River has always been positioned as a "big figure" from the Doctor's future, someone with whom he has countless adventures and, of course, "kissy kissy". But we're never actually going to see that, are we?

Firstly, because of actual screen time and the delivery of the episodes. It's natural that when you build something up on screen (in this case their future relationship), it's always going to seem more "epic" when it's simply alluded to, rather than shown on screen. To do on screen justice to everything we've heard about their future so far would involve her being in the Doctor's life for many series to come, and probably as a main companion for a couple of those.

Secondly, because I'm not sure audiences would necessarily respond that well to seeing the Doctor and River doing "kissy kissy" every other episode. Many would argue that's not really what Doctor Who is about, and they'd probably be right.

So what does the future hold for River? At some point Steven Moffat will stand down, and River Song will presumably be put to rest. Assuming this is the case, it seems to me that there's going to be some big time jump in terms of what we're shown on screen. I can't help but think this is probably directly related to the 1,100 year old Doctor we saw in TIA.

Also: River's reaction to Rory in A Good Man strikes me as curious. It's probably been discussed before, but it was very "My father stands before me and I've never seen him before".

Thoughts?

I think the Eleventh Doctor and his successors will have many future adventures with River as his sidekick, but the overwhelming majority will be off-screen.

If they only meet as they currently do - her travelling each time from an increasingly younger age to his increasingly older age - she can be in the show for years either as a regular or just for occasional adventures. As she gets even younger, they can recast without her needing to regenerate - just herself but younger. There's alo the possibility of having her as the main or only companion for a while.

I'm not suggesting these will definitely happen on screen - too many variables including Alex's desire to re-appear - but the openings are there.

Of course, it wouldn't take much to have her turn out to be able to regeneate or even have them remove whatever it is that might be forcing her to only witness these chapters in reverse.

Alex Kingston would presumably not want to do 13 episodes IIRC I read she lives in the USA and has young children.

As said, "too many variables including Alex's desire to re-appear" - however, over the long term, they could have a younger River played by a different actress - same River, just younger.

... Wibbely Wobbly Timey Wimey ... River & the doctor would have no need to synch diaries if they always met in revearse order from one another as one's past would always be the other's future ... as they meet in a random order it's entirely possible for River to regenerate & the doctor to still meet Alex's River whenever she feels like having a go at an episode ... so Alex could guest whilst also being a more full time companion played by a different actress ... (although, probably not actually at the same time!)

I just rewatched this, and noticed it the first time also. When Rory asks if they've met and she replies yes, I was certain she meant that she'd met him as a baby/ child, but never met OUR Rory before. She seemed so happy, like she wanted to hug him, but she couldn't give the game away.

They have met before though, albeit off-screen. In The Big Bang, during the wedding scene when Amy is starting to remember, she asks about the TARDIS diary and Rory says "I dunno, somebody left it here. A woman." I would assume from that line that she must have given the book to him.

The 'old man' line in Day of The Moon doesn't really make sense if she's never met Rory though. The old man could be The Doctor (ie they're married), but Rory makes more sense.

But aren't those Rivers later "versions" - later in her timeline, I mean? I was under the impression the River who refuses to go with Rory in A Good Man was the youngest adult River we've seen?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the term she used was "old fella" implying a spouse based on her age.

Oh yeah. Bloody hell it's confusing.

(I still don't think they'd kill off a companion though, so I don't think River's in jail for that.)

I just re-listened to that scene. First River says "that's why I'm shooting, honey" at 37:09 and then says "My old fella didn't see that did he" at 37:44

... strange ... I assumed she was older (although obviously not as old as in the library) ... guess we don't know, but as she was looking back through her diary I figured it was something she'd already done ... to me it looked like she'd not seen Rory for a while ...

That could be it. It's a little confusing because we're told River and the Doctor always meet "in the wrong order", implying randomness, but so far they've always been shown meeting in an order that suggests they move backwards through each other's timelines - so it's difficult to know what to believe.

... they definitely meet in a random order ... no need for the diaries if that wasn't the case ... so far the only meeting that most probably wasn't backwards for river was Demon's Run ... she's wearing the same clothes from after DotM ... although even then it's not entirely clear as she seems to know she's about to change everything at Demon's Run ... but it's entirely possible that's something she knew she'd have to do for a long while before ... Spoilers work both ways when you're a timetraveller!

... still no idea about the stormcage meeting with Rory ... although it sounds like she's remembering something from long past when she checks her diary ...

The thing is, what about, for example, SITL and her "please tell me you know who I am" thing, as well as her "one day he'll look at me and he won't know who I am" line in.. DOTM was it? And also her "and a last time" comment in response to the Doctor's "there's a first time for everything" re. kissing her.

These are all moments when she got pretty upset at the idea that just because she'd met a Doctor who was particularly young, she'd never meet an older Doctor again. If they're meeting in random order, there's no obvious reason why the Doctor's "first" should be her "last" - but that's exactly what's implied.

But you're right, this contradicts the need for diaries. I think the show is probably inconsistent in this respect, but I'm willing to forgive that & suspend my disbelief because it's amazing TV in any case

The DotM "one day he'll..." was to Rory ... and whether she was talking about Rory or the doctor, it was already something she had experience with given that Amy & Rory had no idea who she was to them ... and as a time traveller, something she'd known was coming, as her first meeting with the doc obviously wasn't his ...

... I'm doubting the kiss in DotM was River's last with the doc ... but she wouldn't know that as it hadn't happened to her yet ... so far as I recall in SitL/FotD she told Donna about the last time she'd seen the doc & a birthday picnic or something ... I'm guessing that hasn't happened yet for the doctor ...

... and if River really wasn't used to meeting an older doc, she'd have been pretty shocked meeting the future doc at the start of TIA and discovering he'd "done jim the fish" etc ...

So far we've only seen River from 6 or 7 times ... and once was her birth (assuming she wasn't flesh the whole time!) ... for the most part the encounters have been backwards, but I think that's partly Moffat wanting to introduce spoilers and given that she died on our first meeting the secod was always going to be earlier in her timeline!

I think I will just wait for the River stuff to be played out this year and maybe next then watch all her episodes in reverse broadcast order. ending with the library. then I suppose will have to watch again watching them in the sequence of birth scene* - baby - child - adult. with some duplication where she is adult and child in the same story.

I am expecting future show runners to rest her. then in about twenty years someone will do a River story as a nod to "classic" fans of the quaint old 2011 series.

* Or maybe start with final scene of TBB to get the prelude to conception in?

I'd like to see their wedding. What a weird and wonderful event that would be!

Am I being a bit thick but I seem to remember when "River Song" first appeared way back with D. Tennant as the Doctor. She told C. Tates character that the Doctor was her father. Which is probably the baby that Amy is about to have?

what!?

FWIW, I thought her reaction was one of awkwardness, as if she didn't know how to react to him. Like, for instance if last time she saw him, he died.

At her own hand...?

How would you react in that situation? Apologise? But you know that spoilers won't change anything. Best to keep quiet, but feel rotten inside. That's what I extrapolated from her reaction.

And I don't think the River who appeared at the end of the episode followed chronologically from the one Rory talked to at the beginning. (But maybe that's obvious...)

Dillows.

Have you actually seen Silence in the Library, Forest of the Dead, Time of Angels, Flesh and Stone, The Pandorica Opens, The Big Bang, Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon. I can only guess you havent seen A Good Man Goes To War. River Song is no way at all related to The Doctor, thank god and the passionate snog that River and 11th shared would be quite horrific if they were related. So no River never told Donna she was The Doctors Daughter.

When I saw the comment above by television2004, I just knew you'd be along to defend River. Haha