30 Days of Nu-Who: Day 16
Day 16 - Fave Martha Moment
First off, Martha Jones is awesome.
1.) She's smart. She's a successful medical student well on her way to becoming a doctor.
2.) She's brave. She keeps a cool head when her hospital gets transported to the moon and everyone around her is panicking.
3.) She's a mediator and a leader. Her whole family looks to her to keep the peace among them.
We learn all that in just the first episode. But part of good television is the learning and growing process we, the audience, get to be a part of. As far as I can tell, Martha Jones is flawless. If she is such an incredible person before she meets the Doctor, what opportunity does she have to improve? In my opinion, if she can't become a better person, then she is a less-than-stellar character.
Which is not to say that Martha didn't do amazing things, but when she came out of them, was she better? What did she learn in 1913 that she didn't already know? To treat servants like people? Martha doesn't strike me as the type of woman to treat servants badly. What did she learn in the year she walked the world telling people stories? As far as I can tell, she came out of that experience more damaged than when she went in, which is not the point of Doctor Who. Martha's story, to me, looks a lot like torture. I'm uncomfortable with that.
I think the number one criticism I hear about Martha is the way she moons over the Doctor. But I don't think anyone could really blame her. The Doctor is amazing! And sometimes he looks like this:
Unrequited love stories are difficult for me to watch, but I really like the way this one ends, because this is the one part in Martha's story where she shows personal growth.
Martha has a good reason to leave the Doctor. Her family needs her, and honestly, she probably needs them, too. She could have left it there and she and the Doctor might never discuss the tension between them. But she doesn't leave it there. She goes back in and explains exactly why she has to leave.
MARTHA: ‘Cause the thing is, it's like my friend Vicky, she lived with this bloke, student housing, there were five of them, all packed in, and this bloke was called Sean. And she loved him, she did. She completely adored him. Spent all day long talking about him.
DOCTOR: Is this going anywhere?
MARTHA: Yes! ‘Cause he never looked at her twice. I mean, he liked her, but that was it. And she wasted years pining after him, years of her life, ‘cause while he was around, she never looked at anyone else. And I told her, I always said to her, time and time again, I said: Get out. So this is me, getting out.
The Doctor knows how Martha feels. He's known all along, but there wasn't anything he could really do about it. His line in the quote above shows how uncomfortable he still is with all things domestic. What I love here is the way Martha is very clear about how she feels and why she's leaving, but she does it in a way that is understanding and sensitive towards the Doctor. She understands that he can't reciprocate and makes it clear that it doesn't make him a bad person. She doesn't hold it against him, but she also can't stay with him. Her leaving is the best option for both of them.
It's a painful realization for her and a difficult decision to give up all of space and time, but you can see the weight lift off her shoulders when she leaves the TARDIS that last time. It's the strength and self-awareness that Martha shows that makes this my favorite moment of hers.
Day 1 - Favorite Incarnation of the Doctor: Nine
Day 2 - Favorite Companion: Donna Noble
Day 3 - Favorite Villain/Monster/Alien/Baddie of the Week: The Entity from "Midnight"
Day 4 - Favorite Character: Wilfred Mott
Day 5 - Favorite Guest Star: Anthony Stewart Head
Day 6 - Least Favorite Character: Lady Christina de Souza
Day 7 - Favorite Episode: "Midnight"
Day 8 - Favorite Series: Series Four
Day 9 - Least Favorite Episode: "Planet of the Dead"
Day 10 - Favorite Scene/Moment: "Don't... just don't."
Day 11 - Scene/Moment that makes you cry: Ten rages against the dying of the light
Day 12 - Scene/Moment that makes you giggle: Jackie Tyler smacks the Doctor
Day 13 - Favorite Era visited by The Doctor & Co: The End of the World
Day 14 - Fave Doctor Moment: "Basically, run."
Day 15 - Fave Rose Moment: "The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life."
Day 16 - Fave Martha Moment: "This is me, getting out."
Day 17 - Fave Donna Moment
Day 18 - Fave Amy Moment
Day 19 - Favorite Ship
Day 20 - Prettiest Scene
Day 21 - Favorite Location
Day 22 - Something Silly
Day 23 - Something Epic
Day 24 - Favorite Accessory of the Doctor's
Day 25 - Favorite TARDIS Team
Day 26 - Scene/Moment that made you go 'awww'
Day 27 - Scene/Moment that made you go 'argh'
Day 28 - Favorite Series Arc
Day 29 - Favorite Music/Song
Day 30 - Why Do YOU Love Doctor Who
First off, Martha Jones is awesome.
