Summary
- River Song is a unique character in the Whoniverse.
- She is the Doctor's wife and the child of his companions.
- Her arc does not unfold in a continuous timeline, which makes it difficult to follow.
- To see River's story from her point of view, viewers should watch all of her episodes in the right order, revisiting some of them along the way.
River Song is a unique character in the Whoniverse. She first appeared in the heart-wrenching Season 4 episodes Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead, when the Doctor was sporting David Tennant's face. Then we saw the tragic end of her arc.
Neither the audience nor the Doctor knew then what an important character River would become.
River Song's story, in a nutshell
Over the course of the next three seasons, River Song encounters the Doctor several more times, bringing some shocking twists to the story.
She turns out to be the Doctor's wife (one of five, but probably the most serious). And then, in Season 6, she sends fans into a frenzy with the story of her birth and childhood.
You see, River Song's birth name turns out to be Melody Pond. In fact, she is the daughter of Amy Pond and Rory Williams, and was conceived inside the TARDIS as it traveled through space and time, which gave her reduced regenerative powers.
She regenerates twice and ends up looking like we know her, as portrayed by Alex Kingston. She then has to kill Matt Smith's Doctor Who, but refuses, which eventually leads to their marriage.
She and Peter Capaldi's Doctor end up spending a long night together before the devastating episodes of Season 4.
This is how River Song's story unfolds for her. But the Doctor and viewers saw it in a wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey way that only made sense at the end of River's arc.
If you're currently re-watching Doctor Who before the 60s anniversary specials, here's an idea. Watch River and the Doctor's story from her perspective. BBC iPlayer's new Whoniverse has everything you need for this.
The River Song Timeline
If you want to be meticulous, start with the first six episodes of Season 6, when Amy is pregnant with River. Then watch the following episodes in the order they are listed. Some may need to be revisited for better understanding.
- S6E7: A Good Man Goes to War (Melody)
- S6E1&2: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon (Melody)
- S6E8: Let's Kill Hitler
- S6E12: Closing Time (end scene)
- S6E13: The Wedding of River Song
- S6E1&2 again: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon (astronaut River)
- Night and the Doctor S1E3: First Night
- S6E7 again: A Good Man Goes to War
- S6E1&2 again: The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon (companion River)
- S5E12&13: The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
- S5E4&5: The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
- S6E13 again: The Wedding of River Song (ending)
- Night and the Doctor S1E4: Last Night
- S7 mini-episode: Rain Gods
- S7E5: The Angels Take Manhattan
- S9 Christmas special: The Husbands of River Song
- S4E8&9: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
- S7E13: The Name of the Doctor