Doctor: Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)
Companions
Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)
Others
Toby Jones – Dream Lord
Nick Hobbs – Mr Nainby
Joan Linder – Mrs Hamill
Audrey Ardington – Mrs Poggit
Production
Directed by Catherine Morshead
Written by Simon Nye
Script editor Brian Minchin
Produced by Tracie Simpson
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Incidental music composer Murray Gold
Production code 1.7
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 15 May 2010
The Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves flickering between two realities, falling asleep at the sound of birdsong in one and waking in the other. In the first reality, Amy and Rory stopped travelling with the Doctor five years previously, are happily married, and Amy is heavily pregnant. They find themselves in their hometown of Leadworth being chased by the Eknodine, an alien race that have disguised themselves as the elderly of the town. The Eknodine are able to turn anyone into dust by blowing a poisonous liquid on them. In the other reality, they are trapped in the powerless TARDIS drifting towards a freezing cold star which will kill them. During one of their experiences in the TARDIS-reality they are met by the "Dream Lord", an apparition who tells them that he has created a dream reality in contrast to their actual reality. The three must determine which is the dream reality and kill themselves in it to return to the other reality. However, if they choose wrong they will be killed in both.
The Dream Lord keeps Amy awake in the TARDIS reality while the Doctor and Rory fall asleep and return to the Leadworth reality. The Dream Lord questions Amy as to whom she would choose between Rory and the Doctor. He states that she must choose between the worlds; one leads to a peaceful married life with Rory while the other leads to adventure and excitement with the Doctor. Amy returns to Leadworth and rejoins Rory in defending her house from the Eknodine whilst the Doctor is trying to rescue people from Leadworth in a motor-caravan. As Amy believes she is going into labour, Rory is sprayed by the Eknodine and turns to dust. Amy decides that she is willing to risk her own life for the chance of seeing Rory again and concludes the Leadworth reality is false. Amy and the Doctor drive the motor-caravan into the house, leading to their assumed deaths. The three wake up again on the TARDIS where they are congratulated by the Dream Lord, who then reactivates the TARDIS. After the Dream Lord's departure Amy and Rory are surprised by the Doctor when he directs the TARDIS to self-destruct, apparently killing them all.
The three wake up again on the TARDIS, no longer in any danger. The Doctor realises both realities were false since the Dream Lord had no power over the real world and was a manifestation of his darker side. The three were influenced by psychic pollen that had fallen in the TARDIS time rotor and heated up, creating the Dream Lord and the false realities. Rory comes to realise that Amy killed herself in the Leadworth reality out of love for him, and the two confess their love for each other. The Doctor sees the Dream Lord smile at him through his reflection.
Amy's Choice