Amy's Choice - New Review

Total Sci Fi has released a new review of Amy's choice, rated 8/10! Am very excited for this ep now!

Doctor Who: Amy’s Choice

TV episode review
UK airdate 15 May 2010 (BBC One)

The Doctor, Amy and Rory must solve a fiendish puzzle set by the enigmatic Dream Lord...

Every so often there comes a story that divides fan opinion right down the middle. In recent times episodes such as Midnight and Love and Monsters have created conflict on internet message boards, and Amy’s Choice is likely to be the latest story to prove divisive.

Ostensibly a small-scale money saver, it could have been a classic or a calamity. The story cuts between a powerless TARDIS and Ledworth five years after Amy has left the Doctor and become pregnant. One of these scenarios is a dream – the Doctor and his friends just have to work out which one…

At its best, Amy’s Choice is a fascinating study of the relationship between the Doctor, Amy and Rory. The three interact in a wholly believable way. Rory’s inferiority to the Doctor and the Time Lord’s natural tendency to show off cause a friction that is only partially abated by unconvincing reassurances from Amy.




The central puzzle is engaging and pleasingly resolved, while the overall tone carries an unusual sensibility. It’s tempting to compare it to a 1960s style of story (there’s a fan-pleasing reference to The Space Museum early on), and in fact it has the curious off-kilter feel of a story from one of the 1960s annuals. There simply hasn’t been another story like this since Doctor Who was reborn in 2005.

Channeling impish Superman villain Mr. Mxyzptlk, Toby Jones plays the Dream Lord as a mischievous, playful nemesis for the Doctor. His costume changes and humorous exchanges are contrasted by the fact he asks some dangerous questions about the Doctor’s psyche. The story also gives a unique view as to how the Time Lord’s mind works, and while writer Simon Nye is traversing dangerous territory, it’s handled with enough thought to provoke consideration rather than out-and-out anger.

Jones’s performance is not played as broadly as it might have been if this had been a couple of seasons earlier. Instead it’s subtler and more carefully layered; it will certainly reward repeated viewings.

Nye’s script packs in some very funny one-liners as you might expect, but the established sense of jeopardy is never used to really crank up the tension effectively. This is a story that would have benefited greatly from a fixed countdown to certain death, like season three’s 42, to really emphasise a sense of urgency.




Disappointingly, halfway through the season, the Moffat era has yet to deliver any truly great new monsters. Whether you love or loathe the Slitheen, they proved a distinctive, instantly recognisable enemy that became one of the defining monsters of the new era. The creatures in Amy’s Choice feel derivative of those seen earlier this season, sharing certain distinctive traits. Whether part of a cost-cutting measure or intentional, it’s noticeable and jarring.

This curious story benefits from another excellent performance from Matt Smith. In the last story to be recorded, he really nails the various nuances of the Doctor’s complex personality with glances and subtle asides, while playing the broader comedic sequences in a way that somehow isn’t embarrassing. It’s his best performance of the series so far.

Oh, and don't be surprised if there's a media storm regarding some very anti-social behavior towards pensioners…

YAY!