The Doctor's Daughter (TV story): Difference between revisions

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== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
The Doctor, Donna and Martha arrive on the distant planet Messaline, which is in the middle of an endless war. While there the Doctor meets the most important woman of his life; his daughter, Jenny.  
The Doctor, Donna and Martha crash on the distant planet Messaline, which is in the middle of an endless war. While there the Doctor meets the most important woman of his life; his daughter, Jenny.  


But as General Cobb threatens genocide, and Martha is kidnapped by the [[Hath]], the Doctor faces an even greater battle – can he find peace with his own child?
But as General Cobb threatens genocide, and Martha is kidnapped by the [[Hath]], the Doctor faces an even greater battle – can he find peace with his own child?


==Plot==
==Plot==
While the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] is taking them away the [[Tenth Doctor|Doctor]], [[Donna Noble|Donna]] and [[Martha Jones|Martha]] are failing to keep balance because of the rough ride the TARDIS is giving them. When the Doctor falls over next to his [[The Doctor's hand|hand]] he points out that it is glowing, he says it is excited. Donna then says she didn't know it was his hand. When Martha explains now he lost his hand and grew it back Donna calls him impossible, to which the Doctor responds "not impossible, just a bit unlikely"
Following immediately from the end of [[DW]] [[The Poison Sky]] the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] is flying out of control, [[Martha Jone|Martha]] and  [[Donna Noble|Donna]] are having trouble keeping their balance. The console emits smoke and sparks while the ship bucks violently hurling its occupants about. The Doctor notes that his severed hand (lost in [[DW]] [[The Christmas Invasion]]) is bubbling furiously.


Finally the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] takes the [[Tenth Doctor|Doctor]], [[Donna Noble|Donna]] and [[Martha Jones|Martha]] to the planet [[Messaline]], where armed men seize the Doctor.  Recognising them all as people who can provide new DNA to the army, they use his diploid cells to produce the titular character, [[Jenny]]. She emerges from a machine after being grown at an accelerated pace as an adult soldier, and almost immediately is engaged in a skirmish with a species called the [[Hath]].  During the disarray Martha is kidnapped by a Hath soldier.  The Doctor and Donna are separated from Martha by an explosion triggered by Jenny.  The Doctor tries to go after Martha, but the soldiers detain him and insist he be brought before [[Cobb|General Cobb]].
Finally the TARDIS lands on the planet [[Messaline]], almost immediately upon exiting the ship armed men seize the [[Tenth Doctor|Doctor]]. Realizing that they have "clean" hands (meaning that they have not yet had tissue samples taken, these leave a tell-tale scar) they force the Doctor to use a machine which takes his diploid cells, splits them into haploids and produces the titular [[Jenny]].


Cobb explains that originally the humans and Hath can come to this planet to share it, but the Hath lied and they have been at war for generations.  Cobb also explains a desire to recover lost divine knowledge from their goddess of “the [[The Source (terraforming device)| source]]”, which would effectively end the war.  While trying to use a holographic map to find Martha, The Doctor accidentally reveals a previously unknown route to the temple to Cobb. Unbeknown to them, the Doctor has also inadvertently revealed the map to Martha and the Hath, who have come to trust her after she helps one of their injured.  The Doctor tries to talk Cobb out of going after "[[The Source (terraforming device)|the Source]]", which he intends to use to slaughter the Hath, but Cobb is distrustful of the Doctor and Donna's peaceful intentions and has them along with Jenny (as she comes from the Doctor) imprisoned.
At once a skirmish with the piscine [[Hath]] breaks out, in the chaos Martha is kidnapped by a Hath solider and Jenny triggers an explosive tunnel collapse which prevents the Doctor and Donna from rescuing her. Notwithstanding, the Doctor attempts anyway, but the soldiers seize him and demand he be brought to [[Cobb|General Cobb]].


The Doctor is having trouble perceiving Jenny as his daughter, claiming she is nothing more than a soldier.  As he plans how to stop Cobb, Jenny perceives the Doctor to be akin to a General, making plans and strategies, which the Doctor denies.  He used his [[sonic screwdriver]] to convert Donna’s mobile phone to a [[Superphone|superphone]] to contact Martha, which Jenny remarks is much like a weapon used to achieve a goal.  Martha is studying the tunnels on Messaline herself, working with the Hath she saved, and plans to travel to the surface to reach the Temple. Donna persuades the Doctor to use his stethoscope to confirm that Jenny has two hearts, but he remains convinced that [[Time Lords]] are defined by their shared suffering. And that while she and he may be biologically alike, there is much more to being a Time Lord.  Jenny is confused by what they are saying and the Doctor explains he is the last of his kind, a traveler of time and space.  He explained that all his people died in a massive war, that he had to kill, which Jenny indicates that they are more alike than unalike.
General Cobb explains that originally the humans and the Hath came to this planet to share it, but he claims the Hath lied and they have been at war for many, many generations. Cobb and the soldiers recount what superficially appears to be a creation myth, a story of how The Goddess created the universe, looked at her work she sighed. According to the human's religion, that breath was captured in some form which is now referred to as "The [[The Source (terraforming device)|Source]]. The humans believe that The Source is lost somewhere in the maze of tunnels they show the Doctor on a holographic map and that recovering it could allow them to effectively exterminate the Hath.


