"I think I'm going to need a bigger flow chart."

[locker_monster]

Out of the season finales we've had in the last five years, only "Hell Bent" left me particularly rage-y after watching it. So I was very ready for a nice, fluffy Christmas special.

And we got one! Thank goodness. The Doctor needed a fun romp after the whole thing with Clara. My god, the Doctor's smile upon seeing River again. :-) I saw the promo a bunch of times during Space's three day marathon, so the moment was ingrained in my mind, but it's just so cute seeing the Doctor, Twelve in particular, being happy. We don't get big grins from Twelve, and when we do, it's usually because he's taunting someone or it's a devious grin. And that's one of the delights of River. You know you're going to get one heck of an adventure when she's around. I totally expected her to recognize Twelve, but I guess it never occurred to her that the Doctor would find a way to live past his thirteenth life. So that was different. You end up with River saying things that she would never say to the Doctor's face. In a way, the Doctor got to play the Companion, too.

Overall, I feel like the episode could have been a regular length episode. Nothing extremely huge happens. It's kind of like a heist episode, but with dismembered heads. Don't get me wrong; there are some great scenes. I especially loved the Doctor's scene where he pretends to be awed by the interior of the TARDIS. So I wasn't wowed, but it was fun to watch, and I think that's the point of the episode. It's there to move us on past Clara's departure.

But there was some angst, especially at the end. The second River said she recognized the planet as Darillium, I knew we were on the path to "Silence in the Library" and it was totally confirmed when the Doctor presents her with her own sonic screwdriver. The scene jives, for the most part, with River's line from "The Forest of the Dead": "The last time I saw you, the real you, the future you, I mean, you turned up on my doorstep, with a new haircut and a suit. You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers. What a night that was. The Towers sang, and you cried." I guess the "turned up on my doorstep" is more in the metaphorical sense. Her lines to Ten also imply that she had no idea that she was facing the end of her life, or that the Doctor already knew she was going to die, but it feels like River pretty much confirms that by the end of this episode. Or maybe I misheard the line...

So we've sort of come full circle with River, well, as much as you can with someone like her whose timeline isn't a straight line. It was interesting that she thought that the Doctor never loved her back. It seems so cynical for River. Is it because this episode is set after "The Angels Take Manhattan" for her? Did she lose faith in the Doctor because he couldn't save Amy and Rory? She does have that great line at the end, about how happiness doesn't need to be forever. All that matters is that you lived happily for the time you had. I guess the Doctor has a fairytale view on happiness. He wants to hold on to it for as long as he can. But River is more practical. She knows everything has its time and she's not afraid of the end. So I hope the Doctor takes this message forward to next season.

So the Doctor and River spend another twenty-four years together? I don't suppose this means River is the Companion for next season. Probably not.

Random: The reindeer antlers! The TARDIS was trying to cheer up the Doctor. Aw. She totally landed on that planet so the Doctor would meet up with River. Yes, I know River said she landed on the planet because it was where she had the best chance to coincide with the Doctor's timeline, but the TARDIS totally engineered that scenario to make it work. So, the Doctor is going to have the sonic sunglasses and the sonic screwdriver next season? Or were they still crafting the new sonic and it wasn't ready in time until the end of the episode? River is so the Doctor Who version of Saffron from Firefly. She goes around the universe, marrying men to get her way. The town at the beginning of the episode is so the set for the Trap Street from "Face the Raven". I'm disturbed that the Doctor and River let an entire ship full of people crash into a planet. Okay, yeah, they're all criminals, but it's still weird. And I noticed something odd in the TARDIS. There's a painting up on the second level, to the right side of the room if the doors are to your back. It's been there since at least "The Girl Who Died"; I noticed it during Space's marathon today. I doubt it has any significance but it's an interesting piece of set dressing.

With Doctor Who done for the year, that means one thing: no spoilers! Well, at least for a little while. There is the rumour going around that next season might be Peter Capaldi's last, but I hope not.

Now bring on the New Year's special for Sherlock!

Comments

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it for the most part too,more than usual for Christmas specials. I mean the "The TARDIS can't work while someone's both inside and outside" was a little dodgy (what about the other heads the robot had taken, surely they're both inside and outside the TARDIS too with their old bodies?), and there are some timeline issues, but otherwise, it was fun.

Speaking of timeline issues, technically, this means that this is the last time we can see River Song. Because it's now established that this is the last time she saw HIM before her "death." And it's established that not only has she never seen Capaldi before, but doesn't think he could possibly have more faces than 12 (at least until this moment, but it's her second last meeting so it's not like she can meet him again and realize it), so it's not like any future incarnation has room to meet her. I suppose if they ever bring back Eight for an adventure (BRING BACK 8 FOR AN ADVENTURE, BBC! COME ON! IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE! MAKE THE DOCTOR HAVING A FLASHBACK TO SOMETHING HE ENCOUNTERED JUST BEFORE OR IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE TIME WAR AND YOU CAN GET BOTH A CAPALDI-LIGHT EPISODE AND SOME ULTIMATE FANSERVICE!), they could have them interact (and River wipe his memory so he doesn't remember her when they first meet in the Library)... or I guess have River's memory wiped. Or some timey-wimey business to rewrite her timeline and ending slightly. Or have her rescued from the Library. (Or have her temporarily steal the TARDIS again and return it and never see the Doctor) Or just ignore it, as the show sometimes does.

