Series 6 Opener Recap
The Series 6 opener comprising, The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon may have concluded last week, but as we all discovered the story is far from over. There are still many unanswered questions. This is not a theory, but an attempt to gather the main clues.
The Envelopes
The Doctor, Amy and Rory, River and Canton receive an envelope with date, time and map reference leading them to Utah. That date is 22nd April 2011.
Future Doctor
When the Doctor first reunites with Amy, Rory and River in Utah, he is actually a Doctor from the future, aged 1103. Almost 200 years older than the present Doctor.
The future Doctor meets the astronaut coming out of the lake. This Doctor knows who is inside the suit and expected them.
Doctor: Hello…It’s okay. I know it’s you…Well then…
Death of the Doctor
The astronaut shoots and kills the future Doctor before he can fully complete his regeneration. He really is dead and not a clone.
This Doctor is the one who sent the envelopes, including to his younger self. For some reason, he wanted the Ponds, River and Canton to witness his death. His 909 year-old self is in a diner unaware of this.
The little girl
A young girl is revealed to be inside the Astronaut suit. She is eventually tracked down to an orphanage called Graystark Hall where she was raised by Dr Renfrew under the influence of The Silence.
Later, the girl is somehow able to free herself from the suit and escape.
When the Doctor and River investigate her broken space suit, they conclude it to be an life support system that The Silence had modified with alien technology.
Doctor: “What are the Silence doing? Raising a child?
River: “Keeping her safe, even giving her independence?”
Doctor: “Of course it’s possible she’s not just any little girl…”
River: “I’d say she’s human, going by the life support software…
Doctor: “But?”
River: “She climbed out of this suit, like, she forced her way out. She must be incredibly strong.”
6 months after her escape, the girl is in an alley and dying. She then regenerates. She knew this process was coming.
Amy’s pregnancy
Whilst searching for the little girl in 1969, Amy tells the Doctor she is pregnant. 3 months later, Amy tells the Doctor she was mistaken and is not pregnant.
When Amy discovers the little girls room in Graystark Hall, she finds a picture of herself with a baby amongst the other pictures of the girl.
After Amy is rescued from The Silence, the Doctor asks if she is okay. She says:
Amy: “There’s lots of stuff I can’t quite remember.”
Doctor: “After effect of the Silence. Natural enough. That’s not what I was asking. You told me you were pregnant.”
Amy: “Yes. Why? Because I was…I thought I was. Turns out I wasn’t. “
Doctor: “Amy, why tell me and not Rory?”
Amy: “Why do you think? I travelled with you in this TARDIS for so long. All that time. If I was pregnant for some of it, wouldn’t it have had an effect? I don’t want to tell Rory, this baby might have three heads,or like a time-head or something.”
The Doctor scans Amy using the TARDIS scanner. It fluctuates between negative and positive…
The Silence
A Silent is present just before the future Doctor is killed in 2011. Amy spotted it and soon forget.
When Amy talks to a Silent for the first time in 1969, it tells her:
“Your name is Amelia. You will tell the Doctor what he must know, and what he must never know.”
River and Rory discover a network of tunnels that have been running under the surface of the planet for centuries. The tunnels lead to TARDIS-styled console rooms (first seen in The Lodger) that the Silence are using.
The Silence tell the Doctor they have ruled earth since “the wheel and fire.” They have manipulated the human race to do their bidding. One later warns the Doctor that, “We are the Silence! Silence will fall!”
Amy is kidnapped by the Silence. When she wakes up, they tell her she has be there for days:
You are Amelia Pond. We do you honour. You will bring The Silence. But your part will soon be over…
You have been here many days.
River Song
After the Doctor’s death, River shoots at the Astronaut as it heads back into the lake. She then gives up, saying, “Of course not…”
River confides to Rory her very first meeting with the Doctor:
“When I first met the Doctor—a long long time ago. He knew all about me. Think about that. Impressionable young girl and suddenly this man just drops out of the sky. He’s clever and mad and wonderful. And knows every last thing about her. Imagine what that does to a girl.
“Trouble is, it’s all back to front. My past is his future. We’re travelling in opposite directions. Every time we meet I know him more, he knows me less. I live for the days when I see him. But I know that every time I do he’ll be one step further away. The day’s coming when I’ll look into that man’s eyes—my Doctor—and he won’t have the faintest idea who I am. And I think it’s going to kill me.”
River tells the Doctor they are meeting in the complete reverse of each other.
When the Doctor takes River back to the Stormcage, River kisses the Doctor and tells him:
I have a promise to live up to. You’ll understand, soon enough.”
Eyepatch lady aka Madame Kovarian
After Amy investigates Graystark Hall in 1969 she sees a strange woman with an eye patch in the little girls room, but when Amy enters, nothing is there. The room appeared to be different.
The woman said:
“…No, I think she’s just dreaming.”
This character will return throughout the series and her name is Madame Kovarian played by actress Frances Barber.
Questions, questions, questions
- Who was in the astronaut suit in 2011 (as the girl escaped) and why did they kill the Doctor?
- Why is the astronaut in a lake?
- Why did the Doctor want Amy, Rory, River and Canton to see his death and not intervene?
- Why did the Silence raise the girl?
- How did the girl free herself from the astronaut suit? Is she super-strong or did someone help her?
- Is Amy pregnant or not and why was she confused about it?
- If Amy is pregnant, is the girl really Amy’s daughter?
- If Amy is pregnant, is Rory the father?
- Did the Doctor actually get a result of the pregnancy scan?
- What did the Silence mean when they told Amy “you will bring The Silence?”
- What were the Silence doing to Amy for the days she was kidnapped?
- Why do the Silence want “silence to fall”?
- What does Madame Kovarian have to do with all this?
- Is the girl definitely a Time Lord? Could there be something else going on?
