It's finally here! The top two tearjerkers from Doctor Who. I would say that I am sorry I upset you, but I know you love it really. That's why we watch this show because we love to have our hearts ripped out on a weekly basis... also aliens.
“Cold Blood” (5.9)
This might seem silly considering the fact that Rory’s “deaths” have
become something of a joke on the show but that doesn’t take away from the fact
that this moment sent me into a spiral of depression. Try to remember that at
the time we had no idea that Rory would be coming back. The actual two part
episode that this moment comes from is not really all that memorable. I mean
its cool to see the Silurians but all in all it’s not that memorable, which is
I guess what makes this moment so shocking. This seems like a filler episode so
to speak, a fun adventure with no lasting effects on the story. I never really
thought they would kill off an actual companion, and we had only seen Rory
“die” for the first time the episode before. So I really wasn’t prepared when
just before the Tardis team made it to safety Rory was struck down and killed
by a dying enemy. It’s worse because he is killed trying saving the Doctor, who
as we know would have survived the blast even if he had to regenerate. Damn you
Rory and your stupid heroics.
The fact that Rory died wasn’t even the worst of it because his dead
body covered by the white light that comes through the crack in time and erases
anything it touches from existence. Which means that not only is Rory dead but
he is about to erased from existence. Everyone will forget him, even Amy. The
shock of Rory’s death is nothing compared with watching Amy realise that not
only is she losing her fiancé but she’s losing all the wonderful memories they
had together as well. She will have nothing. The Doctor tries desperately to
help Amy remember but when the Tardis jerks suddenly she loses concentration
and forgets all about the man she loved.
Number 1: Rose’s Goodbye
“Doomsday” (2.13)
There is something about this goodbye that gets me every time. I don’t
even know if I am going to be able to describe this without exploding with
feels. In fact my mum and I are struck on the episode before this one on a re-watch
because I can’t bring myself to endure the pain that is Rose’s departure. And I am aware that Rose isn’t everyone’s favourite companion, but there is something so
beautiful about the way her goodbye is done that makes it the most
heartbreaking moment of NuWho.
Again this is pretty epic season finale, not quite as epic as “Journey’s
End” but it’s still up there. The Doctor is battling not one but two of his
most badass enemies, the Dalek’s and the Cybermen. Well actually it’s more like
the Dalek’s and the Cybermen are battling each other and the Doctor is doing
damage control. To top it all off our universe is colliding with another one,
luckily it’s the one with Mickey and Pete (Rose’s dad). The battle seems pretty
much lost or at least that’s what everyone thinks until the Doctor finally
points out his silly glasses. It turns out they’re not just a fashion statement
(well you never can tell with the Doctor, remember that time he wore celery),
they actually have plot significance, well kind of. The glasses show a piece of phlebotinum
called void stuff; it covers people that have travelled through the void, which
means it’s all over both the Daleks and the Cybermen. Luckily if the Doctor
opens the void anything that has the magic time dust on them will be sucked back into hell. Unfortunately this also means that Rose, and Mickey and the Doctor (and anyone else from the other universe
also run the risk of ending up the void. The Doctor tries to convince Rose to
go to the safety of the alternative reality - and live her life with her Mother and Mickey - to avoid the danger. She declines of
course, there is no way Rose is going to leave the Doctor willingly, even if it
means she will never see her mother again. This choice just makes it all the more traumatic when it all goes wrong. Rose is almost lost as she tried to keep the void open; it’s OK
though because Pete (her dad from the other universe) pops in and saves her at
the last minute. While this act save Rose, it also traps her in an alternative
universe, the Doctor is lost to her.
There is something to beautifully bittersweet about the image of the
Doctor and Rose on either side of the void pressing themselves against the
wall, as if they might be able to touch if the push hard enough. That would be
enough to get this moment on the list, but it’s only the beginning, because the
Doctor and Rose get their final goodbyes on a windy beach in Norway. The moment is so
beautifully written, perfectly encompassing each character and their
relationship with each other. It’s unbearable watching them gaze at each
other, each of them wishing they could have one last hug and knowing it can
never happen. When Rose finally breaks down and tells the Doctor what we all
knew, that she loves him I’m completely lost. I can’t even see the rest of it
through the tears, and the way it ends with the Doctor’s words unsaid is
perfect because it sums up his lonely life.
Urgh I’m now actually crying so I have to stop. I’m in the library at
university, people are starting to stare. I hope you all appreciate the pain I
went through to present this list to you. But hopefully it will have helped prepare you for the tears that are going to happen when the Ponds exit in a few weeks time. Now you know you won't be crying alone, come back to Pop Culture is Not Art and we can all cry together.
P.S. Check out more posts about Doctor Who here. And if you enjoy a top 10 list you can find more here.
