#DW S3

[queerbting]

rewatching nuwho and i'm rlly.... why is human nature / family of blood just racist hit after racist hit after racist hit against martha . followed by a heavy dose of classist (+ misogynistic!!!!) behavior directed against her afterwards where the humans of 1913 england treat her like a weird alien from another world (the doctor in human form included!!!).

also, why do they have the doctor a) be actively bigoted and b) fall in love with a racist nurse who specifically speaks down to martha (someone who the doctor cares for). they create this "unassuming" white woman character and then have her be awful to martha but we're supposed to believe that she is kind and sympathetic worthy of being the human doctor's love interest, more than martha being treated as a human being. (and then that we should cry over her lost love/future in the end)

like why. genuinely why. what is the point .

also objectively what function does the nurse serve that martha jones could not have. she's even a medical student like !!!!!! going undercover as a nurse would not be that far off!! and plus, i'm not even a tenmartha shipper but it would fit more for the emotional arc of martha's character to get what she wanted all season in human nature / family of blood (the doctor falling in love with her!!! wish fulfillment !!!!!! ) only to realize the cruelty of what this would be like in reality if she were never to open the watch (despite her finally having what she "wants"), and finally understanding and having to give john smith up. it could've been a really tragic, but human moment (like a lot of other things in dw!).

then 10 and martha's relationship could actually be on some sort of equal footing. bc martha had a taste of what it would be liked to be loved by him (or someone similar to him, at least), and chose in the end to let it go. it would give her emotional closure, etc. and would show her choosing the /actual/ doctor (not human) and the friendship she has with him, rather than a lifetime with a human that she fell in love with who happens to look like him.

could've been a really cool moment of both character development and then bonding between the doctor and martha afterwards in their newfound partnership, so half of martha's character is no longer swallowed up by her pining for him.

but no. instead they go and hide in racistville and martha is a servant who experiences racism/misogyny/classism and microaggressions from white people + aliens over two episodes for nearly no reason .

#like it's crazy #i think a lot of this went over my head as a kid because i did not know much about british history or nuwho's environmental contexts #so i didn't understand a lot of the unspoken dialogue and class-race implications coming from MULTIPLE CHARACTERS in these episodes....... #but coming back to martha's arc and hn / fob especially as an adult is just..... genuinely so awful #there's no narrative reason it's just racist #so so weird and uncomfortable to watch #it can't be too much to ask to treat her like a human being #martha jones #dw s3 #dw criticism #doctor who #dewpost #also her being written half the time this season as a love sick puppy who doesn't get it depends on the doctor for almost everything #instead of a resourceful and emotionally intelligent young black woman who is studying to be a medical professional !!!! drives me insane #sometimes they write her well but it feels few and fare between sometimes bc they want martha to be in love with 10 sooooo badly #rather than them being a kickass medical student (a doctor) plus The Doctor duo !!!! could've been so much fun #and instead we are left with this #human racist john smith with no narrative repercussions for viewing/treating a companion of his in a derogatory fashion #super cool bbc thank you very much #human nature #family of blood

[malinaa]

Summary: Rose finds the Doctor without his memories and hiding as a human vicar in the 21st century. After the Family of Blood is dealt with, they have their long awaited reunion. | Based off of this post.

“My last body died for you. This body was born for you. It’s no wonder a human version of me would try to fill the void your absence left behind. My faith had to go somewhere.”

#doctor who #timepetals #doctor x rose #tenth doctor #rose tyler #the family of blood #shows #dw s3 #dw 3x08 #*fics #link #tais toi lys #posting tenrose fic in the year of our lord 2023 after not having written dw fic in a decade... yeah this is insane #dwpost #tenrose #otp: i believe in her

[besidesitstoowarm]

"The Family of Blood" thoughts

okay so a few things i forgot to mention in the last ep. john smith's fake parents were called sidney and verity, which i think was extremely cute. did anyone else read the goosebumps book about scarecrows and then get terrified for like a year? i don't live anywhere near farms and i've never seen a scarecrow in my life. the scarecrows and slappy the dummy had my balls in a wrench

i like that the question "who is the doctor when he's not the doctor" gets an answer, and that the answer is "HAPPY" like he is such a pathetic wet rat of a man normally. he wants a normal life! he wants a family! he wants to be john smith! i loved joan's point at the end "you chose to change, he chose to die" it really was "i don't want to go" still in beta

on the eve of ww1, i like that they say aloud "it is not fair for children to fight like this" and it isn't! it is cruel to shove guns in the hands of children and tell them to man up and start firing. i like the focus on the boy who teared up shooting the scarecrows. a lot of those boys are not making it home, and the ones that do will be changed forever. no need to force that to happen any earlier. ww1 really was such a grim and brutal time, i like seeing it in the show handled well this time. "twice upon a time" my beloathed <3

