The cast and crew of Doctor Who have been busy over the past couple of weeks entertaining fans during this period of self-isolation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ever since its conception back in 1963, the BBC’s popular sci-fi show has advocated the idea of bringing people together and showing that so long as there’s hope, there’s a future. Or as Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor once said, “where there are tears, there’s hope.” And the importance of the Doctor’s message is now more relevant than ever.
With the novel coronavirus pandemic winding through different states around the globe and claiming victims by the minute, this show is a powerful reminder that we should all try to be the Doctors of these trying times, for as Steven Moffat taught us in his tenure as showrunner, the name of the Doctor is a promise, and that promise is to never be cruel, nor cowardly in the face of danger.
Evidently, the least we could do nowadays is to heed the word of health officials and avoid unnecessary outside trips as much as possible. This hasn’t been easy for a lot of people, which is why the folks who’ve worked on Doctor Who over the past decade have united to help alleviate your boredom. Some of these efforts have come in the form of previous showrunners Russell T. Davies and Moffat penning new stories. But now, Neil Gaiman, who’s written several Doctor Who episodes in the past, has joined in by bringing back fan-favorite companions from Matt Smith’s era: the Ponds.
Karen Gillan (Amy) and Arthur Darvill (Rory) tagged along with Neil Gaiman today and watched his highly acclaimed episode from season 6, “The Doctor’s Wife,” sharing the experience with Doctor Who fans on Twitter and answering their questions. But ahead of this planned rewatch, Gaiman released a new scene titled “Rory’s Story,” which features the return of the former companions.
As you can see above, the scene takes place after the pair’s goodbye at the end of “The Angels Take Manhattan,” where Rory recounts the tale of his life to their adopted son, Anthony, on the only working smartphone in 1946. The scene also has a poignant instance when Rory reflects on World War II, which seems similar to the crisis we’re facing today.
“Even knowing how the war would turn out, I’m glad it’s finally over. I’m mostly impressed by people. They can get through so much just by being brave and optimistic and resilient,” He says.
The story of Amy Pond and Rory Williams on Doctor Who may have ended many years ago, but we’re more than glad that the actors found this opportunity to once again interact with one another in character.
