The Family of Blood (2909/309)

[Reefgirl]

Very much so, a few people have commented on the similarities

[BruTak]

And doesn't Russel T. Davis look like he's been animated by Aardman Studios (it's the teeth y'see)?

"It's the wrong TARDIS Gromit!"

[Tanduay]

There was even a distinct whiff of shippyness about New Captain Scarlet.

Capt. Scarlet fancied the pants off Destiny Angel. While Capt. Blue obviously had a thing for sexy communications officer Lt. Green (who's a girl in the new series BTW).

What? what? what? A new captain scarlet? I am a bit off the beaten track here in the Philippines. Have you some links?

[BruTak]

Here's a link to the Wikipedia page -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_captain_scarlet


What DVD Region is the Phillipenes BTW? You should be able to get both seasons of the show on DVD.

[Pitry]

Beautiful.

I just loev DT as an actor - but it's episodes liek this when I feel I'm still not giving him enough credit. He was so brilliant - and the best part was that I didn't even notice just how much the Doctor and John Smith are differnet til he made the switch.

Fangirling over David Tennant aside, this episode was brilliant in just about every respect. I adore it.

Martha-wise, BTW, it's not just that she's aware theDocotr will never feel for her what she feels for him - she does want to see him happy, cue the scene in the end when he comes back and she asks him if he wants her to go and tlak to Joan. That wuol show that the key to their relationship is friendship and trust, rather than her being in love with him. It'd have killed her had Joan said yes adn joined them, prolly, but she was willing to have it.

The endnig... eek, yup, that was great. The coldness of the Doctor and his punishment of the family - and yeah, the "he was being kind" bit... loved it.

I don't think Baines thought it was revenge either. It was more along the lines of "the Doctor held out as long as he could but we forced his hand".

Yeah, I think so too

And I must say, they're going an extra length this year to show how much of an alien he can be at times - I think that "I can be everything Jophn Smith was" commen tot Joan was just about as insensitive as the "Riose would know" comment in the Shakespeare Code. Sometimes you jsut wanna smack him, dontcha....

Oooh, and "Baines, Jeremy Baines" gets the best villian of the millenium award. Loved him. To bits.

[lord-anubis]

Every time complaints about shippiness are mentioned, American audiences get blamed.

i was just about to say some thing about that. all most every time i come here to post about ep i see some one blames us for the shippiess. I don't like the ship stuff with martha either. i think its just how shows are now i don't understand doing just so it well do better in america. the people who really like that stuff mostly likey wouldent want to watch doctor who. so it be a waste of time to try to get them to watch just by puting more romace in it.

I think that's what the Baines VO at the end meant when he said that by hiding from them, he was being kind. He could have defeated them all along, could have done something horrible to each of them, as he eventually did, but he tried to hide and to let them just die out as the option that was kinder to them. They took away that option by tracking him down and forcing him to deal with them permanently.

That was my understanding anyway

thats how i saw it to i loved that sceen it was a bit dark it reminded me of the 7th doctor for some reason its his probly some thing he would do to. also i liked when the kid was explaning the doctor.

He's fire and Ice
And Rage
He's like the night and the storm in 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

[Willow'sCat]

Every time complaints about shippiness are mentioned, American audiences get blamed. Does anyone know for a fact that producers are forced to add romance into their stories, or is it just a suspicion?

There is zero proof if you ask me, it is all the BRITISH SOAPS that are to blame. I mean they took The Bill and turned a good old fashioned 'bobby on the beat' show into the new East-bloody-enders!

I miss the old Bill. Tosh!

[Willow'sCat]

And doesn't Richard Hammond look like David Tennant?

He's fire and Ice
And Rage
He's like the night and the storm in 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

That to me was too close to Buffy's The Slayer speech that Giles would rattle off. I know other shows did similar things so it isn't new, but these days that is all I am reminded of and it felt silly and unnecessary to have it, it felt like something forced, like the show is trying to re-write history, to make it somehow trendy, to give it a mythology it doesn't need. It has it's own mythology without having to re-market it to what... an American audience? *runs away*

I just feel if this is the future of Who, the mythology being more important then the stories you can keep it. It is as annoying as the little spiel at the start of Torchwood was...

