I’m not gonna lie. The first time I watched Season 5 of Doctor Who, I hated Rory (Arthur “Dies Daily” Darvill). I didn’t hate him for being a bad person (he wasn’t) or for being annoying (see previous parentheses). To be honest, I didn’t hate him for any coherent, reasonable reason. Really, I hated him for dating Amy.
In any other context, I would have been fine with their pairing. Thrilled, even. But Rose’s departure was, and is, still a fresh wound on my heart, and I wanted to see the Doctor love again. He clearly had feelings for Amy (confirmed in the episode “Amy’s Choice”, see below), and since Rory isn’t really a character until Vampires of Venice, I pretty much forgot that he was even a factor.
After my second, third, fourth, and now fifth viewing of the season, though, I think he might be my favorite character so far.
Rory never pretended to be adventurous, never aspired to be a hero. The most dangerous thing he ever did was fall in love with Amy. But his incredible loyalty, honesty, and heart of love makes him, in my opinion, one of the most genuine characters in the Doctor Who franchise. For a better idea of what I’m talking about, let’s look at Rory’s story.
Episode 1- The Eleventh Hour
Rory has spent his entire life being second best to a man he isn’t really sure exists. Even after managing to rope Amy into a committed relationship (no easy feat, to be sure), he has to live with the fact that part of her heart will always lie with her “raggedy Doctor”, a part that he can never hope to win. Especially after he sees the Doctor in real time (“He’s taking his clothes off! Aren’t you going to turn around??” “Nope.”), the divide between the men seems further than ever.
Episode 5- The Vampires of Venice
After popping out of the cake at Rory’s bachelor party, the Doctor whisks him and Amy off to 16th century Venice for a “date”. It’s in this episode that the boys finally get to spend some “quality” time with one another. And this is when Rory, the first time I saw the episode, really upset me.
“You know what’s dangerous about you?” he says to the Doctor. “It’s not that you make people take risks. It’s that you make them want to impress you. You make it so they don’t want to let you down. You have no idea how dangerous you make people to themselves when you’re around.”
Looking back with a clearer head, the great thing about this quote is that it’s absolutely true, but it’s often not recognized because everyone is so enamored with the Doctor. But Rory’s not. To Rory, he’s just some mad man with chaos on his heels that stole away his fiance on the eve of their wedding. He sees through the smokescreen that most people pretend isn’t there, and he doesn’t hold back. He may not be completely fair in saying these things, because most of it comes out of jealousy and fear, but at least he’s honest and able to articulate his concerns with clarity.
Episode 7- Amy’s Choice
This is one of my favorite episodes of the season because it’s more about the three travelers rather than the wacky situation they find themselves in. It’s in this episode that all the complicated relationships blossom and solidify and float to the surface. The Doctor basically admits he’s in love with Amy and Rory becomes aware of this and the fact that Amy, at least to some extent, reciprocates those feelings. And Amy finally is forced to choose between “her boys”, both so radically different and completely mental for her. She does “pick” Rory, but it’s obvious that her feelings for the Doctor have not completely dissipated.
This episode marks the first Darvill death of the season. Technically, he dies twice, once in the Leadworth dream and once in the cold star dream.
Episodes 8 and 8- The Hungry Earth and Cold Blood
These are alternatively the most frustrating and heartbreaking two episodes of the season. They’re chock full of quotes like “be the best of humanity” and filled to the brim with the flaws of humanity. And these mark the second (or third, if you get really technical) Darvill death.
What’s funny (or sad, really) is that even after the “you make people a danger to themselves” conversation, Rory jumps in the way of a gun to save the Doctor. If you don’t absolutely adore Rory after at least the second viewing of this episode pair, you have no heart.
The brilliant thing about these episodes is that while they highlight the character Ambrose’s failures to humanity, they very subtly set up Rory as the “best of humanity” that the Doctor is looking for. He’s kind, compassionate, and honorable. As worried as he is about Amy, he refuses to compromise his values and integrity in the face of stress. My favorite of Rory’s lines is when the three humans still on the surface are discussing what to do with the body of the alien that goaded Ambrose into killing her.
“We have to return her. They deserve at least that.”
Rory is such a good person, an honestly good person, which makes it even more heartbreaking when Amy forgets him after his body is absorbed by the time crack. Well, you could argue that she doesn’t completely forget him, but she forgets enough for the purpose of breaking out hearts.
Episodes 12 and 13, Season Finale- The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang
The season finale of this season is brilliant for a lot of reasons, but the one I’m going to focus on is the evolution of Rory Williams. Even at his bravest, up to this point, Rory isn’t exactly astounding. Ok, he died for the Doctor, but that was more of a split second decision that he may have even regretted. One heroic action doesn’t make someone a hero.
And yet, Rory stays with the Pandorica, with Amy’s half-dead body inside, for almost 2000 years without fail, just because he couldn’t bear the idea of her being alone.
RORY:
She’s going to be in that box for 2,000 years?!
DOCTOR:
Yeah, but we’re taking a shortcut. River’s vortex manipulator. Rubbish way to time travel, but the universe is tiny now. We’ll be fine.
RORY:
So the future’s still there, then? Our world?
DOCTOR:
A version of it. Not quite the one you know. Earth alone in the sky. Let’s go and have a look. (holds arm out) You put your hand there. Don’t worry, should be safe.
RORY:
That’s not what I’m worried about.
DOCTOR:
She’ll be fine. Nothing can get into this box.
RORY:
You got in there.
DOCTOR:
Well, there’s only one of me. I counted.
RORY:
This box needs a guard. I killed the last one.
DOCTOR:
No. Rory, no. Don’t even think about it.
RORY:
She’ll be all alone.
DOCTOR:
She won’t feel it.
RORY:
You bet she won’t!
DOCTOR:
2,000 years, Rory. You won’t even sleep, you’d be conscious every second. It would drive you mad.
RORY:
Will she be safer if I stay? Look me in the eye and tell me she wouldn’t be safer.
DOCTOR:
(sighs) Rory…
RORY:
Answer me!
DOCTOR:
Yes. Obviously.
RORY:
Then how could I leave her?
DOCTOR:
Why do you have to be so…human?
RORY:
Because right now, I’m not.*
The boy who waited, awake for every second, never failing to be anything less than extraordinary.
The next season is hinting at a lot of game changing Amy/Doctor relationship twists, and I am honestly concerned. Because Rory deserves a bit of peace. The “country doctor who things the only thing he needs to be interesting is a pony tail” has had enough excitement for one (two, three, four, and five) lifetimes. At least give him some marital stability.
In other news, Arthur has finally achieved title sequence credit. Congrats!
*And explanation of this last line… in this episode Rory’s actually a product of alien technology and Amy’s memories. He’s kind of a sleeper-agent robot that honestly believes he’s Rory Williams. And as far as the episode goes, he is. “Memories are more powerful than you think, and Amy Pond is not an ordinary girl. Grew up with a time crack in her wall. The universe pouring through her dreams every night. The Nestenes [the aliens that created this version of him] took a memory print of her and got more than they bargained for. Like you. Not just your face, but your heart and your soul.”
*BONUS NOTE* While searching for an image for this post, I got really distracted by the “Eff Yeah Arthur Darvill” Tumblr, which is basically a series of gifs and photoshopped images of Arthur Darvill. I love the internet.
