Doctor Who - The Complete Third Series

That quote from "Blink" could serve as the motto of Series 3, my all-time favorite season of "Doctor Who". It's surprising, perhaps, that Series 3 holds that position in my estimation, since it contains a higher proportion of episodes I consider flawed than either of its predecessors. But perhaps it's precisely because this season was so engaging that I found more to quibble about than before.

The real reason Series 3 is my favorite, though, can be stated in one word: Martha. Freema Agyeman's Martha Jones is my favorite "Doctor Who" companion. As the season wore on I felt more and more that she reminded me of someone, but I couldn't figure out who. Around about Episode 11 I realized: she's like a young Dr. Watson. Not the buffoon played by Nigel Bruce in the Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone, but the **real** Watson as written by Conan Doyle -- intelligent, compassionate, courageous, flirtatious, and even good-looking. Martha is what Watson must have been like before he went to Afghanistan and damaged his health: a young British doctor who epitomizes the best qualities of her country.

"The Runaway Bride" struck me as an unusually weak episode on first viewing, perhaps because its similarities to the 1996 TV Movie pushed all my "Bad Who" buttons. It now seems better on re-watching it in the knowledge that Donna subsequently reappears in the series, and that the development of her relationship with the Doctor is not limited to this one story.

"Smith and Jones" is a tremendous debut for Martha, making her an instantly likeable and compelling character. Few actresses could have proved themselves as worthy a successor to Billie Piper as Agyeman does in 45 minutes. "The Shakespeare Code" is another excellent episode, although I was bothered by Shakespeare using "Expelliarimus" as the final word of his climactic speech: is writer Gareth Roberts implying that J.K. Rowling is as great a author as Shakespeare?

"Gridlock" is one of my two or three favorite episodes since the series came back. Especially moving are the "Old Rugged Cross" scene and the counterpointing of Martha's uncertainty as to the Doctor's background with the Doctor's similar unawareness of the Face of Boe's true identity. "Daleks in Manhattan" is an enjoyable and cinematically sweeping episode, but the second half of the story, "Evolution of the Daleks", ceases to make sense (why do the other Daleks keep the hybrid Dalek Sec alive?) and allows the viewer to become consciously aware of budget restrictions (no scenes in either episode set on the **streets** of New York).

"The Lazarus Experiment" is probably the weakest New "Who" episode that isn't actively bad. The story contains only two guest characters to speak of, and feels thin and empty as a result. It also advances the storyline of Martha's family far too quickly -- it was clearly a mistake to have them in fewer episodes than featured Jackie and Mickey in the previous seasons. "42" is a tremendously exciting episode with a profoundly moving moment when the physically and psychically traumatized Doctor asks Martha if she's there, like a child calling for his mother.

Perhaps because I have read the book on which it's based, I was not as fully satisfied as most other fans with "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood". Although Jessica Hynes is excellent as Joan Redfern, her romance with "John Smith" progresses far more quickly than should be necessary in a two-parter, and elements that made sense in the book are obscured in the TV version (for example, why are we supposed to accept Timothy stealing the watch from Smith's mantel?). The last ten minutes of "The Family of Blood", however, are "Doctor Who" at its most memorable.

"Blink" is one of the best "Doctor Who" episodes ever made. Given that "Doctor Who" is now being made for a family audience again, it demonstrates an admirable respect for the intelligence of children by at long last telling a "Doctor Who" story that fully exploits the complexities raised by time travel.

The three-part finale, "Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords", is arguably the most ambitious "Doctor Who" story ever told on television. These three episodes contain many spectacular concepts and unforgettable moments. (Martha's reaction to seeing the already elderly Doctor aged further makes it seem impossible that the screaming companions of the past were part of the same series.) Unfortunately, the story also has some significant flaws. The Futurekind in "Utopia" are the least convincing creatures to appear since the series returned; they're like something out of the Sylvester McCoy era, when "Doctor Who"'s real-terms budget hit an all-time low. The understandable decision to postpone explanations of some of the mysteries raised about Captain Jack in "Torchwood" until he reappeared on "Doctor Who" means that "Utopia" and "The Sound of Drums" are bogged down with long scenes of exposition. The latter episode contains an especially deadly moment when, after the Doctor, Martha and Jack have already been talking for five minutes, Jack says, "There's something else you need to know." These episodes are also told a bit more slowly than usual in modern "Who", especially "The Sound of Drums", as though Russell T. Davies decided he could ease off on the pace because the story was a three-parter.

Considering the season as a whole, the theme of "things happening in the wrong order" threads through the episodes very satisfyingly, from the Doctor's demonstration of the TARDIS' time-travel capability at the end of "Smith and Jones", to events taking place in a different order from the Master's perspective than from that of the Doctor, Martha and the audience, to the season's final revelation about Captain Jack. The season's only serious flaw, unfortunately, necessitates its ending: Martha's "unrequited love" for the Doctor never really works, and the only way Davies could resolve this element was to write Martha out temporarily at the end of the season. Although I look forward to Donna's return, I can't help wishing that Davies could have avoided the "unrequited love" element in the first place, which would have allowed Martha a full two seasons as the Doctor's companion.

Although I watched the series during its regularly scheduled season, it's all the better having it on DVD to watch commercial free. And the additional commentary by cast and crew just adds to the fun! This series is a must for any "Whovian".

This DVD delivers in spades and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone considering the purchase.

Separate from a really splendid season of stories that includes Blink, Human Nature, The Family of Blood, The Runaway Bride, Utopia and The Last of The Timelords, that you can watch in their entirety and without interruption (for me that's big) this DVD package is loaded with the fun extras like David Tennant's Diary, Dr. Who Confidential and voice-over commentary options for every episode.

Worth every penny.

I love Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), but I agree with some other posters that a "school girl crush" on the Doctor is not a sufficient explanation for why she stays with him as he appears both hot and cold about their relationship.

Martha is so smart and beautiful that it seems odd, whether Doctor Who is a Time Lord or not, that she accepts the Doctor's hard-to-get act regarding their personal relationship. I think the chemistry between Martha and the Doctor is excellent, but the problem is obviously with the writers who hesitate in writing a full fledged romance between the interracial couple.

Season Four is currently on television and Martha's return has been recently broadcast and now she is supposedly engaged to a human doctor who is currently working in Africa; what a cop-out.

Actually, Martha Jones (I love that name), is too good for the Doctor, but nonetheless the writers should have more courage regarding Martha and Doctor Who's romantic relationship.

I LOVED this season. The Dvds are nice, but the episodes are so awesome. The episode with the statue angels was really quite awesomely scary. It had me looking at statues in a whole different light. Totally worth the money!