Doctor Who: Series 6 Part 2 Preview

It's been just under three months since the Doctor went to war, Madame Kovarian stole Amy's baby Melody Pond, and River Song revealed that she was in fact said child all grown up. Though many of us saw the final cliffhanger coming, there's no doubt that it has sent the sixth season off in a completely new direction, and with the Doctor's desperate search to find Melody beginning anew this week, it's easy to forget that he's already dead. Well, at least on present day Earth, he is. Gunned down by an Impossible Astronaut by Lake Silencio in the Utah Desert, a 1003-year old Time Lord seemed to know his fate was coming, and thus brought earlier versions of Amy, Rory and River to witness his death and set in motion the chain of events that have led to here. If that all seems a bit much to take in, then let me make things simpler- let's look at each of this season's arcs so far, and ponder on where they may go next...
THE DOCTOR'S DEATH- So how does he get out of that one? One theory that's cropped into my mind, as it has for many fans, is that the Doctor and his companions may be in an alternate reality, and that the season finale will see their attempt to make it back to the timeline where our hero is not brutally murdered. Don't forget that in the trailer we saw Churchill, a pyramid with the words 'Area 52' on it and pyterodactals, and since those aren't appearing in any of the other five episodes, it's reasonable to assume they'll be in Episode 13, making for a very science-fictiony conclusion that may be explained as an alternate reality set episode. Is that too outrageous even for Steven Moffat? We'll find out on the 1st of October, but expect the finale to house even bigger ones than that (speculation on my part here, but could the crack in Amy's wall have allowed her to make a huge dream universe?)
THE SILENCE- We thought we'd seen the Silence beaten in the USA two-part opener, but seeing as they were in the trailer for this half I think it's safe to assume that they have their own plans for Melody Pond and the Doctor's demise. I have no idea what said plot might be, but considering they nearly destroyed reality in the two-part finale of Series Five, whatever they have planned for the universe cannot be good. Will silence fall...?
RIVER SONG- Last but by no means least, we have the elusive River Song. Revealed to be Melody at the end of A Good Man Goes To War, River is also deeply connected to this season's plot arc. Could it be that she is the one in the astronaut suit? If Melody was the little girl who regenerated in Episode 2, then who did she become? All seems to be set to be revealed in Let's Kill Hitler, or at least a good portion of it!
I'll leave you with two things, Steven Moffat's synopsis for each episode and the prequel for Let's Kill Hitler.
"The rules have changed, and the game is deadlier than ever. For Melody Pond is destined to become River Song, mysterious archaeologist and convicted murderer- who killed the best man she ever knew...The Doctor leads Amy and Rory across centuries and galaxies in a desperate search for baby Melody, but a terrible and inescapable date looms large. At 5.02pm on 22nd April 2011, the Doctor will die. These are his last days, and the quest for Melody his final mission."
LET'S KILL HITLER- "The search will result in a crash landing in Thirties Berlin and will bring them face to face with the greatest war criminal of all time. And Hitler. Old friendships will be tested to their limits as the Doctor suffers the ultimate betrayal and learns a harsh lesson in the cruellest warfare of all."
NIGHT TERRORS- "A distress call from a terrified little boy will break through all barriers of time and space and lead the Doctor to visit the scariest place in the Universe. George's bedroom. George is terrorised by every fear you can possibly imagine. Fears that live in his bedroom cupboard. His parents are desperate - George needs a doctor. But allaying George's fears won't be easy. Because the monsters in George's cupboard are real."
THE GIRL WHO WAITED- "An unscheduled visit to a quarantine facility for victims of an alien plague - a plague that will kill the Doctor in a day - leaves Amy trapped. Alone, Rory must find Amy and bring her back to the TARDIS before the faceless doctors kill her with kindness. But Rory is about to encounter a very different side to his wife."
THE GOD COMPLEX- "In an impossible hotel, the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves checked-in but unable to check out. Walls move, corridors twist, rooms vanish and death lies in wait for every visitor."
CLOSING TIME- "But the Doctor's time has yet to come. He has one last stop to make on his final journey. His old friend, Craig Owens, desperately needs his help - a new and unfamiliar presence is wreaking havoc in Colchester. And then come the Cybermen."
THE WEDDING OF RIVER SONG- "But time catches up with us all and the Doctor can delay no more. By the shores of Lake Silencio, in Utah, all of time and space hang in the balance. And a NASA astronaut is waiting..."
Doctor Who returns this Saturday at 7.10pm on BBC One.