Amy's Choice (sorry its late its been on hell of a couple of months!)
It is custom, in today’s science fiction landscape, to dip into an alternate reality once in a while. Just as Red Dwarf and indeed Star Trek have encountered so many times before, the lives of the weekly protagonists is shaped by choice, and this time its Amy’s turn to have the final say.
Whilst revisiting these sci-fi conventions, Amy’s Choice manages to be fresh and original and the main benefit of this is the work of writer Simon Nye, who with his first script for Doctor Who brings something new to the table whilst making sure that the main ingredients of the show remain intact. We are treated to sinister aliens hiding in the bodies of the elderly population of ‘Upper’ Leadworth, Time Lord and companions in a perilous position and a dark, mysterious foe manipulating the situation to his devious ends, but we will get onto the Dream Lord later.
So with all the boxes ticked, Nye is given full license to thrill for a whole 45 minutes, and while most of the action is set inside the beautiful TARDIS (which looks just fabulous when it freezes over towards the climax) the story zips between two possible ‘realities’, ultimately the ideal world back on Earth or the fantastical world of adventure drifting towards a burning ice star.
The title itself suggests that the story will evolve mostly around Amy Pond, but the tale of two worlds in which she must make the choice that one of them is real, is actually about fiancé Rory, who’s ideal world includes a quiet village, a full doctorate as opposed to just being a nurse and the Doctor’s world which is full of danger. It is another reference to the choice she has been torn between since the Doctor crashed back into her life halfway into The Eleventh Hour and each TARDIS crew member is as important as the other.
Arthur Darvill as the cautiously doting Rory continues to delight me, with his presence completing the TARDIS line up. His character bounces off that of Matt Smith’s Doctor and their alpha male competitive streak is a nice touch compared to the Doctor’s previous relationship with a companions love interest in Mickey, but his streaks of heroism and comedy steal the show and are easily the most likable character in the episode. I’m still not sure if he is destined to stay until the end of the series but the show will be all the poorer without him.
Karen Gillan also manages to make a prosthetic pregnancy look convincing and her character continues to develop, despite being slightly sketchy early on this series. However one grumble I will have is the ‘comedy scenes’ when Amy goes into to labour worked the first time, but quickly wore off and was as funny as a Christmas charity advert when it happens the last time. Apart from that though, her emotional journey is completed and in the end she is rewarded with the best of both worlds, the love of her boyfriend and her 907 year-old best friend.
Anyway, back to the Dream Lord, the villain of the piece and the character who will no doubt get us fanatics talking. Way back in the 1980’s, Colin Baker’s Doctor found his incarnation of trial in the aptly named The Trial of a Time Lord where his prosecutor, The Valeyard, turned out to be an evil incarnation of the Doctor between his twelfth and thirteenth regenerations. Could the Dream Lord’s appearance herald the coming of the Valeyard? Maybe he is the Valeyard and as Matt Smith’s Doctor progresses this evil side of the Doctor may rear its ugly head again.
Toby Jones performance as the Dream Lord was full of malice and evil and as a result his fleeting appearance in this episode will surely be rewarded with a return in the not so distant future (or past). The inclusion of the pensioners, and Mrs Poggit in particular is superbly chilling and should keep young children from asking their Grandparents for pocket money for a bit – they have seen what they can do if they want to get rid of you!
On the whole, Amy’s Choice is the latest in a line of thrilling and highly entertaining stories that is making up Matt Smith’s first season as the Doctor. It serves its purpose in developing the bonds between the Doctor, Amy and Rory and is epic on a small scale. As the series gathers momentum and viewers keep watching in there millions, with more dangers in store, will they be torn apart?
9/10