The Hath use a battering ram to break through a barrier in the tunnels. Martha and her Hath friend reach a hatch that leads the surface which is barely hospitable.  Although there is a cold wind, they are both grateful to be on the planet’s surface. Meanwhile, Jenny has helped the Doctor and Donna to escape their cell, where Donna notices a plaque indicating 8 numbers. As they travel she continues to notice more plaques, counting down as they near the Temple.  The Doctor opens a door with the sonic screwdriver, finding a system of deadly lasers on the other side.  Jenny runs off to try and hold off Cobb, which the Doctor unsuccessfully tries to stop as he knows how killing can change a person.
Meanwhile, Martha has convinced the Hath to trust her by helping one of their injured. The Hath are showing her an identical holographic map and bubbling, although the exact nature of what they are saying is not known to the viewer, Martha appears to at least partially understand.


The Doctor disarms the lasers while Jenny holds off Cobb’s men with gunfire without injuring them, as the Doctor's words had an impact on her. As Jenny tries to follow the Doctor and Donna, the laser grid reactivates and she is forced to traverse the lasers with an impressive display of acrobatics. Meanwhile Martha falls down an incline while travelling to the Temple and starts to sink in some black quicksand, but is saved by the Hath accompanying her, who subsequently drowns. She continues onto the temple, crying in mourning.
While trying to use the Human holographic map to see where Martha has gone, The Doctor inadvertently reveals a previously unknown route to the "Temple" where the Humans believe The Source is located. The Doctor's manipulation of the map has also revealed the full map to The Hath. The Doctor tries to dissuade Cobb from locating the Hath, which he intends to use to commit genocide. Cobb however refuses to listen and orders The Doctor and Donna to be imprisoned, as well as Jenny as she came from The Doctor. The Hath also go on the warpath.


Jenny questions the Doctor and Donna's relationship, which both are adamant is purely platonic.  Donna that they save planets, rescue civilisations, defeat awful creatures.  And also do an outrageous amount of running.  This leads to a conversation about Jenny's future and to her happiness the Doctor wants her to come with him.  After Jenny runs ahead to scout, The Doctor explains to Donna his previous parenting, the pain of losing the Time Lords and his family, and the fact that he is reminded of them when he sees Jenny. That is why he has been having a hard time dealing with this.  Donna is sure that having Jenny in his life will help him heal those old wounds though.


The Doctor, Donna, Jenny and Martha are reunited in the temple, which the Doctor recognises as the original and fully functional colony spaceship. While the Doctor discovers that the city was built by robots, Donna discovers the numbers they have been seeing are dates.  She realized that the city must have been built in sections outwards from the spaceship. She deduces the war, which has gone on for so many "generations", has in fact been going on for just seven days. The Doctor realizes that the term "generations" is a relative term here as that the method of reproduction the humans and the Hath use allow for 20 generations to be born a day.  
The Doctor is displeased by the notion of Jenny being his daughter, dismissing her has a mere soldier. As he plots to stop Cobb Jenny compares The Doctor to a General, noting that he makes plans and strategies. The Doctor claims this is false but is not able to clearly demonstrate why. When He uses his [[sonic screwdriver]] to [[Superphone|augment Donna's mobile]], in order to call Martha. Jenny draws comparisons between the device and a weapon, saying that both are implements used to achieve purposes. The Doctor again dismisses the idea.
 
In the mean-time Martha and the Hath she healed, Peck, are studying the tunnels, Peck manipulates the controls and is able to convert the map into a three dimensional projection, delighting Martha. Noting that the distance above ground is shorter than the distance through the tunnels she plans to beat both the humans and the Hath to The Source.
 
To compel The Doctor to realise that Jenny is actually his daughter Donna uses his stethoscope to show him that she has two hearts, proving she is the same species. The Doctor, however, insists that [[Time Lords]] are defined by their shared tragedy and therefore Jenny is not a Time Lord.
 
Jenny is confused by this and in the explanations The Doctor is forced to admit that he killed during the [[The Last Great Time War]]. Jenny empathizes, again comparing him to herself.
 
 
The Hath use a battering to create a short cut, in the meanwhile Martha and Peck reach a hatch and escape to the austere surface.
 
Back with The Doctor Jenny seduces the guard and enables the party to escape their cell. Outside the cell, Donna notes a plaque of eight numbers. As they travel she continues to notice more plaques, writing them down she realizes that they are counting down as they get closer to The Temple.
 
