Doctor Who: Every River Song Episode Ranked Worst To Best

11. The Name Of The Doctor

As it's the precursor to the legendary Day of The Doctor special, there is a lot going on in this episode, most of it good. The River Song addition to the story is, however, pretty pointless.

As far as River's chronology goes, this is her final appearance, literally ever. It's set in the aftermath of her TV debut in Silence of the Library/Forest of the Dead, where her consciousness is resurrected in digital form. This is what she did after that, which by all rights, is a story that never really needed to be told. Yes, she plays an important role in saving the Doctor one last time, but it's executed in a manner far less interesting than the many times previous.

From a literal standpoint, it's not the River we know and love, but the same goes for the character herself. The defiant exuberance that audiences grew to know and love about her personality is fully absent, and this afterthought ghost version of River is just that: a kind of bland relic.