Doctor Who: River Song's Timeline | Husband's of River Song | Season 9 Ep 13

[@corriefletcher3775]

Just shows how good both Capaldi and Kingston are as actors. Never worked together before but their chemistry is one of the best on the show and kind of blows out Smith's and Kingston's chemistry.

[@OverworkedITGuy]

THE absolute best "Hello sweetie" in the entire series. Capaldi and Alex just had a specific chemistry that she didn't have with the other Doctors. Their scenes together had a certain gravitas that just wasn't there for David or Matt, no matter how amazing those two were. I wish so hard we'd gotten more than just this one episode with the two of them.

[@rkstevenson5448]

Couldn't agree more. It *feels* more correct. It's just a shame, they're fantastic together.

[@soundgal_sine_qua_non]

One of my favorite aspects that you get from watching this from River's perspective is that River's hair is more red. I love to think she dyed it in honor of her mother after her parents' deaths. Twelve is my favorite husband for River. You can tell that Peter was the only actor who had been in a long-term marriage when he filmed with Alex. The others have lover or boyfriend energy, while he brings such strong husband energy.

[@dominicbuckley8309]

17:21 The sonic is the same one that she has in 'Silence in the Library' - when 12 waves it front of her, he is actually scanning her into the memory chip, so that she can be 'saved' by 10 at the end of the two-parter.

[@clarewalsh387]

There was a kiss in the script, but apparently he was getting the flu the day they filmed it and didn't want to give it to her

[@josefschiltz2192]

Maybe that explains why he wasn't entirely facing Alex in that final scene, always the slightly sideways glance. It actually adds to Twelve's usual interrelational restraint in the Singing Towers scene and gives the looks between them, at the end, more power emotionally.

[@Trikeboy2]

An average episode with an epic ending. RIVER: But you will. You'll wait until I've given up hope. All will be lost, and you'll do that smug little smile and then you'll save the day. You always do. DOCTOR: No, I don't. Not always. Seconds later: RIVER: So, assuming tonight is all we have left, how long is a night on Darillium? (The Doctor gives a smug little smile) DOCTOR: Twenty four years.

[@kristopherheenk2710]

I love how easily they were able to play the switch in the age difference You got from River as the "Mrs Robinson" to Matt, to practically being young enough to be a "Trophy Wife" for Peter - and yet the interactions between her and "The Doctor" feel just as natural in both situations Really speaks to the talent of all 3 actors to create such a strong character relationship, especially for Alex and Peter who only had this one episode together

[@lordhoot1]

Kingston and Capaldi are only five years apart in age... at last an age-appropriate pairing...?

[@kristopherheenk2710]

@lordhoot1 in reality they may be close in age, but Alex definitely looks you get for her age and Peter looks older for his (not bad, just not accurate to his actual age)

[@rkarschner]

Hydroflax is played by Greg Davies; he is also The Taskmaster on the comedy show Taskmaster which is a hell of a fun watch.

[@jjjnettie]

I loved him in the series "The Cleaner" too.

[@rkarschner]

@@jjjnettie Great show too!

[@garethspotfur1]

“Hello,sweetie” always emotionally wrecks me.

[@ghostsurfer23]

Moffat thought this might be his final episode when he was writing it, and you can really tell. Just top tier.

[@timothyp8947]

This is one of my all-time favourite DW episodes, and one I’ve re-watched a number of times. Some moments of pure fun, some moments of pure emotion and an awful lot of brilliant acting, from the Doctor beautifully hamming up his own 'bigger on the inside' moment to the chemistry between the two in the final scene 😊

[@Dubble77D]

12's romanticism is unparalleled here. He helps ol' girl steal the diamond and then: Gives it away to complete stranger. Tells him to make a 12-star restaurant. Travels forward to when it is properly established. Makes reservation at said restaurant. Travels forward to the reservation date. Prepares River's sonic with a nice giftbox. Repairs the robot/Nardole/the other guy Gets changed in an even nicer suit. All before River wakes back up. STOP, DUDE. NONE OF US CAN COMPETE WITH THIS. YOUR RIZZ IS TOO POWERFUL.

[@robstradomusvideos]

I love Capaldi. Him and Eccleston are my two favorite new who actors. When their sense of humor shows up, it hits different. This is my favorite River Song episode and watching Silence in the Library next makes them both shine.

[@nigelthomas2089]

Don't forget "Name of the Doctor", the very final River story (...so far)

[@qa1327]

13:56 I never ever get tired of this speech by River. Love it so much. 17:39 I will always be annoyed we don’t actually see a tear when she asks if he’s crying Love this episode.

[@DGSAFDMD]

I want to think we ALL love Capaldi. He is my 2nd favorite doctor cause 11 is my boy but damn 12 was amazing! Well, I hope we all ready to SOB in a couple weeks cause I know I ain’t and I will cry cause I do every time I rewatch 4x09.

[@ChandaElise]

Rare name here with Chanda nobody will ever randomly say hi to me HOWEVER I met Billie piper irl and she said she loved my name and it made me cry cause I had trauma getting made fun of for it growing up, truly amazing.Also they didn’t kiss cause capaldi like literally stated he doesn’t want to kiss anyone (in scene) cause he is so devoted to his irl wife

[@zvimur]

9:43, haven't seen *every* reaction of a character to the TARDIS, but this reminds me of 1 of the very first Companions, Ian Chesterton... the Physics teacher😊.