The party encounters a corridor of deadly lasers, while Jenny holds of Cobb's men by shooting without killing, the doctor disables the lasers. As she tries to follow the Doctor and Donna, who have already passed down the corridor the lasers reactivate and she is seemingly trapped. However, she astounds The Doctor and Donna with a display of acrobatics through which she traverses the lasers without injury!
 
On the surface, Martha falls down a scree into quicksand, Peck leaps in to saves her, but begins to irresistibly sink, himself. Martha is devastated and weeps bitterly as the wind howls and her friend disappears beneath the surface.
 
Jenny questions the Doctor and Donna's relationship, which both are adamant is purely platonic.  Donna flippantly says they save planets, rescue civilizations, defeat awful creatures and also do quite a lot amount of running.  This leads to a conversation about Jenny's future and to her happiness the Doctor wants her to come with him.  After Jenny runs ahead to scout, The Doctor explains to Donna his previous parenting, the pain of losing the Time Lords and his family, and the fact that he is reminded of them when he sees Jenny. That is why he has been having a hard time dealing with her.  Donna is sure that having Jenny in his life will help him heal those old wounds though.
 
The Doctor, Donna, Jenny and Martha are reunited in the temple, which the Doctor realizes as the original and fully functional colony spaceship. This puzzles him as the ship is obviously well maintained, it should have run out of power by now.
 
The Doctor reads the ship's log, learning that the city was built by robots. Donna stares at a digital clock on the wall, suddenly she has an epiphany! the numbers are dates, the city was built in sections outward from the space-ship. Comparing the date on the clock to her notes, realizes that the clock shows it is seven days since the ship landed... The Doctor realizes that the term "generations" is relative, the technological reproduction system of the Humans and the Hath allow twenty generations in a single day.


As both armies close in, they next discover "The Source", a terraforming device which would make the environment outside more hospitable. Thus, despite the belief that the source kills, it actually brings life. The Doctor, now surrounded by both armies, declares the war over and smashes the source to release its gases and start the terraforming process. Both armies lay down their weapons in awe of the new planet forming around them.
As both armies close in, they next discover "The Source", a terraforming device which would make the environment outside more hospitable. Thus, despite the belief that the source kills, it actually brings life. The Doctor, now surrounded by both armies, declares the war over and smashes the source to release its gases and start the terraforming process. Both armies lay down their weapons in awe of the new planet forming around them.


However Cobb tries to shoot the Doctor out of revenge, but Jenny sacrifices herself by shielding him, getting shot in the heart instead of him.  Cobb is immediately restrained by his soldiers.  
However Cobb tries to shoot the Doctor out of malice, but Jenny sacrifices herself by shielding him, she is shot in the heart. When Martha examines the wound she sees that it is fatal. Jenny dies, shortly thereafter, in The Doctor's arms without regenerating.
Martha realises Jenny will not survive as the wound is fatal. Jenny apparently dies in the Doctor’s arms without [[Regeneration|regenerating]], even though the Doctor recalls she has two hearts, so she may survive given enough time. Martha points out that there is no sign of her regenerating, and that while she is like the Doctor, it may not have been enough.  The Doctor feels she was actually too much like him.  After he lays he head gently on the ground, the Doctor holds Cobb at gunpoint but does not pull the trigger, saying, “I never would”.
 
 
  After he lays he head gently on the ground, the Doctor holds Cobb at gunpoint but does not pull the trigger, saying, “I never would”. He asks both armies that they let the idea of a man 'who never would', be the foundation of the Hath-human society that must now emerge. The Hath and Humans ask the Doctor to allow them to give Jenny a proper funeral, to which he sadly agrees.
 
Later, the Doctor concludes that Jenny's creation was the reason the TARDIS had brought them to Messaline, they had just gotten there a little too soon.  They then created Jenny, creating a unending [[Temporal paradox|paradox]]. He returns Martha home, and Donna resolves to stay with the Doctor while Martha leaves.


He asks both armies that they let the idea of a man 'who never would', be the foundation of the Hath-human society that will now emerge. The Hath and Humans ask the Doctor to allow them to give Jenny a proper funeral, which he grants sadly.  Later, the Doctor concludes that, Jenny's creation was the reason the TARDIS had brought them to Messaline, they had just gotten there a little too soon.  They then created Jenny, creating a unending [[Temporal paradox|paradox]]. He returns Martha home, and Donna resolves to stay with the Doctor while Martha leaves. Meanwhile, Jenny comes back to life as the Doctor had expected would happen if she was given enough time.  She escapes Messaline in a shuttle and resolves to travel the universe, saving planets, rescuing civilizations, defeating creatures, and to do an awful lot of running just like her father.
Meanwhile, back on Messaline, Jenny breaths a cloud of green gas and revives as the Doctor had hoped would happen if she was given enough time.  She escapes Messaline in a shuttle and resolves to travel the universe, saving planets, rescuing civilizations, defeating creatures, and to do an awful lot of running just like her father.


