The latest episode of Doctor Who, “The God Complex,” contains everything that makes a Doctor Who story great: compelling characters trapped in an impossible situation, grappling with serious moral questions as well as with frightening monsters. In “The God Complex,” the Doctor and his companions must face their greatest fears, and the Doctor must also confront his guilt over placing Amy in mortal danger. After this adventure, the Doctor’s relationship with Amy and Rory will never be the same.
This episode finds the Doctor, Amy, and Rory trapped in a strange hotel in which the walls constantly shift and every room houses the deepest fear of one of the hotel’s “guests.” A minotaur-like monster stalks the halls, preying on the minds of its victims. The Doctor discovers that it is not fear that the monster is feeding on, but faith; the monster takes whatever form of faith or superstition its victims hold and transforms that faith into worship of the monster. Because the monster is drawn to Amy’s faith in the Doctor, the Doctor must destroy that faith if they are to survive. The Doctor destroys the pedestal that Amy has put the Doctor on all her life; he tells her that he destroyed her childhood by leaving her to wait for him, that he had no right to put her life in danger, and that he is no more than a madman with a magic box. When Amy’s loss of faith causes the illusion of the hotel to disappear and starves the monster, the Doctor and his companions finally escape.
The Doctor leaves Amy and Rory to resume their normal lives on Earth; although we probably have not seen the last of them, their tenure as the Doctor’s companions is most likely over. In a way, I am glad to see Amy and Rory go. Leaving the Doctor will give Amy the chance to mature as a person and find an identity as something other than “the girl who waited.” I look forward to seeing who the Doctor’s new companion will be next season; I also look forward to future appearances of Amy and Rory and seeing what they will make of their lives after leaving the Doctor.
This labyrinthine puzzle-box of an episode signals the beginning of the end of this season; only one more episode remains before the season finale. What does fate have in store for the Doctor? Tune in to find out!