10 Most Heartbreaking New Who Moments
Guest contributor Julia Richelle counts down ten of the saddest.
I’ve watched all of the new Doctor Who a few times now and I’ve realized that there are parts that make me cry much more than others. So, I’ve put together a list of scenes that just broke my heart and ordered them based off of how much they made me cry versus others. It was going to be just a “saddest moments” list, but it expanded a little. Here’s what I came up with:
10. “Before I go, I just want to say you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I!”
– The Parting of the Ways
This was definitely a moment to tug at the heartstrings. For those of us in the new generation of Whovians, this was the first time we had to say goodbye to a Doctor. But since it was only after one season, I think it was a little easier. We weren’t quite as attached.
9. “No, you see, that’s where everybody’s wrong… It’s all one title. Gallifrey Falls No More. Now, what would you think that means, eh?”
– The Day of the Doctor
I’m actually grouping this in with the scene immediately following this one that shows all the Doctors lined up next to each other because of one thing – Eleven’s face. His face is what makes the change from simply watching to being a mess of tears and joy on the floor. He looks so hopeful, so happy, that you can’t help but cry humany-wumany happy tears.
8. “Raggedy Man, Goodnight.”
– The Time of the Doctor
I think that framing Eleven’s run with appearance of Amy Pond was a good one. Even though I do agree with one critic that it kind of pushed Clara aside while she was also a crying mess like most of us watching, I also think that it was what the Doctor needed at that moment. He spent so much of his time with that face and her that she was the one who could really give him courage before he left. Also, all of the sadness of him growing old, knowing that he’s going to die, and then knowing that he’s going to regenerate all led up to that last goodbye.
7. “You’re always here to me. And I always listen. And I can always see you.”
– The Name of the Doctor
This scene broke my heart into a million tiny little pieces, shards going into my lungs and making it hard to breathe. One last goodbye between the Doctor and his wife. Her face when he catches her arm is so emotionally confused, and it just goes downhill from there.
6. “And I suppose, if it’s one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler…”
– Doomsday
I think that, for a lot of people, this would be higher on their lists, and to be honest, I’m surprised that it’s this high on mine. But I guess it’s because I’m less sad for Rose and that she’s separated from the Doctor as I am sad for the Doctor, who’s always losing people, always having to say goodbye and hating it. You can see it on his face. Which is why it can still make me cry even though I like Rose less the more I watch of Doctor Who.
5. “Doctor, please tell me you know who I am.”
– Silence in the Library
Yes, the end of the second episode was sad too, but this was the part that really got me. And it didn’t, the first time I watched it. But then I made the mistake of going back and rewatching it while I was waiting for the 50th Anniversary to come out. I thought I was going to die. I love River Song, and the look on her face when he doesn’t know her…ugh. I couldn’t stand it. I just wanted to jump into the TV and give her a hug.
4. “I don’t want to go.”
– The End of Time
This is probably the most iconic (and divisive) Ten line. And for good reason, too. It’s pure agony. This is where the list starts to go from “crying a lot” to “rolling on the floor in a pool of my own tears.” By this time, we’ve all fallen in love with Ten and now he’s leaving us forever. And for the first time, we get a taste of what it’s really like for the Doctor and the sadness that comes with such a complete change of everything.
3. “Donna. Oh, Donna Noble. I am so sorry. But we had the best of times. The best. Goodbye.”
– Journey’s End
This is another one where the face says it all. Their hearts are all breaking and so was mine. Also, for me, Donna was the first companion that I really fell in love with. Rose was special because she was my first, and Martha was okay, but I loved every bit of Donna. She was wonderful.
2. “To my mind, that strange wild man who roamed the fields of Provence, was not only the world’s greatest artist but also one of the greatest men who ever lived.”
– Vincent and the Doctor
When I watched this scene for the first time, I actually had to pause [the DVR] and wait for the tears to clear from my eyes a little before I could continue watching because I couldn’t see a thing. His happiness at realizing that it wasn’t all for nothing was the greatest thing that could have ever happened.
1. “Amy. Please. Just come back into the TARDIS, Come along, Pond. Please.”
– The Angels Take Manhattan
Alright, here it is, the one scene in all of Doctor Who that I think is the saddest/most tearful. No more Ponds. The Doctor is devastated, and so was I. I had to pause this one as well. I just couldn’t do it. Two and a half seasons of Amelia Pond and her Raggedy Man screeching to a sudden halt in a way that they might as well have died. I was already gone from the moment Rory was taken.
Thanks for reading and let me know if you agree with my list, or if you would have ordered it differently, or if there was a scene you think I left out! Please! I live for your approval! Or at least, some kind of sign that someone is actually reading my stuff.