==Cast==
==Cast==
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*Once again the Doctor and Donna are mistaken for a couple.
*Once again the Doctor and Donna are mistaken for a couple.
*[[Messaline]] has relatively high [[radiation]].
*[[Messaline]] has relatively high [[radiation]].
*Messaline is [[terraform|terraformed]].
*Once again there is reference to the Doctor's children and family.
*Once again there is reference to the Doctor's children and family.
*The Doctor's hand sent the [[the Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] to Messaline, detecting the presence of another Gallifreyan, but they arrived ''before'' Jenny was created therefore creating the circumstances for her creation, creating a [[temporal paradox|paradox]].
*Jenny's regeneration/rejuvenation closely resembles the [[Seventh Doctor]]'s [[Doctor Who: The TV Movie|regeneration into]] his [[Eighth Doctor|eighth incarnation]], both were shot and then both recovered in a mausoleum. Both also exhaled gas in similar manners as the process ended. (It was also vaguely similar to the post-regenerative healing the [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] went through in following his battle with the [[Sycorax]]).
*Jenny's regeneration/rejuvenation closely resembles the [[Seventh Doctor]]'s regeneration into his [[Eighth Doctor|eighth incarnation]], both were shot and then both recovered in a mausoleum. Both also exhaled in similar manners as the process ended. (It was also vaguely similar to the post-regenerative healing the [[Tenth Doctor|the Doctor]] went through in following his battle with the [[Sycorax]]).
*Just like [[Rose Tyler]], Donna expresses interest in staying with The Doctor "forever".
*Just like [[Rose Tyler]], Donna expresses interest in staying with The Doctor "forever".


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*Stephen Greenhorn wrote ''[[The Lazarus Experiment]]'' which coincidentally was also the sixth episode of the series it was in and also followed a two part story by [[Helen Raynor]] that featured a [[Daleks|returning enemy]].
*Stephen Greenhorn wrote ''[[The Lazarus Experiment]]'' which coincidentally was also the sixth episode of the series it was in and also followed a two part story by [[Helen Raynor]] that featured a [[Daleks|returning enemy]].


*Georgia Moffett is the daughter of [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Peter Davison]]. In [[2004]] Georgia was considered for the role of [[Rose Tyler]].
*Georgia Moffett is the real-life daughter of [[Fifth Doctor]] actor, [[Peter Davison]]. In [[2004]] Georgia was considered for the role of [[Rose Tyler]].


*Jenny's impressive acrobatics in a corridor full of deadly laser beams was inspired by Britney Spears' Toxic video.
*Jenny's impressive acrobatics in a corridor full of deadly laser beams was inspired by Britney Spears' Toxic video.
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*Other rumours reported online included the possibility of Jenny being Rose Tyler's offspring (owing to both being blonde and also because of Rose's background appearances thus far in the season), which was disproven in the pre-credits teaser.
*Other rumours reported online included the possibility of Jenny being Rose Tyler's offspring (owing to both being blonde and also because of Rose's background appearances thus far in the season), which was disproven in the pre-credits teaser.


*The possibility of Jenny engaging in a same-sex kiss (due to the ambiguous nature of a brief clip contained within the trailer for the episode), this was disproven when the complete scene reveals she kisses a male character.
*It was also rumored that Jenny was a clone, a hologram, an illusion or something of that sort. All of these proved to be false, to one degree or another. Technically Jenny is not a clone, she is actually the Doctors Daughter, via asexual reproduction through a process similar to parthenogenesis.


=== Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors ===
=== Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors ===
*It appears that Jenny regenerates as a substance similar to the vortex and the terraforming process escapes from her mouth. However her body does not change. ''The Doctor regrew his hand in ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]'', as a Time Lord has great capacity for self-repair shortly after a full regeneration.''
*It ''appears'' that Jenny regenerates as a substance similar to the vortex energy or the terraforming gas escapes from her mouth. However her body does not change. ''She did not actually regenerate. The Doctor regrew his hand in ''[[The Christmas Invasion]]'', as a Time Lord has great capacity for self-repair shortly after a full regeneration.''


*During one scene in the tunnels of Messaline, the UNIT logo can be seen in the background.''Possibly UNIT is still operational at this time.''
*During one scene in the tunnels of Messaline, the UNIT logo can be seen in the background.''Possibly UNIT is still operational at this time. The Torchwood Institute was briefly mentioned in the far future in [[DW]] [[The Impossible Planet]] ''


*Jenny's top appears to "regenerate" after Cobb shoots her through one of her hearts. ''It is possible that they changed Jenny's clothes for her funeral.''
*Jenny's clothes appear to have changed after Cobb shoots her. ''Likely they changed Jenny's clothes for her funeral.''