[Easter Lily]

And I must say, they're going an extra length this year to show how much of an alien he can be at times - I think that "I can be everything Jophn Smith was" commen tot Joan was just about as insensitive as the "Riose would know" comment in the Shakespeare Code. Sometimes you jsut wanna smack him, dontcha....

I'm probably stating an unpopular opinion here... but I think it's a breath of fresh air from last year's giggling flirtations with Rose.

[Willow'sCat]

I'm probably stating an unpopular opinion here... but I think it's a breath of fresh air from last year's giggling flirtations with Rose.

Yeah but now it just seems like he is playing with her feelings and I don't like that.

[Easter Lily]

Yeah but now it just seems like he is playing with her feelings and I don't like that.

I don't quite see it that way but I can see why others might.

Personally I think it boils down to bad writing and the writers trying to foist some more of this crappy companion loveydovey stuff down our throats.
I like Martha but I don't like the way they just keeping harping on her infatuation with the Doctor. Maybe it's a cruel streak in me but I'm glad the Doctor's keeping his distance.

In that regard, the show could possibly do with some fresh blood... (no pun intended)

[lord-anubis]

That to me was too close to Buffy's The Slayer speech that Giles would rattle off. I know other shows did similar things so it isn't new, but these days that is all I am reminded of and it felt silly and unnecessary to have it, it felt like something forced, like the show is trying to re-write history, to make it somehow trendy, to give it a mythology it doesn't need. It has it's own mythology without having to re-market it to what... an American audience? *runs away*

lol i never did watch buffy i did watch angle for a while but the moved it around to much so i stoped watching. as for the speech i just thought it sounded cool

[Reefgirl]

There is zero proof if you ask me, it is all the BRITISH SOAPS that are to blame. I mean they took The Bill and turned a good old fashioned 'bobby on the beat' show into the new East-bloody-enders!

I miss the old Bill. Tosh!

I'd green you Willow but it won't let me so have an unofficial one
It was never the same after they got rid of Frank Burnside, I officially stopped watching after the fire that got rid of Inspector Munro

[Pitry]

I don't quite see it that way but I can see why others might.

Personally I think it boils down to bad writing and the writers trying to foist some more of this crappy companion loveydovey stuff down our throats.
I like Martha but I don't like the way they just keeping harping on her infatuation with the Doctor. Maybe it's a cruel streak in me but I'm glad the Doctor's keeping his distance.

In that regard, the show could possibly do with some fresh blood... (no pun intended)

See, I have to disagree. I think they (=RTD) knew exactly what they';re doing with the "giggly flirtation" - and put it there on purpose.
They knew Billie Piper was leaving. They decided to draw the maximum out of it. A part of drawing that maximum is to draw the Doctor and Rose as close toe ach other as possible. I've heard more than once hte "they were so smug at some episodes" arguement - and I agree. But I think that was the point. It definitely it in episodes like Feasr Her or The Idiot's Lantern - and especially The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit, from the first moment when they're doing the "maybe we should go someplace else" to all the extra shippiness.

Just liek this year the extra distance the Doctor is keeping from Martha, and the complete unthoughtfulness about him towardfs her - of course its intentional, because they'er also going somewhere with it, methinks.
That Sun spoiler for the end of the series.

Spoiler:

Which is why, while I don't believe Freema Agyeman has been sacked from the show, I do believe she leaves at the end of the series, and I did feel that way fromt he get go. The nature of the relationship between MArtha and the Doctor feels -at least to me - as if he's going to lose her, as well. And I'm willing to eat someone's hat if I'm proven wrong (well, I don't have any hats of my own, sorry.)

As for playign with her feeligns, I don't think that. In order to play with her feeligns he needs to do it on purpose. He can't help it that he's a 900 year old alien who sees humans in a very different way than they'd expect - he lieks her, she's wants to travel with him despite being in love with him and knowing he doesn't love her back, so they settle on the "pretend it doesn;t exist" just like they did at the end of Family of Blood. Whic is the bes thing they can do under the circumstances, cos deciding "oh you're in love with me so I'm gonna drop you back home and ignore yuo ever existed" would be worse, IMO.

[Elinor]

Oooh, and "Baines, Jeremy Baines" gets the best villian of the millenium award. Loved him. To bits.

He was fantastic wasn't he? That's the best baddie Dr. Who has had since...well...since I can remember.

They really need to have him 'return' in a future episode!