River, Eleven and the Season 7 Finale
Overall I liked In the Name of the Doctor and I'm definitely looking forward to the Fiftieth Anniversary special in November, even though that seems incredibly far away at this point. I have so many thoughts on this, some in general, but most about River...
I liked the resolution of Clara's mystery. I had suspected that something was going to happen in the finale to explain it and this was an interesting way to do it.
I also liked all of the call backs to the old Doctors (even as a new fan), although I am a little confused - why do none of them remember her? Was Eleven the only one that could see her and the others just got influenced by her? I'm thinking most notably of One - when she tells him which Tardis to take he seems to be able to hear her (and how does she know which one he needs in the first place?). Do the other Doctors subconsciously remember her and that's why Eleven trusts her when he meets her at the asylum and in Victorian London? And how much does Clara remember from her original life, or is it just a vague sense of knowing that the Doctor is important once she sees/meets him and knowing that she needs to save him? We may get more on this in the Fiftieth.
I enjoy Jenny, Vastra and Strax and I was happy that Jenny was able to be saved. I liked them much more in this than in the Crimson Horror (not my favorite epi this season). I also enjoyed the fact that we did not hear the name of the Doctor. At this point, it's better as a mystery. What could it possibly be that would satisfy the fans at this point?
Addressing the ending: John Hurt as The Doctor - WTF?!? What did he do that was so awful and most importantly, when? The most obvious thing for us to think is that he's the Doctor that fought the Time War, but that doesn't make sense since as others have pointed out, the Doctor killing everyone in the Time War wasn't a secret, so how could the person who did that be his biggest secret? I also don't like him being essentially #9 since that means that Nine, Ten and Eleven are really Ten, Eleven and Twelve. It could change things forever, as Moffat promised, but Eleven is my Doctor darn it, not Twelve. So for now I'm going to call that possibility 8.5 in my head. Am I alone in being angry at the possibility of the later Doctors being renumbered?
Another theory is that he's from a time before One, but then the line: "A name is a promise you make to yourself. He's the one that broke that promise" doesn't make sense. The final theory that Classic Who fans are putting forth and apparently rejecting is that he's the Valeyard (a future version of the Doctor - Twelve or higher). If so, from what I've read, Eleven would recognize him from earlier in his life, but if he hasn't become him yet, that may also make him being the Doctor's biggest secret less likely. It also sounds like the John Hurt Doctor's actions were in Eleven's past, so that would kill that theory. So, much speculation to come on that. Will try to stay away from anything but very minor spoilers until the Fiftieth, but I'm open to much speculation.
And finally...River Song. She's my favorite Doctor Who character (aside from the Doctor), so I was thrilled to have her in the episode, especially since I had a feeling it would be her last one. Her story arc was just about done and I also knew that from a practical standpoint, she couldn't keep playing a character who is the "same age" forever.
Initially, I was a bit upset that she was already dead, but I've come around on that. What if the "Dark Days" (before/at the beginning of The Snowmen) was not only The Doctor losing Amy/Rory but also losing River? He's always known how/where she was going to die and he's also always known the last time he would see her - The Singing Towers of Darillium. It's a little less clear how he'd know *when* that was going to happen, but I'm sure that someone has or will try to piece together the final River Song/Doctor timeline (if you know of it, would love a link).
While initially saving River to CAL seemed to me to be a brilliant idea - her story didn't have to end! - living forever, not having the freedom to have adventures anymore, not being able to run into the Doctor...it must have been like an agonizingly slow death for her. And this episode showed us the aftermath of the Library, which I'm sure the long term River fans have been fretting about for years. It shows us how River is getting by, as devilish as ever, understanding why the Doctor hasn't contacted her, but also how she couldn't possibly move on without a goodbye. And how it all has affected the Doctor - that he truly loved her and the only way he gets by is by not thinking about her. But most of all, it allowed there to be a final goodbye, with both of them in the same place in their timelines, with River, the Doctor and us all knowing that's what it was. I swooned at the kiss and then we got that great moment of levity when the Doctor says, "and since I'm the only one who can see you, god only knows what that looked like."
And then...River's last three words were "Spoilers" and "Goodbye, sweetie". Despite knowing it had to be coming, I've been weeping in a corner ever since.
Yes, River and the Doctor will live on in fanfic, and some of it may even give them a happy ending, but there's nothing like what you get in the show itself for sheer intensity of emotion. I've always known it was a bittersweet love story for the Doctor and River and this is the very end of their story in the show. So before I can move on, I need to mourn River's loss. Mostly likely through some really sad fanfic (Darillium-based if I can find it).
I'm also left with some River-related questions:
If River was in the library the whole time she was in the episode, was she hacking her way out into the world at large somehow?
Has she essentially been haunting the Doctor? How long has that been going on? Oh the fanfic possibilities there!
Now that she's said goodbye to the Doctor, what's next for her? Staying in the library, or, if she's figured out a way to hack out of the library, has also she figured out a way to delete herself so that she can finally "die"?
