Smith and Jones (TV story)
Smith and Jones was the first story of the third series of the BBC Wales version of Doctor Who. It introduced the Judoon species and a new version of the sonic screwdriver, and it was, more notably, the televised debut of companion Martha Jones and her family. It also firmly established that Harold Saxon was well-known to ordinary members of the British public, and obliquely suggested through set decoration that he was standing for the office of Prime Minister in 2008 — something which had been previously teased by the episodes Love & Monsters, Captain Jack Harkness and The Runaway Bride.
The soundtrack was notable for the introduction of several new leitmotifs — including the much-used "Martha's Theme" that turned up even in Jones' later Torchwood appearances. Furthermore, it featured the first extra-diegetic use of hip hop in Doctor Who history, in the form of Arrested Development's "Sunshine" to introduce Martha and her family at the very top of the episode. Due to a quirk of release scheduling, this was also the first time that Doctor Who served to premiere a song in the United States. "Sunshine" wasn't released in America until Halloween 2007, months after the US release of Smith and Jones.
Synopsis
Just when it seemed it would be yet another chaotic day managing her family's disputes, Martha Jones finds trouble waiting for her at work. Trapped on the Moon with space rhinos looking for a criminal and the air running out, she will have to come to trust a seemingly mad stranger calling himself "the Doctor". But can the Tenth Doctor save the day this time?
Plot
While walking to work, medical student Martha Jones receives a series of phone calls from various members of her family. Each is calling about her brother Leo's 21st birthday party that evening. She is interrupted by a stranger (the Tenth Doctor) who takes off his tie, smiles and says, "Like so, see?" and walks off. Bemused, she continues on. She arrives at the Royal Hope Hospital, bumping into a black-leather-clad motorcycle rider at the entrance, who ignores her. Later, getting her lab coat from her locker, she receives an electric shock from the door.
The medical students, under the supervision of Dr Stoker, start their rounds with Florence Finnegan, who is diagnosed as being salt deficient, having had salad every day for the past week. The next patient they move onto is "John Smith", the Doctor, who is posing as a patient admitted with abdominal pain. Martha asks him why he was on Chancellor Street that morning, but he denies having been there. She wonders whether he might have a brother, but he answers, "Not anymore." Martha listens to his chest, finding the second heartbeat. He gives her a wink and she smiles back at him. Dr Stoker pushes Martha for an analysis of the patient and suggests it is always best to start with the patient's notes. As he picks up the clipboard, he receives an electric shock and Martha informs him of her own earlier shock. The other trainees all mention having similar incidents as well, but Dr Stoker mentions that it might be related to the incoming thunderstorms, continuing to ask who discovered static electricity. The Doctor correctly answers Benjamin Franklin, but goes on to ramble about how he was there and got electrocuted after being soaked so long in the rain. This prompts Dr Stoker to ask a nurse to recommend the Doctor for psychiatric.
Later, Martha is chatting with her sister Letitia on the phone. Martha mentions that it is raining outside, but her sister says the weather is beautiful where she is, just a few streets away. She turns the corner and sees the hospital in the middle of its own storm. Martha is dismissive until her co-worker, Julia Swales, and sister both tell her that the rain is going up instead of down. There is a tremor, and when Martha looks out, she realises the hospital is on the Moon. Many of the patients and staff are running around in a panic, but Dr Stoker looks out calmly, while Florence Finnegan searches for him. Martha appeals to the patients for calm as she and Julia head for a window which Martha intends to open, whilst the Doctor nips behind a curtain.
Julia panics, telling her that if she opens the window all the air will be sucked out. Martha calmly rationalises that that cannot be true as the window is not airtight, so it would have happened already anyway. The Doctor, who has instantly changed into a blue pinstripe suit, pulls back the curtain and tells Martha she's correct. They discuss why they can still breathe, and the Doctor is impressed with Martha's reasoning. He asks if they have any kind of balcony; Martha tells him they have one for patients to use. The Doctor invites her to go step out onto it with him, warning her they might die. Martha calmly replies they might not, further winning the Doctor's approval. He then says her colleague isn't coming as she'd slow them down.