[@StarkRG]

In one of the earlier series of the British show Taskmaster, one of the competitors calls the host, Greg Davies, a "Doctor Who villain". Several years later, here he is in the role of King Hydroflax's head.

[@elvwood]

Darn, crying at that last scene again! Anyway, moving swiftly on, I support the _Much_ _Ado_ _About_ _Nothing_ suggestion wholeheartedly.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

This episode is SO DAMN quotable 😂😂

[@BiDave]

"You don't expect a sunset to admire you back" - I'm not crying, you're crying! They didn't kiss because his firsts are her lasts, and we've already seen that episode.

[@christianwise637]

What's this? A Christmas special? On Halloween? And no intro either? What is the world coming to? Aside from the library two-parter, I think this is probably the best River Song episode; it just does such a fantastic job at exploring the intricacies of her relationship with the Doctor, we get to see both sides of her character (the flirty badass archaeologist action hero and the weary melancholic old romantic) in full force, and the chemistry between Peter and Alex is just wonderful. As much as I wished we could've gotten more of Twelve and River, and as much as I'd love to see the character again, if this ends up being the last time we ever see her, I honestly wouldn't be too mad. I also think it's wonderful how well Murray Gold was able to bring things full circle with his score for this episode with the reuse of two utterly beautiful music cues associated with River's previous appearances. The first of these "The Enigma of River Song", which first played in Let's Kill Hitler when River gave up her remaining regenerations after realising what she meant to the Doctor, and is reused here as the Doctor comes to after the crash, and decides to stop running away and actually commit to his relationship with River by taking her on that date to Darillium and spend these last few years together. The other is just titled "Silence in the Library", a recurring motif from the episode of the same name, which plays here when River first appears, and again when the Doctor gives her the screwdriver. Murray's use of leitmotifs throughout his initial run on the show was honestly exceptional, I really don't think he gets nearly enough credit for the musical tapestry he was able to weave together, and this episode is really just one example of this in effect.

[@jameslucero01]

Holy Cow! I did not know you were both doing Who again!!! I am so happy to see the both of you Together Again. 😍🥳😎 Guess I am going to be binging your channel again. Alonzee!

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

Not long before this episode I'd compiled and uploaded my "Bigger on the Inside" video... and then - we get THIS! Capaldi hamming it up like crazy. Was so pissed off lol.

[@FoggyD]

Rewatched this recently-ish myself and got to enjoy it all over again. It really is a bittersweet delight of an episode. Pity this is all we got of River with Twelve. Like the title says, Husband is indeed of River Song. Oh, and I'm sure Kat's awesome idea for a Hallowe'en costume will go down a storm later!

[@nimonus]

Yes, Moffat is so good at love stories, and his best is 12-Clara. You should rewatch that arc and give it another chance. Just like happened with Angels Take Manhattan, you might find yourself appreciating it much more the second time around if you can set aside your distaste for fakeout deaths. Admittedly, the fake-deaths got ridiculous with Rory, to the point it was actually a running gag, but it really wasn't ever as much of an issue with Clara: There's Last Christmas, which is an Inception pastiche so "it was all a dream" is baked into the premise, and then there was The Magician's Apprentice, where Moffat does exactly the same "death ray is really a transmat" trick RTD pulled in Bad Wolf, But her only other death scene isn't a fake out at all. The *context* gets *changed* by the Doctor pulling her out of her timeline, at great cost, but it remains the true moment of her death, and she has to go back to that moment eventually. It also has a lingering impact on all the characters - the Doctor goes through billions of years of very real grief because of it. And most crucially it embodies the meaning of the story Moffat is telling, where he sets us up to believe we are watching an Icarus story of a companion who flew too close to the sun and was punished for it, and then in a flourish of narrative substitution tells us that the better story is the one where the companion earns the right to become the Doctor in her own right by insisting on the agency the Doctor denied to Donna, and she *doesn't* get punished for it. But it still comes at a cost *to the Doctor*

[@jeffreyweitzman6463]

This compilation alone is easily a snapshot of the glory days of the Doctor Who post 2005 reboot era.

[@uncommon_niagara1581]

It's criminal that we never got a River spin-off.

[@zvimur]

On Big Finish audios, search "Diary of River Song" series. She breaks a lot of canon.

[@nocturne8333]

Her Big Finish series is really good, but I’d love to see Alex get her own spin-off.

[@not-that-Chris]

I can't see the other replies but there are a lot of great River Song Big Finish full audio dramas.

[@StarkRG]

Doctor who is always setting up great spin-offs that never happen (except for the 2⅛ times it did).

[@christaylor9929]

I love this Christmas special so much! ❤

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

This was a memorable episode , really well acted and touching performances from Peter Capaldi and Alex Kingston - Gregg Davies was inspired casting for Hydroflax . The ending and when she realised . . . Unforgettable .

