The River Wild: The Return of the Doctor’s Wife

Written by Erin Maxwell

Earlier in the week, Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat made the announcement that fan favorite Professor River Song (Alex Kingston) will be returning to the series for the annual Christmas special titled “The Husbands of River Song.” The event marks the first time the Gallifreyan’s former flame has faced off with the new face of the Doctor, Peter Capaldi.

“It’s River Song back in action and at her best, her funniest and most outrageous” said Moffett. “The most fun thing about the Christmas special is that she doesn’t know it’s him.”

Let’s not forget: River was married to who she believed was the final Doctor. According to Who mythos, a Time Lord can only regenerate twelve times, so counting all the Doc’s (including John Hurt’s War Doctor), that makes for twelve. It’s easy to understand why River would be acting the merry widow.

Hello, sweetie.

“This is the unlicensed regeneration. He’s gone past his allotted number,” continues Moffat. “He doesn’t know that the Peter Capaldi Doctor is her husband, is that man. And it takes her a long time to realize who it is.”

“So, the Doctor is faced with the most dreadful thing: To see what River Song is like when she is not there.”

Last time we saw the Ms. Song, it was a bittersweet goodbye during one of the final Matt Smith episodes, “The Name of the Doctor.” Appearing in her non-physical form as a conscience trapped in a computer at the Library, River and the Doctor share a moment of closure with a final kiss before she faded away back into the Library database.

Given that Song herself is a bit of time traveler, fans have always known that any final moment with River is never a true final moment. It was only a matter of time before the Doctor found himself face to face with his wife. But still, River not knowing the Doctor or having the upper hand in the situation is slightly new territory. Should make for great viewing.

In addition to the return of Song, it was also announced that Lord of the Rings helmer Peter Jackson would take a seat in the director’s chair in an upcoming episode.