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CAST

Regular Cast

Matt Smith (The Doctor), Alex Kingston (River Song)

CREW

sypnosis

The Doctor’s first date with River has gotten more than a little complicated. With three versions of her in the TARDIS, it takes two of him to sort matters. The Doctor’s first date with River has gotten more than a little complicated. With three versions of her in the TARDIS, it takes two of him to sort matters.

plot

The Doctor lays an unmoving River Song on the floor of the TARDIS, terrified she is dead. He prepares to give her mouth-to-mouth, but realises she is only holding her breath with her eyes closed. She gets up to flirt with him.

She has escaped from Stormcage and asked some Sontarans if they were out on a hen’s night, only for them to chase her halfway across the galaxy. As he chastises her, she notices the gold dress he has chosen for her for their visit to Caldoron Beta hanging near the console. She demands to know whom he has brought and storms up the stairs to find the hussy. A second later, the earlier River returns from the TARDIS wardrobe, demanding to know to whom he is talking. When he denies talking to anyone, she resumes her hunt.

A third River enters the TARDIS, actually wearing the gold dress. This River was expecting to meet The Doctor here, but on seeing the dress hung by the console, asks why he has bought another. The Doctor asks her to step outside to check if the light on top of the TARDIS is working. She does.

The youngest River reappears, certain she has heard voices. The Doctor tells her he was talking to himself and she bustles off again. The second River returns to the control room, likewise convinced she heard The Doctor talking to someone. The Doctor brusquely activates her Vortex manipulator to return her to prison. The third River re-enters the TARDIS. She is followed by a second, olderincarnation of the Doctor in a tailcoat, who tells her she’s in the wrong TARDIS. River is amused at the prospect of two versions of her husband, but as ‘her’ Doctor ushers her out, she calls back to the younger Doctor that she and her Doctor are off to see the Singing Towers of Darillium. The two Doctors share a brief, sad moment, knowing that this is the spot The Doctor took her just before her ill-fated expedition to the Library. The younger Doctor reverently wishes his earlier self good luck on his final date. The older Doctor wistfully looks back at the past version of himself and wishes him the same.

As the older Doctor exits, the youngest River returns to catch a glimpse of them together. Her Doctor will not tell her what has just transpired because of ‘spoilers’. She expresses that she likes that word. He escorts her to the door to go on their date as she protests that she hasn’t changed. He says she never will. River jokes that his secrets will be the death of her.

NOTES

1. This is the second of a two-part story that began with First Night.
2. The title makes reference to the implication that the future version of the Eleventh Doctor and Riverare on her final”night out” to the Singing Towers of Darillium, just before the events of Silence in the Library. However, The Doctor does not follow through with the date, as revealed in The Husbands of River Song.
3. This story is set entirely within The Doctor’s TARDIS.
4. The second River was being chased by Sontarans.

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