especially not a genius

twenty-three. lib sci grad student. archival nerd. whovian.

January 22, 2012 11:10 pm

Finishing my first playthrough. I’m gonna miss these guys. Until I start a new game…

October 2, 2011 10:20 am
You know what? After watching yesterday’s finale, and for that matter rewatching all 6 series over the past few weeks, I would like to take a moment to apologize to Martha Jones. Showing up as she did between Rose and Donna, two undoubtedly iconic companions for their own reasons, I was guilty of dismissing Martha or forgetting about her entirely, focusing on her feelings towards the Doctor and her quick pass through the show. Since Series 3 had it’s fair share of clunkers (42, The Lazarus Experiment, ::shudder:: Daleks in Manhattan) I rarely revisited it, and so Martha Jones was kind of a non-entity in my mind. I WAS WRONG, dear fandom. All of the Doctor’s companions are brave, loyal, and cunning, and I don’t want to detract from any of them. But take a moment to consider Martha in particular. She literally traveled the globe, during a time of oppression and serious danger, spreading the tale of the Doctor in hopes of saving him, her family, and all of humanity. Besides a perception filter, she didn’t have any “specialness” to help her - she wasn’t the Bad Wolf, she wasn’t the DoctorDonna, she wasn’t the girl with a crack in her wall who could change time by remembering, or the woman born with Time Lord DNA. She was just Martha, trekking across the planet, trying to help. And that wasn’t the only time Martha pitched in. She was a Doctor, or almost one, and her intelligence, quick thinking, and independence helped her and the Doctor numerous times - in episodes like Gridlock, The Shakespeare Code, and Family of Blood, where she dealt with a demeaning and sometimes racist society to keep the Doctor safe. Sure, she had feelings for him, and sometimes they clouded her judgment. But when the time came she was always able to think clearly, act bravely, and help save the day. And why did she eventually leave? Because the Doctor, bless him, didn’t have it in him at the time to appreciate her and the dangers she had put herself through. Love her as he did, it was time for Martha to move on and use her skills in other ways - still trying to save the world from predators like the Sontarans, risking her own life countless times. It seems strange to me now that I went so long without really giving Martha a second thought, and sometimes outright disliking her for the mere fact that she ended up between two very memorable companions (like them or not). Re-visiting her episodes now, and her subsequent appearances on both Doctor Who and Torchwood, I can’t help but think of Martha’s own words about herself: “I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best. But you know what? I am good.”

You know what? After watching yesterday’s finale, and for that matter rewatching all 6 series over the past few weeks, I would like to take a moment to apologize to Martha Jones. Showing up as she did between Rose and Donna, two undoubtedly iconic companions for their own reasons, I was guilty of dismissing Martha or forgetting about her entirely, focusing on her feelings towards the Doctor and her quick pass through the show. Since Series 3 had it’s fair share of clunkers (42, The Lazarus Experiment, ::shudder:: Daleks in Manhattan) I rarely revisited it, and so Martha Jones was kind of a non-entity in my mind.

I WAS WRONG, dear fandom. All of the Doctor’s companions are brave, loyal, and cunning, and I don’t want to detract from any of them. But take a moment to consider Martha in particular. She literally traveled the globe, during a time of oppression and serious danger, spreading the tale of the Doctor in hopes of saving him, her family, and all of humanity. Besides a perception filter, she didn’t have any “specialness” to help her - she wasn’t the Bad Wolf, she wasn’t the DoctorDonna, she wasn’t the girl with a crack in her wall who could change time by remembering, or the woman born with Time Lord DNA. She was just Martha, trekking across the planet, trying to help.

And that wasn’t the only time Martha pitched in. She was a Doctor, or almost one, and her intelligence, quick thinking, and independence helped her and the Doctor numerous times - in episodes like Gridlock, The Shakespeare Code, and Family of Blood, where she dealt with a demeaning and sometimes racist society to keep the Doctor safe. Sure, she had feelings for him, and sometimes they clouded her judgment. But when the time came she was always able to think clearly, act bravely, and help save the day. And why did she eventually leave? Because the Doctor, bless him, didn’t have it in him at the time to appreciate her and the dangers she had put herself through. Love her as he did, it was time for Martha to move on and use her skills in other ways - still trying to save the world from predators like the Sontarans, risking her own life countless times.

It seems strange to me now that I went so long without really giving Martha a second thought, and sometimes outright disliking her for the mere fact that she ended up between two very memorable companions (like them or not). Re-visiting her episodes now, and her subsequent appearances on both Doctor Who and Torchwood, I can’t help but think of Martha’s own words about herself: “I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best. But you know what? I am good.”