The Rulers of the Universe

The Diary of River Song #1.4

Released: 25 December 2014

Listened: 1/12/22

This one is from the first River Song boxed set, and that early in her tenure, Big Finish was trying to be careful with how River interacted with older Doctors who shouldn’t know her. This caution didn’t last very long, it should be noted. River’s boxed sets often have a single plot thread running through them, so for River, this is the climax of a longer story, whereas for the Doctor, it’s just some crisis he stumbled into. Listening to it in isolation, there are references to a huge party, and a group called the Rulers of the Universe, which don’t make a lot of sense, but for this project, that’s kind of appropriate. The Time War is definitely happening by now, but the Doctor is busy avoiding it, as he did in the beginning. He’s entirely aware of the horrors of the war, though, and actively tries to dissuade a race that wants to join in. He’s still pretty cavalier about his personal safety, though, and remains somewhat light-hearted. He and River don’t actually meet; they just talk over a radio link, and River never gives her real name. The Doctor seems interested, and grateful for her help, whereas River seems pained by the idea that she can’t help him directly. That emotion is less prevalent later in River’s series, where she seems to enjoy dancing around the prior Doctors. As a story for the Doctor, this one isn’t easy to follow, so it’s best enjoyed by not worrying about the things he doesn’t know about, because River’s got it covered.