River Song finds herself in the Time War, knowing far more than the unsuspecting Eighth Doctor who comes to her rescue.

Conceived on the TARDIS, River Song was born in Doctor Who‘s post-Time War universe. However, thanks to her travels, her run ins with various Doctors and the nature of the temporal conflict, it was inevitable that she’d encounter it somewhere.

Of course, she knows what the Time War will do to the Doctor, what he must become to see it through. That makes it all the more difficult when her frees her from the Stormcage prison with no idea who she is or the transformation awaiting him…

The Shape of Fear

As the Time War rages, the Time Lords raid the Stormcage seeking suitable nasties to fight the Daleks. Flitting around the edges of the conflict, the Eighth Doctor arrives to free River, not knowing who she is or what she has done.

Fleeing in the TARDIS, James Kettle’s story brings them to a feudal world where the Doctor is swallowed by an earthquake. As River struggles to understand the dynamic of this unusual planet, she learns that her inner turmoil is having a demonstrable effect on the environment around them.

There’s some fun to be had in the tensions between the science-loving Prince Galeno (Ashley Zhangazha), who is at odds with his domineering mother, Queen Cedilla (Nimmy March). However, the standout here is Clive Hayward as the sage Jerome, by way of Alec Guiness.

Bad Timing

Script editor Matt Fitton’s ‘Bad Timing’ is up next, and takes place on a disputed planet. The unique situation on Dray is that, save for the unscrupulous Major Tamasan (Adele Anderson), the entire Time Lord army is staffed by multiple versions of the same man – Larnas (Simon Kane).

With River’s status as a random temporal anomaly, the status quo is upset the Doctor becomes a prisoner of the Daleks. This prompts River to lead an assault to free him and unleash merry hell on the Daleks.

Interestingly, the tale also neatly places the Doctor in the vicinity of Sarn, ready for his fateful encounter with Cass.

Unchained Melodies

The third tale in the set, with a delightfully punny title, has the most intriguing premise. Famously, the woman we know as River was the third iteration of Melody Pond, after the baby who became a little girl trapped in a spacesuit, and Mels, Amy and Rory’s childhood friend. On screen, she gave up her remaining lives to save him in ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’.

Now, in the untethered madness of multiple realities, Lisa McMullin’s script looks at Melody’s other potential selves. A quartet of vocally dexterous actresses, each pulling either double or triple duty, play these incarnations who take their names from the Greek Muses.

It’s inventive stuff as River wrestles with herself and looks at her decision to save the Doctor, but ultimately suffers from only being a single episode – this idea could have easily filled a whole boxset on its own! Also, the story surely misses a trick by not including the spiky Mels (Nina Toussaint-White) in this exploration of the character.

The Reality Director

The final episode is Big Finish at their most meta, as writer John Dorney shatters the format like never before. Going further than simply breaking the fourth wall, ‘The Reality Director’ takes things to a whole new level.

The story unfurls via a post-credits episode interview with the cast playing versions of themselves as well as their characters. Wildly self-knowing and packed with in-jokes, at the writer and the production’s own expense, it’s rather good fun while posing questions about the nature of reality. However, thanks to the quirks of scheduling, the story arrives mere months after the Dark Gallifrey’s The Meddling Monks which feels as though it trod some of the same ground, albeit for comedy rather than drama.

In Summary

War Widow is really a game of two halves. The first pairs River with the Eighth Doctor for two regular adventures – except he’s absent for a lengthy section of each. In the all-gloves-are-off environment of the war, it offers two interesting takes on the conflict, one at its fringes and one in the heart of the battle.

The second half explores River’s status in the Time War, with multiple realties and changing timelines. It’s provocative fare but this set won’t be for everyone.

The Death and Life of River Song: War Widow is out now on CD and download to own from Big Finish.