The Family of Blood (2)

Season 3, Episode 9, Aired
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Episode Summary

Location: A boys' boarding school
Date: 1913
Enemies: The Family of Blood, Scarecrow Soldiers

With the Doctor still human, only Martha can help. The watch is still missing, and the Family of Blood will do anything to get their hands on a Time Lord...
9.1
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Fan Episode Reviews (24)

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  • "Family of blood" was, at times, excellent. The action with the young military students being called to action a year earlier than history intended - was amazing. However there is a "But" coming....moreless

    6.5
    "Fair"
    By rickyn2, Sep 29, 2011 Report Abuse
    The scenes with the Doctor in his human form having to decide on his future path Human or Timelord were touching. I have said previously I do not believe he would ever have become human in the first place - he is not only a Timelord he is the Timelord. Would he really have given that up? However, this decision is different. Can he now give up something he has always, at some level, desired? To progress, to live, to grow old and ultimately die; a normal human existence. The ending destroyed the episode for me. It was well done; I just did not believe it. If he is anything, the Doctor is compassionate and caring. That's why he does what he does when he stumbles across trouble through time and space does he run and hide? No, he stays and saves the day! Ok, would not be much of a show if he didn't, but that's not the point. He has struggled with his conscience so often through the years. He even doubted he had the right to destroy the Daleks. Has he really become so cold? If they were that easy to beat why was he running so scared at the start of the story? Why was he so scared he chose to become human, so he could hide from them? To be kind, so he didn't have to kill them? I just do not buy it - sorry.moreless

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    3 6

  • So-so...

    7.3
    "Good"
    By histnerd, Nov 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    I really liked "Human Nature" (the previous episode), but this just didn't work for me. It was a little too scattered. And maybe I'm just picky but John Smith was working my very last nerve. I agree with Martha he's "rubbish as a human." I mean what are we supposed to do with that? I was so happy when the Doctor started coming back I didn't know what to do with myself. And that little kid who was mildly telepathic, whatever. Also, I really did not feel how everyone was either using or talking down to Martha. Her character was completely pushed to the side. Almost, sort of, even by the Doctor. And I was not happy when he invited Nurse Redfern to be his companion (how would that work!?). With Martha all in love with him and stuff. But I REALLY love Jessica Hynes, so much that I can't even hate any character she plays, not even Redfern (at least not much). And the son in the Family of Blood was just way too much for me. So off base. How happy was I too see Martha back in her jeans, leather jacket, and ponytail? ECSTATIC! Martha saved the episode for me. LOVES HER!!!!!
    Anyway, at least it's over. Can't wait for BBCAmerica to start playing season 2 AND Torchwood. YAY!!!!moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 3

  • While extolling the many virtues of Human Nature last week, I speculated that we might be celebrating the arrival of the best Doctor Who story since the series returned if Part Two, The Family Of Blood, was of similar quality. So. Was it? Let's discuss.moreless

    8.9
    "Great"
    By vbkzlfie, Nov 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    Firstly, how the story panned out . . .

    John Smith, the human manifestation of The Doctor hiding in a village in Edwardian England, and Martha are being pursued by the malevolent Family Of Blood, a murderous race who want the essence of a Time Lord to extend their lives.

    Martha is desperately trying to convince a confused Smith that the time-and-space-travelling adventurer of his subconscious, The Doctor, is his true form, and she needs him to return to defeat The Family - but she needs to find the stolen fob watch which contains his life patterns.

    The boy who stole the watch, Tim Latimer, brings it to them in a deserted house, and even Smith's girlfriend, the matron, Joan, believes Martha to be speaking the truth. Smith is faced with the personal dilemma of opening the watch, in the knowledge that he would most likely cease to exist. He decides to make that sacrifice, and The Doctor destroys The Family's spaceship and gives them the immortality they crave - in a form that they can never do any harm to anyone else.

    The Doctor asks Joan to travel with him in the TARDIS, but she rejects him as a result of his role in the death of many innocent villagers.

    Young Latimer, with the power of foresight given to him by the watch, narrowly escapes death in The Great War, and goes on to live a long life. The Doctor and Martha return to Earth to visit him as an old man before continuing their travels.

    Now, that rough outline of the second episode perhaps doesn't sound that special - but there was so much more beneath the surface that made this one of the finest written and acted characterisation pieces in any Doctor Who.

    There were so many great scenes. Early in the episode, there was Martha battling to hold off The Family on her own with their laser gun. This was a great story for Martha, with more to do in two episodes than some previous companions had to do in two series! Without "The Doctor" for most of it, she was left to effectively take the lead against a more-advanced race, and had to cope with her own feelings of hurt that her beloved Doctor in his human form had fallen for another woman.

