Having finished Series Three...
...Thoughts on Martha, the Doctor, and Series Three, because I'm sure the entire world is dying to hear me meditate on Doctor Who.
This post is less an essay than a fat lot of fangirl squeeing. You have been warned.
Interesting parallels, between "42" and "Sound of Drums". Both times, Martha has to leave the Doctor; both times, we hear her say she'll be back. And it's interesting, too, the way he looks at her: Sneaks glances at her in the console room when her back is turned, and there's a look almost like regret, or bracing himself for loss, in his eye when he gives her the TARDIS key.
Which only makes sense, because he knows he loses them all: That's Doctor Who. That's what makes the series tick-that and the fact that the Doctor renews himself and loves again, which is what we love about him. Sorry if I offend any Rose fans (I loved Rose in Series 1, I really did), but Doomsday is not the first time the Doctor's been devastated by losing a companion. The Doctor is usually devastated by losing a companion; the chief difference is that the original scripts thrived on restraint and RTD doesn't. So, the bittersweetness of giving Martha a key and the Doctor's preemptive sense of loss is hardly any surprise.
But by "Sound of Drums," it's... different, but similar. He doesn't try to talk her out of things, not really. Martha says she's going for her family-with the unspoken undercurrent that he can come or not, as he likes, which is the same unspoken undercurrent always present with the Doctor when he's rushing into things-and he doesn't try to talk her out of it. Not really. Yes, he warns her that going after her family is just what the Master wants her to do-but when she says she doesn't care, he doesn't press. He just looks at her grimly, like he's afraid for her.
Because this is precisely what the Doctor does. He walks into traps he knows are there because he has to.
My pet theory: He's a fecking Time Lord, and he picks up on things about people's destinies. He knows, and from some nagging, sixth sense, has known for a long time now, that Martha is a hero. Series 3 is largely about watching her cook in her chrysalis, and when, ding, she's done-he's going to lose her. Because when you're a hero, that's the way it's gotta be. Having a inborn pattern of necessity to your life is pretty much what's meant by our concept "hero" (see "Family of Blood"). Doesn't matter how much people love each other-and, oh, yes, these two love each other. Not that the Doc wants to marry her and procreate and bring home flowers from the shop; well before the end of the series, Martha doesn't want that, either. But they love each other, all right, or at least that's sure as hell what I get from every moment of the actors' interaction.
But Martha, for all her adoration of the Doctor, has so much autonomy. She always has-really, even because of that adoration. Less autonomy would be Martha having only the feelings the Doctor's comfortable with her having, would be Marth making herself into the perfect, comfortable companion for him just so that she can hang on his side forever. Instead, we have a Martha who's willing to end her travels with him at the end of "Lazarus"-and she loves him right then, all right-rather than be the tagalong on the terms he's comfortable with.
Time and time again, Martha is the person who rips him back to himself, complete with all the pain. "Smith and Jones": Doc doesn't look thrilled when he draws that first breath and wakes up; he looks like he's thinking, "Oh, fuck me." "Gridlock": Martha calls bullshit, mister, and if she's going to trot along with you, there will be no play acting where we pretend your people are still on stage. "Family of Blood": Yeah, Martha does it because the world needs the Doctor. But more than that, whether it's one of her motives or not, the Doctor needs to be the Doctor. He's rather important that way. But no denying that "Family of Blood" was one of the most excruciating episodes yet, for John Smith and for the Doctor. And of course, all those sundry other moments throughout the season were it looks like Ten is a bit in love with suicide.
But by the end of the series, something's different. He's ready to take responsibility for the Master (nice try at being Dostoevsky, RTD, but the "I forgive you" bit was taking it a little far); he can say a good, heartfelt fare the well to Jack and laugh, really laugh, with freedom and sincerity and everything. He could even smile when she left-sadly, yeah, but again genuinely. Because, do you know, I think she's the first companion to walk into the TARDIS, say she's leaving, and do it with a smile like that.
