Doctor Who spin-off review: The Diary of River Song: Series Two (audio)

River meets the Seventh and Sixth incarnations of her husband, as she has one of her strangest adventures in The Diary of River Song: Series Two.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

River Song experiences one of her strangest adventures yet, with multiple Earths, reality devouring aliens and two Doctors, in the second series of her own spin-off, The Diary of River Song!

I’ll be upfront: it’s taken me far too long to review this series of the Doctor Who spin-off. I did intend to review it as soon as I could, as I did with the first series of The Diary of River Song. Especially as it featured two very different Doctors!

But this was one of those box sets where there was a lot to process. All four episodes tell a grand arc of alternate timelines, parallel universes (not always the same thing), and timey-wimey hijinks with the Doctor. So it was difficult to know where to even begin with this one, plot wise.

But it’s also more than that. There’s a greater sense of variety to the episodes. There’s a puzzle box mystery. A hard hitting apocalyptic drama. A big epic romp. And even an office romance. It’s strange to think they’re part of the same series, let alone the same overall story!

So how does series two of The Diary of River Song compare to the first? Is having two Classic Doctors to deal with more fun for River? Or does it only make things much, much worse?

Let’s find out!

River meets a mysterious stranger in The Unknown, while an even bigger mystery is happening around her.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

The Unknown

The Unknown lives up to its title. From the very start, we’re in a situation where we’re not entirely sure what’s going on. And neither are the main characters.

More from Winter is Coming

Something strange has happened. Something that has been affecting the crew’s memories. Perhaps the equally strange Scottish man with the umbrella has some answers…

What I particularly enjoyed about The Unknown is that, due to time going so wrong, River is in the unusual position of not knowing about the Doctor. It puts both characters on an equal footing as a result.

This is one of the rare times when River doesn’t get to act so cocky about knowing more than him. It has to be said, it’s a smart move by Guy Adams that’s rather refreshing.

It also makes their relationship rather unusual. We’ve seen the Doctor be unsure about whether or not to trust River. Certainly, she’s rather intriguing to his Seventh incarnation.

But we also see what happens when River doesn’t trust someone who’s a complete stranger to her. It doesn’t help that Seven always enjoys being cryptic and mysterious, so she occasionally finds it difficult just getting a straight answer from him.

A puzzle box story

Story-wise, The Unknown is a very strange episode. While events are made clearer as the story progresses and we find out what’s going on, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t treated to absolutely bonkers ideas. Particularly with so many weird things happening to the crew of the ship.

As a story, The Unknown is a simply a pre-cursor to the main arc of the box set, which really kicks off with the episode’s cliffhanger. But that’s completely fine, as what’s really central to the episode is a new way of exploring the Doctor’s and River’s relationship.

It’s not just the Doctor meeting River for the first time again. River is also meeting her husband for the first time, too. It’s a great set up, and a wonderful way of beginning the second series.

The world is ending at exactly Five Twenty-Nine, and no one knows why. Can River save just one family?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Five Twenty-Nine

Five Twenty-Nine is a wonderfully intimate episode from John Dorney. Essentially, it’s about the end of the world. But at the same time, it’s very small in scale. Because we experience the apocalypse through the eyes of one family that River is desperately trying to save.

When the episode begins, it seems to be an ordinary day. Then news reports start coming in. Time zone by time zone, everything is dying at exactly 5:29. No one knows why, and even River can’t seem to find an answer. So she tries to do the next best thing: save just one family.

What’s particularly wonderful about this episode is that all the characters feel real and fleshed out. Despite taking place a few centuries into the future, the family always comes across as relatable.

Strong performances

Robert Pugh and Ann Bell are great as Emmett and Lisa Burrows. They portray a wonderfully loving relationship between an old married couple brilliantly. Because they’re so incredibly sympathetic, you’re really rooting for them. Even as the story gets darker and darker, and more nations go silent.

Salome Haertel is also great to hear as their daughter Rachel. An android (or “synthetic”, as she describes herself), she portrays the character just right.

With the strange way she speaks, you can believe that, while she might not entirely grasp emotions, she’s trying hard to act as human as possible. At the same time, you also feel like she’s a natural part of this family.

Because Dorney has written such incredibly relatable characters, it makes the drama of this horrible situation that much more gut-wrenching. At times, the episode is difficult to listen to, for all of the best reasons. Particularly as it gets closer and closer to the end.

Five Twenty-Nine is a wonderful piece of drama, and possibly my favorite episode from this box set.

