Amy Pond and Rory Williams are perhaps the most beloved companions the Doctor ever had. Their evolution on screen in terms of character development is among the most extensive character evolutions of the show. For those that haven’t met the Ponds, let’s discuss who they are and how exactly they have evolved in the “Doctor Who” series.
Who Are Amy Pond and Rory Williams?
Amy Pond and Rory Williams, collectively known in the series as The Ponds, were the companions and in-laws to Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor. Though they’re husband and wife, they’re referred to as The Ponds due to Rory’s timid personality compared to Amy’s confidence and decisiveness — hence the fans’ joke that Rory should’ve taken Amy’s last name.
Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor, though appearing later in the show, after the Ponds, stated on an occasion that there would be no hanky-panky aboard the TARDIS. We don’t know the exact reason as to why this was stated, but it’s quite possible that it has something to do with the Ponds, and their hanky-panky aboard the TARDIS, as it traveled through the Time Vortex.
Their “mischievous” behavior aboard the TARDIS resulted in Amy’s pregnancy, and the birth of their daughter later in the series, who is none other than Alex Kingston’s Melody Pond — aka River Song — a human with traces of Time Lord DNA and the Doctor’s wife.
The Abilities of Amy Pond
Amelia “Amy” Pond was very skilled with swords as well as firearms, as seen in several episodes of the “Doctor Who” series. She was very well-versed in picking locks, though the acquisition of this ability and skill was never explored in the series. Considering that she grew up with a crack in time in her bedroom, Amy had a slew of other interesting abilities.
This includes the ability to remember altered or even deleted timelines and to create entire timelines by simply remembering them. For example, when River Song altered the events at Lake Silencio, Amy retained her memory of the actual timeline, while Rory lost his until their original timeline was restored.
The Abilities of Rory Williams
As a regular human, Rory Williams had no superpowers or any particular skills other than his medical training; he carried medical supplies in his pocket in case someone was injured. However, Rory died several times in the series and was even resurrected as an Auton, which made him exceptionally long-lived, borderline immortal. He was also armed with a wrist gun, and any damage he suffered didn’t heal, making his wounds permanent.
As he was a Roman Centurion, Rory was very skilled at fighting with a sword and has become a very skilled warrior over two millennia, during which he guarded the Pandorica. He also exhibited great strength, possibly due to centuries of military training, as he was able to knock the Doctor, Hitler, and Teselecta to the ground with only one blow to their jaws.
Key Appearances of Amy Pond and Rory Williams
Amy and Rory appeared in Seasons 5, 6, and 7, up until the moment they “died” in The Angels Take Manhattan, the fifth episode and the mid-seasons finale of Season 7 of Doctor Who. Here are some of their best appearances:
The Eleventh Hour – Season 5, New Who
In this episode, a seven-year-old Amy met Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor as he crash-landed the TARDIS in her garden. She initially mistook the raggedy Doctor for a police officer Santa had sent her.
The Time Of Angels – Season 5, New Who
An image of an Angel becomes an Angel — which is quite troublesome because an image of a Weeping Angel gets stuck in Amy’s mind. Let’s not forget that Weeping Angels are some of the scariest monsters in Whoniverse.
The Pandorica Opens – Season 5, New Who
Quite an interesting episode. Rory, who has become an Auton, kills Amy, the TARDIS explodes, and the Doctor’s enemies have banded together to lock him in a Pandorica. One of the best episodes of the series.
The Impossible Astronaut – Season 6, New Who
Yet another episode in which the Eleventh Doctor dies, and Amy, Rory, and their daughter, the Doctor’s Wife, River Song, get to watch — as River Song kills the Doctor. Confused? That’s temporal and interdimensional travel.
Day Of The Moon – Season 6, New Who
Day of the Moon is a fantastic episode from the Steven Moffat period, which sees Rory, Amy, and the Doctor against the Silence.
A Good Man Goes To War – Season 6, New Who
Amy really has a core role in this episode since she’s abducted by Madame Kovarian, who takes her baby, Melody Ponds, to use as a weapon against the Doctor.
The Angels Take Manhattan – Season 7, New Who
This episode reveals that even the Statue of Liberty is a Weeping Angel. Rory was sent back in time by a Weeping Angel, and Amy decided to follow, allowing herself to be transported through time as well.
The Doctor and the Ponds Connection
Both Rory and Amy were childhood friends, and Rory was privy to Amy’s tales of the Raggedy Doctor, whom she met after he crash-landed the TARDIS in her garden. They were also friends with Mels, who happened to be their daughter from the future.
Rory met Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor while working as a nurse, helping the Time Lord capture Prisoner Zero, after which he became a permanent member of Team TARDIS, alongside Amy.
However, the pair were transported back into the past by Weeping Angels, and they both died sometime before 2012. Steven Moffat said that the Doctor couldn’t go back to rescue them, as it would cause a temporal paradox so terrible that New York would rip itself apart.
How The Ponds Have Changed Over Time
Unlike most characters of the show that basically centers on an alien Time Lord going on numerous adventures saving the world and the universe, Amy and Rory saw the most character development. Apart from the Doctor, of course.
Amy goes from being a little girl believing in fairytales and a young adult running from the burden of responsibility to giving birth to River Song — one of the most important characters in the show and the Doctor’s wife.
Rory, on the other hand, evolves from an effeminate and weak character in the series, who competes with the Doctor for Amy’s attention, to becoming an Auton version of a Roman legionnaire who went against his programming to protect the Pandorica with Amy inside for 2,000 years.
So, it’s safe to say that the two underwent extensive character development through the course of their run in the series, both individually and as a couple, going from newlyweds to young/old world and space travelers with a half-Time Lord as a child.
What More Can We Speculate About The Ponds In The Future?
Actors Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Matt Smith attend WIRED Cafe at Comic-Con held at Palm Terrace at the Omni Hotel on July 12, 2012, in San Diego, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for WIRED)
Steven Moffat made Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill’s departure from the series permanent, in terms of having a Weeping Angel sending them back through time and the pair dying of presumably natural causes before 2012.
However, this is Doctor Who we’re discussing — the series which centers on temporal and interdimensional travel. Who’s to say that the good Doctor won’t discover a way to bring the companions back to Team TARDIS, especially with Karen Gillan stating that she would return to the show.
Doctor Who: Amy Pond and Rory Williams Quiz
Ready to test your “Doctor Who” knowledge? Let’s see how much you know about Amy Pond and Rory Williams before you go.
What was the childhood name that Amy adopted for the Doctor when she was younger?
When Amy and Rory briefly separate from married life, what profession did the Doctor find Amy working?
In the episode entitled "The Beast Below," what future historical figure did the Doctor and Amy run into?
During Rory's tenure as a male nurse, what was the name of the hospital where he worked?
What was Amy dressed as in the "Eleventh Hour" when she introduced herself to the Doctor as a Kissogram?
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jason Collins is a freelance Pop Culture Journalist with a degree in English Literature. While he has had the distinct privilege of seeing Tom Baker up close he was not offered any Jelly Babies which was highly disappointing. When he’s not out on the hunt for the latest and greatest podcast he is lounging at home with more cats than he would care to disclose at this temporal moment.