    Plenty for Freema Agyeman to get her teeth into, and she didn't fail to deliver. If, as rumours have it, her first series is also to her last, that would be a sad loss to the show. I think both actress and character still have much to offer.

    Another extraordinary scene was the scarecrow soldiers' attack on the school, defended by armed pupils. The sight of pre-teenage boys firing rifles at their assailants was a chilling reminder that lads of not much older went off to war in real life in that time period and, in fact, still do today all over the world.

    From a filming perspective, it was one of many superbly-realised action scenes overseen by director Charles Palmer, who has made a big impression this season, and we'll hopefully see more of his work in Series 4. It rather reminded me of a brutal scene in the first episode of Genesis Of The Daleks, which saw men in gasmasks being gunned down in a trench, and made a vivid impression on this young man of eight or nine in 1975.

    Curiously, although the scarecrows were made of straw, seeing their innards splatter out as they were shot was surprisingly effective. It sounds like a funny scene, though was anything but, and the excellent direction and lighting was a large contributory factor here.

    The scary scarecrows themselves worked marvellously well throughout the two parts. From Ailsa Berk's clever "lolloping" choreography to the malevolent tilting of the head to the actual design, they were a triumph. The production team could have got them very wrong, but they were very right.

    Also "very right" was John Smith being given a foretaste (via the watch) of what his human life could be like - through marriage and children until death. This was the life The Doctor can never have (and, deep down, doesn't really want as "he could have changed back"). Making David Tennant up as an old man was another great job from Niall Gorton and his prosthetics team, as it was with Mark Gatiss in The Lazarus Experiment.

    The closing scene of The Doctor and Martha returning to Earth to visit the elderly Latimer was touching, but perhaps the finest scene of the episode - and maybe the entire series - was The Doctor meeting Joan after despatching The Family.

    This was a significant scene because it clearly showed the arrogant side of The Doctor. Having been partly responsible for the devastation which befell this innocent village upon which he descended, he then assumes Joan will be grateful for the opportunity to travel with him in the TARDIS - and without any mention of poor Martha, who has constantly risked her life to save him. Joan's quiet and dignified dismissal of him with a "you can go now" was an even better put-down than Jackie Tyler's slap of the ninth incarnation.

    Superb stuff from Jessica Hynes as Joan - I think she would have made a fascinating short-term companion - and David Tennant was absolutely immense here again, in his dual roles as John Smith and The Doctor. And it was the former which was arguably the more likeable of the two in this episode. The portrayal of Smith's struggle to grasp what was going on and then make the decision to give up his life enabled Tennant to underline the range of his ability.

    I'm rather inclined to gloss over rather unconvincing elements of the plot, notably The Family's sudden demise. Having The Doctor "just press buttons" on their spaceship to make it blow up was a slight let down, and you could argue that the whole premise of the story was rather elaborate if The Doctor could just revert to Time Lord status, and had the power to confine The Family to "a life sentence" straight away.

    That said, I wouldn't be up all night worrying about things like that when there was so much to enjoy. The idea of "giving those who seek immortality what they wish for" was actually explored at the end of The Five Doctors. It's a rather-chilling prospect, and the little girl trapped in the mirror was another intriguing concept.

    There was a nice nod for fans with a snatch of Ring O' Roses (as accompanied a similarly-malevolent little girl from Remembrance Of The Daleks) and a reminder that a fanboy runs this show! And is making a pretty fine job of it . . .

    This was the best story of David Tennant's tenure as The Doctor for me, and possibly the finest since Caves Of Androzani. Nine and a half out of 10, and surely even the blinkin' majestic Steven Moffat can't top this little gem next week. Can he?moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    3 2

  • With the Family now aware of the Doctor's hidden identity, the school must defend itself from the coming onslaught. It's soon clear, however, that they need the Doctor back. But can John Smith really give up the life he has?moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Scorptilicus, May 06, 2008 Report Abuse
    Possibly the best two-parter since the end of the first year, and at least as good as Army of Ghosts/Doomsday last year. By far one of the best performances by DT that I've seen, which is saying something since he tends to turn in brilliant performances week in and week out. The story with Smith and Joan was just ripe for tragedy and that was lovely, if a bit difficult to watch. The little montage of his life was a nice touch. It reminded me of "Father's Day" when the Doctor noted he'd never have a night like the one where the couple had first met ("2 in the morning. Street corner..."). And Joan's question to him at the end really hits home. Usually one gets the feeling that the TARDIS is finding these places of badness and taking our hero there, but this is one of those times where he really brought it with him. It's part of the darkness of being the Doctor. Fortunately, the Doctor provides us with plenty of levity to more than balance that out.

