After watching the first season of the new Doctor Who, I have to admit to often being disappointed in it. Granted, the show is quite often creative, well acted and has good production values. All well and good, but subjects have been added that have no place in a family program. IВ’m disappointed in the gutter morality being displayed, particularly in the off-color jokes that turn up in almost every episode. For a family show to discuss and joke about sexuality of all kinds is beyond the pale, particularly since thatВ’s a topic best left to parents. I donВ’t care to hear the Doctor swear. ThatВ’s a very human habit, and the DoctorВ’s always been above that in the past. The constant intrusion of the authorВ’s political views also grates, as does the moral equivalence thatВ’s been drawn between the Doctor and his enemies on at least three occasions. All of this can be laid square at the feet of Russell T. Davies, executive producer and head writer.

All of which leads me to my point, that I now go into an RTD scripted episode expecting the worst and have to be won over. One may wonder just why I bother watching the show, and it may be that like my experience with the EDAs that culminated in the utter trash that was В“Adventuress of Henrietta StreetВ”, that there may come a point when IВ’ve had enough and drop the new series as well, as much as IВ’d rather not. However, to my relief, Mr. Davies has written a pretty good script when it comes to В“The Christmas InvasionВ”. It has some of the same flaws as his other work, but on the whole it works rather well. Unfortunately, rather than being something entirely new, it is В“Aliens of London/World War 3В” told with more restraint. As such, if it wasnВ’t for the new Doctor it would feel very much like the retread that it is. The fact that I can actually take the Sycorax more seriously as a threat (В“Sycorax rockВ” aside... ugh) than I could the Slitheen, and the fact that IВ’m interested in seeing how the Doctor is ultimately characterized keep me from feeling as if IВ’ve seen this all before.

В“YouВ’re drawing attention to yourself.В” After umpteen-million invasions of Earth in the late 20th century, an alien invasion finally occurs that canВ’t be covered up. I find it difficult to believe that everything from Mondas itself approaching Earth to the Slitheen crashing through Big Ben have been covered up and explained away, but that was something that much of the old series didnВ’t handle any better than the new one, so IВ’ll let it go. The idea of an invasion that affects 1/3 of the EarthВ’s population and thus makes aliens an everyday fact of life for our planet is interesting to say the least, as is the long overdue fact that the Earth has salvaged alien technology that enables it to defend itself. As always with Doctor Who itВ’s a cut-rate invasion with just one ship, although thanks to CGI we have more than ten aliens. There is an armada mentioned but not seen. The ship itself is large and impressive, casting a foreboding shadow over London. The Sycorax themselves are very much like Klingons, arenВ’t they? They speak a harsh guttural language, are aggressive, bound by rules of combat, and fond of melee weapons. However their apparent belief in mysticism and В‘spell-castingВ’ set them apart from most aliens, and their stone spaceship that looks like a flying mountain is very distinctive, particularly when itВ’s casting a dark shadow over London. The blood control gambit to essentially hold the world hostage is another clever idea, and a reasonable way for a single spaceship to be an effective threat.

В“Harriet Jones, Prime MinisterВ”. Yes, we know who you are. This particular character was the best part of AOL/WW3 (possibly the only good part), and itВ’s very nice to see her again. She has a good rapport with her В‘right hand manВ’, and generally projects an air of confidence and strong leadership. Except of course when she gets on national TV and begs for help from the Doctor. IВ’m sorry, but no national leader with any pride is going to go on television and make themselves look weak. JonesВ’ decision to fire on the retreating Sycorax spacecraft is absolutely correct, and itВ’s disappointing to see the Doctor acting vindictive and childish. One hopes that she survives the no-confidence vote.

В“He left me mom. He left me!В” IВ’m of two minds about Rose. On the one hand, I have no patience with this Doctor/Rose unspoken romance nonsense, which leads me to roll my eyes when Rose pulls a jealous fit or gushes or cries over the Doctor. On the other hand, watching the Doctor regenerate must be very much like losing a close friend, and RoseВ’s grief at the loss is understandable. Rose herself helps to carry much of the episode while the Doctor is unconscious, and her attempt to В‘play the DoctorВ’ and bluff the Sycorax is highly amusing, as well as being admirable.

