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Amelia "Amy" Jessica Pond was a young Scottish woman who was the first companion of the Doctor in his eleventh incarnation. She was also the wife of Rory Williams and mother of Melody Pond, later revealed to be River Song.
Biography
Early life
Amelia Jessica Pond was born in Scotland in the year 1989. After she was orphaned, she moved to England to live with her aunt in Leadworth. It was later revealed that her parents were swallowed by the crack in her room. (DW: The Big Bang).
Meeting the Doctor
Amelia first met the Doctor at Easter in 1996 after his TARDIS was damaged by his regeneration and crash-landed in her backyard. The Doctor offered to take her traveling with him, but first had to keep the TARDIS' engines from phasing, requiring a quick trip into the future. The Doctor told Amelia he would only be five minutes, but he ended up taking twelve years. During the interim, Amelia became obsessed with her "Raggedy Doctor", creating dolls, comics and games for which she talked her friend Rory into dressing up like him. Her Aunt Sharon sent her to four psychologists, whom she ended up biting after they tried to make her think the Doctor wasn't real. Reaching adulthood, Amelia took on the name "Amy", became Rory's girlfriend, and took a job as a kissogram.
Amy passed her driving test first time round, though it may have been because she wore a revealing skirt on the day of the test. (DW: Space)
Eventually, Amy met the Doctor again. Although distrustful of him at first, she helped the Doctor to defeat Prisoner Zero and warn the Atraxi to never come back to Earth. While waiting a further two years for his return after he took the TARDIS to the moon and back to break in the new engines, Amy got engaged to Rory and was due to be married on the 26th of June 2010. The night before the wedding, the Doctor returned to keep the promise he had made to her in 1996. He took her on as his newest companion on the condition that she be returned before the following morning. She did not tell the Doctor she was to be married. (DW: The Eleventh Hour)
Travels with the Doctor
Amy's first trip in the TARDIS was to Starship UK in the 33rd century. There, she discovered the ship's secret--it was actually piloted by a Star Whale. She learned this in a voting booth and chose to forget. After meeting Liz 10 and once again learning the truth abouth the ship, Amy released the Star Whale from its torture to prove that it came voluntarily to earth. It was old, kind, and the last of it race and, much like the Doctor, could not stand to hear children crying. When leaving the Starship, the Doctor received a phone call from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, asking for help with a tricky situation. (DW: The Beast Below)
The Doctor and Amy set off for war-torn London in 1941, where they met Churchill and his scientific advisor Edwin Bracewell. The "Ironsides" that Bracewell had given to Winston to assist in the war were actually two Daleks, and the Doctor forced them to reveal their true identity. The Doctor headed to the Dalek's spaceship, where they recreated pure Daleks from a lone surviving Progenitor. Amy convinced Edwin not to commit suicide after learning he was a dalek-created android. He modified Spitfires to go into space and destroy a dish on the Dalek ship that was keeping night-time London lit "like a christmas tree". Upon the Dalek's departure from the WW2 era, Amy helped the Doctor halt the detonation of the oblivion continuum inside Bracewell by convincing him that he was human. At this time, Amy revealed she had no idea who the Daleks were, despite their invasion of Earth in 2009. (DW: Victory of the Daleks)
Soon after, Amy and the Doctor met River Song for the first time from Amy's perspective; Amy speculated that River was the Doctor's wife from the future. In cooperation with a platoon of clerics, they defeated an army of Weeping Angels. Amy nearly died under the power of one of the Angels, Angel Bob. It was around this time Amy realised that the Crack from her wall was "following" her and would erase from history anything it came into contact with. Amy had the Doctor return her home, explaining that the following day was her wedding day. She tried but failed to seduce him. She then learned that she was the latest companion for the Doctor after tricking him in unlocking visual records of his past TARDIS companions before he adamantly suggested retrieving Rory. (DW: The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone)
The traveling couple
Learning that Amy was getting married, the Doctor collected Rory from his bachelor party. He took Amy and Rory to Venice, 1580. There they stopped Saturnynians from flooding the city and repopulating it with their own race. Amy was nearly converted into a half Saturnynian by Rosanna and her son Francesso, but saved by Rory and the Doctor. Amy asked Rory to continue traveling with her and the Doctor, to which he agreed. (DW: The Vampires of Venice)
