River Song Tells the Doctor Her Secret

[@Shreya-to7ec]

River's story is actually wonderful. It was planned seasons before the actual plot happened, which is absolutely amazing.

[@ryobadwolf4587]

agreed

[@mephostopheles3752]

Not only that, but (I could be wrong here) I think it spanned five whole seasons.

[@Shreya-to7ec]

Mephostopheles That's true, even though she only really appeared a lot during Smith's time, she made appearances in Tennant's and Capaldi's run, so, yeah- five seasons.

[@mephostopheles3752]

Just The Hero Oh, nice. I was right.

[@obiwankenobi687]

Rey only certain elements of rivers story not the entire thing. It seems so clever now we know all of it, but think about it from a writers point of view. He drops a couple of seeds in series 4 and then works backwards. Rivers story is just made up season by season, he can add whatever he likes to the timeline, he’s just got to make sure that he includes the stuff he’s mentioned in these two episodes at some point. So clever but not as clever as some people make out. The ‘crash of the Byzantium’, ‘new hair cut and a suit, Doctors name etc’ aren’t all pre planned, they’re just bullet points that the writer knows he’s eventually going to have to write in the future.

[@ceruleanwalker1069]

when she whispers his name and the galiffreyan choir sings, gets me every time

[@velvetpenguin8289]

What's even better is it's part of the Bad Wolf theme too.

[@sharonerigonia2917]

Somehow it looks like he’s age a whole 1,000 years when she calls him by name...

[@Discrimination_is_not_a_right]

It's so weird that after the reveal 10 seems to be channeling 11.

[@eraydilmen9424]

Cerulean Walker what is doctor’s name ?

[@blackace1295]

@@eraydilmen9424 no one knows the doctors name. It has never been spoken in the show and the only people who actually know it within the shows lore are his own people and River Song as far as we know for sure. (might be more from the pre 9th days but I haven't seen all of those sadly enough so I don't know) which is the thing that makes this scene so intense. When its revealed that she knows his name, well, that's a big deal.

[@isaroo13]

What if she said “Look into my eyes” and it’s just Matt Smith in there 😂

[@MaddieM52]

Omg😂👌

[@sezijastpd5428]

Usually i don't like comments with emojies but goddamn you got me spitting my ice cream outta my nose.

[@animelvr99]

@@sezijastpd5428 🥴🥴🥴

[@unbracedpuma5136]

lol

[@bileygr1216]

@@sezijastpd5428 stfu redditor

[@charlesphillips1468]

The funniest moment in the entire story was in the backyard when Amy suddenly realized that she was the Doctor's mother-in-law.

[@cargo71]

Love the faces she does in that scene!

[@DoctorsSong]

And then when she marries King Henry the VIII you realize she's his mother-in-law AGAIN 😂😂😂

[@melisveziroglu3542]

@@DoctorsSong OMG that's true. Since she married King Henry the VIII and his daughter was Elizabeth the 1st and the Doctor Married Elizabeth. Omg I am so shocked yet surprisingly pleased.

[@Kara_Kay_Eschel]

Spoilers.

[@alansmithee419]

@@DoctorsSong She didn't marry Henry VIII, she got engaged by accident.

[@NapalmJustice]

The best part of Doctor Who: you can watch River's saga in any order and it STILL WORKS. Expert storytelling... I can't....

[@JackFroster]

+NapalmJustice No you cant. They still havent shown us how River knows The Doctor's name.

[@Inthatgoodway]

+TheJackFroster the Towers of Derrilium....spoilers ;)

[@JackFroster]

micheal cameron What? I just watched the Christmas special, she gets the screwdriver but she still doesn't know his name.

[@Inthatgoodway]

+TheJackFroster 24 years is a long time.

[@WesJohnson]

+TheJackFroster He told her his name in the episode "The Wedding of River Song" at the end of series 6. He told her as part of their wedding ceremony. He also told her that he was actually a (SPOILERS). This happened three seasons before the most recent Christmas episode.

[@TimothyBrannan]

"Doctor. Are we good?"
Has a completely different meaning once you know what they go through together.

[@OrphanHart]

What did they go through?

[@harrypottersnumbrfan]

@@OrphanHart everything

[@Discrimination_is_not_a_right]

It's the look on his face when he realizes just HOW big a part of his life she's going to be....

[@azureflametarot]

She tried really hard to spare him from feeling like he had no choice- the truth is, with her timeline, and his timeline, when they both meet each other the first time, he doesn’t know her and she’s known him forever, *but the same is true in reverse too,* when she meets him the first time, he has already known her a long time too, her start line is in alignment with his finish line, and his start line is in alignment with her finish line, until with 12 they both overcome the timeline out of synch and finally synch up timelines for that “24 year long” night. They both always had a choice, but there is a level of fate involved too, which is why she tries really hard not to tell him exactly everything while telling him enough to survive their weird timeline situation. Remember, with Doctor 12, she genuinely believes he can’t possibly love her for real, exactly because of this paradox and because she figures she’s too human and he’s too used to outliving his companions and being alone and an entity unto himself in the world as the only remaining natural timelord. And yet he absolutely positively adores her. I don’t think he was forced, and she really took her time letting him warm up to their truth and putting the puzzle pieces together himself. And he tries really hard to make sure she knows she has a choice when the shoe is on the other foot too and the timelines converge in the opposite direction and he’s saving her from judgment after the whole situation with the Silence. On the one hand, she’s done her duty, but on the other hand she’s already a bit infatuated with him from the stories she knows of him, without knowing yet who he’s going to be for her and that this whole arrangement is even possible yet. He’s just as gentle with her as she was with him- and just as firm in not tolerating each other’s BS. I really don’t think he could have had a more perfect partner for himself.

