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| The Story |
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The Doctor is running away from a family of beings known only as The Family of Blood. Worse still, they can traverse the boundaries of space of time and chase him forever.
In order to throw them off the scent, the Doctor tells Martha to trust him, before becoming Human. The TARDIS takes them to a boys school in 1913 - the year before the first World War. The Doctor, now known only as John Smith, and his maid Martha, have to lay low for a few months. The person that was the Doctor now only exists in John Smith's bizarre dreams and inside a pocket watch. But the watch goes missing and soon the family catch up with the Doctor. He's faced with a choice - Martha or his new love Joan? Luckily, Latimer opens the watch, which gives Martha time to grab one of the family's weapons and point it at Baines. The family put down their weapons, giving Martha and the others time to escape. They retreat to the school. As they being to fortify it, the family discover the whereabouts of the TARDIS. After Mr Smith calls an end to the battle, he retreats from the school alongside Joan and Martha. They hide in a cottage. Moments later, Tim Latimer arrives with the precious pocket watch. It is up to the stubborn Mr Smith to hold it and change back into the Doctor as the family begin to bombard the village. |
| Memorable Quotes |
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Joan: It's all becoming clear now. The Doctor is the man you'd like to be. Doing impossible things with Cricket balls.
John Smith: My father Sidney was a watch maker from Nottingham and my mother Verity was, well, she was a nurse actually. Baines: Which one of them do you want us to kill? Maid or Matron? Your friend or your lover? Tim: 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 a Sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of the Universe. And he's wonderful. Baines: We'll blast them into dust. Then, fuse the dust into glass. Then, shatter them all over again! Doctor: 'Cos if there's one thing you shouldn't have done: you shouldn't have let me press all those buttons! |
| Editor's Review |
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Wow! That was an outstanding episode. I think that Human Nature is the best new Who story since The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances it's an absolute corker of an episode.
There are so many mysteries surrounding the episode: Who is Tim Latimer really? He seems to have seen Martha somewhere else; what do the family of blood want with the Doctor;
and how will Martha deal with the situation?
The acting is top notch and even the Doctor's near death experience didn't put me off (I figured that a total re-write of his DNA was bound to be very painful!). This is an adaptation of a Seventh Doctor book named Human Nature (which you can read here), so it has that feel of Classic Who. I think I've found the reason why series two just wasn't up to series one's standards - we needed a great Paul Cornell story! Another brilliant episode which equals the quality of the first. Baines is proving to be a very ruthless and brilliantly realised character as we learn that John Smith is a very stubbor man who fears this Doctor persona he apparently has. The ending was quite moving also as we see the Doctor and Martha revisit Tim as an old man. This story deserves a BAFTA! (Dan Ludlow) |