Speaking of just ignoring it, I could have SWORN that they already DID River's last date with the Doctor, with Twelve, in a webisode. Maybe I'm misremembering and it was something else.

Anyway, I think the "24 years" line was a) supposed to hint that their time wasn't limited to a few hours, they could spend as much time as they wanted (but probably not a full 24 years), and b) also supposed to be the idea that the legends said River was going to die _after_ her last night with the Doctor, and she was worried about that, but if the nights last 24 years, technically River still has a several decades of time because the night hasn't ended for another 24 years. But I could be wrong and it was a bit clumsy.

[newnumber6.livejournal.com]

Oh, and one more thought... for a moment, when they escaped into the party on the ship...

I'd looked away for a second and I thought instead of escaping into the outside of the TARDIS, they ran INSIDE, and straight into a party, and the Doctor was all surprised like, "Wait... there's a party full of people going on inside of my TARDIS? How long as this been going on?"

And imagined River was going to say something like, "Oh, it's the Eternal Party. This society does nothing but celebrate, their entire lives, from birth to death, as a fancy dinner party, which is great but it doesn't really help them when a wandering black hole's about to destroy their planet, so I borrowed this box and rescued a village of them, just before the end, and they've been going at it ever since. Sometimes I just pop in when I'm feeling blue, cheers me right up."

"Don't you think the guy who owns this thing is going to notice?"

"Oh, he never goes down this way. Those weird symbols we just passed say it's the way to the laundry room."

"What if he needs to to laundry?"

"He never does laundry, he's got self-cleaning wardrobes."

"But what if he does?"

"Well, then it's a nice surprise... everyone loves a party!"

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

Heh. It does seem like there are areas of the TARDIS that the Doctor knows nothing about. Who knows what else River could have with the interior when she borrowed it all of those times.

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

Speaking of just ignoring it, I could have SWORN that they already DID River's last date with the Doctor, with Twelve, in a webisode. Maybe I'm misremembering and it was something else.

It was a minisode, "Last Night, with Eleven from one of the box sets. Season six, I think. We don't see them going to Darillium, so it still fits River's line about how the Doctor kept cancelling on her, but Moffat had to do a lot of dancing around to make the circumstances here fit River's other line from "Forest of the Dead".

I feel like this is River's last proper appearance. Like, Moffat is trying to tie up everything left from Eleven's era. Yeah, sure, they could have an adventure and then River's memory gets wiped, which I wouldn't put past Moffat since he's so fond of re-writing everything, but you get some closure here. Twelve does what Eleven could never do; face his last day with River.

I agree with you about Eight. Bring him back. He could team up with Twelve and it'd be like a modern "The Two Doctors". I know the show doesn't look back that often, but it'd be a fun episode.

[dm12.livejournal.com]

It seems that Twelve was willing to face a lot of things that Eleven was created to forget... I enjoyed this episode, too.

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

I like that it shows some character growth from the Doctor. He doesn't often grow as a person, as much as his personality changes, so it was nice to see him coming to terms with River's fate. It was always the one thing that bugged me about Eleven and River; he never made any acknowledgement to the fact that he saw her die the first time they met.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

When Eleven mets River in "The Time of Angels", his a bit cautious around her. But then when he got use to the fact he was going to have some sort of relationship with her, it was all "Spoilers" and flirting. He was in denial. River said the Doctor doesn't like endings.

I think it suits Twelve to be more realistic. He didn't want to give River false hope. I love how the Doctor explains this. The way they look at each other in the last scene. Aww!.

[locker-monster.livejournal.com]

The Moment did call Eleven "the man who forgets". I think you're right about Twelve; he is more of a realist.

Moffat has said in interviews that this might be the last time he writes for River, so that good-bye scene has to do a lot. At least River gets a somewhat happy exit.

[cynthia2015.livejournal.com]

Ten: Okay, you used to be me. You've done all this before. What happens next?
Eleven: I don't remember.
Ten: How can you forget this?
Eleven: Hey! Hang on, it’s not my fault. You were obviously not paying enough attention.

Moffat likes to rhyme in his speeches about the Doctor. Eleven liked to suppress his feelings because it hurt too much. It just took him turning into Twelve to realize it wasn't always constructive to think that way.

The Tenth Doctor wasn't exactly open to expressing his feeling either. He was the most open with Donna because of the dynamic of their friendship.

Better for Moffat to try and tie up lose ends to Rivers story sooner rather than later. Her death and relationship with the Doctor loses significance if us viewers can't mourn her properly.