From what I can recall of the dialogue, it wasn't so much that Martha was female as that she was black and spoke "common" that made Joan think that she couldn't possibly be a doctor.
Joan did go on to say about Martha being black but it was after mentioning that she was a woman. That was mentioned first, regardless of the emphasis. And I think that someone who is a nurse would know that that there were already women doctors, and had been for quite a few years. Some people get annoyed about the science or lack of in SF; I get annoyed when women's history is overlooked, and especially when attributed to a character who could be expected to be aware of it.
Our recording didn't record (we watched it live) so I couldn't go back and check. If I heard it that way, I must have taken "may" as implying "in the future".
I haven't read it (intend to grab it when it turns up on the market) tho' I've watched A Horseman Riding By. Did you like Jessica Hynes' performance? I thought she was terrific throughout.
The end was kind of tear-jerky, but I actually mostly felt annoyed with myself for being sucked in by Cheap RTD-tastic Melodrama, not to mention with the director for letting CRTDtM drag a lovely storyline away from the fab classic-Who nature it had been evincing until then.
Yes, that was the only bit I found genuinely touching. All that moral masturbation with ooh-matron (and what *is* this thing Who has suddenly got with people being safe?) was just beyond irritating.
Me too. Sob. And you're right about the end. I thought setting the whole thing in 1913, with all the moral ambiguity about children being trained to fight, and the foresight of what was to come, was sheer genius.
We watched both parts back yesterday and blubbed all over again. Also, there was a thunderstorm building all the way through 'Family of Blood', in perfect synch with the scarecrow attack and then the bombardment on the village - gave me chills.
Doctor Who hasn't done a WW1 story before, and this really has done the period justice.
Also, I kept on thinking "Tolkien!" whenever I saw sensitive John Smith and his wandering imagination and scribbled notebooks.
Oh, the scarecrows were *scary*. Mind you, have you seen last week's, "Blink", yet? You just wait. Absolutely flippin' terrifying. Thank you, Steve Moffat, that's me with nightmares for a week again (he did it with Empty Child in the Eccleston series too...)
Matthew will presumably love it, since it's a brilliantly creepy ghost story without a spaceship in sight.
Has Who really never done WWI before? That surprises me enormously...
'Blink' was fantastic, Steven Moffat at the top of his game. (Unlike Jekyll, which made me nod off.)
And as for this week's episode: *does bow-y scrape-y thing at RTD*
IWRC, there was a WW1 setting in Troughton's last story ('The War Games'), but it isn't actually WW1 at all - and we couldn't think of another instance.
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I can't remember if you've read To Serve Them All My Days - I know we had conversations about it - but that's where my head was. A lot.
I did get cross with Paul C for apparently not remembering Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, or at least have one of his characters not remember her.
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Martha's bitch mother: "But Martha are you saaaaafe with him?
Ooh Matron: "But are people saaaaafe when you turn up? What about the childruuuuuun? OMG people might diiiiie...
Seriously, it's turned up in every damn doctor-meets-some-bird episode.
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Family of Blood
(Anonymous) 2007-06-04 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)Very different Who, and very thought-provoking.
Azalais
Re: Family of Blood
Doctor Who hasn't done a WW1 story before, and this really has done the period justice.
Also, I kept on thinking "Tolkien!" whenever I saw sensitive John Smith and his wandering imagination and scribbled notebooks.
Re: Family of Blood
(Anonymous) 2007-06-15 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)Matthew will presumably love it, since it's a brilliantly creepy ghost story without a spaceship in sight.
Has Who really never done WWI before? That surprises me enormously...
Cheers,
Azalais
Re: Family of Blood
And as for this week's episode: *does bow-y scrape-y thing at RTD*
IWRC, there was a WW1 setting in Troughton's last story ('The War Games'), but it isn't actually WW1 at all - and we couldn't think of another instance.