Human Nature

Dear Gary—

Doctor: “Martha, you trust me, don’t you?”

Martha: “Of course I do.”

Doctor: “Because it all depends on you.”

Neither a Doctor Who episode nor the Doctor has ever depended so heavily upon a companion. The Doctor has never been so vulnerable and he literally places himself in Martha’s hands as he gives her the pocket watch that will shortly contain his very being. From that moment on Martha is the only one who fully understands what is happening. The Doctor has entrusted this story to Martha and I can’t think of any other companion in recent memory who could pull off the subtle performance that Freema Agyemen does to bridge the gap between the two worlds that are depicted in Human Nature; the ordinary and the extraordinary; the human and the alien; the historical and the science fiction.

The first world consists of everyday life taking place in a 1913 school for boys. “It’s Monday, November 10^th, 1913,” Martha tells the Doctor, “and you’re completely human, sir. As human as they come.” The Doctor has used the Chameleon Arch (a device never before mentioned but one that would have come in handy a time or two before now) to rewrite his biology in order to hide from some aliens who are hot on his trail. The TARDIS has given him a brief bio and integrated him into his surroundings, leaving Martha to improvise her way in as a servant girl.

All aspects of this story are perfect; the sets, the costumes, the script, and the actors all lend an authentic flavor to the production. If it were not for the presence of Martha, and by the way a few aliens, I would almost think I’m watching a charming period piece and not Doctor Who. One of the more critical components of this is the performance of David Tennant, and he is superb. He makes you believe that he is John Smith and not just the Doctor playing at John Smith. There are periodic flashes of the Doctor, but for the most part John Smith is a separate character; a befuddled school teacher making his way the best he can in pre-war England, with Martha to guide him along.

I remember the first few times I watched this episode I was shocked at the sight of the Doctor teaching marksmanship to teenage boys and granting permission for one young lad to beat another. War and violence are foreign to the Doctor; but now I can appreciate the fact that John Smith is not the Doctor; John Smith is a product of his time. Similarly, John Smith can fall in love, and it is enchanting to see the gentle romance unfolding between him and Nurse Redfern.

Not so for Martha, however. “You had to go and fall in love with a human,” Martha bemoans, “and it wasn’t me.” This childish fancy that Martha clings to is a bit annoying, but overall the scene as she makes her lonely homecoming to the TARDIS is heartbreaking. Martha is completely isolated in this time and place; her only confidant is the TARDIS. (“I’m talking to a machine.”) She has to endure the indignities heaped upon her by individuals, the discrimination of society, and the indifference of the Doctor. She holds up remarkably well and is much better at adapting to historical norms than she had been in The Shakespeare Code, but I can’t help but feel that the TARDIS could have picked a more hospitable era for Martha to navigate.

Nevertheless, Martha has successfully watched out for John Smith for two months and as our story begins we get a glimpse into the daily humiliations she has endured and the gracious way she has handled them. Thus, when Hutchinson makes a derisive crack she waits until he is out of earshot before releasing her frustration; but even then she can stop to think about the year and what is in store for the likes of Hutchinson and feel compassion.  Or when Nurse Redfern admonishes her for entering without knocking she returns to the door dripping with impatient sarcasm to rap before enquiring about the Doctor’s condition after his fall; but then when the discussion turns to concussions Martha bites her tongue and defers to the Matron in her treatment, holding back her own considerable knowledge on the subject.

 “One more month and I’m as free as the wind,” she tells her one friend Jenny. Martha is biding her time. With only one month to go, however, things slowly start to unravel, starting with John Smith’s infatuation with the Matron. “I sometimes think how magical life would be if stories like this were true,” he tells Nurse Redfern as he hands over his Journal of Impossible Things (and what an exceptional prop creation this is). Martha alone knows that the magical stories are indeed true, and as guardian of the Doctor’s secret she runs after the Matron to assure her of the fictional nature of the book.

Nurse Redfern is no fool and Martha knows this. She is not one to be taken in by fanciful stories, however she is perceptive enough to describe John Smith like this: “It’s like he’s left the kettle on. Like he knows he has something to get back to, but he can’t remember what.” Given another month she very well might have uncovered the secret identity lurking beneath the surface.

“You talked of a shadow; a shadow falling across the entire world,” she tells John Smith of the stories he has written down in his journal. Already doubts and glimmers of truth are beginning to creep into her mind. And then John Smith, expounder of military discipline for the youths in his care, says a very Doctor-like thing: “Mankind doesn’t need warfare and bloodshed to prove itself. Everyday life can provide honor and valor, and let’s hope that from now on this . . . this country can find its heroes in smaller places. In the most ordinary of deeds.” And he performs a very Doctor like deed, saving the woman and her baby from the falling piano with a well thrown cricket ball. “You extraordinary man.” Yes, Nurse Redfern, given another month, very well might have dug out the hidden persona.

All of this is that one world; that ordinary, human, historical world; told in a delicate tale haunted by the visions of John Smith and with the specter of war hanging over it.

There is that other world however, that other story, and again it is Martha who ties everything together. A meteor flashes across the sky and Martha immediately knows its significance. Martha’s friend and fellow servant Jenny sniffs the air and shows a creepy interest in Mr. Smith’s future plans and Martha immediately knows this is an alien who has taken over Jenny’s form. Martha can see both worlds. Martha has been entrusted with this story and she lives up to every confidence shown in her.

That other story, that extraordinary, alien, science fiction story, doesn’t have quite the quality as that first, but it only suffers by comparison.

Baines is the standout in the alien Family possessed, although that red balloon is an eerie touch for the little girl, the spaceship effect is quite good, and the scarecrows are especially atmospheric. My one quibble would be with the cheap looking guns and the way the Family uncomfortably flails them about.

“I wish you’d come back.” Martha is alone in this alien world and the pocket watch is missing. Hindsight—I suppose Martha would have been smart to keep the watch on her person, but of course then we wouldn’t have this wonderful story. Instead we have Latimer, the schoolboy with extra-sensory perception, who pockets the watch when it speaks to him and Martha has to try to snap the Doctor out of John Smith without it.

Martha is on a mission. She is determined. Martha has no time to deal with the foolish customs of history.  “Yeah, well think again mate,” she says as she brushes aside the condemning beggar and brazenly marches through the front door of the village hall. Martha has come armed with the sonic screwdriver. “Name it,” she challenges John Smith. But it is John Smith and not the Doctor she faces. The Chameleon Arch has done its job too well.

“We need a Time Lord.”

The Family has entered; the Family has taken over the dance.

“Mr. Smith? Everything I told you, just forget it. Don’t say anything.” Martha knows it is John Smith and not a Time Lord she faces. Martha knows she is alone.

The Family knows John Smith is the Doctor in hiding.

“I don’t know what you mean!”

John Smith is useless; he is desperate; he is helpless. John Smith, an ordinary human, is faced with an alien threat and Martha and Joan are held at gunpoint.

The human and the alien have collided, and it is a cliffhanger worthy of this extraordinary tale.

Until next time, Gary . . .