*Some would argue that it is improbable that the Hath would so quickly come to trust Martha, given that she is the same species that they are at war against. ''However Martha had helped Peck whereas most of the other humans could have killed him. Therefore they quickly identified that she was different. It also helps the audience understand that the Hath are different to the monsters General Cobb makes them out to be.''
*Some would argue that it is improbable that the Hath would so quickly come to trust Martha, given that she is the same species that they are at war against. ''However Martha had helped Peck whereas most of the other humans could have killed him. Therefore they quickly identified that she was different. It also was necessary from a narrative standpoint, to allow the audience to quickly grasp that the Hath are different to the monsters General Cobb makes them out to be.''


*The TARDIS's telepathic circuits do not translate what the Hath are saying to the audience but Martha is able to speak to them and know that the Hath she travels around with is called Peck. ''It could be translating to what humans speak and the Hath understand. The reason it was not translated to the audience is a choice by the producers to add comic relief that Martha is the only one who can understand them and translate what they are saying. For example when Peck swears and she tells him to watch his language.''
*The TARDIS's telepathic circuits do not translate what the Hath are saying to the audience but Martha is able to speak to them and know that the Hath she travels around with is called Peck. ''It could be translating to what humans speak and the Hath understand. The reason it was not translated to the audience is a choice by the producers to add comic relief that Martha is the only one who can understand them and translate what they are saying. For example when Peck swears and she tells him to watch his language.''


*All Jenny's knowledge and abilities were given to her by the machine she was born in. This may include her gymnastics skills. It is never explained why the other soldiers do not have the same ability. ''The extent of Jenny's gymnastic skills are likely to be as the result of being a Time Lady rather than a soldier. Her gymnastic skills go far beyond that of almost any human. Therefore even if the soldiers could use gymnastic skills, Jenny is more physically able than the other soldiers.''
*All Jenny's knowledge and abilities were given to her by the machine she was born in. This may include her gymnastics skills. It is never explained why the other soldiers do not have the same ability. ''The extent of Jenny's gymnastic skills are likely to be as the result of being a Time Lady rather than a human. Her gymnastic skills go far clearly beyond that of almost any human. Jenny is more physically able than the other soldiers.''


*It is not explained how Jenny would know how to fly a shuttle as the machines embedded military knowledge but not the knowledge of how to fly a space shuttle. ''This may be an example of Jenny's Time Lord heritage. Many times the Doctor has worked things out as he's gone along. Jenny is likely to be doing the same thing.''
*It is not explained how Jenny would know how to fly a shuttle as the machines embedded military knowledge but not the knowledge of how to fly a space shuttle. ''This may be an example of Jenny's Time Lord heritage. Many times the Doctor has worked things out as he's gone along. Jenny is likely to be doing the same thing. Or possibly this is a military expedition and the knowledge of how to fly the shuttle actually was transmitted.''


*Four apparent facts cannot all be true at once: (a) the war has only been going on for seven days; (b) General Cobb knows about The Source and its purpose only by hearsay passed on through the generations; (c) General Cobb is in his late forties or his fifties; and (d) offspring produced by the machine emerge with the bodies and personalities of human beings in their early twenties.  If Cobb is as old as he looks, he ought to have been a member of the original landing party, in which case he would know what the Source really is. ''Russell T Davies suggested in the pod cast for the episode that, as well as creating a child from a parent, the machines were be able to clone important figures. Therefore Cobb could be the fifth Cobb of that week. As well as the fact that Jenny is around 20yrs old straight away implying some sort of forced aging process.''
*Four apparent facts cannot all be true at once: (a) the war has only been going on for seven days; (b) General Cobb knows about The Source and its purpose only by hearsay passed on through the generations; (c) General Cobb is in his late forties or his fifties; and (d) offspring produced by the machine emerge with the bodies and personalities of human beings in their early twenties.  If Cobb is as old as he looks, he ought to have been a member of the original landing party, in which case he would know what the Source really is. ''Russell T Davies suggested in the pod cast for the episode that, as well as creating a child from a parent, the machines were be able to clone important figures. Therefore Cobb could be the fifth Cobb of that week. As well as the fact that Jenny is around 20yrs old straight away implying some sort of forced aging process. Or Cobb could be lying, evidence his otherwise inexplicable murder of Jenny.''