В“Now I know what kind of man I am.В” The Eccleston to Tennant change reminds me somewhat of the changeover from Pertwee to Baker, in that weВ’re going from an essentially straight and earnest portrayal of the Doctor to a more eccentric and humorous one. Tennant certainly seems to exude the DoctorВ’s characteristic eccentricity more easily than Eccleston did. On the other hand, he often seems to be walking a very thin line between playing the character seriously and trying to be Tom Baker at his most energetic, which simply isnВ’t going to work for anyone other than Tom Baker. An example of a good scene played well is the DoctorВ’s dispatch of the killer tree. Tennant is suitably sombre when wondering about the aliens who sent the tree, and then again when threatening them from the balcony. However once he steps out of the TARDIS on board the Sycorax ship, he veers perilously close to camp. In the face of numerous threatening armed aliens he takes time to walk around and greet Rose and Harriet Jones, worried more about his hair color than the threat. Of course, itВ’s just as absurd that the Sycorax allow him to get away with it. The sword fight is reasonable, and is in character for the Doctor. The severing of the DoctorВ’s hand is remarkably blood and pain free (and thus rather unconvincing), as well as instantly bringing to mind the severing of Luke SkywalkerВ’s hand in The Empire Strikes Back. However, the ability of the Doctor to regrow his hand due to the lingering effects of his regeneration is pretty creative. The button on the side of the ship that collapses just the right wing section to allow the Sycorax champion to fall to his death is too incredibly convenient to be believable. Please, think these things through before they are commit ed to film!

The humor in this episode is sometimes crass, as seems to be RTDВ’s wont. There are a couple of instances that work very well however. The repeated use of В“Harriet Jones, Prime MinisterВ” joke pays off when even the Sycorax leader says В“Yes, we know who you are.В” The killer Christmas tree ought to be too stupid for words, but when it starts chopping through walls and furniture, accompanied by a sort of hyper-Jingle Bells musical score while Jackie screams В“IВ’m going to be killed by a Christmas TreeeeeeeВ” I just have to laugh. The DoctorВ’s sword fight in his pajamas is genuinely amusing and the revival of the Doctor with tea just feels exactly right.

Happy smiles and celebrations all around are cut short when Harriet Jones gives the order to destroy the retreating Sycorax ship. Her position is entirely reasonable given what the Sycorax have just done to Earth, and her argument that the Earth has to defend itself when the Doctor isnВ’t around is quite sound. Frankly the Doctor looks very petty and somewhat self-important when he takes his revenge and sets in motion events which hurt JonesВ’ status as Prime Minister. I suppose itВ’s okay for the Doctor to kill aliens who threaten Earth, but not for humans to defend themselves. It does make him look very hypocritical.

I enjoyed the sequence in the wardrobe where the Doctor chooses his new clothes. ItВ’s nice to see more of the TARDIS than just the console room. ItВ’s great to see the fourth DoctorВ’s burgundy scarf as a nod to the past. Tennant looks more Doctorish with his collar and tie and long coat than Eccleston did with his t-shirt and leather jacket, and I wonder if the pin-stripe suit is again, a bit of a tribute to Tom Baker, who seemed to wear such suits for a while back in the 90s. The Christmas dinner shows us a different side to this Doctor, who would not have sat around the table with the Tylers and Mickey before. The final scenes put a damper on the festive ending however, with ash instead of snow as the Sycorax ship burns up in the atmosphere.

Overall, a promising beginning for David Tennant. He needs to settle down and take things a bit more seriously, but he already fits the part better than Christopher Eccleston, despite the fine job Eccleston did. The story is yet another tiresome alien invasion of contemporary Earth, but at least itВ’s big and public and shakes up the status quo so that something new is brought into the mix. One of Russel Davies better attempts. Worth watching.

There are a lot of little details in В“Tooth and ClawВ” that ought to have been cut somewhere. Too much of the authorВ’s personal politics and too much pop culture knowledge projected onto the Doctor really grate, as no doubt theyВ’re intended to. In other words, I think Mr. Davies and some of the other writers enjoy taking jabs at the fans. The Doctor seems less like a mysterious alien and more like a teenager be-bopping around EarthВ’s history, listening to pop music and indulging in movies. These little asides never really come across as authentic character moments for the Doctor that weВ’ve been watching for 40 years now.

