River Song (Doctor Who)

River Song
Doctor Who character
Also known as Melody Pond, Mels, Melody Malone
Affiliated Tenth Doctor
Eleventh Doctor
Twelfth Doctor
Species Human with Time Lord DNA[1][2]
First appearance "Silence in the Library" (2008)
Last appearance "The Husbands of River Song" (2015)
Portrayed by Alex Kingston
Other portrayals

Sydney Wade
Nina Toussaint-White
Maya Glace-Green

River Song is a fictional character played by Alex Kingston in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who. River Song was introduced to the series as an experienced future companion of series protagonist the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time in his TARDIS. Because River Song is a time traveller herself, her adventures with the Doctor occur out of synchronisation; their first meeting (from the audience's perspective) is his first and apparently her last. In later appearances, River is a companion, romantic interest and eventual wife of the Doctor in his eleventh incarnation, portrayed by Matt Smith. River Song was created by Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat for the show's fourth series in 2008, under the tenure of executive producer Russell T Davies. When Moffat took over Davies' duties as executive producer, he began expanding on the character's background, depicting adventures earlier in River's timeline, upgrading Alex Kingston from a guest star to a recurring actor in the series. Other actresses have subsequently portrayed younger versions of the character.

When the character was first introduced, much about her origins remained a mystery. Following the character's initial appearance, Davies had described her as "one of the most important characters" in the narrative, and "vital" to the Doctor's life.[3] In series six (2011), Moffat's episodes unveil more about the character. Born Melody Pond, River is the daughter of the Eleventh Doctor's companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), alongside whom Kingston had already appeared several times in series five and six of the show. Having been conceived on board the TARDIS as it travelled through the space-time vortex, Melody is born with genetic traits and abilities similar to those of the Doctor's own race, the Time Lords.

Appearances

Television

Multiple actresses portray River Song at different stages in her story. From left to right: Sydney Wade, Nina Toussaint-White and Alex Kingston.

River Song first appears in the Doctor Who 2008 series two-parter "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" (written by Steven Moffat) during the Russell T Davies era of Doctor Who. Here, she encounters the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) in the 51st century and, though he has never met her, claims to be someone he will come to trust completely. River, who is a professor of archaeology and carries a TARDIS-colour/pattern diary of her adventures, is able to convince the Doctor of his future trust in her by whispering his real name into his ear. In the second of the two episodes she sacrifices herself to save the people who were trapped in the Library's database, before the Doctor could do the same. In turn, he is able to upload a copy of her consciousness into a computer, allowing her to live on in a virtual world with her last travelling companions. He achieves this via the use of a sonic screwdriver given to her by his future self.

After Moffat took over from Davies as executive producer of the show, River Song reappeared in the 2010 series. In the two-parter "The Time of Angels"/"Flesh and Stone", which takes place prior to River becoming a professor, she encounters the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith), with whom she is more familiar. She leaves coordinates for the Doctor so that he may rescue her in the 51st century, and together they investigate the crash of the spaceship Byzantium. She shows herself to be more adept at flying the TARDIS than he is and reveals to the Doctor that she is imprisoned in the "Stormcage Containment Facility" for killing "the best man I've ever known." An even earlier version of River appears to assist the Doctor in series finale "The Pandorica Opens"/"The Big Bang". After being contacted by Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice), River leads the Doctor to 102 A.D. While River is travelling in the TARDIS on her own, it explodes with her inside. The Doctor, using River's vortex manipulator, teleports her out. River then assists him in closing the cracks in the universe. After the Doctor erases himself from history in order to completely close the cracks in the universe, River helps Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) to remember the Doctor and bring him back, by giving Amy her now-blank diary. At the close of the series finale, River ambiguously suggests to the Doctor that she is married and tells him that he will soon learn the truth about her, after which "everything changes".

In 2011 series opener "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon", River, along with Amy and her husband Rory (Arthur Darvill), is contacted by a future version of the Doctor to convene in the United States. This Doctor is killed by an assailant in a space suit, and the trio give him a Viking funeral, in Lake Silencio. In 1969, the present Doctor and company subsequently encounter a little girl (Sydney Wade) who wears the space suit, which River tells the Doctor is a life support unit; the suit has been designed by the hypnotic aliens known as the Silence. Homeless, the girl is later shown regenerating in New York City, 1970. In "A Good Man Goes to War", it is revealed that River is Amy and Rory's daughter Melody (Harrison and Maddison Mortimer[4]), who was conceived in the TARDIS and consequently carries Time Lord DNA; the name River Song comes from a recursive translation of Melody Pond via an alien language. Baby Melody is kidnapped by Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber) to become a weapon against the Doctor.[5]