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* In the original first series the [[First Doctor]] was travelling with his granddaughter [[Susan Foreman]], who is to date the only relative of the [[Doctor]] to be seen on screen.  The Doctor's other two grandchildren [[John (Comic Strips)|John]] and [[Gillian (Comic Strips)|Gillian]] also appeared in some of the comic strips.  
* In the original first series the [[First Doctor]] was traveling with his granddaughter [[Susan Foreman]], who is to date the only relative of the [[Doctor]] to be seen on screen.  The Doctor's other two grandchildren [[John (Comic Strips)|John]] and [[Gillian (Comic Strips)|Gillian]] also appeared in some of the comic strips.  
*In [[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]''  Dr. Constantine remarks "Before the war I was a father, a grandfather now I am neither. But I'm still a doctor." To which the Doctor replies, "I know the feeling."
*In [[DW]]: ''[[The Empty Child]]''  Dr. Constantine remarks "Before the war I was a father, a grandfather now I am neither. But I'm still a doctor." To which the Doctor replies, "I know the feeling."
*In [[DW]]: ''[[Fear Her]]'', the Doctor mentions to Rose; "I was a dad once.".
*In [[DW]]: ''[[Fear Her]]'', the Doctor mentions to Rose; "I was a dad once.".
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*The Seventh Doctor says that he does not know if he has any living family members in [[DW]]: ''[[The Curse of Fenric]]''
*The Seventh Doctor says that he does not know if he has any living family members in [[DW]]: ''[[The Curse of Fenric]]''
* At the end of this episode Jenny escapes from her home planet in a stolen spacecraft to travel the universe. This mirrors [[First Doctor|her father's]] actions.
* At the end of this episode Jenny escapes from her home planet in a stolen spacecraft to travel the universe. This mirrors [[First Doctor|her father's]] actions.
*[[Martha Jones|Martha]] metitions the events of the sword fight in [[The Christmas Invasion]] when discussing the [[Tenth Doctor|Doctor's]] [[The Doctor's hand|hand]].
*[[Martha Jones|Martha]] mentitions the events of the sword fight in [[The Christmas Invasion]] when discussing the [[Tenth Doctor|Doctor's]] [[The Doctor's hand|hand]].
*Donna mentions her friend [[Nerys]] whom we saw in [[The Runaway Bride|the Christmas Special]] and describes how she got pregnant using just a turkey baster.
*Donna mentions her friend [[Nerys]] whom we saw in [[The Runaway Bride|the Christmas Special]] and describes how she got pregnant using just a turkey baster.


Revision as of 04:02, 27 May 2008

Hello Dad!Jenny


Synopsis

The Doctor, Donna and Martha crash on the distant planet Messaline, which is in the middle of an endless war. While there the Doctor meets the most important woman of his life; his daughter, Jenny.

But as General Cobb threatens genocide, and Martha is kidnapped by the Hath, the Doctor faces an even greater battle – can he find peace with his own child?

Plot

Following immediately from the end of DW The Poison Sky the TARDIS is flying out of control, Martha and Donna are having trouble keeping their balance. The console emits smoke and sparks while the ship bucks violently hurling its occupants about. The Doctor notes that his severed hand (lost in DW The Christmas Invasion) is bubbling furiously.

Finally the TARDIS lands on the planet Messaline, almost immediately upon exiting the ship armed men seize the Doctor. Realizing that they have "clean" hands (meaning that they have not yet had tissue samples taken, these leave a tell-tale scar) they force the Doctor to use a machine which takes his diploid cells, splits them into haploids and produces the titular Jenny.

At once a skirmish with the piscine Hath breaks out, in the chaos Martha is kidnapped by a Hath solider and Jenny triggers an explosive tunnel collapse which prevents the Doctor and Donna from rescuing her. Notwithstanding, the Doctor attempts anyway, but the soldiers seize him and demand he be brought to General Cobb.

General Cobb explains that originally the humans and the Hath came to this planet to share it, but he claims the Hath lied and they have been at war for many, many generations. Cobb and the soldiers recount what superficially appears to be a creation myth, a story of how The Goddess created the universe, looked at her work she sighed. According to the human's religion, that breath was captured in some form which is now referred to as "The Source. The humans believe that The Source is lost somewhere in the maze of tunnels they show the Doctor on a holographic map and that recovering it could allow them to effectively exterminate the Hath.

Meanwhile, Martha has convinced the Hath to trust her by helping one of their injured. The Hath are showing her an identical holographic map and bubbling, although the exact nature of what they are saying is not known to the viewer, Martha appears to at least partially understand.

While trying to use the Human holographic map to see where Martha has gone, The Doctor inadvertently reveals a previously unknown route to the "Temple" where the Humans believe The Source is located. The Doctor's manipulation of the map has also revealed the full map to The Hath. The Doctor tries to dissuade Cobb from locating the Hath, which he intends to use to commit genocide. Cobb however refuses to listen and orders The Doctor and Donna to be imprisoned, as well as Jenny as she came from The Doctor. The Hath also go on the warpath.


The Doctor is displeased by the notion of Jenny being his daughter, dismissing her has a mere soldier. As he plots to stop Cobb Jenny compares The Doctor to a General, noting that he makes plans and strategies. The Doctor claims this is false but is not able to clearly demonstrate why. When He uses his sonic screwdriver to augment Donna's mobile, in order to call Martha. Jenny draws comparisons between the device and a weapon, saying that both are implements used to achieve purposes. The Doctor again dismisses the idea.