However, regardless of that, the episode itself is quite good overall. Despite the fact that IВ’m tired of RTDВ’s writing style, and despite the fact that this is his sixth episode in a row, for the most part heВ’s done a good job this time around and deserves credit for it.

В“Tooth and ClawВ” is in many ways a very traditional monster tale with many familiar elements. ThereВ’s the old mansion out on the lonely moors, with the local legend of a monster that turns out to actually exist. True to form the monster is nearly indestructible, unaffected by bullets but allergic to a certain herb. The monster is of course is given the typical Doctor Who treatment in that it is not supernatural, but is an alien life form that crashed on Earth hundreds of years before the story takes place. The book that the Doctor finds in the library details the arrival, and the host in the cage tells Rose that heВ’s В“so far from homeВ”.

The idea of an alien werewolf isnВ’t actually new. The Eighth Doctor novel В“KursaalВ” introduced the Jax, a virus that migrates from host to host, and appears early on as a werewolf. The werewolf in В“Tooth and ClawВ” could just as easily be one of the same creatures, though itВ’s been awhile since I read Kursaal so some of the fine details escape me. Regardless of the recycled idea, the CGI werewolf is excellently realized. ItВ’s far more convincing than a man in a suit would have been, and is made very effective by being largely kept in the shadows of a dark house and by only being seen for brief moments. And itВ’s not just a mindless killer, but an intelligent alien with a plan to take over the British Empire by migrating into Queen Victoria. Presumably the monks are all for the wolf taking over, or else theyВ’d just have killed Victoria on sight rather than set a trap. Perhaps they think that they will be able to exercise the same amount of control over the wolf once it possesses Victoria as they do over the current human host, and thereby rule the British empire.

The monks are effective villains, but the martial arts are silly. Since when do Scottish monks in the 18th century know kung-fu? Their disappearance at the end of the episode ought to have been at least addressed, although itВ’s easy enough to surmise that with Father Angelo and the wolf dead, the jig was up and they figured that they had better leg it out of Dodge. I expect Victoria had them hunted down later and punished for their crimes. Father Angelo is only around for half the episode, but heВ’s a creepy villain with his quick reflexes and glaring eyes.

Queen Victoria is treated quite well by the script, and well acted by Pauline Collins. ItВ’s not unusual for someone to play multiple roles over time in Doctor Who, but isnВ’t it enjoyable to have someone return after almost forty years? How many programs are still around after that length of time? It speaks well of the Doctor Who formula that it allows such longevity. Victoria is a well-rounded character, displaying good humor, wit, grief and a good measure of determination and spirit. I was cheering her on when she shot Father Angelo dead. Her grief over AlbertВ’s death is touching, and seemed to resonate with the Doctor as well, given his silence and facial expressions during that conversation. Victoria is also used well in the story, being not only the В‘guest historical celebrityВ’ of the week, but also essential to the plot. The actions of the monks are motivated by their desire to assassinate Victoria and take the throne. Victoria is the voice of incredulity as well, questioning the Doctor and his lifestyle, and outright condemning it in the end. She rewards the Doctor and Rose for their actions and bravery, and then banishes them for their cavalier attitude to life and danger. Brilliant. She also is open minded enough not to rationalize away the werewolf attack, but to found Torchwood as an institute to investigate and defend Great Britain from paranormal dangers. ItВ’s an altogether satisfying use of the character, thoroughly justifying her inclusion in the story.

The humor works sometimes. The bumpy landing in the highlands one hundred years off target is amusing, as is the DoctorВ’s sudden switch to a Scottish accent (TennantВ’s real accent) and adoption of В“James McCrimmonВ” as his alias. RoseВ’s attempts to get Victoria to say В“we are not amusedВ” grow old rather quickly though. The unavoidable gay joke is highly offensive, as well as quite honestly being a pitiful excuse for not noticing problems with the household staff. В“Your wifeВ’s away, your servants are bald and athletic. I just thought you were happy.В” The wifeВ’s away, forget marital fidelity, gay orgies everyone. ItВ’s smut, and itВ’s not funny, itВ’s disgusting. IВ’m not British, but the mockery of the Royal Family at the end also disgusted me, as did the smug dismissal of Margaret Thatcher. No respect for anyone, eh Russell?

