Why River Song’s First Story Is Still the Best

Guest contributor Andrew Gledhill-Carr explains why Silence in the Library has yet to be topped.

I always found Steven Moffat’s latter, pre-Series 9 attitude to two-part stories rather hilarious, because of the two stunners he himself had penned, and I don’t think this story would be anywhere near the quality that it is without the time given by a second part.

So let’s start with its most obvious successful element. River. River Song introduced Doctor Who to one of its most intelligently written and portrayed characters. Her largest appeal here? Mystery. A wall of smoky fog surrounds her, like the mists of time. A character that knew the Doctor before he knew her. Now forgive me, because I am still working my way through pre-2005 Who, but disregarding the audios (which are of course fabulous!) this marks the first time we’ve seen a character quite like this, which is surprising given the nature of the show.

She’s a bit like that unfortunate hole in a wrapped Christmas gift, sitting under the tree the night before, tantalizing what’s to come in the future. That alone makes her, and as a result, the episode, dangerously captivating to watch! And although this seems to divide the fandom, her blatant, fiery flirtatious nature towards everyone and most especially the Doctor really drives her as a character. She’s smart. She’s sassy. She’s sexy. She’s not afraid to tell him what’s what! An awful lot like Donna, but she does it uniquely. And it really makes you question her place in the Doctor’s future when she stands on his level (and in my opinion, at times, on an even greater one!) Her knowing his name stood out the most, as it harks back to the name of the show and this one character knows it! I couldn’t believe my ears when this was revealed. Needless to say excitement shot through the roof.

Alongside River, the episode is decorated with a handful of characters, but characters you care about. We have poor Miss Evangelista, the first to be ravaged by the shadowy swarms of the story. At first we laugh at her, then we feel sorry for her, and lastly, we cry for her. She is such a tragic character that I think embodies an awful part of our human tendencies, but her death is very important. It quickly marks this story as dangerous, and not afraid to kill off its characters, which is such an incredible juxtaposition given the humour explored with her, Donna and River.

Then we have Lux, the (seemingly) resident “we are not supposed to like you!” character, who is given such a beautiful, albeit frustrating, motive at the end of the story. His difficult nature was out of love for protecting an innocent family member. It’s nice that someone like him is given depth beyond the shell.

And lastly we have Anita and the two Daves. Anita is given a little more love than the other two, who I daresay fade a little into the background, but this makes their deaths no less tragic. Anita was given some heart-breaking dialogue which certainly made it hard not to care about her character. She was the most effective in portraying the hopelessness of the story, as despite the Doctor’s efforts fooling us to think she would be safe, she still died, and it breaks your heart. Picking these characters off one by one throughout the story really ramped up the tension. It rather reminds me of a silly teenage horror-movie made into something very special indeed.

You really have to appreciate how immersive, creative and plausible the story is. A whole world housing one of the largest libraries ever, with the largest hard drive in the universe sitting at its core and a moon keeping watch as a virus checker, all part of a virtual reality that living souls could be uploaded to. And it’s been quarantined for a hundred years after the inhabitants went missing, while the halls were besieged by flesh-eating shadows. How absolutely stunning is that to behold? It’s genius! It’s crazy! It’s unique, and it’s utterly inspiring. The story’s basis embodies the allure of writing for the show.

We are also introduced to the concept of data ghosts. Death and prolonging life is a very human idea, innate to our fear of it ending. Steven provides us with a very controversial technology. A device that can mimic the brain-wave pattern for a short time after death, like an echo. It really brings into question what makes us “us” and whether these data ghosts are really the person, or just a pale imitation. Regardless, they are fascinating and tragic. They make the various deaths of the episode very unpleasant and are probably the most adult aspect about the story. I couldn’t stop my eyes from watering at Miss Evangelista’s last thoughts. But they are woven beautifully into the story, working as several plot elements. A way for the Vashta Nerada to communicate and a way for the people to “live” by the end. Nothing goes to waste in these episodes!

I really have to make a special mention of the Vashta Nerada. What tops statues that move at the speed of light when you are not looking? Invisible piranhas that “infect” shadows. These little blighters give you NO CHANCE. One misplaced foot and you are gone in an instant. It’s nasty, and they take away the characters one by one throughout the story, giving us, and the Doctor, ever more reason to hate them. A villain without compassion. Cold and ruthless. We don’t get too many of those nowadays.

I really like how the second part of the story keeps it fresh, by introducing Donna into the virtual world. It really gives us an insight into her character, and lets her emote like never before, leading to a tragic end, but remaining entirely captivating throughout.

Now although River is very much the star of this story, the Doctor is up there with her. David Tennant puts in one of his best performances here, and I find myself utterly taken away by his Doctor, shedding tears for how brilliant, funny, kind, heroic and epically formidable he becomes. He is utterly befuddled by River, and for the Doctor, for once, not to know, and seeing him frustrated by that makes for a great character direction not often seen. He has four standout moments in this story.

The first is the incredible scene where he works out what happened at the library. “The computer saved 4,022 people the only way a computer can. It saved them to the hard drive.” – It’s a great revelation, delivered with incredible acting and a beautiful score. The second is his wordless gaze toward an off-screen, now-dead River Song. Stunning work from all the Doctor Who team involved in bringing this scene to life.

Thirdly is his standoff with the Vashta Nerada. So powerful and legendary has the Doctor become, that after being threatened, all he has to say is “You just killed someone I liked, that is not a safe place to stand! We’re in the biggest library in the universe. Look me up.” – Making great use of the episode’s setting and providing a scene which I think trumps any epic Doctor speech delivered by Eleven. It’s understated. It’s perfect. And it makes me shiver with its awesomeness.

Lastly of course is his “final run” with River, as he dashes back through the library after realizing he had saved her ghost in the screwdriver. Accompanied by, in my eyes, one of the best pieces of music Murray has produced (Greatest Story Never Told), and a speech tear-jerkingly narrated by River, here, the fantastic story ascends and in its place, a perfect, sparkling gem is born and left to shine.

What is very special about this scene and the story as a whole, is that it was stunning the first time around, but having experienced River later on, and seeing her in a more complete light, watching this back really just shows how brilliant it is. How clever it is. I might not be the biggest fan of Steven Moffat, but this is his magnum opus.

I think Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead are flawless experiences. They reveal the very soul of Doctor Who that separates it from being just any old show and any old story.

I’ll leave you with the closing speech because I think it speaks true of the character and why I and many others love him so much, but also as the series – an entity in itself.

“When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can’t run forever. Everybody knows that everybody dies. And nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark if he ever, for one moment, accepts it.”