The concept of delving into the exact nature of who and what the Doctor is isn’t new. The series did it in the mid-80s under script editor Andrew Cartmel and his infamous “Cartmel masterplan.” And while fans can argue until the Gallifreyeans come home about whether or not Cartmel had an end-game for the questions he and his writing staff raised, it’s nice to know that this time around there will probably be some kind of plan and end-point to the conversation about just “who is the Doctor?”
Namely because we have Steven Moffat in charge. And while I don’t necessarily believe he’s got every little nuance worked out, I still have enough faith in him to have an end point in mind and work toward it.
The sixth series finale of Doctor Who only confirmed that again for me.
Moffat understands that you can give the audience answers, assume they’re intelligent enough to follow a long-term storyline that offers pay-offs along the line and still tickle their curiosity over the course of just under 50-minutes of running time. The fact that he does all that, while telling a pretty compelling story is just further testament that fans are watching an era with as much story telling confidence as we got in the days when Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks or Phillip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes were running the show.
“The Wedding of River Song” felt like the type of sweeping episode that “The End of Time” was trying to be (and pretty much coming up short). Coupled with last week’s “Closing Time,” we get to see the Doctor resignedly accepting his fate that it’s his time to die and then finding a way to cheat it. After far too long of having the Doctor be some kind of intergalactic superhero, so revered that many of those he’s helped during this travels would show up to aid him in his final hour, we see the Doctor find a way to pull back into the shadows a bit. The Doctor sets up his own death to be a game to withdraw from what the legend he’s become and I can’t wait to see where Moffat will take the series next season.
Once again, Moffat almost demands that upon watching this episode that you go back to all of his pivotal episodes and watch them again for clues he put in place there. He also continues his willingness to examine the nature of time travel and its implications. The idea that time stopped because River couldn’t accept killing the Doctor, thus creating two moments in conflict was nicely done. Again, Moffat is able to bring back familiar faces and have them be not only welcome but also pivotal to the story he’s telling (again, unlike every other Russell T. Davies season ender, especially the incredibly self-indulgent “The End of Time”).
And just like we saw last year, Moffat is confident enough in his audience, his show, his cast and his writers to offer enough answers to be satisfying but also to leave some things dangling for next season. And he’s got this fan eager to see where the journey will take us next.
It’s going to be a long hiatus….
I, for one, hope the ultimate question of “who is the Doctor?” never gets answered. That question has been what has driven this franchise for nearly a half a century and to remove that once and for all could spell the end of one of the greatest mysteries since the original question of “who is God?”
I don’t think Moffatt is foolish enough to kill off a franchise that has been here longer than most of its current viewers. What I do think will happen is he will skirt around the fringe of that question from a myriad of different Whovian angles and leave the viewer walking away with even more questions, which is what a great writer always does, and Moffatt is certainly up to the task.
I felt that “The Wedding of River Song” was… OK. I did not get the promise of great things to come, although I see potential. The 6th series as a whole left me pretty flat. The finale did have a bunch of cool bits.
There’s no doubt that Moffat is a skilled writer, and his Hugo wins only bear this out; however, the Moffat written episodes always feel rushed. While his skill at writing is without question, I question is ability to tell an extended story over a 13 episode arc.
It frequently felt like arc elements were tossed into episodes at slow points, because they could fit, rather than being inserted to enhance the present story. So, toward the end of this series run, when we had shows that had essentially no arc elements, I felt like I had gotten my old Doctor Who show back from the clutches of bumblers.
The Wedding of River Song certainly is better than several eps this series, but it is not the best. The question of “Doctor who?” doesn’t even intrigue, but even more is that it doesn’t sound like that’s the actual question that will be asked. I mean, how can that be the first question asked? REALLY? That doesn’t even make sense, but Moffat will try to explain it if it is… I suppose.
I look forward to next series, if only because I enjoy Matt Smith’s performance. I do not relish a Husband & Wife show with River Song, though. I think that may be a mistake, but it appears to be where they’re leading. We’ll see what happens.
This episode didn’t blow me away like The Big Bang did. I agree that the part about River and the Doctor being the cause of the stop in time was nicely done but certain parts seemed out of joint. The biggest disappointment for me personally was the way he escaped his own death…the doctor in a doctor suit?…weak if you ask me…nevertheless I have to give Moffat credit for tying everything together.
I guess it just didn’t shine like the episode the week before…I love Craig…he’s funny and a bright character in the series…seeming him again was like a breath of fresh air. After seeing his fun romp and interaction with the Doctor last week and then comparing it to the companions this week…well all I can say is that they all seemed rather dull…especially Rory (who has become one of my favorites)…he seemed to be reduced to “meh” one liners like “Yes Ma’am” when talking to Amy or “Are you sure?” at the end when asking River about the doctor.
One good moment when he was resisting the attack of the Silence through the eye patch was a subtle reminder of the Rory from the Big Bang(when I finally accepted him as a full fledged Doctor’s companion and not just an interloper like Mickey with Rose). But it really wasn’t enough.
Even River and Amy seemed toned down…the only thing that even sparked a note of humor for me was Amy at the end when she realized she was the Doctor’s mother-in-law. I hope they use that to it’s full advantage…I would fall out laughing if the Doctor started referring to Amy as his Mum.
Just thought I’d add…Interesting that weddings seem to be the focus of Doctor Who Season finales with Matt Smith…first Amy and Rory in The Big Bang…now the Doctor and River in The Wedding of River Song. LOL…who’s next?
The Doctor is he who must not be named. Seriously.
The reason is straight from Rip Hunter from DC Comics. If they know “Who” you are, they can kill you before you were born.
Certainly saw the doctor robot coming as soon as they asked if there was anything they could do to help. Absolutely loved the mother in law line. That was hilarious.
Perhaps this episode will allow Moffat the flexibility to send the Doctor’s travels out away from London for a while? All that available time and space to meddle in, and all the Doctor has seen lately is London now and London then. At least those are my hopes for where Moffat takes Doctor Who.