It was The God Complex where they left, actually. But yeah, I agree in full, that was the best way to leave them. They're done with their TARDIS travels and are living happily ever after. Instead, in the end they're left stranded in the past to live out the rest of their lives, which we know they have since we saw their grave saying they lived into their 80s. Worse, there are probably a dozen ways the Doctor could have saved them but didn't with no reason given. True, they really were his in-laws. I can understand going into the kind of depression he did after losing them.
Just to be clear, when I said defect I meant some fan girls would defect from fancying Smith to fancying Capaldi, not that they'd defect from the show, but I realise now that I didn't word that very well! I think Capaldi is going to have a lot of female (and male) fans in that respect. As for the Smith series, I can see what people mean about series 6, but I really like it, especially the second half (frankly Night Terrors is the only one I dislike). I watched Let's Kill Hitler the other day, and whilst it is all over the place there's a totally bonkers energy to it that I can't help but love. I loved Amy and Rory, but do agree that they shouldn't have come back for series 7, their story had effectively ended and they could have been left with a happy ever after. I realise there was an element of making their departure permanant, but again I don't see this was neccesary really and it is a bit of a problem the new series has, no companion aside from Martha (and excluding the irregular Rivers and Jacks) ever really leaves the Doctor without some contrivance to ensure they can never come back. Rose had to be trapped in another universe, Donna had to have her memory wiped, Amy and Rory had to be trapped in the past...whilst the classic series was sometimes a bit blase about companions leaving, people did just come and go and there was never the feeling that people would travel with the Doctor forever, like there is now. I can see it working with some companions, Rose maybe, but on the whole I prefer to see travelling with the Doctor as being the equivilent to going backpacking in South America or something, it's the adventure you have before you settle down.It must get wearing after a time, even if you accept that it isn't constant battles against evil, those are just the bits we see, you can imagine people tiring of it and wanting to either return home, or put some roots down somewhere. Back to the Smith series I have to say 7B was the weakest for me. Having the Ponds back for 7A might have been pointless, but it was a good run of episodes (A Town Called MErcy excluded) whereas 7B was poor for me, aside from Gatiss' great episodes and ultimately redeemed by the wonderful Name of the Doctor.
So it was, yeah. I forgot that one. Yeah, that was cringeworthy - the TARDIS can't return to 1930s NYC, so what? There were fucking transatlantic ships and planes even then, but I dunno, Moffat probably thinks nobody will remember that, you know, there's transport on Earth. Trying too hard to be a smartarse, that's what it is.
I was thinking even simpler. Why not just park the TARDIS a few years early and wait for the Ponds to show up?
"because I'd been trying to get rid of the useless dick for months, and am having a hard time not laughing in front of the girls."
The God Complex was indeed a good jumping off point for the Ponds, but I'm perfectly happy they brought them back since 7A was a lot of fun (except The Power of Three's ridiculous ending) and bullshit about them being lost forever aside The Angels Take Manhattan was a really strong exit.
Yup. After "The Day of the Doctor" where we saw that what we thought was a fixed point in time and space was nothing of the story, I don't believe Moffat when he says that "The Angels Take Manhattan" represents a fixed point in time and space. My theory since then has been that River knew all along where her parents were (or would end up) and had probably visited them many times. (They're her parents, how could she not know?) And the Williamses and River concocted the story that she would one day have to sell the Doctor on, because they knew it was the only way the Doctor would let them live out their lives in peace. (Clingey son-in-law, he was.) And I imagine the conversation River had with her parents after "The Angels Take Manhattan" went something like this: Amy: Did he buy it? River: Of course he bought it. Rory: How do you know? River: He's my husband, and a wife knows these things.
I grow a bit tired of every companion being designed as the most special companion ever. Like what you said with the Ponds. Rose was supposed to be that. Clara is also supposed to be that having saved every incarnation of the Doctor. Etc. Gets old. And, it forces the contrived exits that were mentioned in this thread. If such and such a companion is so amazingly important to the Doctor, they wouldn't leave under normal circumstances so some contrived circumstances have to be created to force them to leave and stay separated from the Doctor (ala Rose, Donna, Amy, Rory all have had reasons that forced them to stay away from the Doctor). Mr Awe
The flipside of this of course is that too often classic era companions were a tad disposable. Be nice for the show to find some middle ground.
^ Agreed! I like your idea that traveling with the Doctor is an exhausting activity that would only be considered as a temporary thing, like backpacking through Europe. Teegan probably came closest to this where she just grew tired of the violence and left. Mr Awe
That 8 month gap between Christmas and August is going to be agony. How about throwing us a nice 8th Doctor adventure or two in between!
I don't know, I think his reasoning makes a decent amount of sense, with the idea of too many paradoxes in the same place potentially ripping the city apart, and how the Doctor would not want to take the risk. With Day of the Doctor, Gallifrey was already doomed to destruction (as far as they knew), so the risk with their plan wouldn't have been nearly as great. Ultimately, as with most episodes, you have to accept that the Doctor has a much greater insight into these things than we do, and knows a lot better which lines really can't be crossed. And I have no problem with that.
I'm sure it'll be bearable. Time of the Doctor is sure to get a DVD release during period. There are sure to be more classic era DVDs released. In fact, The Moonbase is confirmed for a February (in R1) release and Web of Fear is still due for its release. Plus there are novel reprints, including books from BBC's PDA line and even old Virgin novels. That'll help keep me occupied until August anyway.