Soon after, the TARDIS crew found themselves trapped between two realities by the malevolent being known as the Dream Lord. The Doctor defeated the Dream Lord after he worked out that his reality puzzle was just a dream. This experience brought Amy and Rory closer together after he had died in one of the dreams. (DW: Amy's Choice)
In Cwmtaff, Wales, Amy witnessed the resurrection of a group of Silurians after a failed attempt to reach Rio. Amy tried to help create an alliance between humans and the Silurians, but this opportunity was spoiled by a bloodthirsty Silurian. While fleeing through the tunnels to the TARDIS, Amy noticed another crack and was horrified when Rory died from taking a shot meant for the Doctor from the Silurian, Restec. Amy saw the crack absorb Rory and her memory of him vanished. (DW: The Hungry Earth, Cold Blood)
At Amy's request, the Doctor took her to Paris 2010 to visit the Van Gogh exibit. There, the Doctor noticed that there was an evil face in once of the paintings and they went to meet Vincent Van Gogh in person. After defeating a blind Krafysis and turning down Vincent's proposal of marriage, they took Vincent to an exhibition of his work in 2010 where the curator, Dr Black, talked about the greatness of Vincent's work. Though Amy thought that Vincent would live longer due to their interference, she was proven wrong. No new paintings existed, but the Krafysis no longer existed in the painting and Vincent's sunflower painting was now dedicated to her. (DW: Vincent and the Doctor)
The TARDIS materialised in a park in Chesterfield but it dematerialised, leaving the Doctor stuck, while Amy was trapped in the TARDIS until the Doctor solved the problem of what had caused the TARDIS' problem landing. This turned out to be someone's failed attempt to build a TARDIS. She also found her wedding ring that the Doctor had been hiding in his pocket after Rory's death/erasure, confusing her. (DW: The Lodger)
Amy and The Doctor later visited "Space Florida" a week prior to the events of the Doctor's temporary erasure from the universe. (DW: The Big Bang)
Restarting the universe
Following a trip to Planet One to translate its diamond cliffs, Amy and the Doctor met River Song again (who Amy learned would keep meeting them in backwards order) and became involved in a trap for the Doctor involving an Alliance of the Doctor's enemies. Amy was almost converted into a Cyberman by the remnants of a Cybersuit left at the Pandorica. After again meeting Rory, who had been recreated as an Auton, Amy's subconcious memories of him resurfaced, but she was fatally shot by Rory who was under the control of the Nestene Conciousness. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)
Following a series of paradoxical events, the Doctor placed Amy in the Pandorica to keep her alive. He set out to restore the universe after
his TARDIS had exploded and caused the cracks in time. Amy was healed when her younger self provided the genetic material the Pandorica needed to restore her. After the Doctor succeeded in resetting the universe, he was erased from time, but left a psychic imprint in Amy's mind so that she would remember him.
Amy woke up, on the morning of her wedding, with everything as it was supposed to be. Her mother and father had not been swallowed by the crack in her bedroom and therefore existed. Amy had her wedding with Rory and was given River's diary. This helped her remember the Doctor and bring him back into the universe from the other side of the Cracks; having the one crack in her wall all her life had given her the ability to bring things back if she remembered hard enough. Instead of settling down back in her home town, Amy, along with Rory and the Doctor went on another adventure following a call from "[Her] Majesty" detailing an Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express -- in space. (DW: The Big Bang)
Amy did not change her name to Williams following her marriage, and the Doctor jokingly called her husband "Rory Pond". (DW: The Big Bang, The Rebel Flesh, The Almost People, A Good Man Goes to War)
Honeymoon
The Doctor left Amy and Rory on a honeymoon planet shortly before his TARDIS was stolen by the Claw Shansheeth of the 15th Funeral Fleet, temporarily stranding him until he retrieved it with the help of old companions. (SJA: Death of the Doctor)
Some time later, Amy and Rory were still on their honeymoon when they got caught in a cloud shell above a planet. Amy donned her policewoman outfit again, and helped the Doctor in his Christmas Carol-like story as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Eventually, all ended well, and she and Rory continued on their honeymoon.
