Police Public Call Box: Series 6
Created | Updated Aug 21, 2011
Series 6
Well, we now know who River is. If you don't know, then find some way of watching the first part of Doctor Who Series 6 and then come back here.
Done? Good. Well, I watched it too and I'm glad I did. If you've happened to read some of my previous columns then you may know how I'd felt about Steven Moffatt's latest series. Yes, it is very different from the traditional 'arrive, meet a monster, run, save the planet, leave' scenario that can be played every episode. In fact, it's taken the story arc element and strewn it through the whole plot, it's not subtle anymore, in fact it is becoming the entire story. Series Five explored the cracks and closed that arc, but a number of lines were left open–'Silence Will Fall' (and is that to do with the TARDIS landing in Amy's garden) and River–Who is she and what's her big secret?
But that was back in 2010 and seems an awfully long time ago. Series 6 started with confusion and even more to leave us all reeling. The Doctor died, a future Doctor, knowing he came to die. A little girl was trapped in an astronaut suit and has now regenerated in New York. The Silence is revealed…but I can't remember who they are. Then the first half of the series left more confusion, excitement and speculation in its wake. The Amy in the TARDIS is actually a ganger, fake version of the real Amy who has been kidnapped and had a baby; Melody Pond. River reveals herself to be Melody but now the baby has been kidnapped and it's up to the Doctor to get her back!
River is Amy's daughter. It's one of those possible options you considered River to be, but you thought it was either too absurd or obvious to believe. The revelation that she can regenerate is a nicer one, better than the discovery of her parentage. It made me go back to watch River's death in 2008's 'Forest of the Dead': she makes a frustrated quip to the Doctor regarding the machine; 'You'll burn up both your hearts, and don't think you'll regenerate!' Therefore this also explains why she didn't regenerate. I love the fact that early exposure to the time vortex creates the ability to regenerate, and that this links into the initiation ceremony in which young Time Lords are taken to stare into the Untempered Schism– they need to be able to regenerate.
So with this quest to find Melody, does the second part of the series go all Back To The Future style with the Doctor stalking the bad guys and when they aren't looking, trying to steal Melody from the back of their cars, so that back in the ummm… present day, River Song doesn't start fading away as her future is wiped from time? No, I highly doubt it will happen like that. But then again, the Doctor's companions know that he'll get 'shot in the back over a matter of eighty dollars'. Enough of the Doc/Marty comparisons, we saw the Doctor die! But with a show including eerie Flesh doppelgangers of the cast anything could happen. With Moffatt's twisty-turny, timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly plot revelations and teasers definitely anything could happen. And it'll be a surprising, terrifying and hilarious ride–GERONIMO!!!!!!!!!!
