Random third-series Who meta...
I've been noticing a theme this season: celllular and genetic mutation, infection, and combination, with the attending concepts of disguise, alteration, propogation, and, ultimately, immortality or its opposite.
Smith and Jones: Here it's disguise and distraction: the plasmivore takes human blood to disguise herself, altering her bio-signature. And the Doctor initiates his little cellular transfer (y'know, old lad, you could have done it on the forehead, your actions betray you) in order to superficially mark Martha as non-human.
The Shakespeare Code: This is the one episode in which I can't think of any. There could be something I'm forgetting; only seen once, and spent most of it in pure fangirl squee. (57 academics just punched the air!)
Gridlock: Mutation and infection: The virus mutating out of the drug, a spontaneous plague. One could also cite the interbreeding of the humans and catfolk as an example here--propogation through hybridization, something which becomes central in...
Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks: ...in which it's so text and so profligate it's almost not worth pointing out. Here again--propogation through hybridization, both self-propogation (in Sec's case) and child-propogation (the army). (Sec's subtextual theory that a naturally evolved race is more likely to survive than an artificially-created slave race, however powerful, is also fascinating, but only tangentially related. Darwinian Dalek for the win!)
The Lazarus Experiment: Again, very text. Mutation as self-propogation, and ultimately as infection and self-destruction, and this is also the first of the season to really touch the immortality issue (which, with Jack and the Master floating about, is going to get Interesting).
42: Back to subtext, but present: infection again, and this time infection as a weapon.
Human Nature/Family of Blood: So, so much here. Complete cellular alteration as disguise. Infection, of sorts, as the Family possesses their human steeds. Their goal--infinite self-propogation through absorbing and hybridizing with a Time Lord. And, for the second time, immortality comes up.
I noticed this pre Human Nature, possibly even earlier than that, but the latest episode really cinched it. This sort of thematic unity makes me extremely happy, and gives me great hopes for them doing something really, really interesting with Jack and Mr. Spoiler in the end.
No particular conclusions drawn here, just observations.
Smith and Jones: Here it's disguise and distraction: the plasmivore takes human blood to disguise herself, altering her bio-signature. And the Doctor initiates his little cellular transfer (y'know, old lad, you could have done it on the forehead, your actions betray you) in order to superficially mark Martha as non-human.
The Shakespeare Code: This is the one episode in which I can't think of any. There could be something I'm forgetting; only seen once, and spent most of it in pure fangirl squee. (57 academics just punched the air!)
Gridlock: Mutation and infection: The virus mutating out of the drug, a spontaneous plague. One could also cite the interbreeding of the humans and catfolk as an example here--propogation through hybridization, something which becomes central in...
Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks: ...in which it's so text and so profligate it's almost not worth pointing out. Here again--propogation through hybridization, both self-propogation (in Sec's case) and child-propogation (the army). (Sec's subtextual theory that a naturally evolved race is more likely to survive than an artificially-created slave race, however powerful, is also fascinating, but only tangentially related. Darwinian Dalek for the win!)
The Lazarus Experiment: Again, very text. Mutation as self-propogation, and ultimately as infection and self-destruction, and this is also the first of the season to really touch the immortality issue (which, with Jack and the Master floating about, is going to get Interesting).
42: Back to subtext, but present: infection again, and this time infection as a weapon.
Human Nature/Family of Blood: So, so much here. Complete cellular alteration as disguise. Infection, of sorts, as the Family possesses their human steeds. Their goal--infinite self-propogation through absorbing and hybridizing with a Time Lord. And, for the second time, immortality comes up.
I noticed this pre Human Nature, possibly even earlier than that, but the latest episode really cinched it. This sort of thematic unity makes me extremely happy, and gives me great hopes for them doing something really, really interesting with Jack and Mr. Spoiler in the end.
No particular conclusions drawn here, just observations.