1.) She's smart. She's a successful medical student well on her way to becoming a doctor.
2.) She's brave. She keeps a cool head when her hospital gets transported to the moon and everyone around her is panicking.
3.) She's a mediator and a leader. Her whole family looks to her to keep the peace among them.
We learn all that in just the first episode. But part of good television is the learning and growing process we, the audience, get to be a part of. As far as I can tell, Martha Jones is flawless. If she is such an incredible person before she meets the Doctor, what opportunity does she have to improve? In my opinion, if she can't become a better person, then she is a less-than-stellar character.
Which is not to say that Martha didn't do amazing things, but when she came out of them, was she better? What did she learn in 1913 that she didn't already know? To treat servants like people? Martha doesn't strike me as the type of woman to treat servants badly. What did she learn in the year she walked the world telling people stories? As far as I can tell, she came out of that experience more damaged than when she went in, which is not the point of Doctor Who. Martha's story, to me, looks a lot like torture. I'm uncomfortable with that.
I think the number one criticism I hear about Martha is the way she moons over the Doctor. But I don't think anyone could really blame her. The Doctor is amazing! And sometimes he looks like this:
Unrequited love stories are difficult for me to watch, but I really like the way this one ends, because this is the one part in Martha's story where she shows personal growth.
Martha has a good reason to leave the Doctor. Her family needs her, and honestly, she probably needs them, too. She could have left it there and she and the Doctor might never discuss the tension between them. But she doesn't leave it there. She goes back in and explains exactly why she has to leave.
MARTHA: ‘Cause the thing is, it's like my friend Vicky, she lived with this bloke, student housing, there were five of them, all packed in, and this bloke was called Sean. And she loved him, she did. She completely adored him. Spent all day long talking about him.
DOCTOR: Is this going anywhere?
MARTHA: Yes! ‘Cause he never looked at her twice. I mean, he liked her, but that was it. And she wasted years pining after him, years of her life, ‘cause while he was around, she never looked at anyone else. And I told her, I always said to her, time and time again, I said: Get out. So this is me, getting out.
The Doctor knows how Martha feels. He's known all along, but there wasn't anything he could really do about it. His line in the quote above shows how uncomfortable he still is with all things domestic. What I love here is the way Martha is very clear about how she feels and why she's leaving, but she does it in a way that is understanding and sensitive towards the Doctor. She understands that he can't reciprocate and makes it clear that it doesn't make him a bad person. She doesn't hold it against him, but she also can't stay with him. Her leaving is the best option for both of them.
It's a painful realization for her and a difficult decision to give up all of space and time, but you can see the weight lift off her shoulders when she leaves the TARDIS that last time. It's the strength and self-awareness that Martha shows that makes this my favorite moment of hers.
Day 1 - Favorite Incarnation of the Doctor: Nine
Day 2 - Favorite Companion: Donna Noble
Day 3 - Favorite Villain/Monster/Alien/Baddie of the Week: The Entity from "Midnight"
Day 4 - Favorite Character: Wilfred Mott
Day 5 - Favorite Guest Star: Anthony Stewart Head
Day 6 - Least Favorite Character: Lady Christina de Souza
Day 7 - Favorite Episode: "Midnight"
Day 8 - Favorite Series: Series Four
Day 9 - Least Favorite Episode: "Planet of the Dead"
Day 10 - Favorite Scene/Moment: "Don't... just don't."
Day 11 - Scene/Moment that makes you cry: Ten rages against the dying of the light
Day 12 - Scene/Moment that makes you giggle: Jackie Tyler smacks the Doctor
Day 13 - Favorite Era visited by The Doctor & Co: The End of the World
Day 14 - Fave Doctor Moment: "Basically, run."
Day 15 - Fave Rose Moment: "The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life."
Day 16 - Fave Martha Moment: "This is me, getting out."
Day 17 - Fave Donna Moment
Day 18 - Fave Amy Moment
Day 19 - Favorite Ship
Day 20 - Prettiest Scene
Day 21 - Favorite Location
Day 22 - Something Silly
Day 23 - Something Epic
Day 24 - Favorite Accessory of the Doctor's
Day 25 - Favorite TARDIS Team
Day 26 - Scene/Moment that made you go 'awww'
Day 27 - Scene/Moment that made you go 'argh'
Day 28 - Favorite Series Arc
Day 29 - Favorite Music/Song
Day 30 - Why Do YOU Love Doctor Who