10 Doctor Who Controversies Fans Can't Agree On
9. Did Amy and Rory Stay Too Long?
Moffat-era companions had a habit of sticking around. Amy, Rory, and Clara were there for more time than any revival companion until Yaz came along. There’s a case for arguing all four of these characters stuck around just a little too long, but the cracks really started to show with Amy and Rory.
Their story was pretty much concluded at the end of Series 6, with River’s timeline cleared up, Amy unequivocally committed to Rory, and the two even getting a perfect happy ending at the end of The God Complex. The Doctor drops them off because he’s become too attached and wants to keep them safe, which is the sort of companion ending that isn’t explored enough.
But then we got Series 7A, which... wasn’t great. Asylum of the Daleks clearly has no idea how to move forward with the Ponds, and instead decides to move backwards by having them file for a divorce offscreen. Amy’s treatment of Rory in this episode completely unravels the journey she’s spent the last two years on: learning to see him as her real hero.
The next episodes spend time treading familiar ground, with the Ponds drifting more toward their personal lives, and there's a lingering feeling that this is little more than a way to stretch out their story for five more episodes. On the plus side, there are some really nice moments in The Power of Three, and The Angels Take Manhattan is a banger – but we're not sure it was worth it.
OUR VERDICT: Some of the episodes in 7A are solid, but they could've worked just as well with Jenna Coleman. We might have got a more fleshed-out series if her and Smith had gotten a full run.