Ranking River Song’s Stories So Far (Part 2)
Guest contributor Connor Hamilton concludes his countdown.
5. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
“I hate good wizards in fairy tales; they always turn out to be him”
I mean this story doesn’t really deliver much for River as a character, except for a single scene, a fantastic moment that has placed this story so high up on my list. The scene I’m talking about is of course the incredible one with the Stone Dalek. River Song, the mysterious woman we were yet to know more about, caused a Dalek, the most cruel creature in the Universe, a being that finds hatred beautiful, to beg for its life. The sass she had when she told it to beg for mercy once more. It was quite the scene and just those few 30 seconds managed to make me and lots of other people fall in love with River, and question just what caused it to beg for mercy, what was it about River that made her so much of a threat? Therefore, it deserves this place on my list.
4. The Wedding Of River Song
“Am I the woman who marries you? Or the woman who murders you?”
There’s no doubt about it, this is an incredible story and I’m shocked that so many seem to dislike it. The story itself is incredible but the fact it all centers around River’s purpose in life, River’s fate, and finally explains the reason she was locked away, makes it such an incredible story to watch. Yes the whole of time was merged into one but that wasn’t my favourite part, as much as I loved them. My favourite thing was the chemistry between River and the Doctor in those beautiful wedding scenes
3. The Time Of Angels/Flesh and Stone
“You. Me. Handcuffs. Must it always end this way”
I mean where do I start with this story? It’s probably one of my favourite Matt Smith stories, if not one of my favourite ever. This story would be so different without River and not in a good way. It thrives off of the fact it features her and without her sassy remarks, flirting and overall presence… well, I don’t think I’d enjoy it as much. Again, I’m keeping this one short just for the sheer fact I don’t have much to say apart from just how incredible she is, but it’s definitely worthy of 3rd place, and if it wasn’t for the two most incredible two parters the show has ever done existing, it’d definitely be 1st place.
2. Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead
“Professor River Song. Archaeologist.”
Two Parter No 2 of my favourite two parters in the show, that just happen to feature River. Silence In The Library was incredible for the fact it’s so heart wrenchingly painful to watch. We see River, after everything, meeting the man she loves, she looks into his eyes and he doesn’t even know her, and for us at the time it meant nothing, but now, god it’s a beautiful scene. I have to give it to Alex Kingston for making a character even she was yet to create, so alive and convincing in that she had a past with the Doctor. And though we were bound to see her again, River’s ‘death’ left me with a few million tears running down my face. It’s scenes so beautiful like this that really make the two parter, and overall, the character. If I said that this story didn’t make me fall in love with River before she was even really formed, I’d be lying to myself, because honestly… it did.
1. The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon
“My Old fella didn’t see that, did he? He gets ever so cross.”
Could it have been anything else? Of course not! This two parter featuring River is absolutely phenomenal, and weirdly, it’s not one that actually marks a big part of River, unlike A Good Man Goes To War, Let’s Kill Hitler and Forest Of The Dead, it doesn’t show any origin story (except for perhaps learning about the girl in the Spacesuit) or see her death or see her reveal anything major. I just love River in this story for the lovely fact that she’s just being so… herself. The flirting with the Doctor and shooting down the Silence made her just really incredible and even though I’d already fallen in love with River by this point, this story just really… extended that love for her and defined her character for me in just under two hours of TV, and because of that, this story HAS to be 1st place.
Would you agree or disagree with any of my choices? Do you reckon the Christmas Special yet to come could trump my first place choice, and what was your favourite River scene? Let us know down in the comments!