some more misogyny on martha when the headmaster tells her to be quiet and then tells the doctor to control her. i hate the unrequited love thing on this rewatch honestly, i think it kneecaps martha's character and it does her so dirty. "first companion after rose" was always going to be a hard sell, "first black companion" another (i don't count mickey sorry), but making her a prospective love interest for the doctor really did not do her any favors. it's like how after david tennant and matt smith served so severely, they had to cast an older white guy instead of a woman bc "first woman doctor" was always going to be a hard sell let ALONE on the heels of ten or eleven. capaldi was amazing but more lowkey and took the heat off. i think martha should've been gay like bill. martha should marry river

we get another step in ten's journey to complete derangement with the "fury of the time lord" bit at the end. "he was being kind" he is insane <3. this arc began in his very first appearance with "no second chances" and will end with the time lord victorious, i like this brutal streak he has. he's a cold motherfucker when it comes down to it. you can't convince me he didn't get this from rose btw

so yeah this two-parter was exactly as good as i remembered! very excited to return to moffat city next ep

#DW s3 #doctor who #besides its too rewatch #The Family of Blood

[elliottexists]

this is an opinion i will always ignore

#martha jones #martha doctor who #doctor who #dw #10th doctor #freema agyeman #dw s3

[of-monsters-and-werewolves]

#doctor who #new who #nu who #nuwho #dw s3 #doctor who s3 #doctor who series 3 #tumblr polls #doctor who polls #polls #my polls

[futurecorpse99]

This mf acted his ass off in The Family of Blood, I get so excited every time those episodes come up because he EATS IT TF UP 🙌

#doctor who #new who #nuwho #the family of blood #david tennant #tenth doctor #jeremy baines #dw s3 #martha jones #thomas brodie sangster

[none-ofthisnonsense]

The Weeping Angels are DEFINITELY the scariest creatures in Doctor Who

#dw #doctor who #dw s3 #blink #dw s3e10

[citrusgrove]

watching human nature/the family of blood now that im older is such a harrowing experience. when i was a kid i didn't realize how much responsibility martha held, and how awfully she was treated. i didn't understand the true difference between john smith and the doctor. and now watching it and seeing how badly john smith wants to live and how he sees it cruel to be sentenced to the life of the lonely doctor is almost hard to watch.

#doctor who rewatch #of course there is a lot in these two episodes that arent very good #especially with how marthas character is treated #but ive never been able to digest this episode the way it was supposed to be until now #doctor who #dw s3 #human nature #family of blood

[lokimilf]

martha: d-

doctor: true love isn’t real there’s no such thing as soulmates it always comes to an end i will always be alone everyone i love gets taken away from me and that’s why i travel alone i have lost all hope in finding someone i love

martha:

martha: 🧍

martha: do you wanna get breakfast

#got damn ten is so depressed in s3 #like BRO #I KNOW YOUR IN PAIN #BUT GO TO THERAPY INSTEAD OF BEING AWFUL TO MARTHA #no he such an ass in this season #i think him and martha could be good for each other if he wasn’t hung up on rose #and the reason he loves donna so much is because she’s just a bestie #doctor who #incorrect doctor who quotes #tenrose #tenth doctor #martha jones #dw #dw s3 #ten x rose #I TYPED THIS OUT AND AS SOON AS I FINISHED TEN STARTED A SPEACH ABOUT HOW LONELY HE WAS #GOD HES SO PREDICTABLE #ITS IN THE LAZERUS EPISODE #WOWEWEW OKAY #i wanna know what the director told david #like #did he say #hey just act really really mean and bitter in every episode and like you despise martha because she’s not rose #i’m sorry i just hate how mean he is to martha #like give her a break #anyways

[doctordonna-protection-squad]

Sitting here writing fics in my head of the absolutely unsupported headcanon of aromantic Martha Jones “falling in love” with three people in rapid succession bc society and her family tells her she has to be with someone to be happy. And then finding out she doesn’t need a romantic relationship and living out her best aro life. Is there any way I can back this headcanon up? No. Will I ever give it up? Over my cold, dead, ace body.

#doctor who #dw #martha jones #dw s3 #aromantic Martha jones brain rot #seriously guys idk why the idea popped into my head but I want it so badly now

[iron-sides]

martha jones im in love with you <33

#my thots #bee liveblogs! #dw s3

[mwagneto]

the companion will go oh god doctor who is that?? and the doctor will get all serious and somber and say listen. he's the most evil creature in the universe. he's the worst enemy i've ever faced. he's horrible and unpredictable and you can never ever let your guard down. and then the villain will walk into the room like this

#PLEASE IM LOSING MY MIND S3 FINALE I CAN'T DECIDE AND THEN THIS BACK TO BACK IS TAKING ME OUT #it was literally the perfect place to be in for my rewatch these are great episodes to follow each other #im at the part where nph busts in with confetti but i had to pause immediately coz i was laughing so hard😭 #this isn't me mocking drag queens or the villains or whatever this is me saying im obsessed with campy evil rtd guys. by the way #doctor who #dw lb #14th doctor #the giggle #the toymaker #10th doctor #tensimm

