Please note that if you have yet to finish this season of Doctor Who the following post contains, as River Song would say, Spoilers!
This past season of Doctor Who marked the first for the new Doctor, Matt Smith, upon the exit of the beloved David Tennant. Tennant being an almost impossible act to follow, I was surprisingly impressed with Smith’s performance this season and, as always, impressed with the writers of this wonderful show.
Smith injected the Doctor with a more manic, reckless energy as he went along on his various adventures. Along for the ride went the new companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), her boyfriend Rory, and a brand new wardrobe consisting of suspenders and a bow tie. Bow ties are cool, as we were reminded at least twice an episode.
Some old faces showed up to stir up trouble for our Doctor. He battled Weeping Angels with River Song, Daleks (of course), and the season finale sent in everyone- Daleks, Cybermen and Santarans, oh my!
The story arc this season centered around the crack in Amy Pond’s wall, which of course was more than just a crack in plaster. Amy, impossible Amy Pond, the girl who waited, was an excellent companion for the Doctor and the scenes between young Amy and the Doctor are some of the best.
The writers really pulled at the heart strings this season. When the Doctor left little girl Amy with her suitcase, waiting for her Raggedy Doctor to come back for her, my heart broke. And that was only the first episode. Rory’s death and then having him wiped from time was equally cruel and heart-wrenching. And they owe Rory a serious apology. First his girlfriend Amy goes travelling with the Doctor on the eve of their wedding, then it’s unclear where her heart really lies, then they kill him, bring him back, but bring him back as some sort of automaton that kills Amy. The guy couldn’t catch a break.
The only other criticism I have on the season was the final episode. During David Tennant’s season finales, I always felt the element of danger to be very real. I was never totally sure that he would make it out all right and with all his friends and companions still alive as well. For some reason, the final episode just wasn’t threatening enough for me. I never doubted for a second that the Doctor wouldn’t escape the Pandorica, that Amy wouldn’t come back to life, or the River Song and the TARDIS wouldn’t come back in one piece. You had to know Rory would make it okay, they’d already put him through just about everything one person can suffer.
The end of this series did leave us with some intriguing questions that should make for some great story lines when the show returns. What was that ominous voice saying “silence will fall”? Is the crack in time completely healed? Will we see that weird dream lord again? Whom did River Song kill? Will the Doctor find another fez to wear?
The Christmas special seems so far off…
