Doctor Who: Predicting the Big Bang

One of the joys of a big cliffhanger is it sets off fans like me speculating wildly about what is going to happen in the concluding episode. And that is precisely what has happened over the past week, since Amy was apparently killed, River Song trapped in the exploding TARDIS and the Doctor locked in the Pandorica at the end of the last episode. Since we are about 24 hours away from the broadcast of this season finale, I thought I'd share my observations on what might happen this time tomorrow. So, what might resolve not only The Pandorica Opens, but also the whole season to date? Assuming, of course, that Moffat isn't going to press the Big Fat Reset Button so beloved of RTD...

1. There are two Doctors

I've heard people commenting on the idea that there might be two Doctors running around - one with a blue shirt and bowtie, one with the red equivalent. This is honestly a revelatory idea for me. I though that the Doctor was simply changing his shirt and bowtie in the same way that normal people change their clothes (y'know, for hygiene reasons), but maybe I'm being hopelessly naive.

2. The Dark Doctor/Dream Lord

You know the one I mean, that naughty monkey from Amy's Choice. Maybe he wasn't just hallucinatory space pollen, maybe he was something more. Quite what, and how adding another element to an already fit-to-burst Alliance of the Doctor's enemies would resolve the story, is beyond me, but it might explain the menacing voice in the TARDIS last week, and who was controlling the TARDIS when River Song was unable to. It might also explain...

3. The Attempted TARDIS

In The Lodger, the Doctor did not stop for one second to consider who might be building an ersatz TARDIS on top of a sleepy flat in a sleepy street in a sleepy town. But now seems like a good time to ask who was building that, and why. Furthermore, who would have the knowledge to even attempt to build a TARDIS? The Dark Doctor might be an explanation for this conundrum...

4. Who is River Song going to kill?

In The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone River was serving a prison sentence for killing someone - the best man she ever knew, if memory serves. Which sounds for all the world to me like the Doctor. But how can she kill the Doctor? Unless, of course, there are two of them. So back to point 1.

5. Auton Rory

Auton Rory shot Amy, but didn't want to do so. The clip airing this week shows him regretting this. Now, as an Auton, Rory could walk around amongst the Alliance without detection. If he is still remembering his human side, then maybe, just maybe, he might decide that the best way to do help Amy would be to get the Doctor out of the Pandorica. And as part of the Alliance, he might be able to do so. Auton Rory - part of the problem yet part of the solution?

Of course, all of this is speculation, and as someone who thought that the Pandorica might contain Omega, my theories probably aren't up to much. But there are some interesting ideas above to ponder while we await the series finale. However, if you do want my idea as to what will definitely aid the Doctor in saving himself, his companions and the universe, then the answer lies with Amelia Pond. No, no, not Amy Pond - Amelia. Her younger self; the one who Amy said, way back in The Eleventh Hour - hasn't lived in the house for ages... Oh, and that duck pond - the one with no ducks - may also prove to be important.