Recently I have started to rewatch the first 2 series of Matt Smith’s Doctor (11) to try to come to terms with one of the most emotional farewell episode ever “The Angels Take Manhattan”. While watching these episodes I have realised that I do not like the character of River Song. Particularly how she and the Doctor interact.
Don’t get me wrong when River was first introduced in “Silence in the library” and “Forest of the dead” I loved her. She was brilliant. She was this person from the Doctors future and she said things like “spoilers” and had a book and a screw driver! We next see her in “The time of Angels” and “Flesh and Stone” and she is still very interesting because she is now with another incarnation of the Doctor and a new companion and everything around her is a mystery. Even in the season 5 finale double episode she is very interesting because we are still yet to learn about her past and her relationship or connection to the Doctor.
However then comes season 6. The season in which River Song goes from this very interesting mysterious character to a very annoying scene spoiler. In “The impossible Astronaut”, “Day of the Moon” double episode she is about bearable but we do start to see what the major floor in her character is. The flaw which for me has almost ruined episodes but definitely ruined some scenes.
The flaw i am talking about is the way her and the Doctor interact. It is so forced. Please don’t take this as me not liking the Doctor being “married” (even if it’s in a parallel universe and time line which in now nullified). I have nothing against the Doctor being married, in love, infatuated or any human emotion. That is what made 10 (David Tennant’s Doctor) so great, but that is for another time. What I dislike is the way he flirts with River Song is so out of character. He ignores every other female and male (Captain Jack) advances but when River Song flirts he flirts straight back. The way he refers to her to antagonists in episodes when she isn’t even part of the episode just makes it feel like Steven Moffat is trying to make us love her, by making the Doctor seem to love her.
The nail on the coffin for me to really detest her character was the season 6 finale “The Wedding of River Song”. How she acts throughout the entire episode and when she refuses to let him stop this alternate time line and parallel universe that is destroying time. just makes my blood boil.
I would like to add that I think Alex Kingston, who plays River Song is a fantastic actress and the character flaws are not her fault it is just how Steven Moffat has decided to write her. I would also like to say that i think Steven Moffat is a fantastic writer, he does have his flaws, but again that is for another time.