of gods and men
I rewatched the pertinent parts of The Family of Blood; here are my thoughts.
We (fans) like to say that the Doctor is very human. In many aspects he does seem to be so; he grieves, learns, laughs, etc. etc. etc. So we can then safely say that the Doctor is human in that he can feel everything a human can (or, as he might say, a human can feel everything a Time Lord can). However, the story Human Nature underlines exactly how the Doctor isn't human: even if a Time Lord can feel emotions similar to how a human feels emotions, that doesn't mean he or she does.
To clarify, the Doctor doesn't feel love in a situation where his human counterpart does. Through an examination of nu!Who as a whole, the Doctor's "love" is very similar to how a deity might love; that is, love is not directed individually but to the universe as a whole. Instances such as Sarah Jane Smith and Rose Tyler may be more akin to an exaggerated appreciation for their utmost loyalty and companionship than what a human may denote as "love," although it's difficult enough to define "love" that the differences may be considered negligent.
On another note, the Doctor is also separated from humans through this particularly apt description:
"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 in the center of time, and he can see the time of the universe. ...And, he's wonderful."
The story Human Nature is particularly important due to how it redefines the Doctor. Viewers are so used to being able to connect and empathize with the Doctor that I believe many forget just how inhuman he can be; this episode jolts the viewer back to reality by firmly separating the Doctor from his own human self; it outlines and boldens the difference between a Time Lord and a human. The ending reinforces the idea that the Doctor is more akin to a deity than a human: his wrath, much like the Abrahamic God of today, can last for an eternity. [On a similar note, his forgiveness can also seem boundless: see The Last of the Time Lords.]
How does this reconcile with Ten's behavior in The Waters of Mars? You could almost say these two episodes have contradictory messages: one states that the Doctor is beyond human; the other states that the Doctor is still subject to the laws of the universe. This brings us all back to the very original question posed in 1963: Who, exactly, is Doctor Who? A lonely god, wandering the dimensions? A single being, trying to do what's right? Or simply a man, lost within the tides of tragedy, fate, and The Powers That Be?
[[[This is what I do, instead of writing my Chem Paper. ARGH.]]]
We (fans) like to say that the Doctor is very human. In many aspects he does seem to be so; he grieves, learns, laughs, etc. etc. etc. So we can then safely say that the Doctor is human in that he can feel everything a human can (or, as he might say, a human can feel everything a Time Lord can). However, the story Human Nature underlines exactly how the Doctor isn't human: even if a Time Lord can feel emotions similar to how a human feels emotions, that doesn't mean he or she does.
To clarify, the Doctor doesn't feel love in a situation where his human counterpart does. Through an examination of nu!Who as a whole, the Doctor's "love" is very similar to how a deity might love; that is, love is not directed individually but to the universe as a whole. Instances such as Sarah Jane Smith and Rose Tyler may be more akin to an exaggerated appreciation for their utmost loyalty and companionship than what a human may denote as "love," although it's difficult enough to define "love" that the differences may be considered negligent.
On another note, the Doctor is also separated from humans through this particularly apt description:
"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 in the center of time, and he can see the time of the universe. ...And, he's wonderful."
The story Human Nature is particularly important due to how it redefines the Doctor. Viewers are so used to being able to connect and empathize with the Doctor that I believe many forget just how inhuman he can be; this episode jolts the viewer back to reality by firmly separating the Doctor from his own human self; it outlines and boldens the difference between a Time Lord and a human. The ending reinforces the idea that the Doctor is more akin to a deity than a human: his wrath, much like the Abrahamic God of today, can last for an eternity. [On a similar note, his forgiveness can also seem boundless: see The Last of the Time Lords.]
How does this reconcile with Ten's behavior in The Waters of Mars? You could almost say these two episodes have contradictory messages: one states that the Doctor is beyond human; the other states that the Doctor is still subject to the laws of the universe. This brings us all back to the very original question posed in 1963: Who, exactly, is Doctor Who? A lonely god, wandering the dimensions? A single being, trying to do what's right? Or simply a man, lost within the tides of tragedy, fate, and The Powers That Be?
[[[This is what I do, instead of writing my Chem Paper. ARGH.]]]