In the mean-time Martha and the Hath she healed, Peck, are studying the tunnels, Peck manipulates the controls and is able to convert the map into a three dimensional projection, delighting Martha. Noting that the distance above ground is shorter than the distance through the tunnels she plans to beat both the humans and the Hath to The Source.

To compel The Doctor to realise that Jenny is actually his daughter Donna uses his stethoscope to show him that she has two hearts, proving she is the same species. The Doctor, however, insists that Time Lords are defined by their shared tragedy and therefore Jenny is not a Time Lord.

Jenny is confused by this and in the explanations The Doctor is forced to admit that he killed during the The Last Great Time War. Jenny empathizes, again comparing him to herself.


The Hath use a battering to create a short cut, in the meanwhile Martha and Peck reach a hatch and escape to the austere surface.

Back with The Doctor Jenny seduces the guard and enables the party to escape their cell. Outside the cell, Donna notes a plaque of eight numbers. As they travel she continues to notice more plaques, writing them down she realizes that they are counting down as they get closer to The Temple.

The party encounters a corridor of deadly lasers, while Jenny holds of Cobb's men by shooting without killing, the doctor disables the lasers. As she tries to follow the Doctor and Donna, who have already passed down the corridor the lasers reactivate and she is seemingly trapped. However, she astounds The Doctor and Donna with a display of acrobatics through which she traverses the lasers without injury!

On the surface, Martha falls down a scree into quicksand, Peck leaps in to saves her, but begins to irresistibly sink, himself. Martha is devastated and weeps bitterly as the wind howls and her friend disappears beneath the surface.

Jenny questions the Doctor and Donna's relationship, which both are adamant is purely platonic. Donna flippantly says they save planets, rescue civilizations, defeat awful creatures and also do quite a lot amount of running. This leads to a conversation about Jenny's future and to her happiness the Doctor wants her to come with him. After Jenny runs ahead to scout, The Doctor explains to Donna his previous parenting, the pain of losing the Time Lords and his family, and the fact that he is reminded of them when he sees Jenny. That is why he has been having a hard time dealing with her. Donna is sure that having Jenny in his life will help him heal those old wounds though.

The Doctor, Donna, Jenny and Martha are reunited in the temple, which the Doctor realizes as the original and fully functional colony spaceship. This puzzles him as the ship is obviously well maintained, it should have run out of power by now.

The Doctor reads the ship's log, learning that the city was built by robots. Donna stares at a digital clock on the wall, suddenly she has an epiphany! the numbers are dates, the city was built in sections outward from the space-ship. Comparing the date on the clock to her notes, realizes that the clock shows it is seven days since the ship landed... The Doctor realizes that the term "generations" is relative, the technological reproduction system of the Humans and the Hath allow twenty generations in a single day.

As both armies close in, they next discover "The Source", a terraforming device which would make the environment outside more hospitable. Thus, despite the belief that the source kills, it actually brings life. The Doctor, now surrounded by both armies, declares the war over and smashes the source to release its gases and start the terraforming process. Both armies lay down their weapons in awe of the new planet forming around them.

However Cobb tries to shoot the Doctor out of malice, but Jenny sacrifices herself by shielding him, she is shot in the heart. When Martha examines the wound she sees that it is fatal. Jenny dies, shortly thereafter, in The Doctor's arms without regenerating. 


After he lays he head gently on the ground, the Doctor holds Cobb at gunpoint but does not pull the trigger, saying, “I never would”. He asks both armies that they let the idea of a man 'who never would', be the foundation of the Hath-human society that must now emerge. The Hath and Humans ask the Doctor to allow them to give Jenny a proper funeral, to which he sadly agrees.

Later, the Doctor concludes that Jenny's creation was the reason the TARDIS had brought them to Messaline, they had just gotten there a little too soon.  They then created Jenny, creating a unending paradox. He returns Martha home, and Donna resolves to stay with the Doctor while Martha leaves.

Meanwhile, back on Messaline, Jenny breaths a cloud of green gas and revives as the Doctor had hoped would happen if she was given enough time. She escapes Messaline in a shuttle and resolves to travel the universe, saving planets, rescuing civilizations, defeating creatures, and to do an awful lot of running just like her father.

Cast

Production crew

to be added

References

  • Once again the Doctor and Donna are mistaken for a couple.
  • Messaline has relatively high radiation.
  • Once again there is reference to the Doctor's children and family.
  • Jenny's regeneration/rejuvenation closely resembles the Seventh Doctor's regeneration into his eighth incarnation, both were shot and then both recovered in a mausoleum. Both also exhaled gas in similar manners as the process ended. (It was also vaguely similar to the post-regenerative healing the the Doctor went through in following his battle with the Sycorax).
  • Just like Rose Tyler, Donna expresses interest in staying with The Doctor "forever".