[@azureflametarot]

*and I know she’s a timelord too, but she’s not a “natural” timelord from Galifree, she’s a a bit of an anomaly, and I think on some level because she’s so unique, she understands her specialness but also feels like a bit of a freak in the world and has to be so strong because everything she has in adulthood, parents and her love with the Doctor, she had to grow up without and eventually be turned into a weapon. She figures she’s a freak. Too timelordy for the humans and other life-forms in the world, too human for a “real” timelord like the Doctor, and not something he’d ever consider as more than a temporary situation in his life like all his traveling companions over the years. But he does actually love her deeply… and this genuinely surprises her, that his love wasn’t just humoring her or saving her, but truly loving her.

[@Sunspot9522]

That moment when you look into the Doctor's eyes as he realises just how important she will be to him, and is terrified of that future because of his past and the failures that mare them. People often forget that the doctor had made a family with a yet to be named dear one prior to when he first started his adventures. Father to many, Grandfather to one. All bit his grandchild passed on even before the Time War, which is why he was so bitter and mean at the start of the original series. Those scars were deep, because it wasn't for another eleven incarnation before he could allow himself to love again with Rose Tyler, which too ended in disaster. Now there is this woman from his future who is close enough to know his name, which could only mean the one thing that he fears most: that she will be the love of his life, and he is in danger of losing her too.

[@demonzabrak]

Hi! Quick note: mare is a female horse, mar is the word you wanted.

[@solaris9426]

@@demonzabrak mare is also the name of the dry lakes that mar the moon.

[@Running4Daze]

Dang! Well, when you put it like that…
:)

[@mcbeardthebat8589]

Damn these ninjas cutting onions!

[@melinoess]

this is so eloquently worded 😭

[@chloe289]

Plot twist his name is really Smith John

[@raiseaglass1607]

It would be hard for humans to pronounce it.

[@raiseaglass1607]

***** The Doctor himself said it would be hard to pronounce.

[@Jimbo78]

So... His name is Basil and Mildred?
Basil Mildred... it kinda fits XD
(Basil comes from the episode "the zygon inversion" where the 12th doctor tells Osgood his name, it could be fake but its still good to go with mildred XD)

[@theeorangeofthyorangetree]

Actually, his name is d³∑x²...I am not even kidding...

[@theeorangeofthyorangetree]

***** boingboing.net/2015/11/17/who.html you can google it as well :)

[@josephgoldsborough9138]

The fact that you can have a main(ish) character die in their first appearance and then have a arc that spans 3 doctors? mad respect

[@ms.antithesis]

more if you count expanded media lol

[@ciderfan823]

Which 3? Tennant, Smith, and the old guy? I stopped watching during Smith's run due to the impossible girl story arc combined with episodes that I watched and didn't remember until I went to catch up and rewatched them.

[@aaronleverton4221]

@@ciderfan823 Yes. Spoilers: She meets Tennant, describes their last meeting in great detail and then dies (not a spoiler). She has several adventures with Smith before marrying him while also managing to spend most of the time incarcerated. She meets up with Capaldi to have an adventure that leads directly into the last meeting described in the first meeting.

[@stephg7427]

"-and you're just squabbling like an old married couple!"
Genius.

[@BlackGirlMarvel]

That moment when River says she's sorry and she touches him right where the bow tie will be one day.
ahhh...spoilers.

[@India.H]

Alexa Harrison she kinda had to as she had to reach up and forward to get close enough to whisper in his ear and she probably would've overbalanced in that suit if she hadn't put her hand on his chest 😂

[@BlackGirlMarvel]

Indi Heaton 😂😂😂

[@SelenaMulan]

Alexa Harrison I KNOW right

[@princessthyemis]

omg.... 0_0

[@samuelkohi4415]

She probably whispered Doctor´s REAL name.

[@monkeyman767]

What I love about this is David didn't know what Alex was going to say and she actually whispered "she knows his name". The reaction from David is partly genuine

[@SceneSurgeSnippets]

that's not true. she whispered something completely random in his ear in an attempt to make him laugh but he kept a straight face

[@monkeyman767]

@@SceneSurgeSnippets There's an interview where he confirmed she said that, cant remember exactly which one cause it was ages ago I saw it but I'm sure it's on youtube somewhere

[@SceneSurgeSnippets]

@@monkeyman767 She says in this video that she whispered "Shaniqua" in his ear and that they had to do the take a couple times because of it.
ua-cam.com/video/QIDeOUsULhw/v-deo.html

[@danielueblacker9118]

just found this out today. love it.

[@SceneSurgeSnippets]

@@danielueblacker9118 she whispered "Shaniqua" in his ear, not "she knows his name"

[@titaniaGIGANTE]

This scene is actually CRAZY riveting knowing what we know now.

[@SelenaMulan]

titania GIGANTE I KNOW right! #2 person he would trust!

[@Tiredmum]

River-ting

[@nikitherowboat5892]

RIVERting

[@nikitherowboat5892]

@@Tiredmum mother****** i wanted to say that

[@Tiredmum]

@@nikitherowboat5892 you snooze, you lose

[@pmalchetske]

He knows that, at this point in his life, nobody in the universe knows his real name. She's from his waaaaayy distant future, so it really shocked him to know that somebody did know his REAL NAME.
That's his biggest secret that can't be told.

[@qnicole1679]

True, at this point in her timestream she’d just left 12 when he was far older than here (2,000? 3,000? Or I guess billions of years older if you count the time he spent in that dial). And he’d obvs. already fought in the battle of Trenzalore. So he must know that she was involved in the battle or from after the battle. No wonder he wants to look in her diary.

[@ASS-tb3mq]

I also love how he was furious with himself that his future self told her😂

[@AgglomeratiProduzioni]

Doctor's name is Sweetie.

