t the man she though, Joan runs off to focus on taking care of the soon to be wounded boys. Now she knows how Martha feels.

To make things even worse, the father of the post-nasal drip aliens has found the TARDIS. I’d like to point out here that when the aliens communicate telepathically, the aliens turn green. That must go along with the post-nasal drip.

Back at the school, Joan proves to herself, once and for all, that everything Martha said was true. She quizzes John Smith on his childhood in Nottingham, and for all the TARDIS can do to make up a background, what it can’t give authentic childhood memories. Maybe she should ask Baines about Nottingham as the actor, Harry Lloyd, knows all about it.

Even John Smith is beginning to doubt himself, as when he asks her if she doesn’t think he’s real, he sounds more like he’s pleading for everything not to be true, instead of reassuring Joan. John Smith may not be real, but Joan is certain of one thing, that neither the Doctor, nor John Smith, would want to put the lives of the boys in the school, ahead of his own.

Outside, Tim is trying to explain to Draco about his visions of them in battle together in the future. Instead of taking any for of comfort in the fact he’s going to survive the battle at the school, Draco’s all “WTF?” Using Draco’s confusion, Tim runs off with the watch replying to Draco’s accusations he’s a coward, “Yes sir, every time.” Umm, I may be hearing things, but isn’t that the Doctor’s line?

The watch is not only talkative, but gives excellent advice to Tim, as it warns him of the little girl’s impending arrival. She takes a sniff and demands to know what Tim is hiding. Careful what you ask for, little girl, as Tim opens the watch, and we get a flashback to “The Runaway Bride,” just after the Doctor committed genocide.

While Tim’s actions scare the girl away, it does tell the Family of Blood where to find their dinner of essence of Time Lord so that they can live forever. Now that they have a purpose, Baines orders the army of scarecrows to attack. I’m not entirely convinced that was the brightest idea there, Tim.

As the army tries to break into the school, all the little boys look terrified. John Smith, on the other hand, looks more like the Doctor than ever, even though he’s holding a weapon. Of course, he doesn’t look like the Doctor when he’s joking; it’s more of the genocidal look we saw moments earlier.

The brief battle commences. Many of the boys are crying and cringing as they’re taking down the army of scarecrows. John Smith looks around at all his pupils, and lowers his gun in what I think is a mixture of horror and shame that he is directly responsible for both putting the boys in danger, and teaching them how to kill.

In the background, a boys’ choir sings “To Be A Pilgrim.” I’m a dedicated pacifist so this kind of stuff always upsets me.

Draco, much like his counterpart I named him after, is relieved to learn the army is only straw and that he didn’t kill anyone. You know at that moment the kid’s fairly sure he’s not capable of it. The headmaster, in a pitiful moment of representing the old “values” of war (if such a thing can be said), sees the alien daughter and tries to offer her safety in the school, not heeding Martha’s warning the girl is dangerous. For that, he is killed. I know it’s a comment on today’s version of war, all these child soldiers, but I admit, I’ve only ever seen this scene once, and every other time I’ve watched, I’ve covered my eyes like a little kid afraid of the dark. Go ahead, laugh at me just not too much, okay?. This must be how Tim feels, knowing and dreading what’s coming.

As the daughter dares the boys to shoot her, John Smith does the most sensible thing possible, and orders them all to retreat. It’s not the most dignified retreat, as the boys run all wily-nily through and out of the school after Baines fires his weapon. Of course, the family is much more organized, as they systematically go through each boy they catch, looking for the watch. Just as Draco is checked, shocked that his own personal Crabbe (Baines) is defying him, Tim opens the watch, saving the boys from certain execution but escapes out the same window Baines left through earlier, before the family can catch him.

As for Joan, she’s learning what it’s like to be the Doctor’s companion, as she’s done a hell of a lot of running for a proper lady in 1913. But before Martha, Joan and the Doctor can escape, the family has one more surprise for him; they’ve brought the TARDIS to the school, as a hostage. At first, he tries denial, but even Joan’s now accepted the truth about John Smith.

“I’m John Smith. That’s all I want to be is John Smith with his life and his job and his love. Why can’t I be John Smith? Isn’t he a good man?” Even though it is John Smith talking; it’s the Doctor’s sentiment. As for what John Smith is scared of, “Who am I then, nothing? I’m just a story?” The reason John Smith / The Doctor looks so torn here is because there are two different people fighting for control in the same body and both of them are not who they want to be.