She's certainly the first to put a tie down on the Doctor and tell him he'd better come running. Which doesn't make her the MOST PERFECT AND NEVER TO BE EQUALLED AND ONLY IMPORTANT COMPANION EVAR, OMG. It makes her Martha.
The way the Doctor looks at her-in "42," in "Family of Blood," in "Sound of Drums," in "Last of the Time Lords"-you know that he respects how much she's herself. And loves it. Which is good, because when it comes to Martha Jones... Oh. Oh, Doc, you'd better represent.
One last tangent: Impossible not to think about the differences between Jackie and Francine after watching "Last of the Time Lords" (more interesting, to me, than the differences between Rose and Martha). Jackie has a legitimate complaint with the Doctor travelling with her daughter, and he recognizes that he has to honor that. Francine's complaint is simply irrelevant. There's never even any question, between Martha and the Doc, of it being relevant. The Doctor is responsible for Rose. It's one of the things that makes her loss such a wound (reminds me of Adric, actually). Martha, however, isn't his responsibility unless he's lying to her and hasn't told her enough about the world he's actually offering her: i.e., not since "Gridlock." She's his priority. But he can't take responsibility for her. By the end of "Last of the Time Lords," when she decides to tend to her family's wounds instead of the Doctor's-and she does it without a shred of guilt, no matter how much she loves him-she's learned that she can't take responsibility for him, either.
So they can have a parting like that, where he renews himself, willingly, and she loves him for it. Just a couple of heroes, bumping around the universe together. Smith and Jones.
Way back in "42," Martha asked him to believe in her. And he did. For a whole year, he practically did nothing else.
My personal favorites from this season:
1. The Sound of Drums
2. Family of Blood and Last of the Time Lords (cheating, I know)
3. Smith and Jones and 42 (cheating again)
You know, I'd been apprehensive about losing Martha, and about seeing Donna come in. Now I'm just excited, and I can't wait to see how Martha and Donna interact.
As Colin Baker once said...
"Change, my dear. And not a moment too soon."
Bring it on, BBC!
ETA: I lose for either having never seen "Terror of the Zygons" or for forgetting it utterly. And I'm not usually this relentlessly, obnoxiously optimistic; it'll wear off in a few days.
But, still.
This post is less an essay than a fat lot of fangirl squeeing. You have been warned.
Interesting parallels, between "42" and "Sound of Drums". Both times, Martha has to leave the Doctor; both times, we hear her say she'll be back. And it's interesting, too, the way he looks at her: Sneaks glances at her in the console room when her back is turned, and there's a look almost like regret, or bracing himself for loss, in his eye when he gives her the TARDIS key.
Which only makes sense, because he knows he loses them all: That's Doctor Who. That's what makes the series tick-that and the fact that the Doctor renews himself and loves again, which is what we love about him. Sorry if I offend any Rose fans (I loved Rose in Series 1, I really did), but Doomsday is not the first time the Doctor's been devastated by losing a companion. The Doctor is usually devastated by losing a companion; the chief difference is that the original scripts thrived on restraint and RTD doesn't. So, the bittersweetness of giving Martha a key and the Doctor's preemptive sense of loss is hardly any surprise.
But by "Sound of Drums," it's... different, but similar. He doesn't try to talk her out of things, not really. Martha says she's going for her family-with the unspoken undercurrent that he can come or not, as he likes, which is the same unspoken undercurrent always present with the Doctor when he's rushing into things-and he doesn't try to talk her out of it. Not really. Yes, he warns her that going after her family is just what the Master wants her to do-but when she says she doesn't care, he doesn't press. He just looks at her grimly, like he's afraid for her.
Because this is precisely what the Doctor does. He walks into traps he knows are there because he has to.
My pet theory: He's a fecking Time Lord, and he picks up on things about people's destinies. He knows, and from some nagging, sixth sense, has known for a long time now, that Martha is a hero. Series 3 is largely about watching her cook in her chrysalis, and when, ding, she's done-he's going to lose her. Because when you're a hero, that's the way it's gotta be. Having a inborn pattern of necessity to your life is pretty much what's meant by our concept "hero" (see "Family of Blood"). Doesn't matter how much people love each other-and, oh, yes, these two love each other. Not that the Doc wants to marry her and procreate and bring home flowers from the shop; well before the end of the series, Martha doesn't want that, either. But they love each other, all right, or at least that's sure as hell what I get from every moment of the actors' interaction.
