So, I don’t get it. Why can’t the Doctor go back and visit Rory and Pond whenever he likes? What makes it impossible to pop back, scoop them up and go on more adventures? Overall I enjoyed this episode, had some minor flaws but overall its heart was in the right place.
I understand he couldn’t go to the area around New York during 1938, but I still didn’t get why a) he could park in say, Maine, and walk to NY and walk back with them or b) wait a few years for the time disruptions around NY to calm down and go in and get them (better late than never)
In the end there really isn’t any reason. THE REASON is that they needed a more permanent end for the Ponds. This way they are conveniently out of the way and their story for now is at an end.
It has everything to do with the Book. Because Amy didn’t write about seeing the Doctor after going back in time, he could not go visit them because it was a set point in time. And by reading the last page, the Doctor closed that chapter in his life with the Ponds.
Remember that season 1 (or was it 2?) episode where Rose tried to save her Dad’s life, and those demon-like smoke monsters started tearing up the place? Remember how they were some of the only things the Doctor has ever been terrified of?
That’s what would happen if he tried to go save the ponds, now that he knows their true fate.
Though if they really want to, a good helping of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey will fix that in a jiffy.
I always try to keep in mind, when dealing with Time Traveller stories, nothing is set in stone. Just the wibbly-wobbly aspect means anything & everything is possible. However, for the reasons of TV story-telling, it was time to put the Ponds to rest and move on.
MORE RIVER SONG, please!!
Ok, that makes sense. The Doctor read the last page, therefore it is now a fixed fact he will never see them again. This is why River can?
I am glad that I could help. It was nice to be able to talk Who with all you guys.
A-HA! I forgot about that loophole (last page of the book). facepalm
Just wanted to drop my two cents and agree that because the book was written and the names were put in stone that it wouldn’t be possible for the Doctor to go back and visit. I figure that he knows he would rip the ‘Who-verse’ apart if he were to try, something he can see as one of his abilities as a Time Lord.
What I wonder is what River knows about the effect that the Doctor’s erasing himself from memory has on the future where River has come from. Any thoughts?
I have been a little confused on this point. It was my impression The Doctor has been wiped from the Dalek’s memory, that is all. For others they simply assume he is dead.
There was a line where River said something about being Professor Song because she wasn’t tried for murdering someone who didn’t exist. So the Doctor would have been erased from humans as well as the “Silence”. Can anyone back me up on that?
That’s exactly what I was referring to, I just couldn’t remember how she said it. She also mentioned when they first saw each other about him being erased or he was going back and erasing himself… I wonder if he saw the end of Amy and Rory and was trying to fix it? or something to do with how he handled the Daleks and he is hoping that by erasing himself from everywhere it might solve some other big problem that we haven’t learned about completely yet. Too many possibilities! Timey-wimey.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00zn6ffIt would have been awesome if they could have done this for the episode.
I guess it is a logistical point, but how would have Oswin erased the Doctor from everyone’s memories? I thought the twist was that the Daleks no longer knew who the Doctor was…but everyone? How does that work?
I think Capt Jack Harkness is involved, and that would be great to get Capt Jack on an adventure with Matt Smith’s Doctor.
I really wish that they had filmed this it would have been a great ending to the story.
It was just nice that they put this out there. helps bookend the story of the Ponds.