I wanted to try and make this comment without spoilers, but there is just no way. So if you don't want to know, then don't read until you've watched "The Angels Take New York", the fifth episode of the seventh season of the Doctor Who reboot, starring Matt Smith. And you really shouldn't watch that episode until, at the very least, you have watched ALL the Matt Smith Doctor Who episodes, and preferably ALL the new series Doctor Who.
That being said, this was an incredibly emotional episode. I cried, in fact I still cry when I think about it. I came to love Amy and Rory just as the Doctor did, and to lose them that way was heartbreaking. I think the image I posted captures that perfectly.
But, I can't help thinking that if Amy hadn't been so hasty, they could have prevented it. All they saw was a gravestone with Rory's name on it. And the Doctor said who couldn't go back to New York in 1938. But why not go back to somewhere else in 1938, then travel via conventional means in and out of the city? Or travel to a slightly earlier time and wait. Or use River's vortex manipulator to get there? One of the three methods would have worked. Then, all they had to do was get Rory, then go to that cemetery, buy that plot and put up that gravestone over an empty grave. They never dug up hid body, so it was not fixed in time that he was IN the grave, just that there was a grave there with his name on it. If Amy had just waited, gone to the TARDIS, and they thought it through, perhaps Amy and Rory might still be with us, even if they chose not to continue on adventuring with the Doctor after such a close call.
You raise some valid points. However, if Amy weren't so hasty, would she really be Amy? There are plenty of ways they could have slipped around, and for all we know they might in the future. It's not unknown for the writers to bring characters back through shenanigans. I mean, look at how the Master came back from the dead.
I can't help but feel that the episode would have had more of an impact if I didn't have to marathon through the Matt Smith seasons to catch up in time for it.
Oh, I'm not saying that it isn't exactly what Amy would have done. But I do feel that, with a little bit more effort, they could have closed a few of those holes without resorting to the "because I said so" routine. It doesn't change the fact that it was still an incredibly emotional, heartbreaking moment.
I honestly don't think that they will be back, save perhaps as little cameos (like the voice interface) or flashbacks. The previous characters brought back were before Steven Moffat took over. It just doesn't seem like his style to retcon a moment like this. This had the ring of finality to it, to me.
I do feel bad that you didn't have a chance to grow and love the Ponds before they left. They were such extraordinary characters. The show had a few stumbles while the new cast and crew got sorted on their feet, but once they did things came together and were magical. I'll admit, when Matt Smith first came on screen, it took me a while to warm up to him. First, I was so used to David Tennent, I was leery about this new doctor. Second, with the new support crew, they had to get their fingerprints all over everything. New sonic screwdriver, new TARDIS, new designs of old enemies (are you Daleks or Power Rangers?). That always kind of bothers me. But, over time, I came to love the cast. Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor now, and I hope he doesn't leave for a long time.
It was a very emotional episode, but I think it's a better goodbye than some of the companions got.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to try and make this comment without spoilers, but there is just no way. So if you don't want to know, then don't read until you've watched "The Angels Take New York", the fifth episode of the seventh season of the Doctor Who reboot, starring Matt Smith. And you really shouldn't watch that episode until, at the very least, you have watched ALL the Matt Smith Doctor Who episodes, and preferably ALL the new series Doctor Who.
DeleteThat being said, this was an incredibly emotional episode. I cried, in fact I still cry when I think about it. I came to love Amy and Rory just as the Doctor did, and to lose them that way was heartbreaking. I think the image I posted captures that perfectly.
But, I can't help thinking that if Amy hadn't been so hasty, they could have prevented it. All they saw was a gravestone with Rory's name on it. And the Doctor said who couldn't go back to New York in 1938. But why not go back to somewhere else in 1938, then travel via conventional means in and out of the city? Or travel to a slightly earlier time and wait. Or use River's vortex manipulator to get there? One of the three methods would have worked. Then, all they had to do was get Rory, then go to that cemetery, buy that plot and put up that gravestone over an empty grave. They never dug up hid body, so it was not fixed in time that he was IN the grave, just that there was a grave there with his name on it. If Amy had just waited, gone to the TARDIS, and they thought it through, perhaps Amy and Rory might still be with us, even if they chose not to continue on adventuring with the Doctor after such a close call.
You raise some valid points. However, if Amy weren't so hasty, would she really be Amy? There are plenty of ways they could have slipped around, and for all we know they might in the future. It's not unknown for the writers to bring characters back through shenanigans. I mean, look at how the Master came back from the dead.
DeleteI can't help but feel that the episode would have had more of an impact if I didn't have to marathon through the Matt Smith seasons to catch up in time for it.
Oh, I'm not saying that it isn't exactly what Amy would have done. But I do feel that, with a little bit more effort, they could have closed a few of those holes without resorting to the "because I said so" routine. It doesn't change the fact that it was still an incredibly emotional, heartbreaking moment.
DeleteI honestly don't think that they will be back, save perhaps as little cameos (like the voice interface) or flashbacks. The previous characters brought back were before Steven Moffat took over. It just doesn't seem like his style to retcon a moment like this. This had the ring of finality to it, to me.
I do feel bad that you didn't have a chance to grow and love the Ponds before they left. They were such extraordinary characters. The show had a few stumbles while the new cast and crew got sorted on their feet, but once they did things came together and were magical. I'll admit, when Matt Smith first came on screen, it took me a while to warm up to him. First, I was so used to David Tennent, I was leery about this new doctor. Second, with the new support crew, they had to get their fingerprints all over everything. New sonic screwdriver, new TARDIS, new designs of old enemies (are you Daleks or Power Rangers?). That always kind of bothers me. But, over time, I came to love the cast. Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor now, and I hope he doesn't leave for a long time.