They were sort of perfectly coded as a married couple; it was lovely to watch, because in a way they functioned just as well (imperfectly/beautifully) together as they always do when one of them is a big blue box. :D
What fascinates me about River is that her storyline brings this amazing sense of limits - in space and time, which are otherwise the Doctor's nearly limitless playing field - determined not by unchangeable events but by the flow of the Doctor's very own timeline. He is practically immortal and capable of moving through the universe and history as he chooses, and yet... there is this relationship that must take place sort of backwards, there mustn't be any spoilers, and the gorgeous tragedy of it is that they are star-crossed despite all relevant dimensions and there is nothing they can do about it, but learn to love around these circumstances. And alongside love, I think the show has come a long way in teaching the Doctor about humility - not an easy thing to do with such a powerful character, whose romances tend to be mostly about great drama (be it Rose or the Master, lol) - but it really feels like this storyline led by River is bringing about growth in his character that I haven't seen before. Yeah, she's hot and kicks ass, and so do many other female characters on TV; but her greater function is in bringing about a profound change, a new perspective on the show's very premise; and that's possibly why she is so popular. :)
Btw, this episode and the development in the Doctor's relationship with the TARDIS works the same way on the large scale: he learns that his path has been shared all along, and so were his decisions; he learns he is NOT ALONE... only to be (sort of) left alone again when she reverts to her original state. And he is one fundamentally lonely puppy! *pets*
What fascinates me about River is that her storyline brings this amazing sense of limits - in space and time, which are otherwise the Doctor's nearly limitless playing field - determined not by unchangeable events but by the flow of the Doctor's very own timeline. He is practically immortal and capable of moving through the universe and history as he chooses, and yet... there is this relationship that must take place sort of backwards, there mustn't be any spoilers, and the gorgeous tragedy of it is that they are star-crossed despite all relevant dimensions and there is nothing they can do about it, but learn to love around these circumstances. And alongside love, I think the show has come a long way in teaching the Doctor about humility - not an easy thing to do with such a powerful character, whose romances tend to be mostly about great drama (be it Rose or the Master, lol) - but it really feels like this storyline led by River is bringing about growth in his character that I haven't seen before. Yeah, she's hot and kicks ass, and so do many other female characters on TV; but her greater function is in bringing about a profound change, a new perspective on the show's very premise; and that's possibly why she is so popular. :)
Btw, this episode and the development in the Doctor's relationship with the TARDIS works the same way on the large scale: he learns that his path has been shared all along, and so were his decisions; he learns he is NOT ALONE... only to be (sort of) left alone again when she reverts to her original state. And he is one fundamentally lonely puppy! *pets*
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