In the two parter "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead", we meet an archeologist named River Song for the first song. The mysterious woman seems to know The Doctor very well and yet, he doesn't seem to know her. I personally have a lot of issues with River Song's story line but this episode is still one that brings tears to my eyes. We watch as the Doctor tries to figure out what place this woman has in his life and we watch as she dies and sacrifices herself for the sake of a man who doesn't yet know her. A large part of the emotional impact of this episode lies in Alex Kingston's acting and the many moments where we as a viewer catch the sadness on River's face as she realizes that her life and the Doctor's are running backwards. He doesn't know her yet as she leaves his life for the last time. This episode is even worse to watch now that we know who River is from later seasons. It's another example of the way that the Doctor's nature impacts his life and the sacrifices he endures along with those he loves.
I'm a journalist with more than five years of experience writing for newspapers and I'm a graduate of University of California, Berkeley. I graduated in December 2012 with a B.A. in English Literature. I have previously written for Bloomberg Businessweek online, the Coalinga, California Coalinga Recorder newspaper and the UC Berkeley Daily Californian. I currently live in Central California
