So, I have discovered that doing an episode by episode recap of our Doctor Who adventure was entirely too much. If we'd been watching one episode per week, I could've kept up, but multiple episodes over a day or two was just too taxing.
So! I'm just going to update as I go, when I feel like it. As it stands, now, we have just finished Series Three, wherein Martha Jones takes her leave as the Doctor's companion. I'm going to talk about the whole season, but I will largely concentrate on Martha.
So much to cover! I enjoyed the revelation of Jack Harkness being The Face of Boe. I had actually already spoiled myself on that a bit when I was researching Torchwood (oops), but I had been under the impression that it was more of a prevailing theory than something that had been confirmed on the show, so that part was a nice surprise. I like Jack, so I was happy to see him back, even if it was just for a few episodes. I also already knew that Rose had inadvertently immortalized Jack, so I wasn't surprised when he wouldn't die.
I also knew that Martha was going to leave at the end of the season and the circumstances surrounding it. I have to say, I start off really unimpressed with Martha. I didn't like the way that, after a grand total of two or three episodes, she was already getting weird and possessive about the Doctor and seemed to be throwing little mini tantrums every time he mentioned Rose. Case in point, the Shakespeare episode, where the Doctor was lying in bed with Martha and said that Rose would know what was going on and have something clever to say, etc. Martha's little flounce was ridiculous and totally uncalled for, not to mention a little creepy stalker of her.
However, as time wore on, she dialed it back a good bit and I was able to connect with the character more, instead of being constantly put off by her uncontrollable urge to make poorly veiled passes at the Doctor. He total lack of sympathy for his having lost Rose, in the beginning, really turned me off. It was nice, when she stopped doing that. You could tell that she had fallen in love with the Doctor, but she didn't make a big spectacle of it anymore and huff around getting mad about the fact that he wasn't in love with her.
Speaking of love, I really liked the 1913 episode with the Family of the Blood. David Tennant really is a tremendous actor, and my heart was breaking for John Smith when he was confronted with the fact that he would have to become the Doctor again. When he kept accusing Martha of being his executioner, I just wanted to hug him and Joan, too. It was so sad, to see the Doctor have a tiny little glimmer of an ordinary life where he was loved and could love, only to have to return to his duty as the Doctor and abandon it all, Joan included. Also, the flash forward - tears forever.
Anyway, Martha turned out to be pretty cool, what with saving the world, and all. They ripped my heart out of my chest once again in the finale, when the Master died and the Doctor was so heartbroken. To think that even though the Master was a villain and had tried to wipe out the human race had turned the Doctor into Dobby...
Dobby is a free elf!
... he was still torn up when he died, because they were the last of the Timelords. And that was so sad. Then, of course, Martha chooses to leave him because she loves him but she knows he doesn't love her, and won't. And why waste her life chasing after him for nothing? I had a lot of respect for her when she did that. I ended the series liking her must more than I had started out.
Overall, I enjoyed series three, but Martha did take some warming up to. We're onto Donna, now, and I love her, but I'll discuss that later.
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