"The Doctor's Daughter"
"Kids, they never listen."
- Donna Noble
The runaway TARDIS transports the Doctor, Donna and Martha to the planet Messaline. Upon exiting he time machine, human soldiers apprehend them and create a woman almost instantaneously by using the Doctors DNA -the Doctor's Daughter, eventually named Jenny. The reason for this instant creation is to help resupply troops for a war between the humans and the Hath, fish-type beings. During an initial Hath attack, Martha is separated from her companions and captured by the Hath. The separated group each discover that the was has waged for generations over something called "The Source" or the 'breath of life' as described by General Cobb, the leader of the human forces. The Doctor and Martha each inadvertently uncover hidden passageways that lead to The Source's location. Cobb imprisons Doctor/Donna and Jenny when the Doctor/Donna protest Cobb's plans (dreams) of killing all the Hath once the power of The Source is harnessed. At first cold, with Donna's help, the Doctor starts accepting Jenny as more than just 'an echo.' With her help, all three are able to break out of the prison cell and attempt to reach The Source first. After they reach The Source, Donna is able to deduce that only seven days have passed since the war had started -to the warring factions it seemed like countless years because of the multiple generations of manufactured beings. Martha catches up with them and smells flowers, so the entire group 'follow their noses' to the actual source: a third generation terraforming device. The two warring factions also make their way to there with their weapons drawn. The Doctor reveals what the device is, then breaks it, releasing the gas within that starts the planet-wide terraforming. Soldiers on both sides drop their weapons - all except Cobb who aims his pistol at the Doctor. Jenny sees this and jumps in the path of the bullet and dies. Cobb is taken prisoner, Jenny's body is left behind for a proper funeral on the new world and the TARDIS returns Martha to Earth. Martha and the Doctor/Donna say their goodbyes as Martha turns away and thinks about the future - her future. Back on Messaline, the terraforming gases help revive Jenny. As she takes off in a shuttle, she ponders her future as well.
Commentary
The episode was a substantial improvement over the two parter that proceeded it; however. it felt a bit rushed and it did have some issues with logic
Initially. I disliked the character of Jenny, only to start liking her up and until she was shot. Didn't like her at the end when she took off in the shuttle. Again, Doona proves her worth by defending Jenny to the Doctor (loved the stethoscope bit). Felt the change over from uneasiness to real fatherly affection and love was never more evident than this simple thing the Doctor mentions to Jenny:"Careful, there might be traps!" Did you see the look of admiration on Jenny's face during the Doctor' speech at the end? How freakin obvious was it that she would die? Saw that one a mile away. Wasn't really expecting her to return to life, but was instead wondering why we are having a cutting back to them prepping the body. In the future, I could easily see Jenny retuning to team-up with the Doctor.
Anybody else think to themselves: "What the heck is John Houston doing in Doctor Who?"
Note to new friends who decide to tag along with Martha: don't. I love Freema and I do miss the character of Miss, now Doctor, Martha Jones; however, was it really necessary to have her be a guest star in this episode as well? I'm sure Donna could had taken her place with the Hath and maybe have the Doctor/Donna communicate via cell phones through out the episode. Check our Freema's goody expressions when the Hath start patting her when she first enters their main base!
The running gag of whether Doctor/Donna are a couple or not is brought up, again. This seriously has to be addressed by the end of the season! I wonder if Donna's statement to Martha at the end of the episode will come back and haunt her: "I'm going to travel with that man forever." (note: she didn't say 'alien')
Music was a wee bit overused throughout the episode, although I did like the score during the exchange between the Doctor and Jenny in the prison cell. I also thought the composer was back on his game towards the end of the episode (when the TARDIS leaves the planet and drops off Martha). Is that the last time we will ever hear the Martha Jones theme?
What the heck? I don't recall the Doctor having miracles Mary Cherry-type abilities with his jacket pockets! (
Popular reference ya'll)
Liked the Hath design -especially the weird water breathing apparatis on their faces. Sort of reminded me, very very loosely, of the weapon/gauntlets or the video game, "Haze."
Wow! 'Chinese whispers?" Was this term the Doctor uses in the US version? Wow.
Upon return to Earth to drop off Martha, the TARDIS is literally parked in the street between two cars! ha!
Nitpicking
If "everyone gets processed,' why didn't Donna or Martha get 'processed' in the very beginning too? Before anyone responds that there wasn't any time, jenny's replication process took seconds.
If twenty generations can be produced in a day, with the majority of them killed, and only seven days have passed, would not the entire complex be filled with human and Hath bodies?
As the Doctor directs a gun at Cobb's head, then lowers it and states that, "I never would," in reference to shooting/killing via a weapon. Did he not kill during the Time War? Then again, he is trying to make a point to both sides.
As Jenny is prepping to leave the planet, Cline mentions to his new Hath friend, "The shuttle." How would he/they know what a 'shuttle' is or rather, that the sounds heard are from a shuttle? Finally, how did she know how to pilot the shuttle in the first place? I know they were bred with solidering knowledge, however, why was shuttle piloting included in the learning matrix?
Quotes
Donna: "You are completely impossible."
Doctor: "Not 'impossible; just a bit unlikely."
Martha: "Now then, I'm Doctor Martha Jones, who the hell are you?"
Jenny: "I'm not a monkey... or a child!"
Doctor: "Then you need to get yourself a better dictionary. When you do, look up 'genocide,' you will see a little picture of me there. And the caption will read: 'over my dead body.'"
Donna: "So The Source could be a weapon and we just given directions to Captain Nut Job."
Donna: "I have picked up a few womanly whiles over the years."
Doctor: "Lets save your whiles for later... in case of an emergency."
Doctor: "Listen to me. Killing... after a while it infects you. Once it does, you're never rid of it."
Jenny: "We don't have a choice."
Doctor: "We always have a choice."
Donna: "But what is it then? Having Jenny in the TARDIS is that it? What is she going to 'cramp your style?' Like you got a sports car and she's gonna turn it into a 'people carrier.'"
Donna: "You talk all the time but you don't say anything."
Martha: "All those things you been ready to die for. I thought for a moment here you finally found something worth living for."
Doctor: "Oh, there is always something worth living for, Martha."
Goodbye, Doctor Martha Jones! Until we meet again, adieu!
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