Speculating on River’s Return
Mark McCullough ponders over River Song’s Christmas return.
Recent news granted us an early Christmas present! For some the news of River’s return might be greeted with the same affection as that pair of socks which always seems to make its way under the tree. For others it might be the equivalent of seeing that Santa Claus has brought everything you wanted and more. Despite what Alex Kingston says, Christmas in September, it just doesn’t sit right does it? Deviating from my point somewhat with a cringe worthy intro, but unless you’ve been under a rock today you are probably aware of what this article is about. So without further ado let’s take at what this return could mean.
Where are we with River?
Last time we saw River Song, she was present at the Doctor’s tomb in the form of an image/influence within Clara’s (and later the Doctor’s) subconscious by inducing a dream state in the former. Intriguing about this appearance was that it revealed River did indeed possess knowledge of the Doctor’s true name, but also that her story didn’t end at the Library. This is an aspect which upset some fans (admittedly myself included) as it somewhat undermined the exit of the character in the Series Four two-parter. At a superficial level, The Name of the Doctor replaced that ending with another. However that can be justified by the fact that the Eleventh Doctor was her Doctor, so it would have been fitting if her final goodbye had been with him.
Is Eleven still her Doctor?
The question today’s news raises, is does that assumption still stand. Given that it was only ever presumption on behalf of the shows fans that this was the case, I would have to suggest that it no longer stands. Much of this comes down to whether the minisodes suggesting that Eleven took her to Darillium are canon. Either way, River is on course for a meeting with the Twelfth Doctor, and what a pairing they look to be. Even with no details on the plot, the Christmas Special has swiftly assumed the spot of my most anticipated episode. There are two ways Moffat could play a return for River here: as in The Name of the Doctor, she could be post library, or more likely River before her tragic demise. Of the two I would much prefer the latter, especially as the former has been done already in Name and didn’t leave any room for expansion. Furthermore the synopsis of the episode suggests that this will likely be River from before the library. Which makes sense when you think about it.
Who is River Song?
Obviously we all know the answer to this question. However there are some points I want to bring out again as they fit with where this article goes. She’s the Doctor’s wife, albeit an unconventional partnership, but there is no denying that she shares a unique bond with him. She’s the daughter of the Doctor’s companions Amy and Rory Williams. Due to the circumstances of her birth she became part Time Lord and had the ability to regenerate. She keeps track of her adventures with the Doctor using a TARDIS shaped journal. It has also been proven in the past that River will do anything for the Doctor, breaking her wrist in The Angels Take Manhattan, sacrificing herself in Forest of the Dead and even going as far as to ‘kill’ the Doctor in Series Six
What Could her Return Mean?
And now we have reached the real reason why I decided to write this article, to look at what a meeting between Twelve and River changes. The most obvious point to draw is that this is the furthest along the Doctor’s timeline that she will have been, so it changes exposure of key events that she could be aware of. Of these the most obvious is that she would become aware of the fact that the Doctor changed his own personal timeline in order to save Gallifrey instead of destroying it. I would hazard a guess that the reason for River’s return could be linked with the Doctor’s search for Gallifrey. The search is likely to pick up pace by the time Christmas comes around, so it is entirely plausible that would mean that River could be involved.
Why does it Matter if River Looks for Gallifrey?
Going back to The Name of the Doctor for a look at River’s role, I found myself asking something I had never asked before. Why did she open the Doctor’s tomb? The results should have been obvious (to someone part Time Lord). The Doctor himself was even going to let his friends die rather than expose his tomb to the Great Intelligence. Yet River opened it, despite the fact that this allowed the Intelligence to attack/rewrite all the time she spent with the Doctor. Yet ultimately her connection was with Clara who went on to rectify the situation. But what happened in Name was more than just a simple fix it issue, Clara’s splintering ultimately led the Doctor to her, and it was her influence that led him to saving Gallifrey. By extension, River deserves some of the credit too for setting up the situation.
But Wasn’t it Missy who Brought the Doctor and Clara Together?
Yes of course it was. I’m not saying anything different, Missy was the woman in the shop who gave Clara the Doctor’s number. Now if she is to be believed the reason for this was to lead the Doctor to hell, but as the woman, who lies more than Moffat, admitted herself mere seconds later, the Doctor’s chain had been well and truly yanked. In the same episode Missy also claimed to know the location of Gallifrey although this information turned out to be false. The only certainty is that Clara is key to the return of Gallifrey, even if she has already played her part in full. It also appears that both Missy and River have influenced her to the point where she could do so. So are the two most memorable female characters in the show working together? Most likely not, but it is possible they have met as per this Missy quote “You know, I’ve been up and down your timeline, meeting all those silly people who died to keep you alive”
A Paradoxical Solution
There have been a lot of paradoxes in Doctor Who, but perhaps none bigger or more memorable than Capaldi’s appearance in The Day of the Doctor. We know our current Doctor actively helps in the recovery of his home planet. As it was this act which lead to his existence in the first place, this is a destiny paradox. Likewise if River were to obtain knowledge of the fate of Gallifrey before heading to the Library, her actions in Name become a destiny paradox. Similarly, Missy (assuming she is a post Simm incarnation) ensuring Clara and the Doctor stick together also forms a destiny paradox, as she had to regenerate and escape from Gallifrey. There is a lot of Timey Wimey there which would be fitting of Moffat’s preferred writing style.
Spoilers Sweetie!
What I would love for River is for her to take an active role in searching for Gallifrey, either as a full time companion to the Doctor, or by herself. (Moffat, Kingston, there oodles of potential for a spinoff with the latter, please please make it happen). Something else I half expect to see from Series Nine is a forced alliance between Missy and the Doctor to reach a shared goal: Gallifrey would be a perfect cause for that. This could leave us a situation where all of River, Missy and the Doctor play a part, which is interesting because as mentioned above all three have contributed a destiny paradox already. How would they even know what to do to form the paradoxes. The answer could potentially lie in the final scene of Moffat’s first story after finding out he would become showrunner (bringing something that full circle is something that he would do). I am of course talking about the journal which holds the info of the Doctor’s adventures with River, logically including what will transpire at Christmas. A journal which now sits on a balcony in the library. The Doctor left River with a gift, perhaps she left him an even bigger one in return.
Conclusion
As things stand (particularly after The Name of the Doctor) I would have said that River’s story was over. However her character’s return is very welcome provided it isn’t bogged down with the mystery that has surrounded her since her inception. The Gallifrey arc is the only thing I could her character fitting into seamlessly. Of course a character based story is something I would love to see too, but with River’s involvement in the Silence arc, a Gallifrey based appearance would be fitting. I guess all we can do for now is place the present under the tree and wait to unwrap it on Christmas Day (sorry).
