Sunday, June 03, 2007

"I suspect alcohol has played its part in this."

Oh, where do you begin? Let's begin at the end. The Doctor can't give John Smith back to Joan. He can't make amends by taking her away as his companion; he can't even understand, until he's told, why it's wrong of him to offer. What he can do is take horrific, mythic and highly apt revenge against the Family on her behalf and his. Looks like the Doctor's taken it all a bit more to heart than he might let on.

That's just got to be 10 out of 10. And the great thing about Human Nature/Family of Blood is that it tells us everything we need to know about the Doctor by showing us everything he's not (and everything he can't have, of course). As with last week, the adaptation from book to TV show is predominantly in the TV show's favour, especially with the fantastic flash-forwards scene. Interesting to see aspects of the novel's ending stuck onto the end of the episode - I kind of felt that it had already ended when the TARDIS vanished, and that perhaps there was one ending too many in there, but still nice to see it. It's still more beautiful in the novel, but then the rest of the story is that bit more beautiful in the episode.

The only way that could have been better is if Old John Smith on his deathbed had croaked out "Rosebud". I jest, of course.

7 comments:

Mags said...

"Rosebud."

Gods, can you imagine the fangirly wars breaking out if that had happened?

Ben said...

H'wver, a Citizen Who flick would be great fun to make. A reporter pursues the acquaintances of the Doctor across time and space. Could be done.

And think of the resting luvvies who would queue up to reprise their roles.

John Toon said...

Except it'd be called "Citizen Smith", which just invites images of David Tennant growing a pony-tail and calling everyone "comrade".

Mags, who'd fight in the Fangirly War? I don't know, obviously, but - are there non-shipper fangirls? (Ah, back in the day we used to say "frock" and "gun", now it's "shipper" and whatever the opposite of "shipper" is. "Torchwood fan", perhaps? Or am I being bad?)

"Yessir, I fought in Fangirly. See this here scar? Goddam Torchwood fan blew ma elbow clean off." Etc etc.

Anonymous said...

Could be the shippers versus the non-shippers - do you seriously think that there are non-shipping Torchwood fans out there?

And yes there are non-shipping fangirls, you know at least one ;-)

(Window shopping (for good looking chappies or chappesses depending on orientiation) is far more fun than shop lifting and doesn't lead to court cases or restraining orders)

Huggles
Skeeter

John Toon said...

Of course, what am I saying - Torchwood is one great big 'ship. Except... it lacks the emotional depth of true shipping. It's more like paddling.

Anonymous said...

Doggy paddling at that...

Ooooh gonna pay for that one (hides under her desk for a while)

John Toon said...

Cue a series of Torchwood swimming puns. I believe we should be able to get in the words "breast stroke" and "crawl" without too much difficulty.