Rory, the boy who waited
I’ve seen a lot of gushing about Rory Williams in the wake of the Doctor Who season finale and Rory’s time on the slow path, including more than one person saying he is the “best boyfriend ever.” Spoilers below.
I’m going to be totally honest here: this plotline troubled me. Did Amy ask Rory to spend thousands of years protecting her suspended form? No, no she did not. For him, those 1800 years were, no doubt, each a time in which he renewed his devotion to her and his own commitment to being a human. But she did not feel the time passing and for her, this was still moments after he had shot her. After he had killed her.
How much of what Rory did was because of their relationship? How much of it was based on the assumption that it would continue? Rory, would you have done this for Amy if you’d known that, when it was all over, Amy wouldn’t want anything to do with you? If she’d changed her mind? If you’d changed? Have not 1800 years changed you somehow? Would you have done this if you’d known you would get nothing in return?
Fans, do you feel, even the tiniest bit, that Amy owes Rory a romantic relationship? It would be really easy to: that’s how this whole thing seemed to be set up for me.
And again, Rory did all of his watch on his own, while Amy wasn’t there. He was not working together with her, interacting with her, or negotiating her needs as a person with his own needs. None of this negates his clearly iron will, and I’m not saying it wasn’t worth doing, but I do question how this activity can be good “boyfriend” behavior. “Boyfriend” is a relationship term. It means more than one person is present and active. This idea that the “best boyfriend ever” earns the title not by doing things with his partner, but by doing them to her (again, without her input or her ability to respond), frankly creeps me out.
Princess Backpack said,
July 30, 2010 at 12:24 am
“Fans, do you feel, even the tiniest bit, that Amy owes Rory a romantic relationship?”
Nope. I never feel that about anyone basically
OK that was too easy, I should probably keep writing!
If I was in Rory’s position (not that I ever would be, being a totally different person), with 1800 years to burn I don’t think I’d stand over the Pandorica the entire time, I mean come on, it’s designed to be impenetrable (not very well mind you, if a touch from little Amy can open it, but anyway), I’d hide it somewhere *really* well and then, well, I’d go out and live, checking up on it occassionally. I’d still try and keep the pandorica safe, I wouldn’t let it run my whole life. I’d learn every language that interested me, by immersing myself in them, I’d travel the world, I’d fall in love (yes this would be cheating D:), I’d fall in love again, *insert plot of highlander movie here*, if I didn’t know about the dangers of time paradoxes (probably doesn’t matter now what with the entire universe dying) I’d also do all sorts of nifty history changing stuff (which I won’t get into because I’m writing a post, not a book). get horribly horribly bored, almost die multiple times (statistically very likely to have lots of close calls or actually get killed!), and who knows what else!
By the end I would of course, be a totally different person.
That has a statistically significant chance (P > .01) this would royally fuck up a relationship!
Anyway! I feel like no one ever owes another person a romantic relationship, ever. Period. The End. I guess deep down I feel people owe explanations sometimes (gotta think about that more!)! But never actual romance. That would be way too creepy D:
quixotess said,
July 30, 2010 at 12:30 am
Honestly, I know that there are people like you who are not affected by the case the show makes that this is True Love and Cannot Be Broken etc etc which erases the real human wants and growth of the people involved. But I also know that there are a lot of people who are. Imagine the fan reaction if Amy had broken up with Rory after the whole thing.
Princess Backpack said,
July 30, 2010 at 12:42 am
Oh my! The fan reaction would be… interesting in a scary sort of way o_o
JaundicedDragon said,
August 4, 2010 at 7:16 am
It’s somewhat unfortunate that the romance was by far the worst bit of the season. I mean, Moffat certainly is capable of doing relationships well, but I guess he couldn’t write anything.
I quite liked the whole Centurion bit. It was the first thing Rory had that was cool (and even if Amy had, millenia later, said “Um, no thanks, bye!” it would still have been a cool character bit for him) and hit a bunch of notes just right. Plus, it technically made him older than the Doctor.
I must admit, that sort of behaivior on Rory’s part is perfectly romantic, in my book. Great stuff for fiction. Even better if it ends in tragedy rather than happy endings.
But the actual relationship between Amy and Rory (and the Doctor) just wasn’t present. Given what was in the show, her obsessiveness towards the Doctor (as imaginary friend, or as the person who really should be at her wedding, possibly more importantly so than the groom) had some justification, but there wasn’t anything between her and Rory. It’s one of those rare cases where I’d agree they should have shown instead of telling.
Mike said,
March 14, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Of course he would have done it all regardless. He killed her, he wanted to make up for it in any way he could. He could have easily gone forward with the Doctor but he chose to make amends his own way.