Going out on to a balcony, the Doctor asks Martha what she believes is going on. She firmly believes the situation is alien interference, noting that it would have sounded crazy a few years ago, but with the appearance of the Slitheen, Sycorax and Cybermen over the past two years, it's much more believable. As she continues to refer to him as Mr Smith, the Doctor informs her of his preferred title. Martha assumes he means "Doctor Smith", but he clarifies he means just "the Doctor". However, Martha tells the Doctor she believes he needs to earn that name. Saying he'd better get working then, the Doctor tosses a stone that bounces off a force field.
Martha then realises that the air in the hospital is all the air they have; over a thousand people are inside. Why would anyone isolate them to the moon and leave them to suffocate? As Martha ponders this, the Doctor tells her she can ask them herself as huge cylindrical ships appear and land outside the hospital. Black armoured soldiers march out in several long lines, and the Doctor identifies them as the Judoon.
As Mr Stoker looks on, Florence enters, telling him she needs help. Mr Stoker says he does not believe he can help anyone and reflects on his plans to retire to Florida and how he believes he will never see his daughter again. Florence insists he can help her, and is joined by the two motorcycle delivery men, who are known as Slabs. Florence explains, "There are great tests to come. And terrible deeds, some of them my own". She then explains she was salt deficient because she absorbs it well. However, she needs blood now, specifically his as she thinks it will be delicious. Telling the Slabs to hold Stoker, she takes out a bendy straw. Florence advances on him as he screams.
The Judoon Troopers enter the lobby and begin scanning people. Their leader removes his helmet, revealing a head like a rhinoceros, then issues orders in an alien language; the Judoon draw their guns. One of the trainee doctors, Oliver Morgenstern, attempts to speak for the humans, but the leader responds by shoving him against a wall and using a device in order to translate his own speech into English. He then scans Morgenstern, confirms him as human, and using a special marker, makes a black X on his hand. Hiding on a balcony with Martha, the Doctor says they are looking for non-humans — bad news for him, though he is also delighted to see a little shop. Martha does not believe that he is an alien. The Doctor tells her that Judoon are police-for-hire, and if they decide that the hospital is hiding a non-human criminal, every single person in the hospital could be sentenced to death as accomplices of the alien.
The Judoon continue upwards through the building, scanning each and every human. Oliver Morgenstern tries to keep the patients calm during the procedure, but a male patient panics and strikes a Judoon from behind with a vase (which merely shatters against the alien's armour). The Judoon captain quickly charges him with physical assault, declares him guilty, and sentences him to execution, all in under 20 seconds. The soldiers comply, shooting the man with energy weapons that completely incinerate him. As the shocked Morgenstern tells them they "didn't have to do that", the commanding Judoon replies, "Justice is swift."
The Doctor attempts to get to information from a computer but finds the Judoon were stupid enough to wipe the records that could have helped find their target. He explains to Martha he had no idea they were coming and he had only checked into the hospital because of the "plasma coils" — the H2O Scoop lightning — building up. He asks her if she knows anyone who has checked into the hospital in the last week with unusual symptoms; she says Dr Stoker would know and heads to his office. When she arrives there, Florence is still sucking his blood. Martha runs off but Florence orders one of the Slabs to kill her. The Doctor meets her, explaining he got the back up system working, but Martha says she found the alien. Confused, the Doctor immediately grabs her hand and runs when the Slab comes into view.
They run into a room with an X-ray machine. The Doctor seals the door with his sonic screwdriver and tells Martha to activate the machine when he says, "Now!". The Slab breaks in and the Doctor scorches it with radiation. Though Martha is concerned about the Doctor's exposure to the radiation, he explains that for a Time Lord, roentgen radiation like that in x-rays is harmless. He then absorbs the excess radiation and concentrates to expel it into one of his shoes, which he then discards. Martha, astonished, tells him he's mad, to which the Doctor replies that she is right. He then takes off the other shoe and discards that as well — "You're right. I'd look daft with one shoe".
Discovering his sonic screwdriver has been destroyed in the process, he expresses regret at first, but then throws it away when Martha calls him "Doctor" for the first time. Martha tells the Doctor about Florence, making him wonder why she'd be having a snack now. He then realises she was drinking the blood to assimilate it and mimic human biology to trick the Judoon. He decides they need to find her before the Judoon can get a scan in; it's too late. Florence has passed their scanning.