Story notes

  • Russell T. Davies has stated that this episode "does exactly what it says on the tin". Stephen Greenhorn's episode has the Doctor facing a dilemma unlike anything before, and it is wildly different to "The Lazarus Experiment". He also said that his episode was designed by Russell to "change the Doctor" in a big episode that will have "a real impact on him" and that, in terms of the series continuity, it will be a "lasting impact".
  • Jenny's impressive acrobatics in a corridor full of deadly laser beams was inspired by Britney Spears' Toxic video.
  • The two Hath named in credits would appear to be named after famous actors; "Hath Peck" drawing his name from Gregory Peck, and the "Hath Gable" taking his from actor Clark Gable. Whether this is deliberate or a mere coincidence is uncertain.
  • According to the BBC Pod cast Russell T. Davies said the original intention was to kill Jenny off at the end of the episode. It was Steven Moffat who expressed the desire to bring her back to life.

Ratings

  • Final BARB ratings - 7.33 million viewers
  • Sunday night BBC3 repeat - 0.95 million viewers

Filming Locations

  • Barry Island, Barry Shooting Range (Tunnel sequences)

Myth

  • It was heavily rumoured Jenny would be Susan's mother, but this proved to be false.
  • Other rumours reported online included the possibility of Jenny being Rose Tyler's offspring (owing to both being blonde and also because of Rose's background appearances thus far in the season), which was disproven in the pre-credits teaser.
  • It was also rumored that Jenny was a clone, a hologram, an illusion or something of that sort. All of these proved to be false, to one degree or another. Technically Jenny is not a clone, she is actually the Doctors Daughter, via asexual reproduction through a process similar to parthenogenesis.

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

  • It appears that Jenny regenerates as a substance similar to the vortex energy or the terraforming gas escapes from her mouth. However her body does not change. She did not actually regenerate. The Doctor regrew his hand in The Christmas Invasion, as a Time Lord has great capacity for self-repair shortly after a full regeneration.
  • During one scene in the tunnels of Messaline, the UNIT logo can be seen in the background.Possibly UNIT is still operational at this time. The Torchwood Institute was briefly mentioned in the far future in DW The Impossible Planet
  • Jenny's clothes appear to have changed after Cobb shoots her. Likely they changed Jenny's clothes for her funeral.
  • Some would argue that it is improbable that the Hath would so quickly come to trust Martha, given that she is the same species that they are at war against. However Martha had helped Peck whereas most of the other humans could have killed him. Therefore they quickly identified that she was different. It also was necessary from a narrative standpoint, to allow the audience to quickly grasp that the Hath are different to the monsters General Cobb makes them out to be.
  • The TARDIS's telepathic circuits do not translate what the Hath are saying to the audience but Martha is able to speak to them and know that the Hath she travels around with is called Peck. It could be translating to what humans speak and the Hath understand. The reason it was not translated to the audience is a choice by the producers to add comic relief that Martha is the only one who can understand them and translate what they are saying. For example when Peck swears and she tells him to watch his language.
  • All Jenny's knowledge and abilities were given to her by the machine she was born in. This may include her gymnastics skills. It is never explained why the other soldiers do not have the same ability. The extent of Jenny's gymnastic skills are likely to be as the result of being a Time Lady rather than a human. Her gymnastic skills go far clearly beyond that of almost any human. Jenny is more physically able than the other soldiers.
  • It is not explained how Jenny would know how to fly a shuttle as the machines embedded military knowledge but not the knowledge of how to fly a space shuttle. This may be an example of Jenny's Time Lord heritage. Many times the Doctor has worked things out as he's gone along. Jenny is likely to be doing the same thing. Or possibly this is a military expedition and the knowledge of how to fly the shuttle actually was transmitted.
  • Four apparent facts cannot all be true at once: (a) the war has only been going on for seven days; (b) General Cobb knows about The Source and its purpose only by hearsay passed on through the generations; (c) General Cobb is in his late forties or his fifties; and (d) offspring produced by the machine emerge with the bodies and personalities of human beings in their early twenties. If Cobb is as old as he looks, he ought to have been a member of the original landing party, in which case he would know what the Source really is. Russell T Davies suggested in the pod cast for the episode that, as well as creating a child from a parent, the machines were be able to clone important figures. Therefore Cobb could be the fifth Cobb of that week. As well as the fact that Jenny is around 20yrs old straight away implying some sort of forced aging process. Or Cobb could be lying, evidence his otherwise inexplicable murder of Jenny.

Continuity

DVD and Other releases

  • It will be released as part of the complete fourth series boxset in November 2008.
  • It will be released as part of Series 4 Volume 2 on 7th July, alongside The Sontaran Stratagem, The Poison Sky and The Unicorn and the Wasp.

See also

to be added

External links

Template:Series 4

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