Doctor Who: Every Modern Companion's DEFINITIVE Episode
9. Last Of The Time Lords (Martha Jones)
At its core, Last of the Time Lords is about Martha finding her independence, and realising she does not need the Doctor to make her strong. She's the hero that brings down a renegade Time Lord all by herself. The Doctor, in comparison, spends most of his time as a sad little house-elf.
This episode is defined by Martha's quest. She travels the world and survives in hiding, gathering information where she can and spreading the gospel of the Doctor. She outwits the Master completely, managing to hide the true nature of her travels and duping him into thinking she's been assembling a superweapon. The resolution to the story – with its network-powered messiah Doctor – is one hell of a Davies-ex-machina, but it works because Martha sells it completely. Freema Agyeman is just fantastic in this story.
Underpinning all of this is Martha's love for her family, and we see that they are her source of hope, and her drive to compete against what appear to be pretty insurmountable odds. It's nice to see them get some spotlight of their own, especially Francine, who has her best scene in this episode as she turns a gun on the Master.
This episode showcases Martha's competence, endurance, and wit. She becomes a folk hero and a leader, and realises what she can be without the Doctor. She even meets someone who looks at her the way she looks at the Doctor – sure, he gets shot and killed, but it's okay due to the aforementioned space magic ending!
This culminates in Martha's realisation that she needs her independence from the Doctor, and she makes the decision to take it for herself. It's one of the most underrated companion exits ever – it's understated, mature, and entirely borne of her own agency. After a series of the Doctor treating her as a rebound, it's immensely gratifying to watch her step out from his shadow, call him out on his behaviour, and walk away with dignity.
It's the scene that defines Martha's entire character journey.