The Doctor and Martha creep around to avoid the other Slab and she wonders if he has any back up. Annoyed, the Doctor complains as they move around the corner. However, they walk straight into the Judoon, who scan the Doctor; he registers non-human, so that makes the thick-headed Judoon think he's the alien. They try to execute him but he escapes with Martha. They pass Julia, who is giving extra oxygen to a patient. She confirms the oxygen levels are decreasing.
They go back to Dr Stoker's office to find him drained of blood. The Doctor explains that Florence is a Plasmavore; she's hiding here "like Ronald Biggs in Rio". He then wonders why she would bother to pass as human, when the Judoon could still kill them all. Heading outside, he reads the signs and figures out she's gone to the MRI.
The Judoon come into the hall, declaring to kill the non-human. The Doctor tells Martha to give him time to find Florence, then kisses her and runs off, leaving a startled Martha in his wake. The Judoon catch up with her and begin scanning her. They identify her as human, but with traces of non-human DNA from the kiss; more extensive scanning is ordered.
Meanwhile the Doctor finds Florence tampering with an MRI device. He babbles a cover story, pretending to be just another amazed human who has no idea whatsoever about what is happening. She orders her remaining Slab to hold the Doctor while she explains her plan. She says the MRI device will overload, frying the brains of everyone in the hospital and half the population of Earth — her "little gift" — leaving her free to escape the Judoon because she is safe in the room. The Doctor continuing to play dumb tells her they are doing secondary scans, tricking her into drinking his blood next.
Meanwhile, the Judoon have confirmed Martha is human (giving her a docket to claim compensation in the process), and march to the MRI lab. Martha follows, arriving as the Judoon scans say the Doctor is dead. As Florence declares her humanity, Martha realises he sacrificed his life to save them. She scans Florence, who now registers as alien, having assimilated the Doctor's blood. The Judoon charge her with the murder of the Child Princess of Padrivole Regency Nine. Florence proudly admits her guilt (claiming her victim had deserved it), then orders her minion to attack the Judoon; they swiftly dispatch it. Florence tells the Judoon to enjoy their victory, but they are going to burn with her. They kill her and detect the problem, but declare their duty fulfilled and swiftly withdraw, angering Martha as the situation is their fault in the first place. The oxygen is nearly depleted and the magnetic overload is approaching critical state.
Frustrated, Martha tries to resuscitate the Doctor herself, eventually thinking to apply compression to both his hearts. He awakens and staggers over to the machine, reaching for his absent sonic before unplugging the machinery. Martha passes out and the Doctor picks her up, crying for the Judoon to save them as they take off. It starts raining again and the hospital is transported back to Earth where Martha's sister Tish is waiting. Martha watches the Doctor leave and sees him head toward a strange blue box, but while she is distracted by her sister both the Doctor and the box disappear.
At Leo's party, the family are arguing over Annalise (Martha's father's girlfriend), who mocks Martha's claims of having been to the moon and cites the publicly released cover story (involving everyone in the hospital being drugged in a conspiracy). The argument spills into the street, increasing in animosity as Martha's mother vents her resentment toward Annalise, and the whole family storms off, save for Martha, who spots the Doctor. He catches her eye, and she follows him around the corner, to see him standing before the blue box. She asks him what species he is, commenting that she doesn't get to ask that question very often. When he answers Time Lord, she quips that it's not pompous at all. He then offers her a trip to thank her for her help, but she tells him she does not have the time — she cannot go off into space with him, she has to go into town the following morning and pay bills. He informs her that his ship is also a time machine. She does not believe him. To her shock, the TARDIS dematerialises, then rematerialises; the Doctor steps out, looking exactly the same as that morning, still holding his tie in his hand. Martha gapes and sputters, then asks him why he didn't just tell her not to go into work when he saw her that morning. He explains, "Crossing into established events is strictly forbidden ... except for cheap tricks."
