Doctor Who Season 13 Needs To Bring Back River Song (Because Of Whittaker)

While River Song’s exit in the Doctor Who 2015 Christmas special perfectly closed her arc, it would be a missed opportunity for her not to make an appearance in Doctor Who Season 13. Other than Christopher Eccleston, Jodie Whittaker is the only Doctor of the modern era who has never interacted with River. Not only would it be interesting to see how the show navigates the Doctor’s change in gender, but River’s presence would infuse some much-needed energy into Chris Chibnall’s new take on Doctor Who.

Doctor Who fans last saw River Song in “The Husbands of River Song,” an episode which ends with the Doctor and River spending one last night together. Luckily, the Doctor takes River to the Singing Towers of Darillium, where one night is equal to 24 years. In doing so, the Doctor fulfills River’s prophecy from all the way back in “The Forest of the Dead,” even gifting her a sonic screwdriver. The episode is a perfect, bittersweet end to River’s story, finally closing a seven-year arc. While it wouldn’t make sense to alter the end of this beautiful arc and bring back a post-Darillium River, the 13th Doctor could meet an earlier version of River Song.

Since River Song’s romantic relationship with the Doctor only ever took place when the Doctor was a man, watching her meet the first female Doctor would be entertaining, to say the least. The Doctor Who writers could take their relationship in many different directions, leading to an episode that would be hilarious, dramatic, poignant, or some combination of the three. Having the 13th Doctor and River continue their romantic relationship would also be a bold, progressive move for Doctor Who, just as it was bold to introduce the first female Doctor. But regardless of gender, it would simply be interesting to see the chemistry between River and Jodie Whittaker’s version of the Doctor. While previous incarnations of the Doctor always seemed to be 10 steps ahead of everyone else onscreen, the 13th Doctor’s slower, more human approach might have her struggling to catch up with River’s ingenuity and quick thinking. On the other hand, the majority of River’s run was alongside Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor, an incarnation to whom the 13th Doctor is often compared; this might mean that the Doctor and River’s chemistry would hardly change at all and feel familiar to audiences.

If the Doctor Who team were to reintroduce River Song in Doctor Who Season 13, they might choose to not even focus on the Doctor and River’s romantic relationship at all. Instead, River’s presence alone might bring back the energy that recent seasons of Doctor Who have been lacking. River Song elevated almost every single episode she was in, with hardly a dull moment of screen time. While her backstory was confusing, it turned seasons 5 and 6 into total masterpieces. One of the biggest issues of Doctor Who seasons 11 and 12, on the other hand, are its dull, underdeveloped characters and story arcs. Bringing River into these seasons can’t fix the writing issues, but it would surely breathe life into storylines that now suffer from a lack of energy.

River’s reintroduction could be an opportunity for Doctor Who to clarify the plot hole that the Timeless Child creates in terms of how River developed the ability to regenerate. In terms of the Doctor coming to terms with her new identity, River Song could also offer some wisdom about the Timeless Child. River was always a character who seemed to know the Doctor even better than he knew himself, so it would make sense for the Doctor to turn to her when in need of guidance. Doctor Who season 13 is likely to focus on this huge change in lore, so why not bring in the Doctor’s wife as a source of support?