[@bsteven885]

We WISH! :-P (I thought the "question to NEVER answer" WOULD be his true name.)

[@jamesfan2]

No wonder he used The Doctor onstead😁

[@amberbain3754]

Spoilers lol

[@Plethorality]

Best comment.

[@calebmcpherson7417]

Spoilers

[@Theantininja]

On the brightest days, the doctor would look back on the moments he shared with River as some of the happiest of his very, VERY long life, and would always see her as not only the woman he loved, but the only woman he trusted enough, loved enough, to tell his name.
And on the darkest ones, he'd look back on this moment and question whether he loved her because he wanted to, or because he had to, because of the causality of his personal timeline. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why she apologized. Because by telling him what she told him, she forever robbed him of the ability to be certain about the answer.

[@soundgal_sine_qua_non]

Yes! When River tells Clara that she made the Doctor tell her his name, it was post-death. This moment is what she meant. After this moment, not telling her would create a paradox. She's taken that choice away from him, and she's so so sorry about it. I hold onto the hope that it gave the Doctor the courage to let himself fall for her.

[@galbert117]

River: I'm really, very sorry....
*leans in*
River whispers: spoilers...

[@Discrimination_is_not_a_right]

And for a rare moment, we see the real Doctor.

[@Asocialite__]

Look in to my eye

[@xhemo874x]

''Like and old married couple''
Well.. Spoilers...
p.s. - Just look at River's face when he says that

[@milopup]

It was the very first hint

[@katarinazivkovic1171]

Omg yes

[@patsmusic8011]

My thoughts exactly

[@amblehhh]

wonderofdreams. yesssss.. reminds me of their wedding..

[@cloudyminedude8247]

The only way The Doctor would make that face if someone knew his real name.

[@AsianatorStrikes]

"Like an old married couple" hahahahha

[@magiv4205]

it made me cry when I rewatched the episode after finishing eleven's run.

[@magiv4205]

Haven't gotgen around to it yet. I watch the episodes with my sister and she needs german subtitles, but for some reason they're more than 2 weeks late with uploading them...

[@under_score3829]

"There are five people still alive in this room, focus on that! God, you are hard work young." - River to young Doctor
That line is even more meaningful after watching The Magician's Apprentice
"The chances you'll survive are 1 in 1,000. So you forget the thousand, and focus on the one" - The Doctor to young Davros

[@Imaanyi]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the moment when the Doctor meets his true love. River Song is probably the best female character of the new Who era. Because she's Independent, very clever and she always loved the Doctor, no matter whom of his regenerations she met.

[@chemelilm9513]

Imaanyi what about Rose?

[@Imaanyi]

@@chemelilm9513 I never liked that soppy Doctor/Rose story. She was too much an adjunct of the Doctor.

[@squeerrel-j]

@@chemelilm9513 I really liked Rose, but she wasn't an equal to the Doctor, she was a teenager and his companion. There can't be real partnership beetween people when one depends that much on another

[@chemelilm9513]

@@squeerrel-j there wasn’t real partnership between River and the Doctor either because of River’s life itself. It was way too chaotic and out of place for it to become a real relationship. Rose had a mind of her own and challenged the Doctor while River basically tells him to shut up and does what he wants her to do in the end.

[@TurnerWho]

Martha is the best female Nu Who companion for sure she saved the doctor more than he saved her

[@tcgkyle501]

The music drop always gets me in this scene 😅

[@alexwhite1183]

+TCG Kyle Do you or anyone else know what piece of music is used for the drop. It's amazing.

[@_theryanchap]

+Alex White
It's a remix of the Doctor's Theme from Series 4. I think it's a stand alone peice that was created for that very moment.
If it's not, then someone please correct me. I'd like to hear it in it's raw OST form if there is one.

[@emofoxkitten]

Ryan Alexander Howard I think it was used in left turn too when the doctors hand falls out the sheet when he "dies"

[@Inactive968]

1:27 right?

[@chrisblack6023]

This is a truly memorable scene, and the director apparently got the best out of David
Tennant by NOT telling him what was going on - so he really was baffled,
not acting.
It's revealed at the end of the next episode that River was telling the Doctor his name
- he says there's only ONE time when he could do that.
To me that time when he can tell someone his name must surely be when he is dying
- River says to him "I'm sorry,... I'm really very sorry"
which is something that HE says when speaking to doomed people.!
In "Let's Kill Hitler" , a poisoned , dying Doctor whispers something to a younger River.
That's probably when he told her.
The Doctor is stunned, not merely because River know his name,
but because he suddenly knows that she will be with him when he is dying.

[@stealthlock6634]

Chris Black I thought he told her his name when they got married

[@elliotmydude]

No, in that episode he said 'look into my eye' because he was actually one of those robot things with tiny people inside. That's why she could shoot 'him' at that lake to restore time

[@Blazieth]

Honestly, my bet is that she simply convinced him to tell her at some point during the 24 year night they spent together on Derillium. It would make sense, too - he knows she's going to the Library next, and that she would need to know his name so that she could whisper it into his younger ear.

[@wanderingbufoon]

fun fact: Doctor never told her his name. (At least it was never shown to us) She read it. In the scene when Doctor scolded River why she was being absent, she told him "ooooo! it's your old cot, I haven't seen this in ages!" There's a galifreyan glyph that tells his name and hers . No one knows as all the ones who can read galifreyan are locked in a time bubble. The TARDIS can't translate it as it is its original language as River explains to Amy.

[@Phillguy]

Nope, that's not it at all.

[@Dark_Tale]

Just thought I'd stop by after watching a certain Christmas Special... Damn, who put these onions here?

[@scarthewizard4226]

+ShadowBrony that special left me in so many fandom tears i was happy and sad at the same time XD

[@cerberus144]

+ShadowBrony "Hello Sweetie" Damnit, Moffat!

