The One Who Got Inside the Timelord’s Head

“Hello Sweetie” has become the most mysterious phrase in Doctor’s Who’s world. First appearing in “Silences in the Library” with a sonic screwdriver, River Song (Alex Kingston) has increasingly become the most important companion. Yes even more relevant than Sarah Jane. It’s because she knows more about the Doctor than he or anyone else does. In her first appearance she tells the Doctor he doesn’t need a key to open the tardis and from there, fans of the series became intrigued. What else does she know and are the things she reveals about our favorite Timelord slips of the tongue, or instructions?

The transition of doctors brought on a new challenge for Steven Moffat who took over the day-to-day running of the Doctor Who series from Russell T. Davies. Because of the casting of Matt Smith as the eleventh doctor shifts needed to be made to the further telling of the last Timelord; which now makes for even more delicious storytelling. Now the paths of the Doctor and River pass in a way where he looks increasingly younger as she gets older. Her hints or “spoilers” as River likes to call them take on a new meaning.

As the Doctor’s future and River’s present intersect her importance to the mythos of series has become invaluable. It also gives reference points to those who are new to this fictitious universe.

The best episodes of season 5 occur with River. Her entrance in the opening scenes of “The Time of Angels” is one not to be missed. She’s also the only companion in which The Doctor doesn’t mind her using a gun (which incidentally looks eerily familiar to Captain Jack Harkness’ weapon of choice, giving more continuity to past and future episodes of the series). Her time traveling vortex, violent solutions and her knowledge of the tardis all make River Song a character to look out for.

To date, her most significant appearance is in season 6 in the two-parter “The Impossible Astronaut” and “Day of the Moon.” Here we find out The Doctor’s time of death, but this is Doctor Who and for a man with two hearts and the ability to regenerate, you will have no idea what that could mean.

That said River Song needs to be someone to watch out for. As the person who killed “the best man she had ever known,” and the companion who shares an intimacy previously unseen, it will be interesting to see how this interpretation of the longest running science fiction series will turn out. Is The Doctor the man she kills? Stay tuned.