At this point, The Doctor suggested a moon that was actually made of honey (although it was neither real honey nor really a moon) as a prospective honeymoon destination. He further commented that although there were some lovely views, it was technically alive and slightly carnivorous. (DW: A Christmas Carol)
Near the end of their honeymoon, the Doctor's TARDIS materialized inside itself after Rory unintentionally caused it to do so while helping the Doctor conduct routine maintenance. The Doctor was able to figure out how to dissolve the resulting space loop by using it to their advantage. This caused an embarassing moment for both Amy and Rory due to the cause of the mistake. (DW: Space / Time)
As a Ganger
Main Article: Amy Pond (Ganger)
After their honeymoon, Amy and Rory returned to Earth. During this time, they got their own house and a pregnant Amy was kidnapped by Madame Kovarian and the Church at an unknown time. Amy was replaced with a Ganger synchronized to her senses so that she couldn't tell she had been removed from her time. (DW: A Good Man Goes to War)
The Doctor eventually stopped the signal after promising to find her and Amy awoke in her real body on Demon's Run to find herself fully pregnant, with Kovarian watching over her. Being instructed to push, Amy began to give birth. (DW: The Almost People)
Further travels
After birth, Amy's daughter Melody Pond was taken from her by Kovarian, but allowed appointments to see her over the following month. Meanwhile, the Doctor was raising an army to get Amy and Melody back. After he thought he had succeeded, Amy learnt that Kovarian had replaced Melody with a Ganger, which subsequently dissolved. Amy was left on Demon's Run while the Doctor left to search for Melody. Amy finally learned who River Song was after the Doctor was covertly told beforehand; River was Melody, grown up. (DW: A Good Man Goes to War)
Known Family
- Tabetha Pond (mother)
- Augustus Pond (father)
- Sharon (aunt)
- Rory Williams (husband)
- Melody Pond, later to become River Song (daughter)
Personality
As a child, Amelia was brave and not frightened easily, even when alone. She prayed to Santa Claus to help her with the crack in her wall, and was not surprised to meet the Doctor when he first arrived. She was both repulsed and amused by the Doctor's immediate demand for food, and wished to travel with him shortly after their meeting.
In her later life Amelia or "Amy" became rather wild and tempestuous, with a caustic wit and a front of indifference. She was very cynical and skeptical due to the Doctor promising to be "back in five minutes" and returning twelve years later. (DW: The Eleventh Hour) However, she showed signs that deep down, she was still the young Amelia Pond she had been during their first meeting. She was resourceful and adventurous. She was acutely intelligent with an intuition that sometimes rivalled even the Doctor's. (DW: The Beast Below)
During her early travels with the Doctor, Amy (perhaps subconsciously) romanticised him as a hero who could save anyone. After Rory appeared to die in her arms during a lucid dream caused by psychic pollen, she realized the Doctor was not the omnipotent being she had thought he was. (DW: Amy's Choice)
Amy was incredibly brave and had a reckless nature. She was often flippant in the face of danger, with the exception of her terrifying ordeal in the forest aboard the Byzantium. She exchanged barbs with Rosanna Calvierri even when facing a forcible blood replacement and cracked jokes in the face of apparent doom on the TARDIS. (DW: Flesh and Stone, The Vampires of Venice, Amy's Choice)
Amy could be flirtatious at times and one one occasion, unsure of her own romantic feelings towards the Doctor and Rory, tried to seduce the Doctor despite the fact that the next day was her and Rory's wedding. (DW Flesh and Stone)
As a child, Amy was obsessed with her "Raggedy Doctor" and refused to believe that he was simply an imaginary friend. Even after the Doctor was erased from history, Amy still remembered him and managed to bring him back into her universe. (DW: The Big Bang) She also once referred to the Doctor as her best friend. (DW: Day of the Moon)
Amy loved her friend, boyfriend, fiance and ultimately husband Rory very deeply. She had a habit of playfully insulting him, calling him "Stupid Face" – a dynamic that grew out of their original childhood friendship. Despite her tough exterior which often hid her emotions, Amy was passionate. She was devastated on losing the people closest to her such as Rory, the Doctor and her daughter. She also knew enough about time to know that it could be rewritten and hoped that the Doctor's death could be avoided. (DW: The Impossible Astronaut)
Appearance
Amy Pond was tall and long-legged (inspiring the Doctor to introduce her to the President of the United States with the code name "the Legs"). She had bright red hair (which was frequently commented on), freckles, and green eyes.
