Why You Forgot About It:Every Episode did something BIG that year but this one was subtle about it. Why You Need To See It (Again): This is Amy's story and it should've wrapped several things perfectly. Steven Moffat's recent boasts that every episode is a movie in 45 minutes and an "event" have been getting a rough going lately. The return of the Ice Warriors was always going to be a big deal, sure. And the farewell to the Ponds and Dalek Asylum were indeed as epic as one would expect. But it must be frustrating, as in Series 5 every story really DID feel like a new jump into uncharted territory, or at least gave us something totally new - Silurians, Rory jumping on board (and then dying for REAL, maybe), the Pandorica, The Angels' return en masse, the Power Ranger Daleks - Like it or not, most of Series Five can't be blamed for trying. It often succeeded. And then there was "Amy's Choice" - a little story that should've done something VERY bold. Which was put the cap on the Doctor as a sex object for his female companions to swoon over. Moffat very cleverly turned the "Rose dynamic" on its head at the conclusion of "The Time of Angels" - The Doctor clearly doesn't know what to do with an Amy that quite ready to take the TARDIS into an NC-17 dimension. (Smith's performance throughout is masterful too, it must be said - Nothing seems to be "trying for laughs", it's all naturally played out.) Now in "Amy's Choice", Amy, Rory, and the Doctor are trapped between two realities - One a domestic dream with the Doctor dropping in, and one on the TARDIS in encroaching danger. This appears to be a setup by a "Dream Lord" - an enemy who claims to know the Doctor all too well, and makes it clear that if they choose the correct reality they live. The wrong one involves them dying whilst asleep. But that's not all. The Dream Lord picks and prods at the fact that Amy clearly has affections for both the men in her life - And both those men have proud ideas about what reality is properly "real" - Rory choosing the life with Amy, the Doctor convinced that the TARDIS is the right one. Fittingly, both are proudly defending the merits of choosing "their realities" - In effect, themselves. Amidst a story that keeps you guessing about where the actual danger is, there's a willful deconstruction about the New Series' female companions and their habits of wanting to adjust their horizontal hold on the Doctor. The Dream Lord happily voices criticisms that pretty much sound like those you'd hear in internet forums - "Why can't this girl choose?", "What does this say about her lack of strength and character?" "Doesn't reflect well on her attitude towards her fiance, does it?" "The Doctor shamelessly keeps the pretty ones around, it's the blokes who are disposable." Brilliantly (some would say it's long overdue), Amy DOES make a choice, and realizes that her fetishization of the Doctor isn't the right one - It's not just the character though, it's seemingly the PROGRAM that makes this decision too. Following this episode, the Amy in Series 5 is a strong girl about town/time - She is an equal traveller with the Doctor, and ultimately helps save him in the finale not out of love interest - but out of the devotion, growth, and friendship that they've shared through this series. Series 6 betrayed the character for dramatic purposes, putting doubt in our heads about her and Rory (and then did it AGAIN for Series 7) when this story had pretty much not only closed the book on Amy's childish habits, but also on the Series' same issues - Had Amy's growth after "Amy's Choice" been onward and upward, she'd have left Rose Tyler in the needy-weepy girlfriend dust. Instead, the Series had the Doctor pretty much walk her across the street to her own life, and in the end FORCED her to choose a life away from him - A shame, as "Amy's Choice" made it clear she could do that all by herself, thank you very much. I've come this far and not mentioned Toby Jones' brilliance as the Dream Lord, the very satisfying conclusion to the conundrum of "So what's a dream?", and the enjoyably dark nature of both choices. This story didn't have a returning monster nor the hype of those around it - Van Gogh and James Corden pretty much dominated public consciousness leading up to the finale - but "Amy's Choice" does the program and its female lead some favours that, had they stuck, would've been a change for the better indeed.
In a parallel universe where game shows' final jackpots and consequent fortunes depend on knowledge of obscure music trivia and Jon Pertwee/Tom Baker Doctor Who episodes, I've probably gone rich, insane, and am now a powermad despot. But happily we're not there, so I'm actually rather pleasant. Really.
