25 Doctor Who Romantic Moments

#11: The Life the Doctor Could Have Had

Truthfully, I’m not a huge fan of the Doctor romances outside of the Doctor and Rose (hey, just being honest), but I really appreciated the end of “The Family of Blood” when we and John Smith (aka The Doctor) got to see the life he could have had with Joan. He could have had a normal life and family with her, but it was really only a dream. Joan loved John Smith and not the Doctor. It was sadly beautiful and well written.

#12: Blink: Billy and Sally

Aside from “The Doctor Dances,” my favorite Moffat episode is definitely “Blink.” The gothic elements of the Weeping Angels were just brilliant. Also, who couldn’t help but love Sally Sparrow? Now, there isn’t a lot romantic about this episode (certainly not the ending when Sally ended up with the bum), but there was one beautiful scene I had to include on this list: the final scene between Sally and Billy Shipton. The two have a flirty relationship from the start (he asks her for a drink and her number), and she accidentally even says her name is Sally Shipton. Who knows where it would have gone if not for the Weeping Angels who send Billy back in time?

After meeting with the Doctor, Billy waits a long time to deliver Sally Sparrow his message. Unfortunately, by the time he calls her, he’s on his death bed, having aged over the time he lost due to the angels. Their chance at love had been lost. When he meets with her, Billy gives Sally the message from the Doctor; the message that this was the last time the two would ever meet because he was about to die. “Life is long and you are hot,” he says grabbing her hand. He also observes that he now has old man hands. She tells him she’ll stay, and he says that he only had “until the rain [stopped].” Just this one very brief moment really stood out as tragically romantic.

#13: Unrequited Love

In “The Last of the Time Lords,” Martha walks the earth for the Doctor, telling anyone who would listen about this crazy man in a blue box. She did it to not only save the world from the Master, but for the man she loved who could never love her back. Sometimes, unrequited love is just as romantic as love returned. After Martha helps save the world, she decides (on her own terms) to walk away from the Doctor because she didn’t want to sit around waiting for something that would never happen. She chose a path that could give her a real chance at life. I loved Martha for that.

#14: Forest of the Dead

There are actually two moments in this episode I want to highlight. In this episode, Donna ends up in a sort of fake reality with a fake husband and fake children. When she figures out the truth and comes back to reality, she searches the people to see if her husband was real. When she doesn’t find him, she believes he wasn’t. Just as she leaves, her “husband” sees Donna and tries to call out to her but fails. They just couldn’t find one another, a romantic opportunity lost.

Another great example of romantic love is sacrifice. While we got River Song’s story backwards and sideways and what not, her first entrance also gives us her “almost” final moment when she chooses to die in order to save the Doctor. It’s sad and tragic when River Song sacrifices herself for the man she loves.

#15: An Epic Reunion

While some don’t love Rose’s return to Doctor Who, I adore it. Yes, she’s different but it had been years. We’re all different over time…The Doctor had changed too, but the one thing that hadn’t changed in Rose’s absence was their love for one another. In definitely one of the most epically romantic moments of the whole series, the Doctor and Rose finally reunite as the Daleks try to take over the universe. The Doctor and Rose see each other from a distance and begin running towards each other with smiles that say just about everything. Unfortunately, that horrid Dalek got in the way and almost forced the Doctor to regenerate. At least they got their hug a few minutes later…

#16: Does it need saying?

It actually does Doctor. When Rose is torn between the Doctor and Doctor 2.0 (now half human), she asks the Doctor to finish what he was going to say during their last goodbye in “Doomsday.” All he can muster is, “Does it need saying?” She turns to the other meta-crisis Doctor, and this time he whispers in Rose’s ears the important words of love. The two kiss, while the other Doctor takes off. In a way, Rose did end up with the Doctor. Same man, same memories, but this one she could grow old with. Sure, the ending is bittersweet because she didn’t end up with the Doctor Doctor, but nevertheless, Rose got the man who could change. She got a near perfect ending for a show where the main character needs to be lonely. It’s tragic (especially for the Doctor), happy, and romantic all at the same time.

#17: Ten’s Ending

Everything comes full circle as the regenerating 10^th Doctor says his goodbyes in “The End of Time Part 2.” His last stop before his song ends? See Rose Tyler one last time. It’s New Year’s Eve (before the two ever met) and the Doctor watches Rose in the distance. In pain, Rose hears him and the two have a conversation, the Doctor promising Rose she was going to have a great year. The moment was horribly heartbreaking on the Doctor’s end, him knowing their sad ending and she just on the verge of the greatest adventure of her life. It was a perfect goodbye to the 10^th Doctor, Russell T. Davies’ fabulous run on Doctor Who, and the beautiful love story between the Doctor and Rose.

#18: Rory the Soldier

In “The Pandorica Opens and “The Big Bang,” Steven Moffat really reiterated that the new love story of Doctor Who was between Amy Pond and Rory Williams. As the universe collapses, Amy finds Rory once more (after having been erased from time), and then they get separated again. Rory decides (as this version of him isn’t human) to wait for her, to guard Amy for 2,000 years as a Centurion soldier. Of course they reunite with a kiss afterwards! You really can’t get more romantic than that.

#19: A Christmas Carol

Sometimes, standalone episodes can have their own romances and the one between Kazran and Abigail was quite beautiful. In a Scrooge type episode, the Doctor attempts to soften Kazran. In doing so, a young Kazran falls in love with a dying woman. With only one day left to live, Kazran keeps her frozen as he ages into the grumpy old Michael Gambon version of Kazran. He had “one last day with [his] beloved,” what day could he choose? Of course, it turns out to be Christmas.

#20: The Girl Who Waited

In one of the best episodes of the Moffat era, Amy gets separated from the Doctor and Rory for years and years, she now a much older woman. She waited for them and they failed her. Now she wants to be saved, alongside a younger Amy Pond. With a choice to make, the Doctor shuts old Amy out. Still, Rory feels for this Amy too. He says he loves her and goodbye with guilt, each of their hands up against the Tardis door. Older Amy knows that he shouldn’t let her in because she forgot how he used to look at her. She wants that again but she also wants to survive. This is a very depressing, yet romantic moment.