Hello Sweetie...

[amberdreams]

River Song is fecking awesome.

 "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. Oh, what a night that was! The towers sang and you cried. You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was time. My time. Time to come to the Library. You even gave me your screwdriver; that should've been a clue." ~ River Song ("Forest of the Dead")

The episodes with River in have been so scattered around there's no way I could have been bothered to knit together her timeline with the Doctor's (especially as I just watch Dr Who because I've always watched it, not because I'm a real fan). So yay for the real fans who pick up on everything and remind me she has an awesome thread through the series. And PLEASE give me more River because she is just so bloody brilliant. Moffat ups his game for her, and Alex Kingston is marvellous with Peter Capaldi. I loved their chemistry - something I never felt with Clara, or Amy (maybe at least partly because I was always uncomfortable with how much younger those characters were than the Doctor? IDK). But River and the Doctor are perfect together - his slightly warped morality contrasted against her almost total amorality, yet with her the one who loves unconditionally while his time line and therefore his constancy hops around. Plus she's kickass, clever, funny and competent. She feels like the Doctor's legitimate equal, by virtue of her maturity and experience instead of for some mysterious reason that's never explained. Clara, I'm looking at you.

Mmm I didn't mean to write so much on this topic, fancy feeling so strongly about it! Who knew!

Comments

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

River reminds us that the Doctor's life isn't a straight line, no matter how often we *see* him in the linear moments, there are spoilers, there *is* a life outside of the companions we see and one day it will cease to be and River ties us in in a way that a lot of the companions never have! Don't get me wrong, I ADORE Clara, her with 11 made my whole DW experience that much more everything, and Rose and Ten/Nine worked so well for me. Donna was perfect for bringing him down a notch when needed...but River, she's a part of the ever changing time lines he encounters and for that I adore the woman!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I didn't mind Clara to begin with, but they lost me when she gradually became this perfect companion who was so wise and clever and mysterious and pretty and so everything all the time. She had no vulnerabilities, no flaws, no humanity to speak of because she was just too perfect.

Somehow they turned her from a mystery to start with (whatever happened to the impossible girl anyway?) into a 'normal' human companion with her own life like Amy then into this weird Mary Sue who seemed to be able to do anything, and spent more time being the one who saves everybody than the Doctor did, which made no sense whatsoever.

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I haven't watched the majority of the Capaldi era doctor, so she may have changed from the way I remember her from 11.

[etoile-etiolee.livejournal.com]

I agree strongly with that post.
fyi, I have a LOT of issue with the last season, not with Peter Capaldi, because he really grew on me the first season of him being the docor but this season was... I think my least favorite ever since the reboot, so finishing with River Song was great, and it reconciliate me with the show once again.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

me too! I felt this last season they were afraid Peter Capaldi would be thought too old or something, so they decided to push Clara's character in front of the Doctor - so to be honest, even though I didn't mind Clara to start with, by the time they killed her off I was actually relieved. I might have cheered a little.

Then she came back again! Gah! This is not Supernatural and Clara isn't a Winchester - or a freaking Time Lord.

And I love Capaldi.

[becc-j.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree, River is an amazing character and proves herself to be just as interesting, smart and sassy as the Doctor!

[deceptivemirror.livejournal.com]

Having River back on again was just wonderful. She's someone Moffat created that I actually like, since Clara was just awful. I did not weep a tear when (redacted) occurred. I actually pumped my fist and yelled "yes!" Naturally, the asshat had to ruin that too, but she's off, so oh well!

For the record, Jenna Coleman is very likable and I like her very much! I think she's a sweetheart. I just hated Clara. I should never like someone better when they're a plot device.

This episode with River? I laughed, I cried, I was just thrilled beyond words! River is his intellectual equal, and it often shows, and not in an annoying way. She's not like him at all, and that makes her a worthy foil to him, to show an alternate viewpoint about how to achieve goals, and plan for eventualities. I had NO problems with the X-mas episode at all, and considering recent episode offerings from Moff-twat, that's saying something.