[@AC8X]

It's insane how possibly the saddest episode/moment of the whole show went completely over our heads until we knew who River really is

[@willrogers5315]

ShadowBrony me too!

[@mkg2124]

Omg I know which one you're talking about 😭😭😭😭😭 imma cry!

[@Juliett-A]

This is even sadder after watching The Husbands of River Song.

[@zvimur]

What I didn't like about Husbands is the 24(?) years long night. There would be no way for River not to realize that next encounter with the Doctor would be fatal.

[@caleb7551]

@@zvimur why not?

[@zvimur]

@@caleb7551 because, after a 24 years night, River would surely know In Advance the next time she meets the Doctor would be the last.

[@caleb7551]

@@zvimur That's the opposite of what you originally said

[@caleb7551]

@@zvimur Nevermind I'm an idiot and read your reply wrong. I think she did know

[@goddamn2760]

Holy fuck, i just watched the Christmas special, I feel like a time traveler now

[@silverdragon7385]

"I didn't pluck it from your cold dead hands, if that's what you're worrying about."
"And I know this, because?"
Imagine hearing this from the one you love

[@AWinterLullaby]

To be fair, she did kill him at some point

[@billskinner7670]

@@AWinterLullaby but she didnt take his sonic screwdriver!

[@annaspelman8432]

it always amazed me how good an actor david is that when she dies for him he was able to show how important she was without knowing her story line. same goes for alex as river. at this point neither one of them knew how important to river really was but they both gave a good performance.

[@ahamilton3435]

10 years ago I still remember seeing this episode for the first time, I was 10. I remember it because it was fucking iconic. The hints on Donna's future, the amazingly creepy vashtanarada, River - who I knew then would be iconic and then the fact that at the end the doctor revealed she knew his name. Honestly one of the best dual episodes of Doctor Who. Just amazing.

[@Anosaan]

I absolutely LOVE that scene! Only River can make the Doctor speechless!

[@TheRealRehman]

this name is "Wearing A Wig" watch the time of the doctor episode. he clearly says while in the truth field;
"hello, i am Wearing A Wig"

[@yapolar]

maybe its Wearingawig lmao

[@SorchaSublime]

Thats not his name ... oh this is joke. right.

[@quinnmartensbobbitt3704]

In just one moment, one simple second of time...the Doctor's entire lifetime is shaken. Centuries of repression and self-loathing, centuries of lonely existence as the only Time Lord left in all of time and space...all just broken. River Song didn't just reveal his name, she revealed that she will become the most important woman in his future, the one woman who he never forgets, never fears for. She is truly the Doctor's wife, because only a woman of such import could ever know his true name and understand all the suffering that came with it...

[@aaroncoffman88]

The acting in this scene is exceptional. That stunned speechless look on the Doctor's face after River whispers his name to him is absolutely priceless and perfect. Wow

[@agentother1476]

1:27 that moment when she tells him his name sent chills down my spine the hairs in the back of my neck were standing up

[@airsoft1238]

Honestly pretty crazy that Tennant only got one episode (or two parter) with River but in my opinion did the best job playing off of the character and the chills he gets when River tells him his name... I love Tennant so much.

[@Running4Daze]

Alex was great and so was David. The River character was amazing, she was only one at that point that sliced through all his bravado and saw who the doctor really was. he was metaphorically naked in front of her and u could see the discomfort on his face of being so vulnerable to someone he had only met.
He knew nothing of her but she knew all about him, and she loved him immensely even though he didn’t know how important she was at first.
What a wonderful character and story arch

[@Zilkenian_Davenport]

I think this is the moment in which he realizes two things:
1 - "I gave my name to someone else"
2 - "This person in front of me is a TimeLord"

[@captaincloven3745]

Technically River isn’t a Timelord, just a child of the TARDIS, so she has some of the time vortex in her, which is why she can regenerate

[@Zilkenian_Davenport]

@@captaincloven3745 Technicalities. TimeTARDIS then.

[@EmptySoulEm]

I was about to comment about her being a time lady then I realised that they can be both genders. So why are they called time lords and not time people or something, well I guess it doesn't have as much as a ring too it and the show was made in the 50s- idk sorry for the wibbly wobbly brainy wainy stuff that just randomly popped in my head

[@3adgamd3r]

I think the reason she apologises is because she knows that he hates his real name because he’s ashamed of what he did, and his name brings so much pain to him as a reminder of the war he fought and survived that he considers that side of him to almost be somebody else

[@JakkFrost1]

Good theory, but in telling him that she knows his name, she revealed something that's going to happen in his future, since there's only one reason he _could,_ let alone would tell her his real name. Knowing one's own future like that is a bad thing to him, because that kind of foreknowledge could cause you to screw up that future. Think of it like your dad as a young man _knowing_ he would marry your mom in the future. He could screw it up by assuming he didn't have to try too hard to court her - "Why bother buying her flowers and chocolates when I know she's going to marry me anyways?" - and instead wind up pushing her away and never marrying her at all.

[@rogerlynch5279]

Practically the same as with the taken on names of the soldiers in the French Foreigh Legion in the old days.

[@michaelheath2866]

@@JakkFrost1 It's even worse than that. Consider that most marriages fail. So if people knew ahead of time for sure their marriage would fail they wouldn't do it. But if people did that, there'd be a lot less Marriages (maybe a good thing) and a lot fewer people existing that would have existed. The best most of us can do is going in knowing it can and often does fail, hoping that at least we get something great out of it. I guess some good years and kids are the main benefits. Wouldn't be much point in such a risky venture otherwise.

[@mizjohs]

@@michaelheath2866 The kids and many, many good years are great benefits. We recently celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary, and I'd marry the same guy again, without a doubt!