The Doctor and Rose are gelling as a team, though I think Rose worked better with the 9th Doctor than the 10th. Piper and Tennant seem like a couple of kids on a lark, laughing and irreverently mocking anything they feel like (rather like RTD), and it gets old fast. Rose in particular is becoming an annoyance. I donВ’t know whatВ’s happened to her since last year, when she was such a great character. Much has been said about her attempts to get Victoria to say В‘we are not amusedВ’ and so I wonВ’t belabor the point, but if I were traveling in time and met a famous historical figure, IВ’d be trying to get to know them, not poking fun at them. It does make Rose look quite foolish, which may be the point. However she does display quite a bit more character and moral fiber when she is talking to the host and learning about the werewolf. She also shows some initiative and leadership when she leads the chained prisoners to pull free of the wall and escape the cellar as the wolf transforms.

IВ’m hesitant to compare David Tennant to either Tom Baker or Patrick Troughton, because I donВ’t think heВ’s anywhere near the level of those two actors, but his character seems to draw attributes from both. HeВ’s energetic, enthusiastic and suitably eccentric. Whereas the anti-establishment attitude of the Doctor goes back all the way to Hartnell, itВ’s far too overt coming from the word processor of RTD and the mouth of David Tennant. Subtlety is the key. The DoctorВ’s rapid intellect is demonstrated in the library when he works out the trap inside a trap that Albert set up years earlier. His energy is apparent when heВ’s running down hallways and trying to spring the trap for the wolf. HeВ’s sombre when listening to Victoria speak of her grief over her dead husband. He displays wonderful wide-eyed wonder at the werewolf when he gets his first view of it. ItВ’s an excellent performance.

In short, В“Tooth and ClawВ” is a rather traditional monster story adapted to the Doctor Who framework. It is very enjoyable, and I wish all of Russell DaviesВ’ efforts were at this level. A good solid episode.

I have to admit that I enjoyed this episode more than I thought I would. On the surface, itВ’s a mix of absurd story ideas. A love story for the Doctor is going to struggle against long odds just to be acceptable or believable, especially with the limited development time available in the 45 minute format.

And В“a spaceship from the 51st century stalking a woman from the 18thВ” is certainly an inventive idea, but any attempt to explain why that is happening is going to strain credulity, even in a Doctor Who context.

LetВ’s start with the Doctor/Madame du Pompadour romance. IВ’ll be the first to admit that Sophia Myles is stunningly beautiful, and would no doubt turn the head of just about any red-blooded man who noticed her. SheВ’s also playing a character that was quite accomplished and intelligent in real life, and her performance brings that out fairly well in the limited time available. That being said, the Doctor isnВ’t normally given to noticing anyone, and indeed itВ’s possible to argue that the attraction in this story is one-sided. The advances and flirting certainly all come from Reinette, and the lengths that the Doctor is willing to go to in order to save her life and protect history (since history tells us that Madame du Pompadour did not die at the hands of clockwork robots) are perhaps no more than he would have done for anyone else.

The time needed for a genuine relationship to develop is the crucial missing element in the story, both for the Doctor and Reinette. At best she enjoys either flirting or toying with the Doctor, and he lets himself be pulled along perhaps by the sheer novelty of it all. Certainly he seems to treat her kiss as something to be proud of because of who it was that kissed him. В“IВ’ve just snogged Madame du Pompadour!В” he says exultantly, after first listing her accomplishments. As for her motives for kissing the Doctor when sheВ’d only met him twice as a child, who can say? It certainly doesnВ’t make much sense in the context of the story. To be honest, it makes her look rather easy. ThatВ’s not a character trait to admire. At least when she becomes involved with the King sheВ’s sleeping her way to the top, though that too is hardly admirable.

