This is a sequel to
my article last month on memorable Doctor Who episodes. As promised, here are my next ten memorable episodes - all from the Matt Smith/Amy/Rory time span - and the lessons they taught me. As I've said before, Russell T. Davies created stories that left me with questions and the Steven Moffat incarnation delivered answers, until recently. For this last season with Clara, he has gone timey-wimey warp speed, a step too far for me. I enjoyed a couple of Clara episodes, but, I have to confess, even after watching all the episodes several times, I remain mildly confused and somewhat annoyed. Maybe after the big reveal for the 50th special, I'll be more enamored of Clara and appreciative of the unfolding, currently obscure, story-line. For now, see if you agree with my choices from the earlier era with Amy and Rory, all in chronological order. Let's begin shall we;
10. The Beast Below
This is Amy's first trip with the Doctor. After 14 years of waiting, in a nightie, she runs away, the night before her wedding, with the lonely mad man in a box. Earth is no longer habitable; humans are searching the stars for a new home within a star-scraping skyline of a spaceship called STARSHIP UK. The Doctor and Amy cannot resist going to the aid of a crying school girl. They encounter a ship whose engines make no noise, scary masked creatures, and a gun-toting Queen Liz. She wanders incognito with a voluminous red cloak, white mask, and big boots, to investigate her corrupt government. People are coerced into forgetting what's really going on. It is fascinating how it all unfolds; I never saw the ending coming. To cut to the chase, we find out that a space whale carries the ship on its back and is being tortured to go faster. Once the secret is revealed, a decision has to be made. The Queen is appalled but doesn't want to kill her people; she prefers to keep the status quo and forget a bit longer. The Doctor is ready to, in effect, lobotomize the whale, so it can keep going but not feel pain. Amy risks the lives of everyone on board, going against the will of the Queen and the Doctor, and creates a win-win for all; her intuition told her that the kind whale volunteered to save the people of Britain - except Scotland, whose people took off on their own ship - because it couldn't stand to hear children crying. Just like the Doctor, the last of his kind, was drawn to save Amelia. The Lesson: Listen to your heart and trust your instincts, no matter what anyone - The Queen or Doctor Who on down- says. You may not save a space whale but you could save yourself a lot of grief!