"Let's Kill Hitler" establishes that Melody was trained by the Silence to kill the Doctor. After regenerating in New York, Melody became Rory and Amy's childhood friend Mels (Maya Glace-Green) and grew up alongside them. When adult Mels (Nina Toussaint-White) is shot, she regenerates into her next incarnation (Kingston) and proceeds to assassinate the Doctor. Persuaded she will one day become River Song, in whom the Doctor places great trust, Melody chooses to resurrect the Doctor with her regenerative energy, losing the ability. The Doctor learns, however, that it is she who kills him in his future. The Doctor gives her a blank TARDIS-shaped diary, and Melody—now River—enrolls to study archaeology. At the end of "Closing Time", on the day she receives her doctorate, the Silence and Kovarian recapture River and place her in the space suit to kill the Doctor as history records. In the series finale "The Wedding of River Song", River resists killing the Doctor, creating an alternate reality. The Doctor marries River and convinces her to return to the established course of events by letting her know how he plans to fake his death; River goes to prison for his murder to corroborate the deception, though it is implied she regularly breaks out of prison to go on dates and adventures with the Doctor.

River appears again in the fifth episode of the seventh series, titled "The Angels Take Manhattan" (2012), where she encounters the Doctor and her parents in 1930s New York City. At this later point in her timeline, she is a professor of archaeology and a free woman, having been released from Stormcage after the Doctor erased all evidence of his existence. When her parents are sent permanently back in time by the Weeping Angels, to be forever estranged from the Doctor, she arranges for Amy to leave the Doctor a note in the form of an epilogue to a book. Although she agrees to travel with the Doctor for the time being, she declines his offer of being a full-time companion. "The Name of the Doctor" (2013), the deceased River's consciousness is summoned from the Library computer, where she has existed since "Forest of the Dead", to a psychic 'conference call' by the Doctor's friend Madame Vastra (Neve McIntosh). There, she and Clara (Jenna Coleman) learn that the Doctor's greatest secret has been discovered. River maintains the psychic link with Clara after the call ends, and counsels her throughout the discovery of the Doctor's tomb. When the Doctor and his companions are threatened by the Great Intelligence, she whispers the Doctor's name to open his tomb. After Clara enters the Doctor's timeline, the Doctor reveals he can see River, but had been avoiding confronting her continued existence because it was too painful. After the pair kiss, River feels closure and fades away.

When the Doctor next encounters River, in "The Husbands of River Song" (2015), as the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi), she does not initially recognise him and he is able to learn more about her life when he is not around. The Doctor accompanies River (from her perspective, shortly after their Manhattan adventure) on a scheme to steal a rare diamond. He learns that in addition to him, River has had several spouses, both husbands and wives, and is not above ruthless behaviour as she goes about her work. He also finds that she truly loves him, but that she also genuinely believes that he does not love her back. She feels that the Doctor is above such minor emotions as love, and he would never willingly jeopardize himself simply to help her. River ultimately discovers that the man she's been having this adventure with is actually the Doctor, with a new face. The pair later crash-land on the planet Darillium, where River told the Doctor in "Forest of the Dead" that they would have their last night together. He uses time travel to ensure a perfect date, gifts her the sonic screwdriver that she has in "Silence in the Library", and provides comfort by telling her that the nights on Darillium last "24 years", giving River a happy life spent with the Doctor before her eventual death in the Library.

Other media

Coinciding with the 2010 series, Alex Kingston portrays River Song narrating the "Monster Files" on the BBC website, an in-universe documentary account of Doctor Who monsters.[6] This series had previously (in 2008-9) been narrated by John Barrowman in character as Captain Jack Harkness. Included with the series six DVD release, the exclusive-to-DVD bonus serial Night and the Doctor (2011) features River in the episodes "First Night" and "Last Night". During the serial, the Doctor attempts to take River on a date shortly after she is imprisoned in Stormcage, but their time in the TARDIS is interrupted by two future incarnations of River, and all are in turn suspicious of the signs of "another woman" being aboard the TARDIS. The Doctor is able to be rid of the two future Rivers, but not before learning from his future self that one of them is shortly to die in the Library adventure where he first met her. (It is later revealed in the "The Husbands of River Song" that the Eleventh Doctor ultimately cancelled this date, and it is the Twelfth Doctor who ends up taking River to the Singing Towers.)

River appears in a further direct-to-DVD mini-episode included with the series 7 box set, "Rain Gods".