But Martha, for all her adoration of the Doctor, has so much autonomy. She always has-really, even because of that adoration. Less autonomy would be Martha having only the feelings the Doctor's comfortable with her having, would be Marth making herself into the perfect, comfortable companion for him just so that she can hang on his side forever. Instead, we have a Martha who's willing to end her travels with him at the end of "Lazarus"-and she loves him right then, all right-rather than be the tagalong on the terms he's comfortable with.
Time and time again, Martha is the person who rips him back to himself, complete with all the pain. "Smith and Jones": Doc doesn't look thrilled when he draws that first breath and wakes up; he looks like he's thinking, "Oh, fuck me." "Gridlock": Martha calls bullshit, mister, and if she's going to trot along with you, there will be no play acting where we pretend your people are still on stage. "Family of Blood": Yeah, Martha does it because the world needs the Doctor. But more than that, whether it's one of her motives or not, the Doctor needs to be the Doctor. He's rather important that way. But no denying that "Family of Blood" was one of the most excruciating episodes yet, for John Smith and for the Doctor. And of course, all those sundry other moments throughout the season were it looks like Ten is a bit in love with suicide.
But by the end of the series, something's different. He's ready to take responsibility for the Master (nice try at being Dostoevsky, RTD, but the "I forgive you" bit was taking it a little far); he can say a good, heartfelt fare the well to Jack and laugh, really laugh, with freedom and sincerity and everything. He could even smile when she left-sadly, yeah, but again genuinely. Because, do you know, I think she's the first companion to walk into the TARDIS, say she's leaving, and do it with a smile like that.
She's certainly the first to put a tie down on the Doctor and tell him he'd better come running. Which doesn't make her the MOST PERFECT AND NEVER TO BE EQUALLED AND ONLY IMPORTANT COMPANION EVAR, OMG. It makes her Martha.
The way the Doctor looks at her-in "42," in "Family of Blood," in "Sound of Drums," in "Last of the Time Lords"-you know that he respects how much she's herself. And loves it. Which is good, because when it comes to Martha Jones... Oh. Oh, Doc, you'd better represent.
One last tangent: Impossible not to think about the differences between Jackie and Francine after watching "Last of the Time Lords" (more interesting, to me, than the differences between Rose and Martha). Jackie has a legitimate complaint with the Doctor travelling with her daughter, and he recognizes that he has to honor that. Francine's complaint is simply irrelevant. There's never even any question, between Martha and the Doc, of it being relevant. The Doctor is responsible for Rose. It's one of the things that makes her loss such a wound (reminds me of Adric, actually). Martha, however, isn't his responsibility unless he's lying to her and hasn't told her enough about the world he's actually offering her: i.e., not since "Gridlock." She's his priority. But he can't take responsibility for her. By the end of "Last of the Time Lords," when she decides to tend to her family's wounds instead of the Doctor's-and she does it without a shred of guilt, no matter how much she loves him-she's learned that she can't take responsibility for him, either.
So they can have a parting like that, where he renews himself, willingly, and she loves him for it. Just a couple of heroes, bumping around the universe together. Smith and Jones.
Way back in "42," Martha asked him to believe in her. And he did. For a whole year, he practically did nothing else.
My personal favorites from this season:
1. The Sound of Drums
2. Family of Blood and Last of the Time Lords (cheating, I know)
3. Smith and Jones and 42 (cheating again)
You know, I'd been apprehensive about losing Martha, and about seeing Donna come in. Now I'm just excited, and I can't wait to see how Martha and Donna interact.
As Colin Baker once said...
"Change, my dear. And not a moment too soon."
Bring it on, BBC!
ETA: I lose for either having never seen "Terror of the Zygons" or for forgetting it utterly. And I'm not usually this relentlessly, obnoxiously optimistic; it'll wear off in a few days.
But, still.