    One more thing I'd like to say about this one was I enjoyed the message about the tragedy of the boys being exposed to war. It's the sad truth of our world that such young men throughout history have seen such brutal things and this episode really drives that home. Maybe even a bit unsubtly. But it's still a good message.moreless

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    1 0

  • a most wonderful double episode ("human nature" and "family of blood")

    10
    "Perfect"
    By emma5000, Feb 25, 2008 Report Abuse
    the double episode of human nature" and family of blood" has been really amazing because it showed a completely new face of the doctor and took quite some time to explain what was actually going on, why the doctor would be a changed person and martha would have to live in an environment where she was treated like dirt. the explaination though was brilliant. to be honest, i didn't care too much about the school story but more about the interaction between john smith" and martha and joan. what happened there was so heartbreaking at times. martha unnoticed by john smith" as much as she is unnoticed by the doctor, in one reality because she wouldn't fit his sociological pattern in the other because he would still mourn for another woman he has lost. it was wonderful but then again really sad to see the doctor so happy, not having to carry so much weight on his shoulders, just living a normal life and by that maybe something he's been dreaming of: settling down, falling in love, ... . the scenes where he wanted to know why he couldn't just be john smith" and asked martha if she wanted him to be lonely, broke my heart. There have been a few scenes before where he spoke about his loneliness and about how he would survive all the people he loved but this one was the most touching. it's good to know that inside the doctor there is a john smith" and he shows quite often in the actions and in the behaviour of the doctor but then again, it's tragic how much the doctor would like to be him, to settle down, find peace, have a family, get over loneliness and dare falling in love (one of the most touching scenes is when martha tells him that he hadn't given instruction for the latter and john smith" is shaken because it hadn't occured to the doctor considering it) and it was scary to see how much darkness lies in him as well. those episodes have been plain beautiful and brilliant, teaching us so much about the doctor and about how much martha cares for him ...moreless

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    2 1
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Unlike previous episodes, there is no scientific explanation of the punishments placed on the family (trapping in a mirror, fixed as a scarecrow). Edit
    • The Family were all rewarded with a form of immortality, but not the form they were seeking. This is not the first time a Timelord has rewarded a quest for immortality with eternal imprisonment. In The Five Doctors, in the original series, Rassilon rewarded anyone that sought immortality with a place as a stone carving on his tomb. Edit
    • Baines: He wrapped my father in unbreakable chains forged in the heart of a dwarf star. The last time that dwarf star alloy was mentioned was in the Fourth Doctor story Warriors' Gate, the slaver ship was constructed from it. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Airdates:
      Turkey: December 26, 2010 on CNBC-e Edit
    • Overnight viewing figures for this episode were 6.6 million, with a final viewing figure of 7.21 million. Edit
    • Joan Redfern is another who has declined the offer of travelling with the Doctor. Others who have also declined the offer are Dr. Grace Holloway in Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), Mikey Smith in World War Three [Season 1, Episode 5](2005) and Donna Noble in The Runaway Bride (2006) Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Martha: Because I love him to bits, and I hope to God he won't remember me saying that. Edit
    • Martha: I'm training to be a doctor. Not an alien doctor, a proper doctor, a doctor of medicine. Joan: Well, that certainly is nonsense. Women might train to be doctors, but hardly a skivvy and hardly one of your colour. Martha: Oh, d'you think? (holds up hand) Bones of the hand. Carpal bones, proximal row: scaphoid, lunate, triquetral, pisiform. Distal row: trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate. Then the metacarpal bones, extending in three distinct phalanges: proximal, middle, distal. Joan: You read that in a book. Martha: Yes, to pass my exams! Edit
    • Latimer: I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you, because I've seen the future and now know what must be done. It's coming, isn't it? The biggest war ever. Martha: You don't have to fight. Latimer: I think we do. Martha: You could get hurt. Latimer: Well, so could you, travelling round with him, but it's not going to stop you. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Hutchinson: Coward! Tim Latimer: Oh, yes, sir, every time. This is similar to the response given by the Ninth Doctor to the Dalek Emperor ("Coward, every time!") in "Parting of the Ways" Edit
    • John Smith: So what am I then? Nothing? I'm just a story? Subtle self-reference: John Smith worries that he is just a story, whereas Doctor Who actually is a story. Edit
    • Joan: Can you change back? The Doctor: Yes. Joan: Will you? The Doctor: No. This is very similar to what the Doctor said to Rose in the Children in Need special of 2005.
      Rose: Can you change back? The Doctor: Do you want me to? Rose: Yeah. The Doctor: Oh. Rose: Can you? The Doctor: No. Edit

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