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tenthrose November 26 2012, 19:34:39 UTC
No, I think she'd be miserable. What's a shame is that her actual death (sacrificing herself to save the Doctor when he doesn't even know her, and she's fairly sure that she's never going to see him again) works very well with her character and her general story. It means that she doesn't have to live without him,and also nicely mirrors her sacrificing herself for him when she first met him. Then the Doctor idealistically 'saves' her, condemning her to a life with neither Doctor nor adventure in it, blundering in and ruining it because he doesn't know the whole story.

Even given only what he knew at the time, Ten could have figured out that being 'saved' into a fake domestic life was not something that would make River happy, if he had been thinking about it. Of course, he WASN'T thinking about it, which is perfectly in character. Ten does not like it when people die on him, and will do anything to prevent it, screw the consequences (see: Donna). He also seems to be under the impression that his companions would be very happy at home, and that it's the best place for them (Doomsday, when he tries to force Rose to go with Jackie instead of with him).

It's actually very well crafted, I assume Moffat set it up on purpose, and I give him full credit for it. I'm not normally much of a Moffat fan, but I think he did a very good job on this one. On a first watch, looking at it from the Doctor's point of view, it's bittersweet- sad that she's dead, but happy that she's still alive in a way and that the Doctor has that whole relationship to look forward to. From the vantage point of a rewatch years later and from River's point of view, it's incredibly sad, she's sacrificed herself for the Doctor and he accidentally condemned her to what is essentially a horrible afterlife. Then, add to that the fact that at some point Eleven probably figured that out, and there's nothing he can do to fix it.

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10littlebullets November 26 2012, 20:07:23 UTC
IDK, I agree that (a) it is perfectly in character for Ten to be high-handed and short-sighted about yanking people back from death, (b) and the ending is meant to be ambiguous and unsettling (and even more so in hindsight), and (c) I'm not sure Moffat meant it to be quite as unsettling as it is... but I don't think it's unambiguously horrible from River's end, either. Disappointingly quiet after a high-octane life, sure, but not as much so as actually being dead. She's got all the books in the universe feeding a very powerful reality simulator; I'm sure she can craft adventures in any time period/fictional reality she wants to for herself and her friends. Or potter about doing mad science. Or hack the Library distress beacon to leave troll messages for the Doctor throughout spacetime. The worst part is probably that the Doctor isn't there, not that she'd be bored.

The ending is ambiguous and unsettling as shit though. For the entire episode. I mean, the image of Ten opening the TARDIS doors by snapping his fingers was made irrevocably unsettling by the Handlebars vid, but I am 100% sure Moffat meant it that way from the beginning and had plans to gradually make that obvious later for everyone who couldn't already see what path the Doctor was headed down. And the final image, of River going "sweet dreams" and turning out the lights, is definitely meant to inject a hint of nightmare fuel into that idyllic afterlife.

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nostalgia_lj November 26 2012, 22:08:10 UTC
He sort of idealises domesticity without quite wanting it for himself. So he just assumes that everyone else will be happy tied to one place and time, or with their families (the latter of course being an option that he doesn't have anymore). He's totally got an "I Know Best" attitude in a lot of places. In this case he doesn't want River to be dead, so she isn't entirely dead and then he can wander off feeling good abuot it all.

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