[@alecbormia4523]

@@JakkFrost1 I actually think a better answer would be to look at Avengers: Endgame. Just in case you haven't seen that spoilers for it.
When Tony Stark asks Doctor Strange if that is the one future they win in, Strange can't tell Tony how they win. Imagine he did tell Tony that "yes this is but only because you sacrifice your life to save everybody." If Tony was told in that moment he would repel against the future refusing to believe so that when the time actually came where he had to take the stones to prevent thanos from getting them he would hesitate and thus the universe would be destroyed. That's why it's in only in that moment where Tony was already thinking about doing it that Strange can reveal to him that it must be done because Tony already in his head is thinking that this is the thing he has to do.

[@RobberStormfire]

I remember when I watched this as it aired that I thought this would totally mess up all continuity and would just be something that happened "off screen". I love that they actually made episodes to fit everything together. That's committment. This aired in 2008 and we finally see their last night together 8 years after.

[@bluejaybarnes1907]

That fixed, blurred look just pummels me right in the feels. Right after she whispers in his ear.

[@LuggyBro]

"like an old married couple" ha ha..... if only he knew

[@hanshinlee4937]

the whole River Song stuff is so good
frick...with Smith and Capaldi, they progressed this story so well

[@Trenegeut87]

"Your name is Doctor John Basil Disco..." I am wondering what would happen if the Doctor have given her the sonic glasses - who would be more freaked out, the Doctor or the audience?

[@danielueblacker9118]

The glasses were a mistake as were most of Peter's scripts...... Writers let Peter down...

[@han5234]

@@danielueblacker9118 Nah

[@admiralepic1357]

Don't look at his browser history

[@lorrainevanderwalt4957]

the

[@millievariants]

@Lorraine van der Walt Agreed.

[@realafan888]

Just IMAGINE the feelings that are going through the Doctor's head. A man who's spend over 900 years travelling, losing one companion after another, having his "name" The Doctor go down in legend after legend. Then he comes to the library on what seems to be a typical summoning through his psychic paper and what does he find? A woman he's never seen before who says the word he can only tell the person he chooses as his bride and love. Knowing that in his future, he's not alone..

[@Craig-gq4gb]

realafan888 the Doctor only tells the person he loves his name when he’s dying, hence why 10 says ‘theres only one time that i could’ in this epsiode

[@SchultzDorinda]

@@Craig-gq4gb which leads to when he died in Let's Kill Hitler

[@pandakatiefominz]

River is his second wife

[@JustAGameShow]

@@pandakatiefominz Not strictly true, its his third, he had a grand-daughter when it first aired so would suggest he was married before he left Gallifrey.

[@azureflametarot]

@@JustAGameShowI’d say 2nd, that marriage before River wasn’t really a proper marriage that was… ehn. I think even the character of the Doctor knew that was a plot device as much as the actors did 😂 River was his only true wife after Galifrey

[@MikaelaBlake]

My favorite double episode! I love River because no one else made the Doctor speechless. She left him floored and I've never seen anyone else do that to him.

[@Triss_Joy]

Watch the masterful subtlety of David’s face when she whispers. The reaction is almost impossible to catch but it’s there and so much more perfect than some big emotional reaction...❤️❤️ #goals

[@mreboric2215]

Back when the show could string together a coherent emotional storyline that is years in the making. Not so much anymore.

[@joshskier]

Hey, I just want you to know, I gay.

[@amazingemrys2939]

@@joshskier I don't get it what we're u trying to accomplish no seriously I'm autistic I have no idea what this is I'm socially impaired I'm also directionally challenged I don't know which way gay is I'm so screwed

[@joshskier]

@@amazingemrys2939 I honestly have no idea. Don't read too much into it.

[@marsmurderer9868]

@@amazingemrys2939 What?

[@realafan888]

I freaking adore this scene, its one of my favorite in the entire franchise and easily the best of series 4. If there's one thing that defines the Doctor, its the fact that he's always felt a crushing lonliness while sailing the universe, which is why he tries to have companions. The only constant companion he's ever had is the TARDIS matrix, but she can't talk to him, so to have this woman appear in his life and speak his name, one of the greatest secrets of the universe, shook him to the core.

[@angiejohansen3490]

Um. The first episode of this two-parter is called SILENCE in the library.... I am slow.

[@MaddieM52]

Oh my gosh! Why am I realizing this now😂 Yeah I'm also slow...

[@AkbarKamallGames]

I dont get it

[@wieran35000vr]

@@AkbarKamallGames Referring to the Silence, a major enemy during the River/11th saga

[@NormalJenniferG]

And the first time we meet her, she's wearing an astronaut's suit and helmet.

[@monty2214]

He's probably thinking, I thought I'd marry Rose not River.

[@xaviar9]

Lucky him. He upgraded.

[@empath69]

Well, in a way, he did; remember?

[@Ryutsukiffe]

@@empath69 Yes, he did.
Not like Donna.

[@CMOT101]

He got a lucky escape from that awful fate.

[@tahys5321]

@@empath69 Maybie Rose know his name now don't you think ?

[@samk1146]

who else laughed when he said they were an old married couple

[@MiMiTheMemer]

WAIT.... WHY DID I LIKE THIS COMMENT AGAIN?!?!? And why is your profile pic just a blue background? HOLD ON A MINUTE.... WHY AM I LEAVING A REPLY?!?!? SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG HERE.... 😨

[@MiMiTheMemer]

@R O Lol, thanks. Not sure what I'm thanking you for though....
😂🤔

[@arcadius3257]

Dude the music, the sound when she whispers his name into his ear and that expression on his face.
No matter how many times I watch this it gives me chills every single time.

[@Inthatgoodway]

lol its true though 12th would focus on those alive over the ones he lost.