[@Capohanf1]

River Phoenix, American actor

[@paulflux5892]

Yes, Stephen Moffat is very good at love stories. His first big hit was a sitcom called Coupling, about a couple, their best friends, and their exes. RTD in contrast, I feel is at his best with sci-fi horror (Midnight, Wild Blue Yonder, 73 Yards).

[@adam1third]

Well, i didn't want to sob into my lunch. But i guess its that kind of day

[@fatwolf]

Love this story!!! According to Alex Kingston, River knows who the Doctor is. The first page of her Diary is the singing towers. Re watching it with that knowledge makes Rivers performance even more funny.

[@bereny45]

Them not kissing is so much in line with the longing of their whole relationship. I know it was written differently in the script but that works well.

[@zvimur]

On a different vibe, 1974 production of "King Lear" is a prequel cameo crossover of 3 fictional universes (Lear, Edgar, Edmund). Heartbreaking, but a masterpiece.

[@Xethian]

Yes. This is the episode. We learn here that River is 200, and back in The impossible astronaut we meet a 200 year older Doctor. I haven't checked all the non TV lore, but this suggests their relationship was more or less 200 years long.

[@ValueNetwork]

I’m a bit late to this, but I believe the explanation for “why didn’t river notice that the Tardis was different” is because she was with the 11th doctor when the Tardis changed. There was a short period of time where River traveled with 11 between the events of Angels in manhattan and the snowmen, with river eventually leaving to return to NYC and publish melody malone, and 11 went to isolate himself on a Victorian cloud. Thats presumably when the “Rain gods” river short took place, and during that time 11 had gone full Victorian and mournful, so it’s safe to assume that river had also seen 11s second Tardis design (and hidden alcohol in the roundels) before she left him!

[@bmyattuk]

That exhange after "Hello Sweetie" is the best on screen representation of British relationships in the world. Caught your wife in a heartfelt expression of her eternal love? Immediately start taking the piss.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Btw Kat, that is SUCH an adorable Pokémon shirt❤

[@cutthr0atjake]

Not sci-fi, but I'd love to watch you reacting to Moffats "Coupling" TV show. Its like a grown-up, funny British "Friends". 😉

[@brianadkins3880]

Paula's shirt reminds me of Fruit Striped Gum lol Yes, that's a good thing! Like others, this just makes me want to go back and watch the whole thing again! Hope you both had a Happy Halloween! 🙂

[@josefschiltz2192]

Kat; are you sent to invite us to watch David and Catherine in Much Ado About Nothing? You must have lighter heels! I have seen this play and it shines like a star to heav'n ascended. For how could it not be when it is so highly recommended? Kat's words carry such great force, especially when antlers are appended. Their time has been written and the Doctor and River's souls are mended!

[@t.c.thompson2359]

I couldnt remember the third episode coming up, because I forgot the Library is a two parter

[@bemasaberwyn55]

His Hello sweetie

[@uncommon_niagara1581]

I was lukewarm on Capaldi's Doctor until this episode; it caused me to go back and re-evaluate his tenure.

[@christianwise637]

Capaldi's Doctor is definitely one that really grows on you; even someone like myself, who liked him right from the start, didn't realise just how compelling and captivating his character was until I saw how the entire thing played out

[@Look_Over_There]

I actually felt the opposite, Christopher Eccleston was my first doctor so I always was more used to a grumpy doctor that grew. I never really vibed with Matt Smiths doctor till toward the very end, I much preferred him with Clara in season 7. I liked the return of a grumpy doctor with Capaldi lol

[@deathswitch2404]

How likely is it you two will react to Torchwood do you think?

[@not-that-Chris]

they haven't? I just never get tired of watching reactions to Torchwood Children of Earth

[@zvimur]

Speaking of Shakespeare, have you seen the "Substitute Teacher" skit?😮😅😊🎉🎉

[@openviews]

I wonder if River will appear in this years Christmas special.

[@Jamienomore]

Great Reactions to a Great story.🧸🧸

[@robertkielbicki5680]

Hi Kat

[@firefly24601]

They didn't kiss because River implied that Matt Smith was the final time she kissed the Doctor. (Back in Day of the Moon, I believe.) But also, I don't know how you could spend 24 years with your spouse and NOT kiss them? 🤷

[@jooie444]

That was way before Capaldi was the Doctor and the real reason why they didn't kiss is because Peter didn't want to give Alex his cold/flu.

[@FourthDrawerDown]

Hi Kat oh hi Mark 👋

[@KatAlysha]

OMG 😂

[@jjjnettie]

Totally unrelated to the Whoniverse, but rumour has it that Peter Capaldi is to play Dumbledore in the TV version of HP.

[@not-that-Chris]

he is just too young for that role

[@jjjnettie]

@@not-that-Chris Im sure once "make up" is through with him, he would look age appropriate. But it's just a rumour right now.

[@not-that-Chris]

River Phoenix?

[@jameshumphreys9715]

Welsh female name Seren means star

[@zvimur]

18:09, referring to "Nights" minisodes. Sorry, but the years and years long night... I prefer the minisodes.

[@odokosh6417]

everyone should watch that much ado about nothing

[@KatAlysha]

YES