Top 10 Amy Pond Moments

Guest contributor Liam Catterson celebrates the best of Amy on Karen Gillan’s birthday.

Today I would like to focus on a birthday of a actress who stood out as one of the charismatic companions to travel with the Doctor, from Series 5 ’til the first half of Series 7. She had a fiery character that would allow the fans to admire her, a character like no other. Played by an astonishing actress who will go far in her future, Karen Gillan was born on November 28th 1987 and has featured in Doctor Who with two characters. One famously known as Amelia Pond, the other a Soothsayer from The Fires of Pompeii. Karen is only 27 years young and yet, her career is already becoming massive. Today, we take reflection on the top ten moments of her Doctor Who career, in order from ten to one.

10. The Forest of the Angels

Surprised? I am too. But there is a purpose to why Amy’s trip through the forest of the Angels makes the list. This was tense and it was chilling, especially putting yourself in Amy’s shoes. Walking through the forest, not able to see and the Angels catching you. This was also the first time we got to see the Angels move, which I thought created a neat effect. Amy then stumbled and I thought that was going to be it for her but fortunately, her daughter saves her just in time. JUST. I love this scene so much as even though this episode has a mixed reputation in the community, it does deliver a tense aspect for Amy. Even though she can’t see, she knows what is at stake and she experiences an extremely close call.

9. Amy’s Wedding

Amy’s wedding is a special time in her life and leaves Series 5 on a rather rare, optimistic ending. This scene sees Amy bring back her Raggedy Doctor into reality after noticing all the references that made him who he is. Her speech was one that I could consider powerful. It was also the first and only time we got to see Amy’s parents so it was nice to explore a bit of that. A great end to one of the best series finales of the revival.

8. Merciless Pond

The first time since Melody Pond, a.k.a River Song, was taken from Madame Kovarian, The Wedding of River Song finally saw Amy give Kovarian hell. Weak and helpless, Kovarian pleads the wrong woman for help. After reminding Kovarian that she took her baby and damaging the chance of having more kids and raising River by herself, Amy is at her most brutal in this scene, killing Kovarian in cold blood. The amount of darkness in this scene alone just establishes how much of a total badass Amy is. That said, the whole Ponds family is. But to see Amy show Kovarian how it affected her, not being able to spend those precious childhood moments was something that could get the audience to be behind her and root for her cold actions. I certainly did… Does that mean I am going to hell?

7. Abandoning her Faith

I will confess that The God Complex is far from my favourite episode of Doctor Who. However, I managed to enjoy a few great scenes in there. The Weeping Angels cameo, the Doctor seeing (unbeknownst to fans at the time) the Crack from Series 5 in his room but most pivotally, Amy’s loss of faith in the Doctor. The theme of faith was an essential part of the episode and Amy had a lot of it for her Doctor whom she waited 14 years for. To stay alive the Doctor has to make Amy lose it all in what is an end of sorts to their strong relationship because it permanently shifted from that point on.

6. Come on, it’s Christmas

The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe is not loved by many in this community but if there is one great thing about it, it’s the final scene of the episode. The Doctor goes to explain to Amy and Rory that he is alive, even though they already knew, but it has been two years. It’s not the fact this was a surprise appearance from the pair, it was the fact that this scene was so touching. Amy and Rory had set a place out for the Doctor, and they always had, and that scene alone made me weep. The scene itself and the soundtrack, it plays so well and it was just a lovely, sweet scene.

5. The fall from Winter Quay

This scene was marvellous because of Arthur and Karen. They bounced of each other greatly and they set up an amazing moment before making the jump. This was a greatly written scene, full of emotion and even a hint of comedy from Arthur. Murray Gold’s music adds greater strength as well. When I watch this scene over and over again, my heart still beats fast because of how wonderful it is. The fact that Amy chooses to jump off the building with Rory rather than pushing him off and her surviving is just so filled with love, and for this reason it is one of the greatest scenes in Series 7. This was the strongest test of how perfect of a couple they are.

4. Raggedy Man, Goodnight

Amy’s cameo in The Time of the Doctor threw in an extra bag of emotions. At this point I was breaking down, unable to hold back the tears because of Eleven leaving. Then, a hallucination of Amy as she waves off the Doctor. I can’t think of any better way to say goodbye to the Doctor than to have Amy in there. Even though you only saw seconds of her in this episode, it was enough to leave an ache in your stomach and more tears to wipe up. You thought the pain was bad enough with Eleven regenerating, then this happened… Damn you Moffat!

3. Rory leaves older Amy

It was hard to pick out a moment from The Girl who Waited because most of Amy’s scenes were excellent. If there is a favorite moment of this episode, it has to be when the departure of Older Amy. Having lied to Rory that the TARDIS could sustain the paradox of two Amys, the Doctor slams the doors of his ship and Rory has to bid a farewell to Amy’s older self. Even though Rory had possibly the best line of this scene, this didn’t diminish Karen’s performance. Heartbreaking and amazing, The Girl Who Waited remains one of the best Doctor Who episodes.

2. Raggedy Man, Goodbye

This scene had to be up here. If there is one scene any Karen Gillan admirer HAS to put on a list like this, it’s her farewell to the Doctor in The Angels Take Manhattan. Amy chooses to stay with Rory in the past rather than staying with the Doctor whom she adored. This was very sad, it saw Matt’s Doctor break down, it saw Karen in an emotional state, it made a lot of fans feel that emotion they had for Amy and Rory. This is a tearjerker and I will be proud to confess that I teared up for this. The soundtrack, the talented acting, it just brought out a great way to send off a companion as important as Amy.

1. Afterword by Amelia Williams

Those big sad eyes… It’s amazing to have three moments from one episode making the list, especially if they are all in the last ten minutes! And that is because it is well written and well depicted. You can see how sad the Doctor is when he reads the last page he ripped out. It was engaging and powerful. What made this even worse for me was seeing the behind the scenes footage and seeing Karen act it out next to Matt and Matt bursts out in tears after filming. Her narration is just so heartfelt and it is as if Moffat just wants more Whovians to weep. She reminds the Doctor how much they love him, how they fear him being alone and to visit her younger self one last time. She leaves Amy Pond on a very superb note and I could not ask for a more fantastic way to end her story, even though I miss her loads.

Honourable Mentions

• “I’m Pregnant” – In the first episode of Series 6, we’re left with a soap bombshell and it doesn’t end there. With Amy so intent on having the Doctor live by shooting the Astronaut.
• “This is what happens when you travel alone for too long” – I thought this was brutal and honesty at its best for Amy, informing the Doctor how cruel he can be.
• Rory’s original death – Karen played Amy really well here. Fighting and struggling the Doctor because her fiancée is being erased from time. It’s so touching.

If you have a scene that is in YOUR top ten, or feel I missed a scene out you admired, please leave a comment. But to conclude join me to wish many happy returns Miss Gillan and may your future shine brighter than it already has!