[@MHScrat]

pfft, no he wouldn't xD 12 would go crazy mad and go on a revenge streak. He'd probably go and rant at the vashta narada and scare them into giving Donna back... or whoever took her.

[@Rednova08]

Man you can understand the importance of what she whispered even before it was revealed solely by the expression of pure astonishment on the doctor's face. David Tennant is such a phenomenal actor.

[@xoxoJuicyCoutureoxox]

I just love re-watching these interactions with hindsight as they make these moments even more precious!

[@16Ezalb]

To be fair, The Doctor never actually gave River his screwdriver, because the one he gave her, isn't his one. His one is the new elongated blue one that he got at the end of Hell Bent.

[@Jimbo78]

It was in fact a screwdriver he made in the TARDIS for that specific purpose, the sonic your talking about is the one he chose for himself.
The TARDIS can create anything for the Doctor if needs be.

[@jonathancollins1075]

Because he hasn't met her yet but in rivers timeline 10th doctor is the last doctor she sees

[@briangallacher6475]

might not be, he saved her to the tardis and in the episode where the great intellect goes back to distroy his life and change timeline near end of episode it stated she was linked to clara so why was she still there. that means they would see one another in the doctors future however.
i know what you will be thinking that means they meet again but the latest episode HUSBANDS OF RIVER SONG however this is technically her past and still the doctors future and shouldnt be able to influence the doctors past ( as in destroying of his past ) which means the doctor managed to find away to bring her back to life.

[@Frontdesk_tragedy]

Brian Gallacher it is Capaldi and the singing mountains, then to the library, then her downloaded consciousness in the library is communicating through a psychic link with Clara as the tether. so 10 was the last doctor she saw alive but 11 was the last one her consciousness saw

[@avaberryman182]

"An old married cupule." That hurt so much. So much of this episode just hurts.

[@joimumu]

And it took years until it hurts and that’s why it was so epic

[@that_green_neko]

Fun fact: She whispered "shaniqua" into his ear in another take, and that made David die of laughter.

[@Anosaan]

Now think I'm just going to watch that episode again!

[@dldavi]

I’m 41 years old and I still want to be River Song when I grow up.

[@IvanTheGhostboy]

1:00 Look at the way the Doctor looks at her, realizing what she is

[@andrewread2124]

That's the screwdriver peter capaldi gives her on their last episode together

[@viridismonasteriense]

I just love how he's lost his voice...terrific acting...

[@alphamineron]

What she really whispered in his ears was: "Don't forget to subscribe to the official Doctor Who youtube channel"
That's why he was mortified.

[@willlexie]

“Like an old married couple.”
Just “a night” in Dellirium ;)

[@0megacron]

It boggles my mind that for so long, I was SURE that "her" Doctor was the Matt Smith version. When they actually got married, I congratulated myself for knowing that, and then...
SPOILERS...
it turned out that the Doctor she knew from her past, the one she was married to for all those years, was the Capaldi version.

[@AnthonyTyger]

River: "How long... is a night on Darillium?"
Doctor (Capaldi): "Twenty-four years."
River: "I hate you."
Doctor (Capaldi): "No, you don't."

[@phoenyck]

Genuinely think David's reaction to when River tells the Doctor his name is the best acting he did in the role. He hits an emotion he never shows anywhere else in his performance. He had that range locked in there and didn't use till it was relevant. That's amazing imo.

[@afropunkx]

The river song arc is one of the best things to hit TV screens. I envy anyone yet to see it, and I pity anyone who never gave doctor who a chance.

[@blackyoshi1230]

Let's see how Steven Moffat touches this concept again.
He's doing a series adaptation for _The Time Traveler's Wife._ (He's admitted it's one of his favorite novels.)

[@danielueblacker9118]

1.River 2. Captain Jack 3. Wilfred

[@riddler5882000]

No, River Song tells the doctor HIS secret

[@LoganBlanchard]

UGH THIS GIVES ME CHILLS EVERY FUCKING TIME BECAUSE HE'S UTTERLY FUCKING TERRIFIED THAT SHE KNOWS HIS NAME AND HE HAS NO IDEA WHO SHE IS BUT SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM INCLUDING THE ONE THING THAT NOBODY ELSE KNOWS. THE ANSWER TO THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION EVER. "DOCTOR WHO?"

[@thatsmadcrazy8953]

Stfu you corny inbred

[@Lynden_Waringe]

The foreshadowing, "like an old married couple!"😭💔💔💔 Cinematic trauma overload! I don't think the new Doctors are gonna have a greater story arc and character of the calibre of River ever!

[@Three-Headed-Monkey]

Amazing that they planned things out so well. Or at least made it seem like they did! Also just the poetry of it. The first time he meets her is the last time she sees hims.

[@jcksparrowfan]

She probably just whispered something kinky in his ear. You know it!

[@lencekk]

She told him his real name, which he tells to no one.

[@jcksparrowfan]

I know. I was joking...

[@melliepup]

Claire Dé Lune think I remember seeing an interveiw or panel where Alex said she kept whispering things in Davids ear
and making him laugh.

[@lets.get.intoit.]

Can I ask why she apologises for that?

[@soufflegirl1739]

Lindsay September presumably just because from the doctor's perspective she's just some random who knows one of his deepest kept secrets (like, no one knows the doctor's real name) which would understandably be a shock. Also the doctor once said that there was 'only one way' he could tell someone his name so there are some fan theories as to what that situation is- like some people think he has to be on his deathbed or something- which would change the context of someone knowing his name.

[@StillJustDreaming]

His face at 1:03 - like he's just started to figure out a bit who she's going to be to him. And then River apologizing to him - I think she must have realized at that moment that besides shocking him she was actually forcing his hand and making him reveal his name to her someday.

[@mikem4748]

Look at how expressive Tennant is. He conveys an entirety of sentences without saying a word. Dang I miss him.

