Silence will fall when the question is asked *Wedding of River Song Spoilers*

[bobsuncorp]

Do not read unless you have seen that episode.

You have been warned...






DORIUM: "On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature may speak falsely or fail to give answer, a question will be asked. A question that must never, ever be answered."

THE DOCTOR: "Silence will fall when the question is asked..."

DORIUM: ""Silence must fall" would be a better translation. The Silence are determined that the question must never be answered. The Doctor must never reach Trenzalore."

THE DOCTOR: "I don't understand? What's it got do do with me?"

DORIUM: "The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight. Would you like to know what it is?"

DORIUM: "Doctor.. Who?"

I love this quote because it is so damn cryptic that it could mean a number of things, and this seems like the perfect place to discuss them:

"Silence must fall" could mean some kind of universe wide extinction event, something the Doctor would try and prevent, or it could mean the downfall of The Silence, which he would probably be in favour of. Although I seem to recall them naming themselves after the prophecy, but then Melody was named Melody because of Amy and Rory's friend Melody. Who was Melody. Could be the same thing.

"The fall of the Eleventh" would seem to be a reference to Matt Smith's doctor, and it could well be regeneration time, or it could be simply a serious loss or lost battle for him rather than his death. Also his regeneration would mean his secret about being alive all along would get out, since at the moment he has a 200 year long alibi for anyone he runs into who is expecting him to be dead. "I have a time machine Dorium!" theoretically if he knows when he is going to die then he can simply wait until he is tired of living and then go to that day on the beach.

The question hidden in plain sight is genius, it is something I saw coming when the question was first mentioned, but still it really is very cool.

The thing that gets me is that I'm pretty sure future River (from Silence in the Library) knew what his name was. She may have lied when she told the others that's what she said but I don't think so. However he did lie when he apparently told her on their wedding day. Meaning that from our perspective she still doesn't know. Maybe River is the one who asks the question on the Fields of Trenzalore? Maybe she is the only person who ever knows the answer?

Any other thoughts?

[Austin 3:16]

The good thing about River Song appearing in the Tennant era was it set up all these great storylines involving her. When she said he told her his name, my jaw dropped.

[quinny06]

Remember also the Tenth Doctor's reaction to River knowing his name: "There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could."

If I'm not mistaken, Moffat already knew he was taking over when he wrote that line, because RTD says in The Writer's Tale that it was during filming of the Silence in the Library that Moffat told David Tennant he needed to know if he would be staying on for Series 5 or not. So he may have been planning the "Fields of Trenzalor" since then, who knows?

As for the "Fall of the Eleventh", Matt Smith has expressed his desire to see Doctor Who into the 50th Anniversary, so we know he's staying until 2013 at least. While "Fall of the Eleventh" does seem to suggest a regeneration, it surely can't be that simple. Then again, River's confession that the man she killed was "a good man. The best man I've ever known", just screamed DOCTOR, and that's exactly who it turned out to be. So maybe its a double bluff. Or a triple bluff.

Damn you Moffat! *Shakes fist*

----- Added 3 Minutes later -----

Btw, just watched a clip of River's death to make sure I got the quote right, and I realised: River wears a SPACESUIT in her first appearance!! Intentional or just really creepy coincidence?

[liana]

Remember also the Tenth Doctor's reaction to River knowing his name: "There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could."

If I'm not mistaken, Moffat already knew he was taking over when he wrote that line, because RTD says in The Writer's Tale that it was during filming of the Silence in the Library that Moffat told David Tennant he needed to know if he would be staying on for Series 5 or not. So he may have been planning the "Fields of Trenzalor" since then, who knows?

I don't think so. Apparently when River was introduced they didn't plan on having her back to the show. The idea came afterwards. I think that when River first appeared the idea was that she was the Doctor's wife from the future, and that is probably why they played the anvills such as "squabbing like an old married couple". They could pull it off without ever having to show her again, because who knows in what moment in time they were together? It could be a thousand years after that moment.

As for the "Fall of the Eleventh", Matt Smith has expressed his desire to see Doctor Who into the 50th Anniversary, so we know he's staying until 2013 at least. While "Fall of the Eleventh" does seem to suggest a regeneration, it surely can't be that simple. Then again, River's confession that the man she killed was "a good man. The best man I've ever known", just screamed DOCTOR, and that's exactly who it turned out to be. So maybe its a double bluff. Or a triple bluff.

Well, to be fair she didn't kill the Doctor, because she did take control of the space suit and disabled her weapons. She only agreeded to "kill him" after she knew it wasn't really him, which means that she lied when she said she killed the best man she've ever known. Then again she did kill the Doctor in "Let's kill Hittler". He said it himself, "Well, she did kill me, and then she gave up all her lives to bring me back. As far as first dates go, I'd say it was mixed signals." LOL. It is really complicated. In a way she is both "the woman who married the Doctor" and "the woman who killed the Doctor", and at the same time she is neither, because we still don't know if the marriage was valid or not, considered it was in an aborted timeline, in a place that never was and he didn't tell her his name. It really is confusing.

I would say that nothing is what seems. "The Fall of the Eleventh" could be anything at this point. But I must admit that "Your song is ending", back in the 4th season was exactly what it looked like it would be: the regeneration, and that is why I suspect that is not something that obvious. I mean, it was already done with 10th (a prophecy regarding his "death"/"regeneration"). Would they really do the same thing again?

Btw, just watched a clip of River's death to make sure I got the quote right, and I realised: River wears a SPACESUIT in her first appearance!! Intentional or just really creepy coincidence?

I think it was an intentional parallel, pretty much as the whisper in the ear that changed everything in "Let's kill Hitler" seemed to parallel River whispering the Doctor's name in his ear in "Forest of the Dead". If you think about it, every since Melody regenerated into River the Doctor kept repeating her name and talking about it. "She isn't the River we know yet. She is right at the beginning. She doesn't even know her name." And Melody kept asking "Who is River Song?" just like the Doctor kept asking "Who are you?" in "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead".

In "Forest of the Dead" the Doctor started trusting River from the moment she whisper his name in his ear, pretty much as Melody starts to become River right after the Doctor whisper something in her ear. Whatever he told her to tell River Song combined with her finding out her name ("River Song") makes her change, and starts trusting the Doctor to the point of giving up all her future lives to save him. The parallel from both the first meetings is clear: River became important to the Doctor from the moment he realizes she knew his name/identity, and the Doctor became important to River from the moment she realizes he knew her name even before she did. In both episodes the character that made the "reveal" died, and in both episodes they were brought back (River alive inside the computer, and The Doctor brought back to life by River's kiss). In both episodes they were killed due to the other character's actions.

In "Forest of the Dead", River met her death because she realized the Doctor would die if he hooked himself in the Computer, so, in order to save him from himself, she knocks him down and takes his place. It was unintentional, of course, because the Doctor didn't mean for her to do it, but he was the one that gave her the idea of doing it in the first place, so, in a way it could be said that he caused her death when he put himself in mortal danger without thinking it through. In "Let's kill Hittler" River kills the Doctor, and she is also not completely responsbile for it either, because the Silence implanted the command to kill him in her brain. This is made clear by her talk with Robot Amy, before she realizes it is not her mother, when she says she doesn't even remember doing it.

Several parallels, and too many for not to be intentional. That is why I believe the suit is another intentional parallel.