10 Simple Fixes That Would’ve Improved Doctor Who

Let’s Kill Hitler was an episode filled with surprises. Not least of which was the revelation that Amy and Rory’s childhood best friend, Mels, was actually their long-lost daughter, Melody Pond - aka River Song.

Towards the beginning of the episode, we were treated to a montage that showed the trio growing up together, and the parental role that Amy and Rory still managed to play in Melody’s life, as well as the strong interest Mels took in the Doctor. Although it is often easy to forget, of course the Doctor’s companions had a whole life before they met this mad man with a box, and so, it was great to see them hanging out with their more “normal” friends.

What didn’t make sense though was the fact that Mels was supposedly Amy and Rory’s oldest, closest friend, and yet the audience had never seen her before Let’s Kill Hitler. Although her absence from their wedding was explained away (with her stating that she “doesn’t do weddings”), it did make it hard to believe that this woman was as close to Amy and Rory as they proclaimed.

This could’ve easily been fixed by adding a brief scene between the three at the beginning of the series. There was a perfect opportunity during the opening of The Impossible Astronaut, where we see Amy and Rory in their everyday life before they go to America. Why not include a birthday party? A dinner? Even just a shot of Mels leaving their house as the postman arrives with the Doctor’s invitation! Hell, even just mentioning her name would’ve been something!