As you may have gathered from the title, Amy has to make a choice in this episode, Episode 7 of Matt Smith’s first series as the Doctor. But, I don’t think anyone could’ve guessed the circumstances she would be forced to make the choice under. So, again, the question is “is it any good”. Read on and find out

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A FULL PLOT SUMMARY AND IS SPOILER-HEAVY.  READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK!

SPOILERS AHEAD…SPOILERS AHEAD…SPOILERS AHEAD…SPOILERS AHEAD…SPOILERS AHEAD

Here is the plot summary,

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves experiencing events in two realities, falling asleep in one and waking in the other. In one, on Earth five years after Amy traveled with the Doctor and now pregnant with Rory’s child, they find themselves in Amy’s hometown of Leadworth, chased by the Eknodine, an alien race that have disguised themselves as the elderly of the town and who are able to turn anyone else into dust simply by breathing on them. In the other, they are trapped in the powerless TARDIS floating towards a freezing cold star which will kill them shortly. During one of their experiences in the TARDIS-reality, they are met by the “Dream Lord”, who tells them that he created this trial, which they can only escape from by being killed in the false reality; death in the true reality will be permanent.

Eventually, the Dream Lord keeps Amy awake in the TARDIS-reality while the Doctor and Rory fall asleep and return to the Leadworth-reality. The Dream Lord questions Amy as to who she would choose between Rory and the Doctor; he states that she should choose between the worlds, because one leads to a peaceful married life with Rory while the other leads to adventure and excitement with the Doctor.

Amy returns to Leadworth, and joins Rory and the Doctor defending her house from the Eknodine. Amy starts going into labour, forcing Rory to sacrifice himself to protect her, and he is turned into dust. Amy decides that she is willing to risk her own life for the chance of seeing Rory again, and concludes the Leadworth-reality is false; she and the Doctor ram into the house in a camper van, killing them both along with the Eknodine inside. The three wake up again on the TARDIS, and the Dream Lord congratulates them, and reactivates the TARDIS. However, the Doctor sets the TARDIS to self-destruct, apparently killing them all.

The three wake up again on the TARDIS, no longer in any danger. The Doctor realised both realities were false, as the Dream Lord was a manifestation of his darker side. The three were influenced by psychic pollen that had fallen in the TARDIS, creating the Dream Lord and the false realities. As Amy and Rory reconfess their love for each other, the Doctor privately worries about the reappearance of the Dream Lord in his future.

This episode is really the first misstep the new series has taken. It was difficult to understand in parts and it really didn’t tie-in to the main story arc of this series. It moved VERY slowly in places and it almost demonizes old people. However, there are some bright spots. Amy is pregnant for the entire episode, so there are lots of running while pregnant jokes. Also, Toby Jones, another Harry Potter film series alum, he provides teh voice of Dobby, plays the Dream Lord awesomely, acting very arrogant and smarmy. It is totally believable when it is revealed that he is another side of the Doctor.  Arthur Darvill also puts in another stellar performance as Rory, really accentuating his insecurity as he waits to see if Amy will choose him or the Doctor. It’s not a bad episode, it’s just not up to par with the rest of the series.

Amy’s Choice gets a 3 out of 5.

NEXT WEEK: The Doctor TRIES to take Amy and Rory to Rio. But, we all know how that’s going to work out. A really big drill makes the Earth hungry. And, meet the planet’s previous owners!

For more information, visit www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho or www.bbcamerica.com/doctorwho

Here is a gallery of images from the episode. Click on an image to enlarge it.

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