10. Gun-toting (The Wedding of River Song).
There had to be at least one kick-ass moment. I had thought about the cutlass rattling in Curse of the Black Spot - but the context of this scene made the difference for me. Captain Williams is about to meet yet another demise, and we think Amy's left. The way she just reappears with a machine gun and mows down the Silents is a bit of a punch the air moment.
9. A Bucketful of Emotion (A Good Man Goes To War).
I could have gone for several scenes from the opening of this episode, but it's the moment that she meets Lorna Bucket that I went for. She's just had her child taken away from her, and Lorna's wearing the uniform of the enemy, and, by god, she's justified in killing her, but she holds herself back - realising this young woman's intentions are honourable, and that she cares about her, her baby, and the Doctor. It's that quiet, holding back, keeping her grief and anger in check, that I admire.
8. Saving The Doctor From Himself (The Beast Below).
There was some criticism at the time that the Doctor was, yet again, passive to the conclusion of some stories. This goes back to some 9th Doctor / Rose stories. The Doctor thinks he is stuck in a moral dilemma - destroy Starship UK or lobotomise a sentient alien creature. Amy spots the reaction of the Star Whale to the children, and makes Liz 10 take the right decision - proving why the Doctor needs people like us to travel with him, why it was right to take Amy with him.
7. Paisley Boy (Victory of the Daleks).
Similar to number 8 above, regarding the Doctor's passivity - he has failed to stop the robotic Prof. Bracewell blowing up the planet. It's Amy's humanity that saves the day. She connects with him through that girl he used to know and that little Post Office etc.
6. He Taught Her Everything She Knows (Dinosaurs on a Spaceship).
The Doctor's got a gang - so why shouldn't Amy? She takes on the Doctor's role with Neffi and Riddell - even having to put up with a bit of sexual flirtation between the "companions". She demonstrates that she has learned a great deal from the Doctor and uses his sort of logic and leaps of faith to solve several problems.
5. Making the Right Choice (Amy's Choice).
Up until this episode, I have to admit that I was not a big Amy fan. The bedroom scene at the end of Flesh and Stone had been a serious misstep in my view. How could she cheat on her nice fiancé on the eve of their wedding? It's only with the apparent death of Rory that she finally realises that she really loves him and can't live without him. She's a better, different character from this point on, and I certainly started to warm to her.
4. Killing Kovarian (The Wedding of River Song).
It's an alternative Amy - maybe one who does things our Amy wouldn't do - but the "he's not here" bit when she gets her revenge upon the woman who stole her child is another punch the air moment. Let's face it, Kovarian deserves everything she gets. Our Amy remembers it when time gets reset, and does fret about it - so it's not a cold hearted action.
3. For Amy (Vincent and the Doctor).
Amy rushes back into the Musee D'Orsay art gallery in Paris, expecting that she and the Doctor have made a difference. Van Gogh will have gone on to paint many more masterpieces. He hasn't. He died when he did. She's heartbroken at what still happened to that exceptional man. But the Sunflowers painting has a little addition - a dedication "For Amy".
2. Mad About The Boy (The Girl Who Waited).
Quite frankly, I could have chosen this entire episode. It's without doubt Amy's best story. This is one of my favourite bits. Our Amy talks to the older Amy across the years. She finds the way to pierce the older Amy's emotional armour when she starts to talk about that beautiful boy from Leadworth, who tried to do silly things like try to learn the guitar as he was pretending to be in a band. It's the heart of this episode.
1. Show Me Earth. Show Me Home (The Girl Who Waited).
It's the emotional coda to a very emotional story. Just one, very simple, little scene that utterly breaks your heart.
Tomorrow, it's all about when the Ponds get together.
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