Doctor Who - Amy & Rory; Proud or Disappointed Parents?
Though there many questions still unanswered, one of the biggest questions concerning River Song, a popular character in the Doctor Who television series, has been answered; who is she? This year's mid-season finale A Good Man Goes To War revealed to us that River Song is the child of Amy Pond and Rory Williams. However, the original name given to River by Amy was Melody Pond. It was explained that her name was changed because the People of the Forest do not have a word for 'pond' because the only water in the forest is the river. Though this doesn't explain why the translation of her last name became her first name and why she got rid of 'Melody' altogether. It also makes you question why she was with the People of the Forest in the first place.
Parents want to see their children grow up to be safe and successful. They want to know that they've done a good job at raising their child and that their child grows up to be everything they hoped they would. As River Song's parents are Amy and Rory proud to see what there daughter has grown up to be or disappointed? On one hand they could be very proud to see that River has become a very strong, independent woman. She is clearly very smart, brave, and a daring person. These are all great things to find in their daughter. She is also very much a mix of Amy and Rory's personalities; Amy being outgoing and adventurous and Rory being loyal and determined. However, there is plenty for Amy and Rory to be upset or disappointed about. They now know that their daughter grows up to be a convict in a maximum security prison (that she constantly breaks out of and back into) and having spent some time with River they are fully aware that she is capable and willing to kill things that stand in her way. Makes you wonder if Amy and Rory have been told by the Doctor why River is in the Stormcage Containment Facility and if so if they have speculated on who she killed to be brought there. Next, would they be disappointed to see that their daughter grows up to be in a relationship with the Doctor? Amy could be upset because of her possible jealously that her daughter gets to 'be' with the Doctor and she didn't. Rory could also be upset because he now knows that both women in his life, his wife and his daughter, have fallen for the Doctor. Could they also be upset to see that their daughter as changed her name (or kept it changed)? I'm sure one of the next things on their mind is why River never told them that she was their daughter, but more importantly was she ever going to? Had the Doctor not forced River to say, which in turn made him run off and then caused Amy to panic, would River have offered this bit of information?
When you watch the scene in which River reveals the truth you can clearly see the shock on Amy and Rory's faces. Keep watching closely however and you will see Amy very subtly shake her head 'no'. Could this be a moment where Amy is in such shock that she couldn't hold in her true feelings of disappointment? Or a simple moment of disbelief that River was actually her daughter and standing in front of her?
We'll have to see if the next episode, Let's Kill Hitler, answers any of these questions!
How would you react to hearing River telling you this? How do you think Amy and Rory should feel?
The People of the Forest could have the whole Asian thing going on, you know, last name first, so she would have been Pond Melody. Take the fact that there is no word for pond, and therefore became River, and perhaps they do not have a word for melody either, so it became song. As for why she kept it, who knows.
ReplyDeleteBut other than that, I'm all out of ideas.
I like your reasoning there. Very nice! Makes sense and is a pretty good assumption to explain both names.
ReplyDeleteBut yea, I don't know why she would have kept it. Unless she was brought there as a baby and found out her real name later.