Doctor Whohas been on the air for so long that its continuity is a bit of a mess. It’s big news in the nerd community when a new showrunner takes over the series, often ignoring that several figures have held that role. Crucial elements of the story, like the Doctor’s wife and her unique circumstances, can get a bit lost in the shuffle.
Professor River Song first appeared in a 2008 episode ofDoctor Who. Most fans remember “Silence in the Library"for its horror elementsand celebrated character moments, but it’s also River Song’s big debut. She’s appeared in 15 episodes, becoming one of the most beloved faces in the franchise despite her limited screen time.
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Who is Professor River Song?
Melody Pond is the first daughter of the Doctor’s beloved companions, Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Amy and Rory were childhood friends, part of an inseparable trio with their mutual friend Mels Zucker. Their fairy tale romance would’ve led to a happy marriage if itweren’t for the Doctor. Amy first met the Doctor at a young age, but she became his companion many years later. After a journey goes wrong, Amy briefly forgets Rory. Their relationship is eventually repaired, leading to their wedding occurring on its planned date. Amy and Rory plan a spectacular honeymoon, traveling time and space in their friend’s TARDIS. Amy and Rory conceive a child aboard the machine on their first night as a married couple. Creating a new life in the TARDIS had unexpected side effects on Melody.
Does River Song have regenerations?
Melody was born withsome Time Lord DNA. She’s mostly human, but she has some traits of the mysterious alien species that control the TARDIS. Melody had the Time Lords' gift of regeneration. If she were ever killed, she’d reincarnate into a new body. Melody was kidnapped by a villain named Madame Kovarian. Kovarian was a representative of the deadly religious group called the Silence,who sought to kill the Doctor. Kovarian replaced Amy Pond with a linked doppelganger, allowing Amy to live her life through the eyes of another body. The Silence harvested Melody’s DNA to create two batches of clones. Melody and each clone had a random number of regenerations at birth. These Proto-Time Lords were crafted to assassinate the Doctor. Melody was to be a weapon against the man who’d shown her mother and father the universe.
Melody escaped the Silence after years of experimentation. She suffered from a terminal illness and willingly succumbed to its effect in 1970. Melody’s first regeneration was Mels Zucker, the childhood friend who helped bring Amy and Rory together. She lived under that identity to ensure the circumstances of her own birth. Mels helped Rory overcome his shyness and admit his feelings for Amy. Mels met the Doctor in 2011. She held him at gunpoint to force him to help her escape the police. The Doctor took her to 1938 Germany to assassinate Hitler. They interrupted the attack of the Teselecta, a justice-obsessed sentient starship that punished people for their crimes.The TARDIS stopped theTeselecta’s assassination attempt. Hitler shot at the Teselecta but accidentally hit Mel. Mel made the Doctor promise that he’d marry her before regenerating into her best-known form.
What happened to River Song’s regenerations?
Melody regenerated into River Song. Paradoxically, theDoctor and his companionshad already met River, learned about their relationship, and seen her die. Immediately after taking her new form, Melody attempts to kill the Doctor by kissing him with poisoned lipstick. Her personality is unformed. She’s impulsive, violent, and eccentric. The poison works well against the Time Lord. Its effects seem to debilitate him beyond the will of regeneration. She nearly succeeds in killing him. As the Doctor dies, the Teselecta turns its attention to Melody. They prepare to torture her for untold ages as punishment for assassinating the Doctor. Amy and Rory appear to help their daughter.The Doctor struggles againsthis painful death to help his friends. His nobility and self-sacrifice change Melody’s opinion of the Doctor. She learns who she will become and gets the blessing of her parents. With another kiss, she gives the Doctor her remaining regenerations. She wakes up sometime later in the best hospital in the universe with a TARDIS-shaped diary by her bed.
River Song’s story was told backward. Her final moments took place in her first appearance. Her birth was depicted in her finale. It’s beeneight years since River Songappeared in an episode ofDoctor Who. She may come back someday, but her story has a beautiful beginning, middle, and end, even if fans saw it in reverse. Melody Pond’s three regenerations were wildly different characters, all built around massive reveals. She gave her remaining regenerations away to the man she would come to love. River Song remains one of the most intriguing characters inDoctor Who’s long history.
