Doctor Who: Why River Song worked so well with the Eighth Doctor

We’ve seen River Song with the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors onscreen. But is her most complicated relationship with a Doctor who shouldn’t even know her?

River Song has led quite the complicated life, especially when it comes to her husband. On television, she’s been seen with three Doctors of modern Doctor Who. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as thanks to Big Finish, she’s met most of the Classic Doctors, too. Particularly in her own series, The Diary of River Song.

However, if there’s one Doctor that she’s worked especially well with on audio, it has to be the Eighth Doctor. Not that she didn’t work well with the rest. (In particular, she’s had surprisingly romantic episodes with both Four and Six in Diary.) But with Eight, her relationship is even more complicated. Especially in his own series Doom Coalition.

Many of you are probably confused as to how River can have a relationship with the Eighth Doctor, or any of the Doctors prior to Ten. After all, when he met her in Silence in the Library, he had no idea who she was. So it was made extremely clear that for the Doctor, his first time meeting River was in that story.

Of course, River does find ways around that. Usually involving amnesia, particularly when she’s wearing hallucinogenic lipstick, but not always. Sometimes, it involves time going wrong, too.

But Doom Coalition needed to work around that. This time, the threat was so major that the Eighth Doctor couldn’t forget a single second of it. As a result, River needed to get creative – including wearing one or two disguises.

Even when helping from a distance, River proves herself to be a capable ally throughout Eighth Doctor series Doom Coalition.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

A unique relationship

As a result, this gave us a rather unique take on the Doctor’s relationship with River. Whereas with Ten and Eleven, she would proudly declare “spoilers!” and be happy to show off how much more she knows than them, with Eight, she had to be careful. Oh, she’d still be a little cheeky, but she also had to hide who she really was, and not even hint at a possible future between her and the Doctor.

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As a result, their relationship was much more focused on the present, and the Eighth Doctor made a great friend with the mysterious “Melody Malone” while never questioning if there’s anything more. So their relationship stands out compared to other Doctors that River has traveled with.

Doom Coalition isn’t the only time that Eight and River meet. He communicates with her much later (from his perspective) during the Time War in The Diary of River Song, although they never meet face to face. He also sees her again in last month’s anniversary box set The Legacy of Time. Although that encounter is deliberately left open, and suggests that the Eighth Doctor will meet her again, at least one more time…

But Doom Coalition is where their relationship is most interesting, due to how much it develops throughout, as well as how much River has to keep secret from her husband, even more so than usual. If you wanted to hear River in a Doctor Who story that offers a very different angle to her character, then Doom Coalition is a strongly recommended listen.

Next. Old vs New – Spearhead from Space vs Rose. dark

Do you think River can work with Eight, or any earlier Doctors? Have you listened to Doom Coalition? Which Doctor do you think she works with best? Let us know in the comments below.

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