Doctor Who 6x10 "The Girl Who Waited" full reaction
Added 2020-02-20 06:00:59 +0000 UTC"I'm giving her the days."
Comments
Theres another dimension to this. Amy and Rory have tasked the Doctor since Good Mans Goes to War with finding their baby. However if he does so it would wipe out the existence of older River,the Rver they know, just as there can only be one Amy on the TARDIS, so there can only be one River. They have unfairly made the Doctor choose for them which River they want, old or young. The Doctor therefore deliberetly puts Rory in the exact same moral position. Hence Rory's "This isn't fair, you're turning me into you.' By putting Rory in that position Rory finds he cannot invalidate or deny old River her right to life- it is only older Amy self sacrificing which prevents Rory letting her in. He cannot do it. Just as he could not kill older Amy, nor now he realises can he kill older River. And that means they will never see their baby again if they make that choice. When Amy awakens and asks where the other Amy is Rory is going to have to tell her what happened, how he could not kill older Amy anymore, and therefore how they cannot wipe the life of the River they know either. The Doctor knows this is the conversation they are about to have and thats the meaning n his final look to them. The subtext of this one is all about River, and them having to choose to sacriifce their own desire to have their baby back. -----Spoler for finale---We know this conversation took place offscreen, as by the time we reach series finale and Amy's confrontation with Kovarian she says "and she's (River) all grown up now and she is all right, but I will never see my baby again" showing she has accepted this reality and the River they know's right to exist. The end of this episode is where that conversation takes place, and the events at the end are the reason for it.
BobBob
2020-07-06 23:55:05 +0000 UTCGreat post! I love what you said about Rory - he really did love both Amys and the actor gave such a fantastic performance in conveying that. So touching! I really loved this episode.
Fourth Wall Reactions
2020-03-05 06:22:12 +0000 UTCI really like their relationship. Nice catch with that mannerism!
Fourth Wall Reactions
2020-03-05 06:16:43 +0000 UTCI like that little mannerism of Rory's where he puts a hand on the Doctor's shoulder to comfort him/give moral support. I'm sure there are other instances in other episodes, but in this episode I'm thinking of after he said how dangerous 'Chen 7' was to his species. It's like "It's OK, man".
Will
2020-02-21 18:51:24 +0000 UTCI wouldn’t say this episode is underrated, but it just isn’t talked about enough, IMO. I suspect, maybe, that’s because it’s a hard episode to rewatch, especially if you’re really invested in these characters. That being said, I love this episode. And rewatching it now, brought made me appreciate it so much more. Alternate realities or time compression, or different timelines, or whatever you want to call it, have always been one of my favorite kind of Sci-Fi stories, exceptionally hard to pull off in a 45 minute episode, and boy, does this one deliver. It has both great Sci-fi concepts, executed well, emotional impact and outstanding character work at the same time. Karen Gillian is terrific in this story. She sells Old Amy, I actually believe she’s a separate person. She puts a slight rasp in her voice, and the makeup allows us to see the subtle acting choices she makes with her face. She appears both strong and weary. The fact that she doesn’t want to simply help to go back to her own timeline and be younger is so interesting to me. It shows me that Amy believes herself to be a separate and distinct person, that she really believes it would mean her death. A lot of similar stories wouldn’t take this approach, and how cool is that? I am reminded of Tennant’s regeneration. Some people feel his reluctance to regenerate is selfish. I mean, what’s the big deal? He gets to regenerate, he gets to live on. But he sees himself as a different person. The difference is that he’s got a good life as the person he is now, and has no idea who he will become. (Even this point can be open to debate, if you were so inclined). Old Amy’s past, present, and future are much more bleak. But that just makes it even more interesting that she would value those 36 years as something that makes her a distinct individual, and to lose that would be some kind of loss. I think that Old Amy is still consistent with Amy’s characterization to this point, but perfectly adjusted for the stuff she has been through. She’s angry, but her anger feels justified. She’s strong, so I believe that this character would have made it this far. And then there’s Rory. She quickly realizes how much she still loves him, and the unselfish act of telling him to not open the door isn’t accepting that she would be better off as young Amy, but her simply being honest with her husband, telling him what would happen if he did. The scene through the magnifying glass shows her sameness and differences at the same time. Karen Gillian pulls this off brilliantly. The simple mistake of pressing the wrong button is almost poetic as a concept. How often are small decisions responsible for ripples that have lasting consequences? The great characterization of Rory is elevated greatly by Arthur Danville’s performance. Rory is so devoted to Amy. What better way to divide his loyalty, than making two of them? The great thing is that Rory sees both as his wife. Some might say, ‘but she is’. But that’s not what I mean. When they’re both talking through the TARDIS door, she is just as much his wife as Young Amy. Her age does not matter. The pain of that loss is real, and I can feel it. He really wants both of them, although he can’t quite figure out how that would work, and deep down, doesn’t he really know it can’t? And then we come to the Doctor. He knows that they’re can’t be two of them in the TARDIS. He lies, knowing this, and he makes Rory choose. You can see why he would lie. In one way, don’t we, as the audience know this too? Isn’t this what we want, what we know has to be? He doesn’t let Old Amy in the TARDIS. Is he saving the universe by not allowing the paradox at the expense of his dear friend? But then he has young Amy, does this make the Doctor pragmatic, selfish, or selfless? He has spent this whole episode being berated by Rory and both Amys. Has he just had enough when having made that hard choice of choosing the younger and Rory objects? Is he teaching Rory what traveling him is like, that hard choices are part of his existence, and sometimes there is no good one? Or by making Rory choose, is he absolving himself. I don’t think it’s the last, as the Doctor never absolves himself of anything, not really. It’s always under the surface, but he knows, in order to exist with any ounce of sanity, he has to bury it, accept it, and move on. Such a multi-leveled story, executed wonderfully by everyone concerned. An often ignored gem, I think this story is outstanding.
Vanessa J McNamara
2020-02-21 18:44:06 +0000 UTC
