Watching Doctor Who

This is the Reaction Post for Doctor Who series four, episode six - The Doctor’s Daughter. I’ve seen the episode only once, but I think that it is safe to tell you that I want to see it again. That’s not too spoilery, is it?

Oh! You wanted to actually talk about the episode, spoilers and all? Well then, why not come and discuss it with me past the spoiler barrier?

I seriously want to watch this episode again. There are so many little bits that I want to think about. Yes, I know I’m obsessed, but seriously. There were so many moments and nuanced bits of performance that I’d like to think about a bit more. I’m certainly pleased with this series so far. What about you?

Where to even begin? The TARDIS acting on her own? That seems to be how they landed on that planet to begin with. Is that common? And the Doctor’s spare hand certainly seemed happy about the situation. This should have been the Doctor’s first clue. Isn’t that hand supposed to be Jack’s Time Lord detector? The TARDIS detected Jenny and dragged everyone off to find her and got there too early, thus allowing for her creation in the first place. Timey-wimey, eh? (Psst. Doctor. You Are Not Alone. And this time she’s not evil.)

Poor Martha was separated from the others almost immediately. As we already know, though, she’s fully capable of taking care of herself. She’s a doctor, and she acts like one. She makes friends with the Hath. Interesting new race, the Hath. Oh, and is it weird that I’m starting to recognize Paul Kasey? He was playing Martha’s new friend “Hath Peck” this time around. It was interesting that Martha could still communicate with them even though we couldn’t understand what they were saying. Cool idea, a bipedal fish race without the usual mouth. When she is brought back to the HQ she even gets petted a little. There is much rejoicing when the map changes. Good thing that Martha has her phone. Actually, was that her phone from inside the TARDIS or a new one? The Doctor borrowed Donna’s. Perhaps it doesn’t matter if the sending phone is all hooked up for intergalactic roaming. Martha is intrepid, so I’m not too surprised that she chose to take the er…shortcut that she did. I’m sorry that she had to lose her new friend, but that is what happens to the Doctor a lot, isn’t it? Peck was sort of like her Companion, if you think about it.

Donna’s phone got the upgrade. And how brilliant is she with numbers? Heck, I’m a librarian and I’m impressed that she mastered the Dewey Decimal System in two days. Dang. (I should, at this point, mention that my parents are also both librarians, so perhaps I have a different perspective on this.) I love how Donna’s perspective of things is so totally different for that of anyone else who has been on the show so far. The date thing comes on top of her previously shown office-based prowess. This time she’s also the one who named Jenny and thought to check and see how many hearts she had. I liked her “we’re just friends” conversation with Jenny, too. She and the Doctor always look so offended by the idea that they might be a couple. Oh, and she just wins for the line “You talk all the time, but you never say anything.” Ding ding ding. Give the girl a medal. That is so true. Interesting that she thinks she’ll be traveling with the Doctor forever. I guess we’ll see what happens.

May I just say here - Empty your pockets, Doctor. The 10th Doctor is a bit like the 4th Doctor, isn’t he? This time he had a stethoscope and a toy mouse just hanging out in his pockets. At least the whole “bigger on the inside” thing explains how he can pull that off. This is yet another episode that puts the Doctor through the wringer. He has to talk about his family and the Time War, when we know that he avoids both subjects like the plague. His conversation with Jenny about how killing becomes part of you reminds me of his conversation with Blon in “Boom Town.” It makes you think about what happens when the Doctor gets angry. When he gets really angry he gets quiet, like in “Human Nature/The Family of Blood,” and you really don’t want to be there. So, I think that I can be forgiven for thinking that the Doctor intended to kill the fellow who shot his daughter, at least for a moment. It was like he managed to stop his basic impulse and used it to prove a point. I love how pleased he was by Jenny’s gymnastic feat. Once he decided to accept her as “his” he really started to light up a bit. And then, he lost her. (Or so he thinks.) She’s too much like him, eh?

Jenny is alive and out there helping to save the Universe. Good thing she already knows how to pilot the shuttle. I’m betting that she’ll be a recurring character. What do you think? That wasn’t a full regeneration we saw. Perhaps it’s more in the nature of a reset? She managed to make the Doctor speechless. And the thing is, she’s sort of right. The Doctor is like a general. Perhaps it is because he actually has been a soldier that he so dislikes guns and being called a soldier. I really need to go back and review their conversations again. Two points to Jenny for getting them out of the jail cell. Even though she’s something like two days old, I think she’ll do just fine out there. She’s The Doctor’s Daughter after all.

So, what did you think?

Image Source: The Official Site

Reaction Post, Doctor Who, The Doctor’s Daughter