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eruvadhrilAt the end of Family of Blood, when the Doctor's dishing out all those punishments, it reminded me of Reaper Man. But in reverse. In Reaper Man, Death's brief time as a human gave him more empathy. The same thing happened in Mort, but to a lesser extent. Before Reaper Man, he was a bit of a prat, especially in Colour of Magic/Light Fantastic. Afterwards, he really cares about all of the 'lesser beings' he has power over.
In Family of Blood, however, the Doctor's time as a human has apparently turned him into an absolute bastard where enemies are concerned. The imaginitive and elaborate cruelty is very, very human. The Doctor has had huge rage fits at enemies, e.g. the Racnoss, but he gave them an out, and the Emperess's downfall was ultimately because she wouldn't back down when the Doctor gave her the chance, and detonated her own bombs to destroy her children. With the Family, the Doctor actually takes them all and goes to great pains to ensure that the Family exist forever, in pain if at all possible. Was this John Smith making himself heard and dishing out some (very human) punishment to those who had forced him to 'die'?
In Family of Blood, however, the Doctor's time as a human has apparently turned him into an absolute bastard where enemies are concerned. The imaginitive and elaborate cruelty is very, very human. The Doctor has had huge rage fits at enemies, e.g. the Racnoss, but he gave them an out, and the Emperess's downfall was ultimately because she wouldn't back down when the Doctor gave her the chance, and detonated her own bombs to destroy her children. With the Family, the Doctor actually takes them all and goes to great pains to ensure that the Family exist forever, in pain if at all possible. Was this John Smith making himself heard and dishing out some (very human) punishment to those who had forced him to 'die'?