And that's all I've got. Thoughts on the finale? People thinking I'm crazy for my River love?
I liked the resolution of Clara's mystery. I had suspected that something was going to happen in the finale to explain it and this was an interesting way to do it.
I also liked all of the call backs to the old Doctors (even as a new fan), although I am a little confused - why do none of them remember her? Was Eleven the only one that could see her and the others just got influenced by her? I'm thinking most notably of One - when she tells him which Tardis to take he seems to be able to hear her (and how does she know which one he needs in the first place?). Do the other Doctors subconsciously remember her and that's why Eleven trusts her when he meets her at the asylum and in Victorian London? And how much does Clara remember from her original life, or is it just a vague sense of knowing that the Doctor is important once she sees/meets him and knowing that she needs to save him? We may get more on this in the Fiftieth.
I enjoy Jenny, Vastra and Strax and I was happy that Jenny was able to be saved. I liked them much more in this than in the Crimson Horror (not my favorite epi this season). I also enjoyed the fact that we did not hear the name of the Doctor. At this point, it's better as a mystery. What could it possibly be that would satisfy the fans at this point?
Addressing the ending: John Hurt as The Doctor - WTF?!? What did he do that was so awful and most importantly, when? The most obvious thing for us to think is that he's the Doctor that fought the Time War, but that doesn't make sense since as others have pointed out, the Doctor killing everyone in the Time War wasn't a secret, so how could the person who did that be his biggest secret? I also don't like him being essentially #9 since that means that Nine, Ten and Eleven are really Ten, Eleven and Twelve. It could change things forever, as Moffat promised, but Eleven is my Doctor darn it, not Twelve. So for now I'm going to call that possibility 8.5 in my head. Am I alone in being angry at the possibility of the later Doctors being renumbered?
Another theory is that he's from a time before One, but then the line: "A name is a promise you make to yourself. He's the one that broke that promise" doesn't make sense. The final theory that Classic Who fans are putting forth and apparently rejecting is that he's the Valeyard (a future version of the Doctor - Twelve or higher). If so, from what I've read, Eleven would recognize him from earlier in his life, but if he hasn't become him yet, that may also make him being the Doctor's biggest secret less likely. It also sounds like the John Hurt Doctor's actions were in Eleven's past, so that would kill that theory. So, much speculation to come on that. Will try to stay away from anything but very minor spoilers until the Fiftieth, but I'm open to much speculation.
And finally...River Song. She's my favorite Doctor Who character (aside from the Doctor), so I was thrilled to have her in the episode, especially since I had a feeling it would be her last one. Her story arc was just about done and I also knew that from a practical standpoint, she couldn't keep playing a character who is the "same age" forever.
Initially, I was a bit upset that she was already dead, but I've come around on that. What if the "Dark Days" (before/at the beginning of The Snowmen) was not only The Doctor losing Amy/Rory but also losing River? He's always known how/where she was going to die and he's also always known the last time he would see her - The Singing Towers of Darillium. It's a little less clear how he'd know *when* that was going to happen, but I'm sure that someone has or will try to piece together the final River Song/Doctor timeline (if you know of it, would love a link).
While initially saving River to CAL seemed to me to be a brilliant idea - her story didn't have to end! - living forever, not having the freedom to have adventures anymore, not being able to run into the Doctor...it must have been like an agonizingly slow death for her. And this episode showed us the aftermath of the Library, which I'm sure the long term River fans have been fretting about for years. It shows us how River is getting by, as devilish as ever, understanding why the Doctor hasn't contacted her, but also how she couldn't possibly move on without a goodbye. And how it all has affected the Doctor - that he truly loved her and the only way he gets by is by not thinking about her. But most of all, it allowed there to be a final goodbye, with both of them in the same place in their timelines, with River, the Doctor and us all knowing that's what it was. I swooned at the kiss and then we got that great moment of levity when the Doctor says, "and since I'm the only one who can see you, god only knows what that looked like."
And then...River's last three words were "Spoilers" and "Goodbye, sweetie". Despite knowing it had to be coming, I've been weeping in a corner ever since.
Yes, River and the Doctor will live on in fanfic, and some of it may even give them a happy ending, but there's nothing like what you get in the show itself for sheer intensity of emotion. I've always known it was a bittersweet love story for the Doctor and River and this is the very end of their story in the show. So before I can move on, I need to mourn River's loss. Mostly likely through some really sad fanfic (Darillium-based if I can find it).
I'm also left with some River-related questions:
If River was in the library the whole time she was in the episode, was she hacking her way out into the world at large somehow?
Has she essentially been haunting the Doctor? How long has that been going on? Oh the fanfic possibilities there!
Now that she's said goodbye to the Doctor, what's next for her? Staying in the library, or, if she's figured out a way to hack out of the library, has also she figured out a way to delete herself so that she can finally "die"?
And that's all I've got. Thoughts on the finale? People thinking I'm crazy for my River love?