Amy Pond is one of the longest-serving and popular Doctor Who companions of all time. What is it about her character that resonates with fans?
2010 marked the beginning of a whole new era for Doctor Who. There was a new showrunner in the shape of Steven Moffat, a new Time Lord in the shape of Matt Smith, a new TARDIS, and a new TARDIS line-up. The ‘regenerated’ show made its debut in the spring of that year with ‘The Eleventh Hour,‘ introducing many new fans to Doctor Who for the first time, particularly in the United States.
And one of the first characters they met was Amy Pond, or Amelia as she was initially known. Steven Moffat chose a rather unique way to present the Time Lord’s new companion; he crash-landed in Amelia’s garden, some time (we presume) in the late 90s, and encountered her as a little girl.
Immediately, it became clear that Amy Pond was no ordinary human. She wasn’t fazed by this ‘raggedy man’ who had fallen out of the sky in a phone box, and ate fish fingers and custard. In fact, by the end of their exchange, Amelia decides she wants to join the Doctor on his adventures in time and space, and rushes off to pack a suitcase while the Doctor goes to repair the TARDIS engines.
Unfortunately, the TARDIS is in a bad shape, and by the time the Doctor has ‘parked her’ properly, some 12 years have passed. Amelia still lives in the same house, but she has grown up and no longer goes by the name ‘Amelia.’ She is Amy Pond the kissogram, which ostensibly means that she turns up at parties in fancy dress costumes and kisses the lucky celebrants. She is no longer the innocent little girl the Doctor knew; she is feisty and somewhat bitter at having been ‘abandoned.’ In fact, when she first encounters the Doctor, she knocks him out and handcuffs him to a radiator!
Undoubtedly, Amy Pond’s fieriness played a large part in her popularity as a Doctor Who companion, coupled with her blunt, no-nonsense Scottish tones. But Amy Pond also carried huge appeal from a story perspective. There was a great mystery surrounding her character – a mystery which only grew as the series progressed.
One of these mysteries centred around her home. Why did Amy Pond live in such a large house with so many empty rooms? Where was her family? Why was she so vague when questioned about them?
The mysteries surrounding Amy Pond continued to pile up throughout the Eleventh Doctor’s era. Whilst the reasons behind her absentee family were explained by the end of Series Five, by the time Series Six rocked around there were even more puzzles emerging. Amy was having visions of an eyepatched woman who kept appearing (and disappearing) in random places. Amy thought she was pregnant, but when the Doctor scanned her, the results were inconclusive; it seemed she was pregnant and not pregnant at the same time.
All of this culminated in one of the best cliffhangers of the modern era of Doctor Who at the end of ‘The Almost People’ where, on returning to the TARDIS, the Doctor declared, “You haven’t been here for a very, very long time.” He sonic’d her, and she melted away. Amy Pond wasn’t real. She was a duplicate, and the real Amy Pond was a prisoner somewhere in deep space, held captive by the enigmatic, eyepatched woman who was later revealed to be Madame Kovarian.
And if you weren’t confused by this point, you soon would be, as Steven Moffat was about to bring together all of the plot threads he had been weaving since the David Tennant era, all of them converging on Amy Pond. For the Series Six mid season finale, he promised a “game-changing cliffhanger,” and fans certainly got one when it was revealed that Amy Pond was the mother of the Doctor’s time travelling friend (and occasional lover) River Song, whose real name was Melody Pond. Amy had been kidnapped by Kovarian and The Silence and used as bait in a trap they’d laid out for him.
River Song was part of this trap, and it transpired that she had been brainwashed by The Silence into thinking that the Doctor was her sworn enemy, and her sole purpose in life was to destroy him. Are you keeping up?
It would, however, be disingenuous to say that all of Amy Pond’s appeal was down to her enigma. Certainly, these plot mysteries helped to keep viewers invested, but it was her chemistry with the series’ regulars that really made her entertaining to watch. The most important of these had to be with her husband Rory, played by Arthur Darvill. He and Amy formed something of a comedy double act; Rory was bumbling and awkward, and the perfect foil for Amy’s no-nonsense persona.
At the same time, it was clear that these two characters really loved each other, and it was this love that culminated in a heart-breaking departure for the pair in 2012’s ‘The Angels Take Manhattan.’ Rory was zapped by a Weeping Angel and sent back in time, leaving Amy staring at his gravestone which stated that he had died an old man at the age of 82.
Amy refused to accept this, and knew that the only way she would be reunited with her husband was if she, too, was sent back in time. The Doctor pleaded with her not to go as he would never be able to see her again, but she was adamant. “Raggedy Man,” she said, teary-eyed, “goodbye…” And then she was gone.
Now, we might need a bigger blog post to explain why, exactly, the Doctor was unable to see her again. But the point is, Amy Pond was gone, after nearly three years of TARDIS travels. It was certainly an emotional departure, and one that left an indelible mark in the minds of fans.
Certainly, there had never been a departure like it, and there had never really been a companion like Amy Pond, either. Even today, she is remembered in a way that no other companion from new Who is; fans still tuck into fish fingers and custard at conventions and themed cafes, and the phrases “come along, Pond” and “bow ties are cool,” both of which are connected to Amy, are quoted regularly.
What do you love most about Amy Pond? And which is your favourite Amy Pond moment? Let us know in the comments below.
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