The Doctor introduces the TARDIS. Martha says it'll be tight quarters, and he tells her to take a look. She cautiously enters the TARDIS and is amazed that it is bigger on the inside. She asks about crew; the Doctor says it's just him now, but sometimes he's had friends, and he talks about Rose, saying that they were "together" and that she is now "with her family". He says that Martha is not replacing Rose; he is just going to take her on one single trip to thank her for saving his life. She flirts with him, saying, "You're the one who kissed me." He assures her that it was a genetic transfer, and she explains that she is not remotely interested — she only goes for humans. He says, "Good." As he turns away, though, she looks quite sadly at the floor. The Doctor powers up the TARDIS. As the TARDIS flies through the time vortex it begins to shake violently, while the Doctor and Martha shake hands over the console. The Doctor says, "Welcome aboard, Miss Jones!", to which she replies, "It's my pleasure, Mr Smith!"
Cast
- The Doctor — David Tennant
- Martha Jones — Freema Agyeman
- Florence Finnegan — Anne Reid
- Dr Stoker — Roy Marsden
- Francine Jones — Adjoa Andoh
- Tish Jones — Gugu Mbatha-Raw
- Leo Jones — Reggie Yates
- Clive Jones — Trevor Laird
- Annalise — Kimmi Richards
- Oliver Morgenstern — Ben Righton
- Julia Swales — Vineeta Rishi
- Judoon captain — Paul Kasey
- Judoon Voices — Nicholas Briggs
Crew
| Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner |
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| Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources. |
References
- Martha says that she had a cousin who worked at Canary Wharf named Adeola, who was killed in the battle of Canary Wharf.
Culture
- The Doctor, when looking at the Slab, says, "Solid leather, all the way through. Someone's got one hell of a fetish!"
- Francine says the show Quizmania is too difficult for Annalise.
Harold Saxon arc
Species
- When Florence reveals that she is an alien, the Doctor, while acting as John Smith, asks if the hospital has an E.T. department.
- CPR can be effective on a Time Lord.
- The Doctor's hearts stop due to blood loss.
Diseases and illnesses
- Martha mentions Ménière's disease.
Relatives of the Doctor
- Martha asks the Doctor if he has a brother. The Doctor replies, "No, not anymore. Just me."
Story notes
- Exclusive previews of the episode were also held in five venues across Wales. The Cardiff Bay Odeon, Swansea Odeon, Wrexham Odeon, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Pwllheli Neuadd Dwyfor all screened Smith And Jones on the morning of 31st March, hours before the television broadcast.
- The title of this episode alludes to the last names of Martha and of the Doctor, using his usual alias of John Smith. It may also be a reference to the comedy duo of the same name or the Western television programme Alias Smith and Jones. In the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures novel The Eight Doctors, the Eighth Doctor's new assistant Samantha Jones pointed out the same coincidence with their names. Martha's last appearance (in The End of Time) saw her married to Mickey Smith — a relationship between "Smith and Jones"; in fact, Martha was called "Martha Smith-Jones" in the credits. "Smith and Jones" is alluded to again by the Eleventh Doctor in Death of the Doctor when referring to Sarah Jane Smith and Josephine Jones.
- Swansea's Singleton Hospital was used to represent the hospital for location filming although the scene in which the Judoon enter the hospital was actually filmed in nearby Swansea University's library. The university commemorates this annually during freshers week with a Dr Who display.
- In the book Doctor Who: The Inside Story, a piece of concept art by Peter McKinstry shows a concept sketch "burnt out" sonic screwdriver. The book came out some time in advance of the airing of the episode.
- The line "Judoon platoon upon the Moon." was written as something of a joke towards David Tennant. The Scottish accent, which is Tennant's natural one, makes it difficult to pronounce the sound/syllable "-oon" in an English accent.
- A window cleaner cradle scene intended for use in this episode was reused for Partners in Crime.
- When Florence sets up the MRI scanner to overload, a label on one of the scanner screens seems to read "UAC" with the "A" represented by a stylised logo, reminiscent of the Union Aerospace Corporation logo from the DOOM 3 computer game - being another possible tie-in with the Doom / Doom II door sounds in The Impossible Planet.
- Much like Rose's self-titled introductory story, most of the events of this episode are seen from Martha's point of view.
- On the channel Watch, the execution of the person who attacked the Judoon with a vase was cut out from the episode.
- There are several similarities between this episode and The Eleventh Hour. Both series openers involve an alien fugitive escaping to Earth and a group of alien police trying to find them, as well as extensive use of scenes set in a hospital. They also introduce a new main companion and see the destruction of the Doctor's sonic screwdriver with a new one replacing it.