River, alongside Smith's Eleventh Doctor, is one of two main playable characters in the PlayStation 3 Doctor Who console game The Eternity Clock. Kingston provided voice acting and motion capture physical acting for the character. In regard to River's role in the narrative of the game, the game's producer Simon Harris explains that she "realises that what’s in her diary is not what she wrote and that actually the Eternity Clock is playing with her history, as well as the Earth’s history."[7]

Author Gary Russell had planned to use River in the Twelfth Doctor novel The Big Bang Generation, but when he was unable to get permission to use her, he wrote the story to incorporate the Seventh Doctor's former companion Bernice Summerfield instead.

On 27 June 2015, it was announced that River Song will feature in two Big Finish dramas, Doom Coalition 2 and The Diary of River Song, alongside Paul McGann.[8] As a result, River Song becomes the first major character of the 2005–present modern era of Doctor Who to be featured in a Big Finish production (prior to 2015, the company had been restricted to only using characters from the original 1963-1989 series, plus McGann's Eighth Doctor from the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie). It was announced in early 2016 that The Diary of River Song would return for a second series in 2017, this time Kingston would be appearing alongside Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. [9]

Characterisation

Casting

For the role of River Song, whom executive producer Russell T Davies described as "sort of the Doctor's wife", the production sought to cast Kate Winslet.[10] One of Winslet's first acting roles was in the BBC1 teen drama Dark Season, written by Davies. The role of River Song eventually went to Alex Kingston, known for starring in the popular US drama ER. On Kingston's casting, Davies said, "I bloody love her!"[11] Kingston had been a fan of Doctor Who as a child.[12] Kingston, when first cast, did not expect her role to be recurring. She later learned that Moffat had always intended for Song to come back for return appearances.[13] Kingston enjoys getting to play an unusual action hero female role, and praises the show for its variety of settings and opportunities "to relive one's childhood fantasies" playing with laser guns and wearing varied costumes from one appearance to the next.[12] In regards to having to speak complicated dialogue, she said, "I'd work with a medical consultant on ER, who'd explain what we were saying, so I'd say it with a purpose and a truth. On Doctor Who, I've no idea what some of my lines mean!"[14]

Discussing her role alongside Tennant and Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) in her 2008 introductory episode, Kingston said, "We just clicked. I've done guest roles on other shows, but rarely have I felt such a warm bond."[15] About working with Kingston, Catherine Tate said, "I'm a huge ER fan. When you hold people in awe, it's almost a disappointment when they come in and they're utterly normal. But Alex isn't disappointing at all. She's such a lovely person." David Tennant was quoted as saying, "Alex is terrific. When she's telling you stories about hanging out with George Clooney, you know she's pretty cool."[14]

Conception and development

The character was originally created purely for the plot of "Silence in the Library". Moffat knew that the team of archaeologists would have to trust the Doctor, but the Doctor's psychic paper could not explain and convince the team why he had appeared in a sealed-off library. Therefore, Moffat intended for the Doctor to know one of the archaeologists, but decided that idea was "dull" and instead decided to have one of them know him.[16] When Kingston returned to the show, Moffat explained to her some details about her character's back-story, knowledge which Smith, Gillan and Darvill did not receive until later. Kingston relates that she knows her character cannot be killed off because we saw her death in her introductory episode; each subsequent appearance is set at a different point in her character's personal history.[12] Moffat had planned out that River was Amy and Rory's daughter for "a long time" and used "Pond" as Amy's last name to create a link between the two.[17] For the filming of the sixth series, Kingston was aware of River Song's relationship to Amy and Rory, while the other cast only found out upon reading of the mid-season cliffhanger script for "A Good Man Goes to War".[18]

Moffat was influenced by Audrey Niffenegger's science fiction romance novel The Time Traveler's Wife, which depicts a woman who romances and marries a man who unintentionally moves through time. Niffenegger's lovers experience an asynchronous and tragic love story. He comments, "I've quite purposefully used it", though he cites his 2006 episode "The Girl in the Fireplace" as the episode which most prominently explores the book's themes in addition to its conceit.[19] Kingston herself compares the character to Niffenegger's titular Time Traveler's Wife, and like Moffat enjoys "backtracking" more and more with the character as the series progresses. The tragedy for Song highlighted by "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon" is that she is progressing to a point where the Doctor will not know or trust her any more.[13] Kingston comments,

[What] Steven explained to me is that every time River sort of finds the Doctor, for whatever reason, she's never 100 percent sure which Doctor it is she's going to be meeting. And what they have already experienced together or not. So even when I come back, every time I meet Matt, I never quite know where we are in our relationship or what we have revealed or what we know about each other. Because time travel isn't linear.[12]