[mulderscully]

1.10 | 3.05

#dwedit #dwgif #doctor who #dw #timepetals #doctor x rose #nine x rose #ninerose #ten x rose #tenrose #ninth doctor #tenth doctor #rose tyler #usernani #userlanie #usertom #useraurore #miatendos #s3 ten is such a widower i love it (crying)

[besidesitstoowarm]

"The Lazarus Experiment" thoughts

this episode is stupid and i love it

so it starts with ten dumping martha back at her place until he watches the news and sees lazarus and is like. well. i'll exploit your family connections for one more night. she says "you should be used to tight spots by now" when he parks the tardis and, gay

we meet martha's family again and at least they look like they might be related. her mom looks like her. this is in stark contrast to shows like house md where they just cast completely unrelated black people as siblings

lazarus gets babyfied and starts talking about his childhood, how he survived the blitz. he would've been about 10 during ww2 so it was clearly a pretty formative experience; there is some loose connection w his whole "avoiding death is human" thing, his desperation to further life at all costs. i think in a better, more cohesive story, that could've been a good throughline. i'm not sure what it would have looked like, but i think back to nancy from s1 and what she would do to survive given unlimited resources... i dunno. there is the faintest thread of potential. the "you call feeding on innocent people progress?" "it was a necessary sacrifice" FEELS like a critique of capitalism, given that this invention was meant to be monetized, but i might be projecting since i've been listening to hozier's "but the wages" on repeat the last few days. i would have also liked the story more if it was an "age of steel" type criticism not of scientific advancement but of scientific exploitation. jurassic park type beat. you know

lazarus drops that he was funded/backed by "mr saxon" ;)

the throughline that i DO like in this story is basically how the doctor feels about his own extended life. i think this story is the basis for a lot of interesting ideas about that moving forward (namely the next few regeneration stories, and this season's finale) but it hasn't been explored enough yet to feel like anything except the earliest seed of an interesting idea. "some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80" is a fascinating idea held by a man who is more than 900 at this point. "i'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one" yes!! i wish that was more apparent by this point in time!! i know this is meant to be filler and that we have a lot more time to get into ten's "oh, i've lived too long" thing but that's the part i liked about it

lazarus's cgi is unreal levels of awful btw. scorpion king WHO. i like the design actually just. the execution. holy fuck

ten trusts martha w his screwdriver!! his belief in her competency is a really nice thing to see, he does treat her as an equal. rose was his partner in crime, his partner in general, but martha is his peer. i love her so much

some weirdo whispers something sus in martha's mom's ear that makes her distrust the doctor, and she later says in her voicemail that the info came direct from harold saxon. not shocked. he loves the mess

so they explode the scorpion king with the power of rocking out on the organ and martha's like "i'm not going to be your little passenger so if i can't be a proper companion i'm staying home" and he's like "okay" and she's mad until he's like "hello, i said OKAY let's GO" i think his actual line is "you've never been just a passenger" or something. the smile and the tuxedo are working so hard here

next time is "42" a story i literally remember nothing about and keep forgetting exists. but then it's bangers all the way down

#The Lazarus Experiment #Doctor Who #DW s3 #besides its too rewatch

[elliottexists]

okay but can we talk about how season 3 doctor who is literally so good?

smith and jones? brilliant season opening and introduction of martha

gridlock? brilliant episode

daleks in manhatten/evolution of the daleks? brilliant episodes

42? brilliant episode

human nature/the family of blood? brilliant episodes

blink? brilliant episode

utopia/the sound of drums/last of the time lords? brilliant season finale

#sure theres ones that arent as good #like shakespeare code and lazarus experiment #like they arent my favourite but they are still good? #like there arent any awful episodes in this series #and martha is such a girl boss #s3 is so underrated #and voyage of the damned i kind of didnt count because its a christmas special but thats alright aswell #god tier honestly #doctor who #dw #dw s3

[leikeliscomet]

You think Martha deserved better because you think her being attracted to Ten is some moral failing she needed to correct I think Martha deserved better bc the misogynoir in S3 in the show and fandom was so rampant that Freema Agyeman, other Black and mixed actors and fans are dealing with the repercussions over a decade later we're not the same

#I do think Martha deserved better bc she did but it has nothing to do with the crush #i used think the crush was the issue but honestly how it affects “Martha discourse” is worse bc it overshadows everything #there are so many things from S3 to unpack but its everyday “she was obsessed with Ten” like there's bigger fish to fry abeg #martha jones #doctor who series 3 #doctor who series three #doctor who #doctor who fandom #fandom antiblackness #black representation #dr who fandom #dw fandom