5. Let's Kill Hitler
SPOILERS! From the last episode, we know that River Song was born Melody Pond, child of Rory and Amy, and that she was kidnapped to be raised as a weapon to kill the Doctor; I loved that episode and had to watch it twice in a row. This one came months later - when I heard the name, I presumed it would be the moral dilemma of - is it OK to go back in the past and kill a true horror? WRONG! It was so much more! We meet Mel, childhood pal, and best mate, of Amy and Rory; after stealing a car, and invading their re-union with the Doctor, she pulls a gun on him, saying, 'Let's kill Hitler' and off they fly in the Tardis. I love the flashback of their childhood. We see Rory and Amy have always been destined and that Mel was ever-present, with Amy constantly bailing out the troubled, but fun, bad girl, Mel. Anyway, the Tardis lands in Berlin in 1938; they disrupt an assassination attempt on Hitler and, by accident, save his life. Mel gets shot and is regenerated into River Song! Love it. Rory and Amy did get to raise their daughter after all! But without the annoying baby bits! After many thwarted attempts of killing the Doctor, she succeeds with a poisoned kiss - he has 32 minutes left to live. As he is dying, she cavorts around Berlin, enjoying her new curves, being chased by her parents. Ultimately, she chooses to save the Doctor, but uses up all her future regenerations. He lives to fight many more days; she's committed to one life time only, but what a lifetime! River Song is one of my favorite characters. The whole episode is brilliantly conceived and executed; it also sets up how the Doctor doesn't die the way we thought he did at the beginning of the season.
The Lesson: No matter how bad your childhood was, what cult raised you to be diabolical, with great friends, a greater love, and a strong belief in yourself, you can turn it all around. We know what happened to River in the past; we know, in the future, she's going to be spectacular. So, get over whatever happened to you and get on with having fun, being true to yourself, and being magnificent in your future!