Human Nature / The Family of Blood [TV/2007.5.26 ~ 6.2]

★★★★★

  I still hold the opinion that Human Nature / The Family of Blood is one of the most important productions of the new series, for many different reasons. It's one of the most faithful and certainly accurate depictions of history, made possible by the fact that it doesn't shy away from regressive and hateful views held by the majority of people in that historical setting, even -- and this is the important bit -- by the "good side". Some people take offense to the fact that Joan Redfern makes racist remarks to Martha, and it's understandable why since there's a generally agreed upon sentiment that protagonists probably automatically mean they're morally good. I do not subscribe to such beliefs, and it was important to keep that aspect of the original novel intact. Russell T Davies is said to have thought of this two-parter too dark for Dr. Who's audience, and that tells you all you need to know about how driven it is to dispense with the rose-coloured glasses these historical adventures tend to have. It's important that this was made, and I'm glad it was made with such conviction.

  Similarly, its depiction/dissection of the wartime mindset is something you rarely get to see during Saturday teatime television. There's a lovely sequence in the second episode where children, actual children, are instructed by the adults to set up barricades, take up arms and fire at the straw men lumbering towards them. You see their grim faces, some of them crying, likely thinking of their mothers, and you hear children sing as the scarecrows are mowed down in slow motion. That's as good as television gets -- one scene shows you everything. In this sense, Timothy Latimer -- the boy who's proud of being a coward and not fighting, and who's therefore arguably the bravest character in this story -- is a fantastic character that's crucial to this adventure. He's not just the actual carrier of the McGuffin fobwatch, he's the embodiment of the ravages of war and how it wipes out youths from ever getting to grow to be themselves. He's also a mirror image to the Doctor, a boy displaying his traits and ideals when the Time Lord is not himself -- and for that, Thomas Sangster's performance really should be given all the flowers it deserves. Sangster's a generational talent, and he provides Tim with such gentle warmth... it's very pleasing to watch.

  Sangster's not the only remarkable performance here, of course. David Tennant has probably the hardest task of portraying John Smith, a man who's utterly normal, someone who holds beliefs completely countered to the Doctor's but still acts and thinks like him from time to time... someone who's at both nothing like the Doctor and exactly like him. It's a daunting task, but Tennant being the exceptional actor that he is, he pulls it off with absolute style. Joan Redfern's Jessica Hynes is the perfect love interest for this John Smith character, someone who's emotionally invested enough to be sad with him at his inevitable "death" and who can make you care about her even with her racism (Hynes really is just that good, and Cornell writes her so well). Freema Agyeman, of course, goes through so much over the course of this story, both seen and implied, and she portrays those untold hardships of Martha's with her every movement, her hesitation before talking back, her eyes... it's one of her highlights as a companion and as an actor, for sure. Finally, I'd like to mention Harry Lloyd as Son of Mine; he gives one of the most chilling and unsettling Dr. Who villain performances I've ever witnessed; I like how one side of his face is permanently smirking, and how he barely changes his face whenever he's shouting at the top of his lungs. Small things like these, and big things like how beautifully the script is written, how vivid the direction is (although there are quite a few questionable editing choices at the beginning to emphasise tension), how wonderful Murray Gold's music is, make up this beautiful and powerful two-parter what it is: one of the new series' best endeavors, even after all these years. I love it so much, especially for its examination of the Doctor and the effect he has on innocents around him wherever he goes, and his inherent flaws that pain Martha both emotionally and mentally. Breathtakingly good, this; the final moments will never not make me cry.

Human Nature / The Family of Blood is based on the 1995 Dr. Who novel of the same name. You can read my review of it here.