Kingston describes the character as being "like a female Indiana Jones" in regards to both characters being archaeologists and having action hero qualities. She also took inspiration from Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of Ellen Ripley in the Alien film franchise commenting that she'd always been "so envious of her for having that kind of role."[20] Kingston has also praised the way the love story between River and the Doctor has been deftly handled, stating that "I'm not sure you'd get that kind of dynamic in America". For Kingston, the physical age difference between herself and Matt Smith adds to the success of the pairing, whilst she feels that viewers have responded warmly to the notion of an action hero in her 40s.[21] Matt Smith has noted that in his characterisation of the Doctor that "River Song frightens the Doctor but he finds himself strangely attracted to her" and that "what makes her a great companion is that when she turns up all hell breaks loose!".[22]

River's characterisation has invited parallels with that of Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a companion of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors introduced by Steven Moffat in 2005. According to Moffat in the Doctor Who Confidential episode accompanying "Forest of the Dead", River's blaster gun is the one previously owned by Jack in the 2005 series of Doctor Who.[23] Upon River's return in series five, Lyle Masaki of AfterElton felt that viewers had the chance to see the character "do her best to channel Captain Jack" by capturing the same "'charming rogue' vibe".[24] In May 2012 Moffat stated that River, like Jack, is bisexual. Heather Hogan, a senior editor of AfterEllen felt that Moffat's ability to create "fascinating, complicated characters like... River Song" is a direct consequence of him abiding by "Captain Jack's label-eschewing motto": "You people and your quaint little categories".[25] James Cornish of WhatCulture subsequently cited River's characterisation in a rebuke against claims of misogyny and homophobia in Moffat's writing. He described her as "a more sexual, trigger happy version of the Doctor" and "the strongest female character seen on Doctor Who for a quite a while".[26]

Reception

An article published in Metro, entitled "Doctor Who fans love River Song...", noted how praise from fans on Twitter after the airing of "Day of the Moon" focused heavily on Song.[27] In 2011, Laura Pledger of Radio Times listed Kingston as the fourth best Doctor Who guest star, writing, "For my money we’ve seen rather too much of River in the last two series, but there’s no denying Kingston has created a memorable character in Melody Pond."[28] Keith Phipps for The A.V. Club compared the Doctor and River's romantic storyline to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, "if a bit more elegantly, for my money—it echoes the plight of anyone who's watched a loved one fade into the shadowlands of dementia. This is not a story that ends well for River and she knows it, whatever flirtatious high spirits being around The Doctor stirs in her."[29] Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker felt the character to be the Doctor's "soul mate" and described Alex Kingston as "badass".[30]

Neela Debnath of The Independent praised Nina Toussaint-White in her role as Mels, saying she was "every bit as sassy and vivacious as her later incarnation... it was a shame that she regenerated so early on because she brought a different energy to the character".[31] However, Neil McCormick in The Daily Telegraph thought that her sudden introduction as Rory and Amy's childhood friend showed that Moffat was making it up as he went along.[32] Charlie Jane Anders of io9 felt that River Song was at her "high point" in some of the early Matt Smith episodes, where she was "generally badass and mysterious". However, with "The Wedding of River Song", Anders felt she had lost her mystery and independence, and her love for the Doctor was unrealistic.[33]

Whilst critical of the typical characterisation of British female science fiction characters, The Guardian's Krystina Nellis singles out River Song alongside Torchwood's Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) as positive depictions of strong female characters, stating: "It'd be difficult to find two superwomen in less need of a man to save them."[34] For her role as River Song in the 2011 series of Doctor Who, Alex Kingston won the Best Actress prize at the 2012 SFX magazine Awards.[35] In a 2012 poll conducted by SFX magazine to find the 100 sexiest female characters in science fiction and fantasy, River was voted number 22.[36] She was also included in AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters, at number 44.[37] Character Options have also released official toys based on River Song as part of their Doctor Who range.[38] Upon being notified of her own action figure, Kingston stated she did not "quite believe it" as "you don't get that on ER."[15]