- Bram Stoker and Vampires — The head of the hospital is called B. Stoker. This is a clear reference to Abraham "Bram" Stoker, the author of the iconic vampire novel Dracula. In this episode, the character is attacked by a creature with vampire-like qualities.
- This is the first episode to use a companion's surname in the title.
Ratings
- 8.71 million viewers - BARB final ratings
- 8.2 million viewers - Overnight ratings
- 1.00 million viewers - BBC3 Repeat ratings
Filming locations
- The scene where Martha and the Doctor meet in the alley is next to the Market in Pontypridd, South Wales.
- Several scenes of the hospital's reception and exit were filmed in Swansea University's Library and Information Center.
Production errors
- In the ending scenes when Martha is looking inside and around the TARDIS the door cuts from open to closed then back.
Continuity
- Both Rose Tyler and Martha Jones were persuaded to travel with the Doctor based on the TARDIS's time travel capabilities. Rose, Martha and Donna Noble all decided to travel with the Doctor whilst standing in an alleyway, though Martha is the only one of the three who hadn't seen the TARDIS interior beforehand. (TV: Rose, Partners in Crime)
- Martha's "welcome aboard" scene is almost identical to that of Peri Brown in TV: Planet of Fire. In both cases, the Doctor and the companion fell on the console before the Doctor made his welcome.
- The Doctor is delighted that the Royal Hope Hospital has a shop. He says that he "loves a shop." In TV: New Earth, he lamented the lack of a shop. In Silence in the Library Donna points out the presence of a shop, which again delights the Doctor.
- When the Judoon ask the Plasmavore to admit the confession, she says, "Confess?! I am proud of it", which is similar to what the Second Doctor said to the Time Lords about his illegal actions: "I not only admit them, I am proud of them."
- The events of this story are mentioned in PROSE: Revenge of the Judoon.
- The phrase "burn with me" is used again in TV: 42.
- The Plasmavore has slabs. The Uvodni had slabs in TV:Warriors of Kudlak.
- In the alternative timeline accidentally created by Donna Noble in which the Doctor died on Christmas Eve 2007, everyone in the hospital except for Oliver Morgenstern died from oxygen starvation. Martha gave up the last of her own oxygen to save his life. Sarah Jane Smith, Luke Smith, Maria Jackson and Clyde Langer stopped the MRI from wiping out life on half of Earth, but also died in the process.
- Several events in this episode are mirrored in the Series 4 episode The Stolen Earth. After the hospital is moved to a different location in space, Julia immediately assumes it is night, just as Sarah Jane does when the Earth is moved. Also, in both episodes, someone asks a question about someone, only for the character to suddenly arrive unnoticed, and the other character says, "Why don't you ask them yourself?" In this episode, the exchange is between the Doctor and Martha, and in The Stolen Earth, Donna says this to him.
- This episode marks the third time the Doctor's sonic screwdriver has been destroyed. The first time this happened was in TV: The Visitation and the second time was in COMIC: The Flood. It would happen for a fourth time in TV: The Eleventh Hour.
- The Judoon reappear in TV: The Stolen Earth, TV: Prisoner of the Judoon, TV: The Pandorica Opens and TV: A Good Man Goes to War.
- The Doctor has previously visited the Moon. (TV: The Moonbase)
- Upon entering the TARDIS, Martha asks if the doctor has a navigator. The Fifth Doctor once assigned the role of navigator to former companion Adric. (TV: Castrovalva)
- The Doctor unexpectedly kisses Martha in order to stall the Judoon so he can stop the Plasmavore. The Doctor and Martha will share another non-romantic kiss intended to save everybody's lives in PROSE: Peacemaker.
Home video releases
- Smith and Jones, along with The Shakespeare Code and Gridlock, was released on DVD under the title Series 3: Volume 1.
- It is also included in the Series 3 DVD box set.
- The episode was also released as a single DVD with The Sun newspaper.
External links
- Official BBC Website - Episode Guide: Smith and Jones
- Smith and Jones at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- The Discontinuity Guide to: Smith and Jones at The Whoniverse
- BBC News - Exclusive Preview
- IMDB - "Doctor Who" Smith and Jones (2007)
