Episode #273 - The Husbands of River Song

River: When you love the Doctor, it's like loving the stars themselves. You don't expect a sunset to admire you back. And if I happen to find myself in danger, let me tell you, the Doctor is not stupid enough, or sentimental enough, and he is certainly not in love enough to find himself standing in it with me! 

The Doctor: Hello, sweetie.

Episode #272:      The Husbands of River Song.

Companions:        The 12th Doctor.

Air Date:             25th December 2015

The Twelfth Doctor is on the planet Mendorax Dellora in 5343, where he is asked by a man named Nardole to follow him, thinking he is a surgeon, on the orders of River Song. A surgeon is required to remove a diamond from the head of the tyrannical King Hydroflax. It became lodged there due to a ruthless act of thievery gone wrong, and River seeks to recover it. Surprised that River cannot identify his newest face, the Doctor struggles to break the news to her while learning how she acts on her own - and how many other lovers she has had. However, both he and River soon find that the time is drawing close for the last page in the diary of their journeys together to be written.

The Husbands of River Song is another hodge-podge Christmas special that does little but emphasise that it's Christmas here in the real world. It's another episode that jumps from place to place with no real story behind it. But it doesn't matter. With this episode we are here to see the final visit from the Doctor's wife River Song. It's an episode with a lot of humour, silliness and once we get to the end, a hint of romance. 

As Christmas episodes go, this isn't too bad. The real Christmas trappings only appear right near the beginning and hinted at towards the end. Otherwise it's more or less a modern Who story with a heavily humorous plot line. I am not even going to dwell on the story as it doesn't go anywhere. The Husbands of River Song basically wraps up the end of the 9th season of the show. The Doctor has had his moment of mania and now is calming down again. Realising that there are things and people in the universe other than Clara.

We do however have the introduction of a new companion of sorts in the bizarre little character of Nardole, played by Matt Lucas. He only has a "small" part in the story really but he will go on to be appear in the following season with an important role.