While John Smith is having an identity crisis, the Family of Blood is certain they have everyone right where they need them to be, and if they’re not, they’ll use their ship to blast everyone into eternity.

Joan’s taken control of the situation, as she’s found a place to hide, the Cartwright cottage. The daughter of the Family of Blood, formerly known as Lucy Cartwright, murdered her parents.

As Joan, John Smith and Martha sit there, unable to do something, John Smith takes his inner rage out on Martha, demanding she justify herself as the Doctor’s companion. “He’s lonely,” Martha replies, terrifying John Smith even more. As a human, he’s got a job, a woman who loves him and the respect of his students. As the Doctor, he loses people the way a Laundromat loses matching socks.

The twist of fate they needed comes in the form of Tim, who has arrived with the watch in tow. He tries to explain why he’d been hiding it, but launches into the speech with which I began this recap. While I could always be glib, I’ve already mentioned several times the complete lack of funny and this is one of those moments. How Tim describes the Doctor is truthful. Donna hinted at it and Martha’s been too enamored with him to see it. It took a friendless boy, in 1913, who doesn’t want to fight nor finds glory in all the things his classmates do, to answer the question that has plagued this series since 1963; who exactly is the Doctor? It even beats the Ninth Doctor’s description of himself in "Rose." How do you know I’m being completely serious? I implied something about Eccleston wasn’t perfect. Dude, it hurt to do that.

The family of blood starts blasting holes into the pastoral British landscape, and John Smith takes a hold of the watch. After a momentary glimpse into the Doctor’s persona – by prattling on explaining why Tim can hear the watch, which I’m surprised didn’t have some reference to Shakespeare in there , John Smith is appalled. He’s appalled by how the Doctor talks and how the Doctor didn’t once consider that he might fall in love.

As Martha certainly isn’t going to bring Rose into the equation, she dismisses John Smith’s assertions that she’ll execute the human for the Doctor, and confesses that she does love the Doctor. Martha, my dear, this speech is really convincing, but it does sort of come across like you’re offering a trade – Joan’s love for hers.

John Smith isn’t buying the trade either, as he decides to give the aliens the watch, instead of himself. For Joan, who has been reading through the Journal of Impossible Things, the entire time, she finally steps in. She won’t see the universe end in destruction, and she asks for a moment with John Smith, to help him out of his paralyzing fear. I’m not sure if it’s the Doctor, or John Smith who weeps in her arms for the life he isn’t going to have.

Outside, Martha and Tim watch as bombs drop on the village.

Inside, Joan wishes she could trade herself for John Smith, but realizes, once the watch is opened, her new love is gone forever. She curses the watch as she takes it from him, but something, however brief, is given to John Smith / The Doctor. He’s given glimpses into the life he would have had with her. He sees their marriage, their children and even his own death, at a ripe old age and clearly content with his lot in life. And if I can digress for a moment, David Tennant with a baby is totally the sexiest thing I’ve seen on television this summer and I watched all of So You Think You Can Dance. Yes, even sexier than Pasha from Russia.

The vision of the future is also clear to Joan, and she understands the Doctor could never have a life like the one they shared in less than 10 seconds but despite that, doesn’t ask John Smith to stay. It’s because she’s self-sacrificing for the greater good, but not for the village that day. The way I see it, she has a different interpretation of John Smith’s last question, “They’re all safe, aren’t they, the children, the grandchildren?” It’s a glimpse of the future all right, but not as peaceful as we think. She’s read the journal. She knows if the Doctor doesn’t return, and the family of blood is given the watch, eventually, they’ll be back. I may be pulling stuff out of thin air here, but that’s what I think was happening in John Smith’s death scene.

As for John Smith, he’s made his decision.

Blundering onto the alien ship, John Smith pleads for the bombings to stop. While he’s pleading, he’s hitting all sorts of buttons and other such things. It’s at this moment I figure out what is really going on, but the Family of Blood is still clueless. The watch is handed over and only once they open it, does the family realize it’s empty.

The Doctor fooled them, and they bought it as he tripped around their ship, pressing all sorts of buttons causing it to overload. Tim may have given us the truth behind who the Doctor really is, but there’s one thing we all know, it’s that if he sees a bunch of threatening looking buttons, he’s going to press them.

