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Doctor Who: Season 4, Episode 7: The Doctor’s Daughter
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  • This issue is brought up over the course of the scene and handwaved off as something that it not likely to happen due to the nature of her birth
  • The two do form an interesting bond and it makes his final scene rather heart wrenching in a way
  • I know these two are at war and all, but it seems a bit unlikely


    • by David Finniss

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      This episode picks up where the cliffhanger from the previous episode left off, with the TARDIS taking the crew somewhere on its own. The destination is an alien world where a faction of humans is at war with a race of aliens called the Hath. Upon arrival, the Doctor is “processed” and his genetic material is used to create a “daughter”, an attractive blonde girl who is later named Jenny.

      I was a bit concerned to see Martha get kidnapped almost immediately. As great as it is to have her return for a few episodes, they really made a point to sideline her. Granted, she does become a bit more proactive, helping one of the Hath and befriending them to a certain extent, so that helped a bit. It was a rather tender moment when she first came upon the injured Hath and began attempting to administer aid. Even when working with alien biology, she is still able to help and it shows the Hath that she is not their enemy.

      I was rather surprised at the Doctor’s initial attitude towards Jenny. He came off as rather unlikable, which is rare for Tennant’s Doctor. I


      mean, I get that he would resent the way she was made against his will, but at the same time, she was still a good person and she was making an effort to connect with him. Even Donna starts calling him out on being unfair to her.

      While she starts off as a bred soldier, she does learn from the Doctor about a better way and she does have her own little character arc. It also parallels the Doctor’s as he slowly starts to connect with her to the point where she gets invited to join them on the TARDIS.

      Of course, part of you knows that she won’t stick around as a companion. In a way, you’re almost waiting for her to get killed, which she inevitably is. It was a tender scene, and both Tennant and Moffett did a fine job, but I couldn’t help but wonder why she didn’t just regenerate. This issue is brought up over the course of the scene and handwaved off as something that it not likely to happen due to the nature of her birth.

      I’m not sure where the Doctor comes off taking the moral high ground. He keeps ...


      • saying that he never would, and he does do everything in his power to prevent deaths, but we’ve seen him kill several times over, even in this pacifistic incarnation. Isn’t it a bit hypocritical of him considering that he usually only gives an enemy a single chance before he offs them rather ruthlessly?

        The ending was genuinely surprising and it subverted that sense that Jenny was just a red shirt who was waiting to get killed off. She hasn’t made a return appearance yet, but considering how popular the character is, one can hope that she might pop in to visit dear old dad at some point.

        Once again, Martha says good-bye to the Doctor and it seems a bit more permanent, what with her declaring that she “can’t do this anymore”. It’s a bit surprising to see her embrace everyday life where most companions express the feeling that it seems hollow. On the other hand, it’s good that she’s moving on and the two do give each other a cordial farewell.

        This episode was more character driven than it was action driven, but it worked rather well. You connect with Jenny and we do get some development on the Doctor’s

        part. It was a step up from the relatively lackluster two parter that preceded it and we got to introduce a rather unique new alien race.

        I actually rather liked the Hath. While they never actually speak, you do get a sense for their characters, especially the one that Martha saves. The two do form an interesting bond and it makes his final scene rather heart wrenching in a way.

        While the plot twist about the whole timeline was a dramatic one, you can’t help but wonder how that worked logistically. Maybe had it been a month, I would’ve been more inclined to buy it, but just a week? I know these two are at war and all, but it seems a bit unlikely.

        The episode was solid and well done. I don’t really have that many complaints. It was all pretty solid. I do like that the show is actually starting to take advantage of its premise and have the crew venture to alien worlds. Sure, it’s a world inhabited by humans, but you had the Hath there and the environment outside was hardly Earth like so it worked out rather well. I’d say give this one a watch.




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    The review was published as it's written by reviewer in April, 2012. The reviewer certified that no compensation was received from the reviewed item producer, trademark owner or any other institution, related with the item reviewed. The site is not responsible for the mistakes made. 102041571310130/k2311a042/4.2.12
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