References

  1. ↑ Steven Moffat (Writer/Executive Producer) (2011-07-04). "A Good Man Goes to War". Doctor Who. Series 6. Episode 7. 31:55 minutes in. BBC One. Look closer: human plus. Specifically, human plus Time Lord.
  2. ↑ Steven Moffat (Writer/Executive Producer) (2011-08-27). "Let's Kill Hitler". Doctor Who. Series 6. Episode 8. 44:40 minutes in. BBC One. Apparently you used all your remaining regenerations in one go.
  3. ↑ Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Confidential, Series 4, Episode 9
  4. ↑ Lewis, Paul. "Dr Who fans see double as Baglan Moors twins get starring roles". South Wales Evening Post (Local World). Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Peter Hoar (director); Steven Moffat (writer) (4 June 2011). "A Good Man Goes to War". Doctor Who. Series 6. Episode 7. BBC. BBC One.
  6. ↑ River Song shares the secrets of the Weeping Angels.
  7. ↑ Farley, Jordan (26 March 2012). "Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock Videogame Preview". SFX. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  8. ↑ http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-06-27/river-song-to-team-up-with-the-eighth-doctor-for-a-new-adventure
  9. ↑ https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-diary-of-river-song-series-2-coming-january-2017
  10. ↑ Davies, Russell T; Benjamin Cook (2010). Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale — The Final Chapter. London: BBC Books. p. 263. ISBN 978-1-84607-861-3.
  11. ↑ Davies, Russell T; Benjamin Cook (2008-09-17). "The Next Doctor". The Times. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Zaino, Nick (23 April 2011). "Alex Kingston on River Song, Being the Doctor's Equal, and Steven Moffat's Plans". TVSquad. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  13. 1 2 Collis, Clark (21 April 2011). "'Doctor Who': Alex Kingston talks playing the mysterious River Song and whether she'd ever pose naked with a Dalek". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  14. 1 2 "Alex Kingston guest-stars — Radio Times, 31 May 2008". Radio Times. 31 May 2008. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  15. 1 2 "Alex Kingston on Doctor Who — Radio Times, 31 May 2008". Radio Times. 31 May 2008. Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  16. ↑ Wilkes, Neil (22 March 2010). "Video: Steven Moffat bonus cut". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  17. ↑ Jeffery, Morgan (25 August 2011). "'Doctor Who' Steven Moffat planned River Song twist 'for a long time'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  18. ↑ Brown, David (2 February 2012). "Alex Kingston: River Song could make a return to Doctor Who". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  19. ↑ Johnston, Garth (21 April 2011). "Steven Moffat, Executive Producer of Doctor Who". Gothamist. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  20. ↑ Golder, Dave (31 March 2010). "River Song Returns". SFX. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  21. ↑ Nissim, Mayer (2 June 2011). "'Doctor Who' Alex Kingston: 'Women like kick-ass River Song'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  22. ↑ "Will the Doctor Die?". TV Easy. 10 January 2011.
  23. ↑ "River Runs Deep". Doctor Who Confidential. Series 4. Episode 9. 7 June 2008. BBC. BBC Three.
  24. ↑ Masaki, Lyle (28 May 2012). "The Week in Gay TV: Memorial Day marathons, couples "Wipeout" and will we get burned again by "Burn Notice"?". AfterElton. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  25. ↑ Hogan, Heather (14 May 2012). ""Doctor Who" boss reveals River Song is bisexual, "Desperate Housewives" boss slaps lesbian fans in the face on the way out the door". Morning Brew. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  26. ↑ Cornish, James (18 September 2012). "In Defence of Steven Moffat". WhatCulture. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  27. ↑ "Doctor Who fans love River Song in Day of the Moon". Metro. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  28. ↑ Pledger, Laura (1 October 2011). "Top 10 Doctor Who guest stars". Radio Times. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  29. ↑ Phipps, Keith (23 April 2011). "The Impossible Astronaut". The A.V. Club.
  30. ↑ Nussbaum, Emily (4 June 2012). "Fantastic Voyage: "Doctor Who," "Community," and the passionate fan". The New Yorker. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  31. ↑ Debnath, Neela (27 August 2011). "Review of Doctor Who 'Let's Kill Hitler'". The Independent. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  32. ↑ McCormick, Neil (28 August 2011). "Doctor Who: they're making it up as they go along". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  33. ↑ Jane Anders, Charlie (1 October 2011). "Why This Year's Doctor Who Finale Was (Mostly) Better Than Last Year's". io9. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  34. ↑ Nellis, Krystina (11 November 2011). "Misfits' women are not to be messed with". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  35. ↑ Golder, Dave (4 February 2012). "SFX Awards 2012: The Winners". SFX. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  36. ↑ Golder, Dave (27 March 2012). "Top 200 Sexiest Characters In Sci-Fi". SFX Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
  37. ↑ "Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters". After Ellen. 27 February 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  38. ↑ "Doctor Who Future Sonic Screwdriver". Character online. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2009.

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