There seems to be a connection between gardens and some of the Doctor’s romantic relationships.
In the first scene of the episode ‘Face the Raven,’ Clara and the Doctor had the following exchange:
"CLARA: I told you it’d work!DOCTOR: It very nearly ate you for dinner.CLARA: Oh, admit it. I totally saved your life.DOCTOR: It wasn’t going to eat me.CLARA: I totally saved you from having to marry that giant sentient plant thing. That bit when I jumped over the side? That was amazing.(The Doctor snorts and grins.)CLARA: Ha! I knew you were impressed.DOCTOR: The second most beautiful garden in all of time and space, and we can never come back here because you, Miss Oswald, decided…"
Regardless of what happens next in the scene, let us focus on the last thing that the Doctor said in that exchange. For one thing, it sounds as if they may have been on the home planet of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. What a crossover that would be! Other than a Ghostbusters sequel, I can’t think of a better reason than Doctor Who for Rick Moranis to come out of retirement. And then perhaps they could finally do that musical episode for which some Whovians have been longing.
Anyway, what is more important than that is the fact that the Doctor called the garden “the second most beautiful.” This obviously raises the question of which he considers to be the most beautiful. One possibility is that he is remembering the Aztec Garden of Peace, in which his former fiance Cameca spent her retirement. Here is a conversation between the two in the episode ‘The Aztecs: The Temple of Evil’:
"DOCTOR: In spite of the drought, there’s plenty of water for the flowers.CAMECA: Better to go hungry than starve for beauty.(She hands him a flower)DOCTOR: Thank you. Mmm, all the perfume of the gods. I find this place delightful. So restful.CAMECA: It is the Garden of Peace.DOCTOR: A very apt description."
The Doctor and Cameca may not have known each other long, but they were well suited to each other and bonded quickly. It was an especially sad moment when he left her. And then there’s Missy…
‘Deep Breath’ – Missy in her garden, credit: cultbox.co.uk
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It is highly unlikely that the Doctor was talking about Missy’s garden from ‘Deep Breath’ because he has never seen it, so we will rule that one out. He did get a glimpse of it, however, when it was “the perfect replica of a Shill Governor’s mansion on Shallana” in the quarantine facility on Apalapucia in ‘
.’
that there is a connection between the two gardens, which were filmed in the same location. (Incidentally, this garden has
in the filming of the
Torchwood
episode ‘Something Borrowed’ and
The Sarah Jane Adventures
episode ‘The Eternity Trap.’) Coincidentally (or not), Apalapucia was “voted number two planet in the top ten greatest destinations for the discerning intergalactic traveller.”
‘The Girl Who Waited – Amy in the garden, credit: tardis.wikia.com
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It could also be that the Doctor was referring to a place which we are not yet aware, and may never be. I like to think that he meant the Garden of Peace. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.