Her finger nails were usually painted in varying colours. In contrast with past companions of the new series, she seemed to prefer wearing short skirts to trousers. Karen Gillan has described Amy's clothing style as "thrown together" and said it is a common trend in people Amy's age and generation. According to the 2010 visual dictionary, Amy loves to experiment with clothes from the TARDIS wardrobe and has a great sense of fashion.
Behind the scenes
- Amy is the second consecutive main TV companion to have red hair. This fact was noted by the BBC when it issued a statement in response to the so-called 'Ginger controversy' that erupted in early January 2010 due to misinterpretation of a statement made by the Eleventh Doctor after his regeneration.[1]
- Amy Pond is the first televised companion with whose adolescent self the Doctor has had significant onscreen experience. Nevertheless, she is far from unique in having been portrayed onscreen in her youth.
- Amy Pond is the second character with an aquatic-themed name to be created by show-runner Steven Moffat, following River Song. This is not a coincidence, however, as it is later revealed that River is Amy's daughter, and that "River" is translated from "Pond". Other writers, however, have employed "liquid" names; non-Moffat characters like Ocean Waters, Jackson Lake, and Adelaide Brooke have also appeared in the televised Doctor Who universe.
- Amy is the second televised companion to have a Scottish accent, and only the third regularly-appearing Scots character in series history, after both Jamie McCrimmon and the Brigadier. Since neither Frazer Hines nor Nicholas Courtney are themselves Scottish, Gillan is the first Scottish actor/actress to play a recurring Scot in the history of the programme.
- Following the premiere of The Eleventh Hour, the character of Amy Pond was criticized by a number of viewers for being "too sexy" for a family program such as Doctor Who. In response, Piers Wenger, the executive producer for Series 5, stated, “The whole kissogram thing played into Steven’s desire for the companion to be feisty and outspoken and a bit of a number. Amy is probably the wildest companion that the Doctor has travelled with, but she isn’t promiscuous. She is really a two-man woman and that will become clear over the course of the episodes."[2]
- Amy Pond is the first series-long BBC Wales companion who wouldn't consider London their hometown. That said, Jack Harkness, who has nearly been in as many episodes as a full series, isn't from Earth at all. However, she is only the second BBC Wales companion, after the short-lived Adam Mitchell, to have met the Doctor in a place other than London. Debatable, as Donna Noble met the Doctor inside the Tardis before taking her back to London.
- Amy is the second companion in the new series who has been pursued romantically by a real historical figure, she was proposed to by Vincent van Gogh. Previously, William Shakespeare made romantic advances towards Martha Jones.
- Steven Moffat has dismissed the fan theory that River Song is a future version of Amy. (DCOM: The Time of Angels)
- Amy has a fondness for Romans. Karen Gillan, who plays Amy, also played a Roman priestess in the episode The Fires of Pompeii.
- Caitlin Blackwood who plays the younger version of Amy is the cousin of Karen Gillan, although the two did not meet until the readthrough of DW: The Eleventh Hour.
Footnotes