In essence what we have is not so much a love story as it is the story of Reinette perhaps trying to hold on to the mystery of this man who keeps appearing in her life. IВ’m just trying to explain whatВ’s on screen. WeВ’re told itВ’s a love story, but the events that are acted out for us donВ’t support that description. ThereВ’s no time for love to develop, and thereВ’s no depth to the relationship. Perhaps Reinette hopes that a good kiss and some flirtation will entice the В“Fireplace ManВ” to remain longer so that she can learn more about him. After all itВ’s worked on other men in her life. This theory holds at least until the point the Doctor suddenly gains the ability to read minds and has his read in return. There certainly appears to be a bit more genuine affection in the final scenes where Reinette tells the Doctor about the one remaining link back to the spacecraft. The two seem very relaxed and happy in each others company, and the DoctorВ’s sadness at ReinetteВ’s death is certainly heartfelt. Once he opened the letter and knew that she had never seen him again, going back to visit her in the TARDIS became impossible.

So where did this ability to read minds come from? WeВ’ve never seen it before, though I admit itВ’s plausible given the DoctorВ’s limited use of telepathy in the past. Susan displayed some talent for telepathy, the Master was able to hypnotize rather easily, and Time Lords are supposed to enjoy telepathy among themselves, so itВ’s not inconceivable that the Doctor suddenly has the ability to mind-meld with a human. ItВ’s just highly convenient as a plot device.

ItВ’s so highly convenient that IВ’m tempted to be really irritated at the sudden appearance of the DoctorВ’s new ability, but IВ’ll let it go. Convenient or not, itВ’s certainly a shortcut around the time limitations of the episode and suddenly the Doctor and Reinette are intimately acquainted. Just how intimately acquainted depends on whether the В‘danceВ’ metaphor from last season still refers to sex and whether the Doctor went along for the ride. You can read it either way. If you like the Doctor as a cosmic Casanova who beds attractive women he barely knows while heВ’s supposed to be in love with Rose, you can read events one way. If you prefer a more virtuous Time Lord, you can go that route, despite the obvious intent of the author.

During the final encounter with the robots, the dramatic entrance of the Doctor as a heroic В‘knight on a white stallionВ” is entirely in keeping with the self-sacrificial nature of the character, though his abandonment of Mickey and Rose is hard to explain. He saves ReinetteВ’s life, but (as far as he knows) strands himself in 17th century France, and strands his traveling companions in a 51st century spaceship with no means of returning home. When he asks Rose, В“how long did you wait?В” it doesnВ’t really make sense. Neither she nor Mickey can fly the TARDIS, and the Doctor is surely aware of that. What else could they do but wait? Perhaps itВ’s just a case of the Doctor trying to save face and mend hurt feelings.

Moving right along, thereВ’s a lot less to say about the clockwork robots, proving yet again that this series of Doctor Who frequently puts character above plot, which is detrimental to the story far too often. Plot holes are papered over with sentiment while the writer hopes the audience wonВ’t notice or wonВ’t care. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesnВ’t. I think that the attempt is successful in В“The Girl in the FireplaceВ”, though in all honestly I must confess that the story is crazy. As a means of tying the spacecraft and France together, we have repair robots who create time windows and travel back in time to find the person their ship is named after, so that they can use her brain to repair the main computer, but only when sheВ’s the same age as the spaceship. ItВ’s so off-the-wall and creative that IВ’m willing to enjoy the idea tremendously and buy right into the premise.

The robots themselves are inventive, from their mannequin-like period dress and masks, to the clockwork-filled clear heads underneath. Having the first one that we encounter hiding under a childВ’s bed is just a wonderful conceit.

I have to address the issue of В‘self-awarenessВ’ in the new series of Doctor Who. I would define this as actions or dialog which pulls me out of the story and reminds me that yes, I am watching a TV program. This is frequently a failing of Russel Davies scripts, but it crops up here as well. В“The Doctor and the monsters,В” Reinette says at one point. В“It seems you cannot have one without the other.В” And with that meta-textual line my suspension of disbelief is shattered and IВ’m thinking about Doctor Who the program rather than remaining engaged in the story. Any time that someone says В“Doctor Who?В” it does the same thing. And itВ’s very annoying.