[@kyoya6181]

He's back for a couple specials

[@katyperyyily]

thats his nick name. HIS NAME IS 42

[@KingEhrys98]

"The Answer To Life, The Universe And Everything" I mean, it fits.

[@Ugnutz]

interesting fact for you in ASCII code 42 is an asterix so the writer of the hitchers guide was trying to say that the answer to the meaning of life was what ever you wanted it to be

[@faerie5926]

@@Ugnutz lol so for us the answer to life, the universe, and everything is doctor who

[@ChiKeytatiOon]

I wasn't to big a fan of the Moffat era but dammit he did hype up River in this episode and she didn't disappoint.

[@danielueblacker9118]

God what about Chinballs than....

[@thesouthernwoodsmanuk216]

she is such a great actress

[@claire7256]

"Dear God, you're hard work young" my favorite line in the episode

[@Anosaan]

Sadly, we'll never know the Doctor's name... maybe even the first creators never bothered to find him one so he has no name.

[@sofiaforet]

Watch it be revealed by like the 100th anniversary that it's like Bibbity Bobster Big Bald Mobster or some such ridiculous thing.

[@caileanm2009]

sad or maybe its just one of those questions that dont really need an answer, hes the doctor , isnt that good enough?

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Doctor Who's real name is Mildred, claims Steven Moffat. The real name of the Doctor in Doctor Who has been revealed as Mildred. Showrunner Steven Moffat made the claim in a jokey response to a fan's query in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine.
SO yeah one of those that don't need answering

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Also in Tom Baker's The Armageddon Factor it is revealed that at the Academy on Gallifrey he went by Theta Sigma

[@Chibihugs]

@@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena That was his school nickname and of you look carefully when the Doctor takes Amy to the oldest cliffs in the universe made of diamond and finds a message from River , it starts with the Greek letters Theta Sigma, so she knew his school nickname.

[@SaRah-21532]

I miss David Tennant as the Doctor! He was incredible! I still absolutely love Doctor Who but it's not the same, it feels like there's something missing.

[@zechariahmckenzie7557]

Oooo the whisper as the music swells... Goosebumps every time.

[@cramerfloro5936]

I love how the Doctor is so taken aback by what River says, that he has to muster up his voice first, before responding

[@jakewarren2369]

she told him his name and no one knows that but him :D

[@danielhindson1840]

Amy pond gave birth to melody pond and she was influenced by the time vortex due to Amy travelling in the tardis. She regenerates and grows up in the same school as amy and rory then regenerates into river song and gives up her regenerations to save the doctor and that's how she dies in the libary

[@TheTrit0n]

or so we think, her soul was downloaded into CAL at the library, her spirit didn't die, in fact she appeared later during 'The name of the Doctor.' smiling when she mention she has a connection with Clara.

[@VGHistory1]

Da Triton ...which is explained earlier in the episode when they're all around the table stating they're all mentally linked. The only two people who didn't sever the connection was River Song and Clara. That's the connection, there's nothing secret about it.

[@geraltdelautreriv]

the gift from "husband of river song" !! amazing

[@augustcanyon3438]

The music and their acting when she tells him his name gives the chills.

[@ApocryphalDude]

He looks so old when she say it.

[@mephostopheles3752]

A question for everyone. So after The Husbands of River Song, do you think she considers Eleven or Twelve to be "her Doctor?" We see a lot more of her time with Eleven, but she spends over two decades on Darillium with Twelve, so...

[@ZergioG]

same man diferent body, remenber she said he walked on her in a new suit, with a new haircut (regeneration), she was refering 12.

[@waz207]

Mephostopheles I think she refers to "her Doctor" as any that know of the adventures they had together...so 11 & 12 at this point. Her Doctor is the man that married/ is married to her...and it's clear by the reactions the 12th Doctor does indeed consider himself her husband...or at least, one of them :)

[@mephostopheles3752]

Wayne Sasuta Yes, but what I mean is, do you think when River thinks "the Doctor" she thinks of the young man with Matt Smith's face or the old man with Peter Capaldi's? Of course they're all the same man, but I imagine when Rose pictures the Doctor, it's not Chris Eccleston's face she sees. Know what I mean?

[@waz207]

Mephostopheles I have two answers to the question. The first and more "Doctor Who Sciency" is that since she is part Time-Lord (or at least, human with Time-Lord DNA), I would assume she, like all other Time-Lords, can see the "true" Time-Lord underneath, regardless of regeneration. But if I recall, they have to know they are a Time-Lord for this to work, hence the realization flooding over Rivers face after that monologue about loving the Doctor being like wanting a sunset to love you back...
The second and more straight-forward answer, the 11th was "her Doctor", but since he died of old age and this, in his own words "clerical error" is now "her Doctor" but older...so long story short...11 was her Doctor, until he died and 12 took his place...
and you also have to remember, while they only spent 1 night together, that night was 24 years long...so perhaps 12 became "hers" over time

[@misssjustice3791]

She talks about everything we saw in The Husbands...... I think 12 is her doctor.

[@ronsterm7076]

Awesome, magnetic actors in iconic roles...dense plotting that would do the MCU proud...this show was SO much more than just some silly Sci Fi series.

[@romyr6846]

This scene was perfect! because you were like what did she whisper! omg! SHE KNOWS HIS NAME!!!HOW!!! WHO IS SHE!!! AND THEN A COUPLE OF SEASONS AFTER AND YOU FOUND OUT RIVER'S IDENTITY AND HOW SHE CAME TO BE AND HOW EVERYTHING UNFOLDS.... AND THEN U WATCH THIS EPISODE AGAIN..AND MEN IT JUST HITS YOU DIFFERENTLY!!!! ::MANY FEEEEELS:: ::SOBBING:: YOU'RE JUST A MESS!!! :GETTING ICE CREAM::

[@riversong6627]

Donna must come back. She is top of the line as a companion but got the worse deal when it came to her separation from the Doctor. She treated the Doctor as a friend with no ridiculous love drama or crazy fever.
The fourth season with Donna was heavily burdened with return of Rose, Martha, Jackie, Mickey and the exit of the 10th. I always hoped Donna might come back to educate either Amy or Clara and Donna's temperament with the 11th.
Donna Noble please come back for one whole season.

