Finally some off earth sci-fi!
Lots of ideas to cram into such a small time slot. Nice to see the micro-cast, and immediacy of story.
I found I didn't really enjoy this episode in the moment. I know though that it will be memorable. It lingers like good sci-fi should. There's a lot of concepts to explore here - perhaps too many.
I remarked recently that I've never been that big a fan of the companions (thinking there's plenty of room for improvement, even hoping for a female Doctor, and a great wise male companion, or an alien!). I also stated that I liked Pond and Oswald.
Re-watching the 6th series of nuWho, and especially this episode I discovered that I didn't actually have that much love for Amy. I may even prefer Rory, even over Amy's pout.
It reminded me of a Star Trek TNG story: 'Second Chances'. In which Riker ends up with a body double after a transporter anomaly. The second Riker is stranded, and when he is reacquainted with the crew, he's still holding a torch for Troi, but the original Riker has moved on. Which is a bit of an emotional roller-coaster for all involved. Riker is jealous of his dopple-ganger that re-kindles his love with Troi.
It does make you wonder how much you'd change under different circumstances, and perhaps if we try an project our futures we might position ourselves better.
Many time-streams/parallel universes make for endless possibilities, and I'm surprised we haven't seen a little more in the same ilk with Who.
This episode is probably more clever than I give it credit, in that I personally was a little repulsed by the older Amy, who happened to eek out her existence in her lonely surrounds, through no particular fault of her own. Bar her pressing a big red button (red buttons are a no no!).
Will you still love me when you're old? Yes, but I'd rather we grow old together. At its heart this is a love story (even if Rory and Amy are a little unconvincing). The Doctor undeniably made the right call here.
Samurai Amy and her sonic screwdriver were unnecessary additions. More like this please.