While working undercover to find out what’s going on at Golden Futures, the Sixth Doctor is utterly charmed by a fellow curly haired work colleague…

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

World Enough and Time

Yes, that’s right. This episode shares exactly the same title as that episode of Doctor Who, which came out just a few months later.

Sadly, it’s not a crossover or doesn’t in some way link directly to the TV episode in any way. But it does reference the poem To His Coy Mistress more openly and directly. More importantly, it’s a brilliant story in its own right.

Oddly enough, River meeting the Sixth Doctor isn’t the most interesting thing about this episode. It isn’t even the fact that the Sixth Doctor is in the unusual position of owning and running a company.

No, what really makes World Enough and Time stand out is the amount of romance between Six and River. Yes, that’s right: possibly one of the least romantic Doctors on television falls for River. In a big way.

Even better, it’s in a believable way. There’s a wonderful amount of chemistry between Kingston and Baker, which really sells the Doctor’s attraction to her. And James Goss’s writing of the pairing is brilliant. The best example of this is what River thinks of Six’s multi-colored coat: she likes it. And even Six is surprised by that.

Saving the day?

As for the story, it’s kind of a strange one. But considering the creature that this episode focuses on, that’s perhaps not surprising. What’s particularly interesting is how the Doctor tries to save the day, but in this case, he only manages to makes things worse.

And this is a key reason why River is not only needed, but why this is very much her series. The Doctor can fix a lot of situations. But there are some problems that only a psychopath like River can fix.

Overall, World Enough and Time is not just a strong episode. It doesn’t just give us one of the most unusual River/Doctor pairings, either. It also gives us one of, if not the best pairing of the two yet. Another excellent story.

Two Earths, two Doctors and one River to save the day! What could possibly go wrong?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

The Eye of the Storm

With the final episode, we come to a big, epic romp. River has to save the Earth from a timeline that will result in its destruction. The situation is dire, and the stakes are incredibly high. But she doesn’t need help from either of her husbands. In fact, this time, they’re set to make everything worse!

With The Eye of the Storm, we get a multi-Doctor story unlike any other. It isn’t just the fact that it isn’t happening in the Doctor’s own series this time. It’s also the fact that it’s the only time we hear two incarnations working directly against each other!

What’s great is that writer Matt Fitton doesn’t create a cop-out reason for this. Neither of the Doctors are possessed, for example, or one’s simply a copy. Both Doctors are trying to resolve the situation in their own unique way.

Two very different Doctors

As a result, it wonderfully highlights the key differences between Six and Seven. Six is a very moral Doctor. He’s all about the little guy, and he wants everyone to be alive and happy by the end. He’s still got the stubborn streak in him that makes things occassionally difficult with others. But overall, he’s a Doctor with a lot of heart.

Seven, on the other hand, sees the bigger picture. He knows that sometimes, good people need to pay the price. But just because he knows this, does that make him the kind of man that can do what needs to be done?

Once again, even with two Doctors, this is very much River’s story. We’re once again reminded of just how different she is to the Doctor. Not just to particular incarnations, but as a whole.

After all, while River always aims to do good, she still has a very different moral code to the Doctor. More importantly, she’s also the kind of woman that does whatever she has to.

The Eye of the Storm is a great finale to the box set. In some ways, it’s almost smaller scale than the previous episode. But the focus on two Doctors, as well as highlighting how different River really is from her husband, allows for a satisfying conclusion to the box set.

Summary

Following on from a great start with Series One, Series Two of The Diary of River Song continued the story of her character in an interesting way. In some ways, it took more risks, and went in directions you didn’t expect.

But those risks paid off. Plot wise, it’s the kind of series that benefits from a relisten or two in order to fully grasp the whole arc. (Which involves parallel Earths, alternate timelines and some major timey-wimeyness with the Sixth and Seventh Doctors. Seriously, there’s a lot of science-fiction and plot crammed into these four hours!)

But it’s the characters and their relationships that really drives this series. Whether it’s exploring River’s complicated life with her husband, the tight bond an ordinary family can share, or a cute couple who realize how important they are, relationships are a key element of this series. And it’s those relationships that make Series Two of The Diary of River Song such a great listen.

Next: Twitch Watch: recommendations of the day 07/05

Have you listened to The Diary of River Song: Series Two? Has this review made you more curious about the series? What do you think of River meeting the Sixth and Seventh Doctors? Let us know in the comments below.

Home/Doctor Who