Day 774: The Doctor's Wife

The Doctor's Wife is an interesting story to think about. It's pretty much perfect, and one of my favourite episodes ever produced in the history of Doctor Who. But it has the potential to be completely ruined if any writer chooses to come back to it. Because some good things should never be touched, and should just be left alone forever.

It's all because of the concept of The Doctor's Wife: what if the TARDIS came to life. Throughout the history of Doctor Who, the TARDIS has regularly been treated as something that's alive, a living piece of machinery that helps the Doctor when he's in need. Neil Gaiman's concept for the episode was to put the mind of the TARDIS into a human body so that they can actually have a conversation with the Doctor. And what we get is something equal parts heart-warming and heartbreaking. We see the Doctor and the TARDIS arguing with each other, but also loving each other as they try to rescue Amy and Rory from the malevolent force that has taken over the TARDIS shell. It's thrilling to see these characters who have known each other for so long finally being able to sit together and talk, and it's made completely heartbreaking when we see that experience taken away from them so soon into their new relationship together because the TARDIS's human body dies. It's such a sad moment to see the Doctor look up at the TARDIS's dying body and see him lose all of that potential that they had together when it was alive, and one that's extremely well played by Matt Smith.

And that's why this episode can never be re-visited. Because of all the temptation to go back and give the TARDIS life again, it would cheat the ending of that episode because it needs to end with them only having had that short, but perfect, time together. Any more episodes like this and it would destroy that beauty found in the uniqueness of that moment. So The Doctor's Wife has to remain this way, a story that is always going to be remembered but never revisited because it would make the original story something less than it was.