There are other things to like about this story apart from the Doctor/Reinette relationship and the robots. ItВ’s MickeyВ’s first trip in the TARDIS, and his enthusiasm is wonderful to watch. The fact that he and Rose get along with no hint of RoseВ’s usual jealous streak is a breath of fresh air. IВ’m sick of RoseВ’s jealously and tired of the character for that matter. It just seems like her story was told last year, and thereВ’s not really anything new to say about her. ItВ’s a lot like Charley Pollard, whose story came to a good conclusion in В“NeverlandВ” and then the character seemed to stagnate. Rose has been irritating in В“New EarthВ”, В“Tooth and ClawВ”, and especially in В“School ReunionВ” where the claws came out with Sarah Jane. SheВ’s much better here, and I hope continues to do well in future. As of this writing I havenВ’t seen any stories beyond В“The Girl in the FireplaceВ”, so I donВ’t know how the character develops over the remainder of the season.

Some of the dialog is almost poetic. References to В“The slow pathВ” to describe linear time, or ReinetteВ’s phrase В“In your world there are rooms where the days of my life are pressed together like the pages of a bookВ” are wonderful to hear.

Overall, the story has an appeal that transcends the crazy premise, but it never lives up to the billing as В‘a love story for the DoctorВ’. But it is inventive, itВ’s different and itВ’s sincere, which sets it apart and elevates it above much of the new series. ItВ’s well worth the time to watch it.

Not so long ago, in an English springtime...

There are one or two people I know who, upon hearing that the producers were about to embark on yet another "adaptation" of a beloved piece of Doctor Who writing, immediately decided that blasphemy had occurred. Never mind the fact that it would be Paul Cornell adapting his own material; Rob Shearman had done the same two years prior with the loose adaptation of his audio "Jubilee" turned into the brilliant "Dalek," and last year's best-foot-forward attempt by Tom MacRae to capture the essence of the audio "Spare Parts" by Marc Platt in the two-part "Rise of the Cybermen". There are reasons, after all, why Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner may want to look toward previously-written material: stories that won the hearts of fans might, in a larger venue, capture the hearts of the viewing public as well. For this attempt, there would be no obfuscation; Cornell was charged with a direct adaptation of his perhaps his most celebrated Doctor Who novel, "Human Nature," published in 1995, altering the characters (the Seventh Doctor and print companion Bernice Summerfield to current Tenth Doctor and Martha Jones) but keeping the rest.

I have a confession to make: I never read "Human Nature". I was rather picky with the print Doctor Who I read at the time, and a boys' school in 1914, I must admit, never really interested me. When I first heard Paul was adapting his novel, some time ago, I pulled it off the shelf but never actually opened the book; why ruin the surprise? I knew two things -- the setting, and that the Doctor became human.

What goes around, comes around, and in retrospect I made the right choices. For ninety well-spent minutes, in one sitting, "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood" (which I will refer to as "Human Nature" in entirety in the remainder of this review) unfolded like an epic treat, with all the benefits a two-part story presents these days: adventure, drama, a cliffhanger that excites and moments of insight that challenge. It is, first of all, an exploration of human nature itself, what it means to be human. More importantly, it is an examination of just how inhuman the Doctor truly is. David Tennant has perhaps never been as strong as he is here, creating a character in John Smith that is truly different and unique from that of the Doctor. When we first meet him, it is but a superficial change, an educator's hat and black robes, but soon we realize the change is far greater than that. This is a man capable of love, of humility, of stuttering through an entire conversation about a topic he has very limited experience with: romantic interest, specifically from Joan Redfern (Jessica Hynes, in an equally magnificent performance). His depth of feeling for the humble nurse Joan is readily apparent, his mannerisms quite a change from the usual no-nonsense attitude; when he takes the tumble down a flight of stairs, nervously making his way through a non-invitation to the local dance, it is not the Doctor -- the Doctor is far away, in another lifetime. In that moment where Tennant is ready to take up the role of the Doctor again, aboard the Family's spacecraft, it is not a subtle change -- it is forceful and amusing and absolutely real, and Tennant demonstrates the power of his performance simply by being a different man. What hurts most of all is the debate -- should the Doctor return, or should John Smith carry on with his life? There are merits to both sides, with a heart-wrenching look into a future that will likely never happen favoring the latter, and our own sensibilities which would otherwise root for the former option being checked.