The Doctor does give the family one last piece of advice, something he’s said many times before, “run!”

The ship explodes, and now the Family of Blood meets something even more terrifying than themselves and their army of scarecrows, the Doctor’s wrath. The son, Baines, made a realization; the Doctor hid from his family out of kindness. That kindness was preventing them from knowing the curse of what it is to live forever. Since the Family of Blood didn’t accept his kindness, he hands out punishments so terrible, that I didn’t even realize that we aren’t given a single explanation as to how they’re possible. They’re just too terrible for anyone to want to put that much thought into how it could be done. He ties the father in unbreakable chains and throws him into a star. He tosses the mother into a collapsing universe. The daughter is hidden in all mirrors, as that shadow we can always see moving behind us. As for Baines, he’s replaced his army, as a scarecrow watching over the fields where the Doctor and Joan took their long walk.

The Doctor usually doesn’t stick around to clean up messes, but he makes an exception for Joan. At first, she tries to keep her dignity by masking her pain with manners, but has difficulty accepting that John Smith and the Doctor look the same. They just wear different suits and shoes. She even stands at the other end of the room, hoping distance will help.

Joan refuses the Doctor’s offer to travel with him, the offer to try again. She’s found the one thing that can truly help separate The Doctor from the man she loved, and it’s not the suit or the shoes, or the quick and egotistical way he speaks. She’s learned the crucial difference I pointed out at the beginning. Once, when the Doctor was asked about himself, he answered, “Coward, every time.”

“He was braver than you in the end, that ordinary man.” Joan says. “You chose to change. He chose to die.” She finally dismisses him by reminding him that if the Doctor hadn’t chosen her school, on a whim, all the deaths to those in her beloved school and town, would never have happened. Ouch.

Sadly, Joan’s still in mourning for John Smith, as she picks up the Journal of Impossible Things, holds it, and cries.

The Doctor has one more woman he needs to appease and considering how the last one went, he’s probably a bit worried. Pulling his usual trick of refusing to talk about things that upset him, he dismisses all of Martha’s questions, insisting it’s time they left. She tries to blunder through an awkward explanation of her declaration of love, claiming it was just a ploy to get him to change.

The Doctor, showing, for once, an uncanny ability to understand women, lets her get away with it and we have a big hug fest. That’s another big difference between the Doctor and John Smith; the Doctor is an excellent hugger.

The hug is interrupted by Tim, who wants to thank them for all their help. He also wants to thank them as he’s now accepted that, for all his desire not to fight, he will have to in the upcoming war. Martha’s afraid he’ll be hurt. “So could you,” Tim scoffs, “traveling around with him but it’s not going to stop you!” I love this kid. Someone give him his own show, please? Maybe the Doctor, since Joan refused, could take Tim along for a bit? This kid is the wisest person ever, and yes, I’m including the Doctor in that blanket statement. Instead of giving him a TARDIS key though, the Doctor gives him the pocket watch.

Martha and the Doctor say their good-byes, and leave in the TARDIS.

As the Doctor’s voiceover gives us a brief history of the outbreak of World War I, we watch Tim and Draco make their way through muddy battle lines. Looking at the pocket watch, Tim realizes that the bomb he saw in the vision back at the school is about to fall and the pair get out of the way in time. More determined than ever to survive, Tim reassures the terrified Draco, whilst pulling him out of the line of fire.

Years later, an elderly Tim, sits in a wheelchair at a Veterans’ memorial service. The minister is reading Laurence Binyon’s “For the Fallen.” As Tim holds the pocket watch, he looks up to see the Doctor and Martha watching in the distance, wearing poppies.

Tim smiles while he cries and I can see in the old man the young Tim. The camera pans back to reveal that there are only three elderly veterans at the service. The minister recites “…and in the morning, we will remember them.” This kind of stuff always gets to me, as the fewer veterans there are, the more history repeats itself because unlike in the poem, not everyone remembers them in the morning.

And thus ends the best two episodes we’re going to get this season. That isn’t to say next week’s episode isn’t a worthy successor but these are everything that Doctor Who has to offer – drama, social commentary, and the range of genuine human emotions, done to the best of their ability.

Except the funny – that’s coming back next week, accompanied by moments of abject terror. I will warn you about one thing in the next episode.

Don’t blink or you're dead.