A-Z of Science Fiction Characters: Amy Pond

(A-Z of Science Fiction Characters will be a twenty-six week-long, personal opinion series, showcasing only a handful of the best characters in science fiction television. I say “handful” as there are numerous science fiction characters to choose from, however this series will show a large variety of characters.)

Amy Pond
Played by: Karen Gillian
From: Doctor Who (Seasons 5, 6 & 7)

When Doctor Who entered its entertaining fifth season with its eleventh incarnation of the beloved Doctor, fans of the popular series were additionally introduced to the adventurous, stubborn and sometimes reckless, Amy Pond. This feisty, red-headed Scottish lady was the girlfriend of long-time friend, Rory Williams, later becoming his wife. Amy was also revealed to be the mother of River Song in season six, and would become The Doctor’s mother-in-law.

First Appearance: “The Eleventh Hour” introduced viewers to Amy when she met The Doctor in 1996, and despite him promising to return in five minutes, Amy would not meet The Doctor until she was an adult in 2008. No longer a lonesome and scared orphaned child, Amy was now a flirtatious and attractive, though troubled and feisty, young woman working as a kissogram with only a vivid memory of the man she had labelled the “Raggedy Doctor.”

Best Episode: From her memorable introduction in “The Eleventh Hour” to her emotional farewell in “The Angels Take Manhattan”, it is almost impossible to narrow down Amy’s best episodes to only one. Without a doubt, “From Vincent and The Doctor” was one of my favourite Amy episodes, however, the best episode in my opinion during her run was “A Good Man Goes To War”. Witnessing the scene where Amy watches her supposed daughter melt before her eyes is one of the greatest yet saddest moments in the entire Doctor Who franchise.

Why Amy Pond Is Such a Good Character: Amy Pond was the absolute perfect choice for the Eleventh Doctor’s companion, as she shared that same recklessness and romance with danger that The Doctor so obviously possessed. Continuously described by fans as feisty, especially during her humorous and entertaining debut where she whacked The Doctor with a baseball bat and pretended to be a policewoman, Amy was additionally a strong-headed, outspoken young woman and probably the wildest of his companions.

Though, the reason that Amy was such a brilliant character was due to Karen Gillian’s excellent portrayal. As her performance matured and she developed exceptionally as an actor, especially with her emotional scenes as Gillian was already fantastic during her more comedic scenes due to her background in that area, Amy grew into a well-rounded character. It was her deliverance of her dialogue and comedic timing that made her the engaging character that fans know and love.

Final Thoughts: However, despite a wonderful performance given by Karen Gillian, she is not my absolute favourite companion in the series (that title will forever be held by Rose Tyler). I do find her incredibly engaging and interesting 90% of the time, though I really want to like her more. Despite having a backstory that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat and an entertaining attitude, it is easier to find her annoying instead of likeable. I think that this is mainly due to her conflicting feelings towards both The Doctor and Rory.

Though, I will stand by the fact that she was the perfect choice for the Eleventh Doctor’s companion.

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