Doctor Who: Goodbye to the Ponds & S7 Thoughts

It's perhaps TV's worst kept secret at the moment, but the departure of Amy Pond and Rory Williams will still be a heartbreaking moment when it happens in tonight's Doctor Who fall finale episode "The Angels Take Manhattan." They are, of course, the longest running Who companion of the modern era so no matter how it's done it will be a big change for the show, which luckily is not afraid of changes. In fact, the audience has already met the new companion, played by Jenna Louise Coleman, in shocking fashion during the season premiere and will officially replace the Ponds during the Christmas episode.

As for the Ponds, played exquisitely by the bubbly Karen Gillan and the adorkable Arthur Darvill, it will be tough not seeing them go on adventures with Matt Smith weekly, but it is the nature of the show. I just wish that Steven Moffat and company have penned the best way for their exit. I fear, however, that death will be part of it and I'm already feeling sick to my stomach. It was why I was of two minds when I heard last year they would be back this season for a few episodes. On one hand, it would be fun to see them again, but on the other, their happily ever after ending last season would be inevitably threatened and from what we've seen these past last few episodes, it's just not looking good. For one, the other worst kept secret is that their final episode also happens to have the terrifying Weeping Angels, which has also been foreshadowed a few ways this season (the progressively darkening of the opening and the various light bulb problems).

In my mind, I've made peace with the fact that it will be a heartbreaking, emotional, and potentially tragic goodbye to the Girl and Boy Who Waited. I may not have love every single beat of their story arcs (not being able to raise Melody, almost getting a divorce), but it's certainly been an incredible journey. From our first glimpse of her as a small child entranced by the mad man with the blue box to his first "death" in a dream world where he turns into dust. Rory the Roman would "die" a few more times throughout his tenure with the Eleventh Doctor, but could that really be his ultimate fate in the end. Likewise, Amy's time hasn't been all teas and scones either. She gets stuck in the Pandorica for 2000 years, is kidnapped while being pregnant, and gets left behind for two decades fighting for her life. All through it all though they've had each other, even with the few bumps about which one of them loved the other more. In the end, I just want them to be together, dead or alive. Is that asking too much?

With all of that said, just a few quick words on the season so far. I've liked it so far generally. The production values have never been better and I've been intrigued by many of the recurring themes of the flickering lights (aka the Weeping Angels are coming), Christmas, and eggs. What those latter two means, I've no earthly idea, but it's keeping fandom very busy with theories. As I mentioned in my pre-review of the premiere, I was in love with the episode with the exception of one thing, the half-baked idea of Rory serving Amy divorce papers. The Daleks forgetting about the Doctor and us meeting the new companion as a Dalek was all brilliant. The second episode, "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship," was super fun (um, dinosaurs ON A SPACESHIP) with just the right amount of darkness (Silurian genocide, Doctor killing the bad guy) and gave us an introduction to Rory's dad played by Arthur freaking Weasley! The western-themed third episode "A Town Called Mercy" had potential, but I wasn't a huge fan. Though the knowledge that the third episode actually happened within the fourth episode, "The Power of Three," was a great discovery. That episode in fact was my favorite episode of the season giving us a wonderful glimpse of the home life of the Ponds and what it would be like if the Doctor settled down a bit.

The episode also showed us both the Doctor and the Ponds slowly realizing that this grand adventure with the three of them traveling around on the TARDIS cannot go on and yet none of them fully committing to stop. The entire season has more or less been about this very realization so it really will be quite interesting to see how it all wraps up. All in all, a solid season so far that I'm thinking will end of a very high note. I can't wait. Though I'll have tissues handy just in case.