Booze is odd, Who is ood

[mhalachai]

Doctor Who episode reaction and theories for Silence in the Library. But first, read about booze:

In North America, Goldschläger is frequently mixed in equal proportions with Jägermeister, 70 proof (35%), and occasionally peppermint schnapps to make a cocktail called Liquid Cocaine, Golden Elk or JägerSchläger. --Wikipedia

Okay, gross.

I have a theory about that character from Doctor Who's Silence in the Library (which I will lj cut; no spoilers or anything just speculation). We were presented with Dr. River Song, who knows the Doctor (an older Doctor than we have know but still in the same body), has a little blue book of adventures they've been on, has a Sonic Screwdriver given to her by the Doctor, and seems to know Donna's horrible fate.

None of which she has yet explained. Is it Saturday yet?

So I figure there might be two other possibilities as to her fate:

1) She dies at the end of the episode and the Doctor goes back in time to "live their life" together in order to maintain the timeline, and those "old eyes" are him knowing it's all going to end before it begins. Then the Doctor goes and picks up Donna a moment after he left her on the floor of the no-longer-dangerous library and they carry on with their lives and the Doctor has lost yet another person.

This would echo the themes in Girl in the Fireplace, in which the Doctor was unable to live a life with a woman he loves because he has to maintain the timeline (all that timey-wimey stuff). And it would be all mofo tragic and all that and wouldn't drag the Rover Song story on forever.

2) The more interesting story would be: River Song lived that life with the Doctor, but River dies and the Doctor cannot go back and live the life with her and the timeline breaks into PIECES and (as the Doctor is fond of explaining as to why he has to keep things in their timey order) the universe begins to explode (for other reasons, let's not blame River Tam Song for that one) and the planets start to blink out and the parallel universes merge into each other and Rose comes back but the Doctor never gets to live that life with River.

After all, as the Ood said to the Doctor on Hath, "Your Song is ending."

In any event, I'm not totally sold on River Song -- I'm usually fine with all characters on all shows, but something about this one is just sort of annoying. I know it's because she's written this way, but I still have to go "dunno." We'll see on Saturday.

I will say this -- I don't think we can expect the River Song story to stretch on past the next episode as she expressly stated that Ten is her Doctor, and they can't be sure that David Tennant will be brought back beyond this season (in any event, they are being uber coy about it.)

I have nothing else to add at this point. How is everyone doing?

ETA: I lie. I've decided to re-watch Babylon 5. Damn, but I loved that show. I don't think I've seen this since it was on the air the first time.

Comments

[millylicious.livejournal.com]

Yeah, just gonna point out that I don't think Girl in the Fireplace was about not being able to live with the woman he loved, to preserve timelines. I don't think he loved her, a bit enthralled by the big historical figure (such a fanboy), but he never showed, on his own, romantic interest towards her (she kissed him, she pulled him on the dancefloor, etc). But that's beside the point. I think, really, the theme of Girl in the Fireplace was about how fleeting human life is for the Doctor. We got that in a very quick dose, she lived her entire life while he only lived a day. It was especially important given the talk between Rose and the Doctor ('Humans decay, you wither and you die, and I can't watch that happen to someone I...') we had the week prior, because being told that is one thing, but being shown that same thing is another.

And if she does end up being a romantic partner, wife, etc (which, I was excited about him having a wife and the possibilities that brought, but I don't know, not sold on her or them being together in the future, they didn't quite connect in this ep, even though they should have given that she, at least, cares a lot for him), then it's just so odd to me that they would hop all over the place in her timeline - his one problem in relationships, romantic or not, with humans is that they decay and wither and die so quickly. Then why cheat himself of so many days he could spend with her by just hopping all over her timeline? It's exactly as happened with Reinette, but he's doing it to himself. Not that he should settle down or anything, but it doesn't make sense to me.

Also, what doesn't make sense is that she would introduce herself to him at the start, before she knows he's from before he met her.

But really, though, she said 'judging from your face, it's early days for you' - so she might have meant he looked younger, but she might have also meant that he met her as Ten, but has since regenerated.

[millylicious.livejournal.com]

I don't think the 'Your song is ending' bit relates to her (though that would have been really interesting - really, I'm a bit sad because I think it was a *great* story idea, but the execution is lacking. Oh well, that's Moffat for you ;)). They used the Doomsday music behind it (and not the Doctor's theme as many thought), so I would think it realted to that somehow.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Good point about the themes - I'd missed that the first time around. I do so love the Doomsday theme, it's like epic

(please pardon the lack of coherence in my words, I've been writing job applications for days and it sucks out my soul :(

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

I must admit I was rather confused by Girl in the Fireplace and was watching that season of Who in a rush, so I probably missed the underlying themes and all that. What I got from that ep is that the Doctor can find people and then lose them again, and that such a thing might happen with River.

This whole ep felt weird to me, and I'm starting to like the idea that she's his biographer (as seen on some of the Who-comms) as opposed to a love interest. But all in all, the character just feels strange.

I hadn't thought about her knowing the Doctor's next incarnations, which would make sense. And keep her around for a while.

I should know better than to try and dissect half of a Moffat 2-parter -- we'll see how next week plays out (hopefully with more Donna)

[millylicious.livejournal.com]

I think half of the fandom was confused with Girl in the Fireplace, for various reason. I just didn't get how the character developments fit in the rest of the season, but the story itself I quite liked.

Having her be something completely unexpected would be a nice twist. I do like the idea of him finding someone, but I just don't...get that vibe between the right now.