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New 'Doctor Who' season promises tears and terrors as companions say goodbye

Spoiler alert! The following contains minor spoilers and speculation about the upcoming season of "Doctor Who." If you don't want to know any details before the premiere, stop right here.The end is near for Amy Pond and Rory Williams, the faithful companions of the eleventh Doctor. BBC America's top-rated show, British-science-fiction-classic-turned-U.S.-cult-hit "Doctor Who," returns Saturday, S
Matt Smith and Karen Gillan arrived at the Ziegfeld Theater in DeLoreans on Aug. 25 in New York.
Matt Smith and Karen Gillan arrived at the Ziegfeld Theater in DeLoreans on Aug. 25 in New York.Gary He/Insider Images for BBC America / Today

Spoiler alert! The following contains minor spoilers and speculation about the upcoming season of "Doctor Who." If you don't want to know any details before the premiere, stop right here.

The end is near for Amy Pond and Rory Williams, the faithful companions of the eleventh Doctor. BBC America's top-rated show, British-science-fiction-classic-turned-U.S.-cult-hit "Doctor Who," returns Saturday, Sept. 1 for an all-new season and the start of a five-episode arc that leads up to the couple's exit from the series.

“Just wait until you see their goodbye,” Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, said during a Q&A session after the New York City screening of season's first episode. “It's going to be tough!”

The companions, who have been with Smith since he started as the Doctor in 2010, will make their final appearance in episode five, "The Angels Take Manhattan." During the Q&A Karen Gillan, who plays Amy Pond, admitted leaving the show was sad and just watching the season premiere during the screening made her cry, but she believes this is the right time for Amy's departure.

The end of Pond and Williams definitely starts off with a blockbuster episode in "Asylum of the Daleks." When we left the Doctor last season, he had faked his own death in order to step back from events in the universe and River Song finally told Amy and Rory the truth that the Doctor was still alive. This season starts with the Doctor being summoned to the planet Skaro, the home of his deadliest foes, the Daleks. He, Amy and Rory are reunited and find themselves facing more Daleks than we have ever seen before. The scene is truly terrifying and awe-inspiring as we see every generation of Dalek and every Dalek that has ever appeared on the show in it's 49 year run in one place.

The promo image for \"Doctor Who\" season 7 has fans worried about what might happen to Amy Pond when she makes her exit from the show.
The promo image for \"Doctor Who\" season 7 has fans worried about what might happen to Amy Pond when she makes her exit from the show.Lisa Granshaw/TODAY.com / Today

“We have made the Daleks scary again, something I am not sure we got right before,” Smith told TV Guide in an interview.

The trio ends up on an asylum planet, where the Daleks that are too insane for their own kind to deal with are dumped, which results in lots of the running and classic back-and-forth banter from the Doctor and his companions as they try to escape.

Fans who have kept up with the season prequel web series, "Pond Life," will have a heads up on some of the action where Amy and Rory are concerned, thanks to a cliffhanger leading up to the premiere. But for those who haven't tuned in online, one reveal will come as a shock. Expect scenes featuring the couple to be especially bittersweet knowing their exit from the series is soon to come. And of course, as regular viewers now expect from an episode written by executive producer Steven Moffat, there will be lots of unexpected twists that will tug at heartstrings.

Between a western with cyborg gunslingers and dinosaurs on a spaceship, there is definitely a lot to look forward to this season. Moffat revealed during San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year that this season will have a bigger variety of episodes than ever before, and from a look at some of the newly released promo posters, it seems to be true. This could be due to the fact that there will be less of an arc this season and no two-part episodes, leading to more standalone adventures. Still, Moffat promises some exciting new developments, if this June tweet from him is anything to go by: "See this new monster I've invented? This is a GOOD one. This will SCARE you. Oh yes."

The Q&A panel after the screening was moderated by Nerdist host Chris Hardwick.
The Q&A panel after the screening was moderated by Nerdist host Chris Hardwick.Lisa Granshaw/TODAY.com / Today

Until then though, it's all about the final farewell of Amy and Rory. Looking back at their time with the Doctor, it's definitely been a long and often hard road, especially for Amy. The Doctor has been an influence on Amy since her childhood. He's helped her face her fears and get married, found her child who had been kidnapped by his enemies, and then married her daughter!

Amid all the fun of traveling through time and space, the couple's adventures have cost them a lot too -- from the lack of a normal married life, to the constant danger of death, to the heartbreaking realization that they would never have the chance to raise their child. How exactly the pair will exit the show has everyone curious, especially since past frights the Weeping Angels are involved. As fans of the show know, no one is quite the same after traveling with the Doctor and not all companions leave his side as whole as they were when they started. We'll just have to wait and see exactly what Amy and Rory's exit from the Tardis will cost them.

"Not everyone gets out alive," Moffat said at the press conference announcing Amy and Rory's replacement. "And I mean it this time!"

Are you looking forward to the season premiere of "Doctor Who"? What do you hope to see from Amy, Rory and of course, the Doctor when the show returns to BBC America? Tell us on our Facebook page.

 

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