I've read many comments on the Internet about the moments in which people teared up while watching this story. For me, it wasn't the heartbreak of watching Smith and Joan parting for what would likely be the last time, or the funeral piece at the end, but the words of truth from young Tim Latimer (played by Thomas Sangster, in one of the finest performances by a child actor to grace a Doctor Who story) ... everything about the Doctor being fire and ancient and all that, but the moment I cracked was when Tim said he was 'wonderful'. Up until that moment, I was really waffling on whether or not John Smith should accept his fate; then, all of the pent-up emotion of the Doctor being the selfless hero, the one man standing against the evil of the universe came flooding back.

But "Human Nature" questions that in another moment of brilliance, as Joan asks him if all of the death and destruction around them would have happened if the Doctor hadn't chosen 1913 England on a whim. It is rare form when Doctor Who questions its own existence, and this is another of Cornell's strengths -- not just playing to the audience with the fear and the humor and the romance and the adventure, but asking pointed questions to an audience that may have become used to black and white instead of the shades of grey that exist in life. Unsatisfied with questioning the hero's role in the events that have unfolded, "Human Nature" further explores the depths to which the Doctor will go to satisfy his moral objectives: he will not murder his opponents, but in fact subjects them to a fate worse than death. Would murder have been the easy way out for the Family of Blood? Or are they now subject to a malevolence not unlike torture?

Director Charles Palmer demonstrates tremendous skill in his cinematography, capturing the essence of 1913 England beautifully, while an exceptional cast handles the story with ease. Besides Hynes and Sangster, Harry Lloyd is a stand-out as Jeremy Baines, the troubled schoolboy who becomes the warmongering Son of Mine. (Has there ever been a guest star on Doctor Who who demonstrates such otherworldliness and creepiness with a tick of the head and eyes like the possessed?) Rebekah Staton (as Jenny, later Mother of Mine) gives another equally noteworthy performance, first as the standard 'period housemaid' and later as the standard 'possessed villain' but excelling at both to feel as though they were played by two totally different actresses.

Freema Agyeman, meanwhile, like Tennant gives perhaps her best performance to date, as Martha discovers a terrible secret -- not that she is the Doctor's friend, or that the Family is after him, but that she is, in fact, far behind in the running to capture both John Smith's, and the Doctor's heart. Her reaction when John shows Nurse Redfern the pages of his 'Journal of Impossible Things' and comes across the sketch of Rose is yet another revelation, and Agyeman plays Martha as if she is struggling against her own convictions. (Another heartbreaking moment, for me anyway: the Doctor invites Joan to join him in the TARDIS, the two of them together -- and never mentions Martha. I'm not sure I'm very happy with where this is leading...)

While Doctor Who often ignores its own past, "Human Nature" actually makes several references to its roots. The aforementioned 'Journal' and its caricatures not only of adversaries from the past three seasons but also the unmistakable features of Paul McGann, William Hartnell and Sylvester McCoy... John Smith's handiness with a cricket ball... even the lovely homage paid to Doctor Who founders Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert. It is always nice to see the past being paid service while still blazing new trails, and yet it is never done in a heavy-handed fashion. The past, in fact, is as important as the future is in "Human Nature," which explores both cause and effect, actions and consequences -- never moreso than in the aforementioned scene where Joan Redfern chastises the Doctor for bringing the death and destruction, the Family of Blood, and the life and death of one man, John Smith, upon them.

There are rare moments in Doctor Who history when everything comes together -- a perfect cast, a thrilling story, fantastic direction and a magic captured like lightning in a bottle. "City of Death" comes to mind from the original series, or "The Caves of Androzani" -- stories that take an already enjoyable concept and transcend the ordinary, becoming something unusually special. There have been many opportunities and many successes by this production team in three years, with bonified thespians in the roles of Doctor and companion, directors that blend subtleties with their talents, magic in the moments that define Doctor Who ? but rarely in combination. Steven Moffat's "The Empty Child" proved that writing Doctor Who had come of age; Davies' own "The End of the World" demonstrated that style played as important a role as substance. Of course, fans bandy about the term 'classic' so often that it fails to have any meaning anymore -- there are many other examples of fine moments of Doctor Who from the past three series, but what defines a genuine classic is when that cast and story and direction and production come together and create something far more. Dare I say it, but Paul Cornell's "Human Nature" -- and I'm not talking about the book I've never read -- is indeed worthy of the term. Three series of Doctor Who to date, and this is the best it's ever been.