[@waz207]

**Spoilers for Series 5-6 ahead, in case people haven't watched it yet) I.E. 11th Doctor)
River whispered his name to him, and there are many wondering when he actually told her. In "The Wedding of River Song" he whispered something to her and said it was his name, but it was instead to give her a different message. Now, unless it happened outside of the TV show, there are only two times I could see it happen.
First is that same episode, when she looks in the Teselecta's eye and sees the real Doctor, but that would require lip reading and a lot of focus, so my bet is on the episode "Let's Kill Hitler", when the poisoned Doctor with his last moments whispers something to Melody Pond as a message to give to River (remember she doesn't know she is River at this point). She replied with, "Well I'm sure she already knows that". Couple that with the 10th Doctor telling River that there was only one way he could possibly tell someone his name, and I believe that is when she learned it.
If there is a book or comic out there that counters that thought, please let me know as I would like to read it.
Any other thoughts?

[@kevinw712]

This has always seemed completely clear to me (your 2nd paragraph, that is). I mean even back taking the SITL episode as it originally was, and only just newly meeting River, when the Doctor says "there's only one time I would tell you my name, only one time I ever could", and granted this is helped by David Tennant's impeccable acting in the moment, his obvious implication is that he could only ever say it right before his death.
And then, as you bring up, in LKH, he genuinely believes he's about to die (ironically due to Melody/River's assassination attempt). And of course knowing that a future River will have the information to then give back to him, he tells the newly regenerated River his real name as he's lying there on the ground.
It's like their own personal, veeeeerrrrrrry drawn out game of "password" :)

[@waz207]

Kevin W Well, The Doctor did always seem to enjoy playing the long game (in some incarnations more than others).
However, I have read on some websites that the "only time he could" tell someone his name is if they became married, and Tennant acting in such a way regarding that statement was due to
A) Believing River Song is nothing more than an extraordinary human (I don't believe the revelation that she was essentially a hybrid was stated to him)
B) The idea of marriage in general is foreign to him, as he was in the midst of grieving for Rose still (though at the tail end of that), as well as believing he was the last of his kind.
Personally I've always believed in my theory, I'm just glad I'm not the only one who can see the possibility as I do. The Doctor's true name is one of those "loose ends" that I feel should never be cleaned up, or at least, should the day come that Doctor Who is permanently cancelled, perhaps reveal it in the show finale...

[@kevinw712]

Wayne Sasuta+ yea I'm in total agreement with you there on that last point. And mind you, I don't try to be coy about it I'm only a NuWhovian. I was very generally aware of what Doctor Who was when I was younger, but even as I got more and more into British culture and television in my 30s, the original run had no interest for me for how schlocky and cheesy it seemed. And frankly I still more or less feel that way, I've since watched single episodes here and there (particularly The 3 Doctors) but have no intention on trying to properly catch up all the way some day. Anyway, yea the WORST thing you could try to do in this show is sincerely answer that question at this point, because if for no other reason, there's literally NO possible answer that wouldn't seem underwhelming in any number of ways. It's simply not needed to tell the story.

[@kimberlypence2615]

Wayne Sasuta There's also the knowledge that Gallifreyians and probably River are touch telepaths. So it's still possible he could have told her when they got married just not out loud.

[@rosePetrichor]

The look on his face says so much. So much.

[@yubelsthirdeye]

I will never get tired of watching this clip because the fucking. You can see the exact MOMENT the Doctor completely shuts down and reboots like a goddamn computer and sure the first time I saw this I cried but now I can't stop laughing Jesus christ

[@RyanPVP23]

....Trenzalore

[@timrob12]

I think it would be great to have 11 and 10 meeting each other in the 50th anniversary special and 10 asking 11 about River and then 11 comes up with the "spoiler" stuff! What do you guys think?!

[@AimeeRose1997]

The Look On The Doctor's Face When River Tells Him Is Name Was PERFECT!

[@xexew]

one another wonderful thing in this is that whatever the doctor looks like she 'is still in love with him ,it's not the appearance that counts , it's the soul

[@everydayPianoPractice]

I think we ought to recall the first rule, the Doctor lies. River Song is both a professor, a fellow time-traveller, and a Doctor; she also lies. I believe she said to him, "look into my eye," and that she doesn't actually die in this episode as we all believed. She has dug into the Doctor's own bag of tricks (from his future, her past) and pulled a zinger on all of us. Hiding inside the same alien robot that the Doctor used to fake his own "death." Stay sharp for the return of Dr. River Song.

[@aimeejenesse116]

oh, we can only hope

[@obiwankenobi687]

Tommie N. Carter, Jr. but look into my eye would make no sense in this context. He doesn’t know at this point that rivers going to sacrifice herself to save him as he hasn’t even thought of the plan to save everyone yet that involved plugging himself into the computer, he’s also got no knowledge of the Teselecta and so he’d have no clue why there’s a tiny person in somebody’s eye. It’d be a look of confusion rather than one of shock and emotion like in this scene. Sorry Pal, rivers dead. Her human version anyway, we all know she’s still alive somewhere in a computer. I don’t get why people say she’s dead, this is Moffatt he doesn’t have it in him to kill people, hence why River is very much still alive inside the computer. Moffatts never been able to kill off one of his characters successfully