Howling:Tombstone and "Amelia's Last Farewell"

The Howling → Tombstone and "Amelia's Last Farewell"

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Did anyone else find issue in the fact that Amy's name wasn't already on the tombstone under Rory's? I might not have even noticed, if it weren't for the fact that the last chapter, Amelia's Last Farewell, was already in the book since the very beginning. (Or at least since we first see the list of chapters.) Which means that, in her own future, she had already made the decision to follow Rory into the past. So why did her name not appear until AFTER the Angel touched her? Even Rory's name was on the tombstone since the shot of it near the very beginning of the episode.

It's a bit odd that we never see Amy or Rory again after the last Angel touches them, also. Which means, in all fairness, we may technically not know when/where they were sent. Even the tombstone itself is a bit vague about the details. There is no date listed for their deaths, only an age. (For some reason Rory's middle name also makes an appearance, but Amy's does not.) So, what if this "fixed point" isn't as "fixed" as it appears?

Throughout the entire episode, we're also given to believe that River wrote the Melody Malone book. But did anyone notice that River was NOT the one using the typewriter? Not at the end of the episode OR the beginning. I say this because for this entire episode, Amy's nails are noticeably painted red, which she does rather often anyway. They also appear to be the same exact nails we see in every shot of the typewriter, on a hand which also happens to be wearing Amy's ring (not River's).

It just seems that the above, along with plenty of other parts of the episode, seem a bit off. The Liberty Angel is still puzzling me. Nothing about it being there actually seemed to have a point. Not only did it so clearly not adhere to the normal rules of an Angel (the only thing it really had in common with them by the end was the faces they make), but it also didn't DO anything. It didn't attack anyone, it didn't time-blink anyone, it didn't chase anyone, nothing. The only thing it managed to do was get to where Amy and Rory would be be jumping- only to do nothing but wait and watch. But for what purpose? Not to stop the paradox, clearly, as it made no obvious attempts to stop them at any point in the episode.

I don't think we have the full story on what is going on in this episode, nor what Amy and Rory did in their time away from the Doctor. (Even her farewell is rather vague and short, and Rory never even got to say his own proper goodbye.) I'm certainly not complaining though. I just think we really haven't seen the end of the Ponds. The 50th anniversary is getting closer and closer, with promises of pulling out all the stops. If anyone from recent past deserves to have a part in it, it's certainly Amy and Rory. (Apologies for rattling on about a bit more than the title suggested.) Saghan ☎ 20:10, September 30, 2012 (UTC)

I think the tombstone shows that Rory's death was fixed the moment he noticed the tombstone, but Amy's still wasn't; she had an actual choice to live out her life without Rory, or to get sent back to be with him. Amy making that choice is really the cornerstone of the episode.

As for who was writing the story: That's an interesting point; I'll have to watch it again. But assuming Amy _is_ rewriting River's story instead of just tacking on an afterword (I think that's what you're implying, right?), I'm not sure that's a plot point they have to revisit; it could just be a clever parallel for Amy changing the original events. And it's also the kind of thing that makes the story a little better if you notice it, but isn't essential if you miss it. (For example, if Amy wrote it, the conversation on the edge of the building could be word for word what actually happened; if River wrote it, it was partly guesswork.)

Finally, while I think Moffat may well revisit Amy and Rory in 2013, I suspect he won't want to undo the tragic ending that he was so proud of (and that the reviewers liked so much). We could see them sending a one-way message to the Doctor, or just being affected by some history-changing event the Doctor is dealing with elsewhere in time—or, more simply, we could see extensive "new flashbacks" to the 5+ years of untelevised (and unnovelised) adventures they've had between TBB and TATM. --70.36.140.233^{talk to me} 21:02, September 30, 2012 (UTC)