Why We Love Jack & River
Today we have the pleasure of two Doctor Who related birthdays: The fabulous John Barrowman, and the wonderful Alex Kingston. Now, as it would be wrong to love two people at once (not that it’s stopped me in the past) we have decided to do this article as a co-write. So please join myself (Mark) and Ed Smith as we tell you why we love Jack and River.
Captain Jack Harkness
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances gave us many wonderful things, but perhaps its most lasting legacy on the Doctor Who Universe was the introduction of Captain Jack Harkness. An exciting Time Agent from the future who appeared as Rose’s knight in shining armour. It didn’t take long for the flirting to start, and it hasn’t stopped since, developing into a running joke within the show. Despite being somewhat of a jerk in his first appearance, Jack endears himself to the audience in the dénouement as he offers his own life to save the Doctor and Rose from a German Bomb. Or so he thought… as it transpired the Doctor was able to save him and invited him to join the TARDIS crew. His journey with the Doctor brought him to Cardiff for the first time before leading him to the Game Station and his ultimate demise at the hands of a Dalek. End of story. (How sad.)
Or not… Enter the most interesting and unique aspect of Jack’s character. Using the power of the Heart of the TARDIS, Rose was able to resurrect Jack, permanently. (God help us all, an eternity of flirting). This lead to Jack being heartlessly left behind by the Doctor, trapped in the future, alone and confused. Perhaps it was a surprise then that when the character reappeared in Utopia, that he wasn’t angry with the Doctor. Maybe that’s a testament to the type of man than he was, or more probably it was due to the fact that his anger is bound to have subsided over his century’s wait for the Doctor’s return. Jack’s actions showed remarkable determination, intellect and patience. Traits which would go on to define his character.
Even then, the Doctor tried to abandon him again. But Jack’s determination saw him latch onto the side of the TARDIS and bring it to the end of the universe itself. One of my favourite Jack scenes followed shortly after when he learnt that Rose had not died in the events of the Series Two finale. Barrowman’s ability to convey the sheer ecstasy that his character would have felt was simply out of this world. The events of the story unfold and Jack finds himself abandoned by a Time Lord far in the future for the second time. This time however he has company and is able to use his vortex manipulator to save the TARDIS trio from the future kind. He is tortured throughout the year that never was, before eventually being the one to save the day by destroying the paradox machine.
The Doctor offers him an opportunity to re-join the TARDIS crew, however Jack declined citing he has other commitments. Thankfully this was not the last we see of Jack, he featured strongly in the Series Four finale where he became an illustration of Davros’ verdict on the Doctor. That however does not mean he was unable to excel as a character, he more than did. As he left the TARDIS with Martha and Mickey, we wondered if this was the last we would see of him. It wasn’t, he had one more short cameo where the Doctor paired him with Alonso.
Now then, you may have noticed a glaring omission in this article (I can confirm that I have not been living under a rock for the last few years, I do know what Torchwood is). That was intentional, because I think I would need a full article and more to describe just how good Jack is in it. That said his character development within Doctor Who is almost a snap shot of what is exploration in fantastic detail by the spin-off. When we first meet him, Jack appears as a typical Jock, charming but not the type of person you would consider a good man. It doesn’t take long for him to mellow and earn a place in your heart (He likes to think he’s good at that.). If we contrast the Jack we first met with the man that threatened the Daleks with a warp star we see how he has changed, and it’s not all good. Perhaps one of the most interesting things for me is how the Doctor is constantly telling him to stop flirting, but in Jack’s last scene it is the Doctor who is presenting someone to him. For me this is symbolic of the Doctor finally accepting Jack and showing his pride in the man he has become.
Someone else who should be proud is birthday boy, John Barrowman. It was through his skill that Jack was brought to life so well, and why to this very day fans are calling for more Jack Harkness. Barrowman was a strong co-star in Doctor Who, but he really excelled when he was elevated to lead role in Torchwood of which we have had four excellent series (Yes, even Miracle Day). So I like to take a moment to toast John and which him a very happy birthday, here’s to many more. And hopefully we’ll be seeing your grace our screens again at some point.
Professor River Song
Professor River Song. Archaeologist. Seven years ago, we first heard these words. And seven years ago, one of the most interesting, mysterious and flirtatious characters entered the Whoniverse. So began one of the most convoluted and intricate arcs in the show ever that spanned around two series and two Doctors, as we met one of the most important women in the Doctor’s life.
Back in 2008, River completely captured my imagination. This woman from the Doctor’s future, who knows him back to front and has his sonic screwdriver just seemed like such a mad idea! I was desperate to know more about this character and find out who she was because I adored the way her timeline travelled backwards to the Doctor. Not just that – her cheeky, feisty personality too, and the way it works so well with the Doctor. I loved Eleven and River’s relationship particularly for this reason. I love how she’s such a confident character, and not afraid to stand up for herself. It’s brilliant how she brings that air of naughtiness to the TARDIS, and the way she just casually decides to escape prison every so often. Controversial as it may be, I absolutely love it when she makes the Dalek beg for mercy and we get a sense of how truly powerful River is.
Of course, two years after her original appearance, she returned in Series 5. And didn’t we theorise! That River was the Doctor’s wife. That River was a Time Lord. That River was Amy’s daughter. All of which (sort of) turned out to be true! The mystery of River Song was an absolutely brilliant time for the show. I was engrossed, I couldn’t stop watching, and the story that unfolded episode by episode was one that I was desperate to know the answer to. I adore the way the arc was continued after her identity was revealed, and how she tied in to the ‘death’ of the Doctor storyline. The way the River arc and the Doctor’s death arc became entwined was an absolutely ingenious move, and the way both stories are resolved in Series 6 Part 2 is a great conclusion to what felt like River’s series. It’s one of my favourite arcs ever in the entirety of Doctor Who, and I was so pleased that River, one of my favourite characters, got such a huge arc to play with, and I know that this is one of the contributing factors to why I love her so much.
River’s character development is another reason I love her so much. When we first met her she was clever, yet had an edge of sassiness and responsibility. It seemed like we gradually went back through Series 5 and Series 6 and she got gradually more flirtatious and cheeky as the series went on. Then, as Mels, we saw her as reckless and immature. It was almost like we’d seen some kind of backwards character development which is one of the beauties of having a character whose timeline runs backwards. I love, love, LOVE the way that it is done. We can see them develop, but in a completely different way to most normal characters, and I feel that Moffat wrote this perfectly, and the wonderful Alex Kingston knew exactly what to do to make it seem realistic, which is a credit to her acting ability.
And of course, I think I might be one of the few who absolutely adores her relationship with the Doctor. Again, the backwards timeline aspect is always played out to its full potential, with some beautiful, touching, poignant moments. It’s a love story with a twist – where the girl meets boy before boy meets girl, then girl tries to kill boy, then boy doesn’t die and girl ends up in jail. Only in Doctor Who could you get something as out there as this, and the wonderful Alex Kingston and Matt Smith do the job perfectly. River and the Doctor bounce off each other, with more flirting than I have ever seen. Their chemistry is brilliant, and together make me chuckle. Their best scenes include fantastic sequences such as in Day of the Moon where they battle the Silence, and of course in Forest of the Dead where River sacrifices herself.
She had a backwards timeline, a crazy story arc and a hilarious personality. So, to one of the most important women in the Doctor’s life, and of course the absolutely marvellous actress who played her – thank you. River, you have entertained us in so many ways over the last few years, and Alex, you have been the mastermind who has got the character off to a tee. Well done.
