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“Oh, that box, Amy. You’ll dream about that box. It’ll never leave you. Big and little at the same time, brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever. And the times we had, eh? Woulda had. Never had. In your dreams, they’ll still be there. The Doctor and Amy Pond. And the days that never came”.
Oh, Steven Moffat. You’ve really outdone yourself this time.
Of course, I was expecting his series finale to be interesting and twisty and clever. But even I couldn’t have hoped for something so engaging and magical, using the concept of time travel to its maximum potential while still having real heart. From the moment young Amelia (a welcome return from young Caitlin Blackwood) opens the Pandorica to find her older self locked inside, you really have to concentrate, but it is most definitely worth it.
The fairytale aspect of the story is played up to the extreme, particularly with Rory turning into the mythical centurion who guards the Pandorica. You just have to go along with it, remembering that Amy is the girl whose life doesn’t make sense. The first thirty minutes or so have a great sense of both fun and peril about them. But from the moment River explains her plan – Alex Kingston plays River’s intelligence and understanding beautifully – the pace changes, and this episode ramps up to a whole other level.
As the Doctor explained to Amy that her house was too big, that the crack had been eating away at her life, it was completely heartbreaking and beautiful. I said that last week’s episode was Matt Smith’s finest hour, but I spoke in haste. It’s in these moments that he truly becomes the Doctor, telling a sleeping Amelia of their wonderful adventures that would now live only in her dreams. Smith’s face is used to all its glorious, magical potential as he wishes her goodbye, knowing she will forget him.
But, of course, she doesn’t. She’s Amelia Pond, the girl with the fairytale name, and she’s special. At her wedding (complete with restored parents) Amy realises that there’s someone missing. Her raggedy Doctor. She remembers him into existence, in a scene that proved Karen Gillan’s worth as a companion once and for all – I especially enjoyed the line “Raggedy man, I remember you, and you are late for my wedding!” The Doctor turns up in an amazing suit to do some seriously dodgy dancing, and have another cryptic exchange with River, before flying off with Amy and Rory to help a monarch who’s having some trouble on the Orient Express. In space.
This was a perfect finale to this series of Doctor Who, resolving some mysteries but leaving others, like the silence, for another day. I’ll be back for one last post next week to give you my assessment of the series as a whole, but for now I’ll leave you with the Doctor’s words to the wedding guests, which sum up this episode more succinctly and delightfully than I ever could.
“Hello, everyone! I’m Amy’s imaginary friend, but I came anyway.”
Why have they never used time travel as a plot device before? Seems like a bit of an oversight given the fact the show's about a freakin' time machine.
Reading your post has just reminded me how bad the episode was. No witty lines. No plausible plotlines. Not even any proper peril. Pretty shoddy.
But on the plus side, Matt Smith is now able to act, which is a bonus looking forward. And it's nice to see the companions as a married double-act, which should make for some interesting plots next time around.
Also agree with #1. The first time that they've ever crossed their own timeline? ...
Arguably, that episode from the 2005 series where they keep time travelling back to the moment where Rose's dad keeps getting run over.
To be honest, I thought it was one of the most disappointing series ends. How can older Amy pat younger Amy's head withut creating a rip time? Is that not one of the major time travel rules?! Besides that, we still don't know what the 'Silence' is.
Although it's hard to ignore the highlights of Amy getting her parents back and, of course, the Doctor's dancing.
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