Pond Life.

Amy and Rory enjoy a breakfast prepared by
their accidental Ood servant.

5 episodes. Approx. 6 minutes. Written by: Chris Chibnall. Directed by: Saul Metzstein. Produced by: Denise Paul.


THE PLOT

Over the course of five months, Amy and Rory live their married life - with intermittent interruptions from the Doctor, whose breathless voice mail messages sketch some of the misadventures he's falling in and out of during his time away. With a late night visit warning of future crises and the accidental delivery of an Ood servant, the Doctor continues to impact their lives even in his absence - until his absence becomes more keenly felt by the young couple than either expected would be the case.


CHARACTERS

Continues the characterization of the final scene of The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe, of the Doctor, Amy, and Rory as a family unit. This is the most clear in Episode Two, when the Doctor bursts into Amy and Rory's bedroom, only for them to chastise him for breaking the "rule about the bedroom!" I also love the lost look that comes over the Doctor's face in the final part, when he rings their doorbell only to have it go unanswered. All three regulars are in fantastic form, with Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill splendid in the many quick comedy bits in the first five parts, and equally strong in the rapid shift to drama in the final part.


THOUGHTS

Pond Life was a series of webisodes released on the Doctor Who website just prior to the start of Series Seven. Thankfully, they're gathered as special features on the Series Seven dvd and blu-ray box sets, as they make a perfect lead-in to Asylum of the Daleks and a strong companion piece to the Amy/Rory half-season as a whole.

The episodes follow Amy and Rory in their daily lives after leaving the Doctor, and show how his presence continues to affect their lives - which was a recurring theme in Series 7a. The chemistry between Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill really carries this, as they feel absolutely like a young married couple. Their comedy abilities are particularly well-used, exchanging bemused expressions over the Doctor's antics even as they tease each other over such mundane matters as a stolen breakfast sausage.

For a web series whose total running time only barely scrapes six minutes (including five sets of credits), it's surprising how much good character material, amusement, and even emotion gets packed in here. Writer Chris Chibnall's script allows the three regulars plenty of opportunity to show their characters and character relationships, and the overall tone is just light enough for the final emotional beats to hit strongly and sharply.

Given its short running time, it's difficult to imagine that this could have been any better.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Story: The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe
Next Story: Asylum of the Daleks

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