The concept of this story is one of my favorites. The Doctor becoming human is rife for interesting story directions and it succeeds. John Smith becomes emblematic of what it means to be human, and his ‘journal of impossible things’ is neat way of circumnavigating the existence of both himself and The Doctor. The fledgling romance between Joan and John doesn’t bother me as much as it used to, though I think it could use more room to breathe. Martha is truly the MVP in this story, dealing with all the period-typical attitudes while ensuring extraterrestrial harm is avoided. However, her treatment in the plot regarding her race was largely unnecessary. While I understand the desire to portray it as an element of the time, it goes beyond what the plot necessitates. Its greatest flaw is not just that Martha is subjected to such racism but that characters we are meant to empathize with, namely The Doctor and Joan, are perpetrators of those aggressions. It would not at all have been out of character for The Doctor, or rather the hodgepodge of his personality that is John, to be more kind. An otherwise really strong story, it does have its valid criticisms.