11 Amazing Stories That Define Doctor Who - A 49 Year Retrospective

10. Human Nature/The Family Of Blood

I€™m sure that more than a few fans would have expected me to place Blink as the defining tale of the David Tennant era of the show, but I€™ve plucked with a story that to me works even better for emotional exposition and pure drama. Having never read Paul Cornell€™s New Adventures novel, I can€™t say whether this Season Three two-parter about the Doctor turning human is a faithful adaptation of the source material, but I can at least say that it remains one of the defining moments both in the history of the show since its 2005 return and indeed as a half-century spanning whole. The Human Nature two-parter featured perhaps the perfect quintessential cast for Who, including Jessica Hynes, Harry Lloyd and Thomas Sangster, all stars who€™ve gone on to do great things yet give perhaps their best performances here. The Great War setting makes for a welcome departure from the sci-fi drama€™s constant jumps to WW2, allowing for a different outlook on war that connects even more aptly to the Remembrance Day denouement. It€™s the Doctor€™s actions towards the Family once his soul is redeemed, though, that truly stick in the memory: anyone questioning the Time Lord€™s actions in the current season would be well-advised to watch this story again, because leaving Solomon to the fury of the missiles and threatening to shoot Kahler-Jex feel like kind acts on his part compared to the fates worse than death he hands the Family. If in the various re-runs you may commission yourself to do in the next few months of Who you€™re looking for a story that showcases the raw acting power of David Tennant and his companion-at-the-time Freema Agyeman (Martha), then you need look no further than this staggering two-parter which again highlights Who at its absolute best.
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