Forest of the Dead (TV story)

Forest of the Dead
Doctor:	[[doctor::Tenth Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Donna Noble
Main enemy:	Vashta Nerada
Main setting:	51st century, The Library
Key crew
Writer:	Steven Moffat
Director:	Euros Lyn
Release details
Release number:	4
Premiere broadcast:	7th June 2008
Production code:	4.9

Synopsis

As the shadows rise and march, the Doctor forges an alliance with the mysterious River Song. But can anyone stop the Vashta Nerada and can the Doctor save Donna? While the Doctor discovers long-buried secrets and revelations about his own future, the sinister Nodes declare that Donna is doomed.

Cast

• The Doctor - David Tennant
• Donna Noble - Catherine Tate
• River Song - Alex Kingston
• Doctor Moon - Colin Salmon
• Lux - Steve Pemberton
• Proper Dave - Harry Peacock
• Other Dave -
• The Girl - Eve Newton
• Amita -

Story notes

• The working title for this story was: River's Run
• The image above is actually from the previous episode.

Ratings

To be added

Myths

• That the libary has everything and everyone on record. Donna goes and has a look. It is perhaps possible that Donna will learn the future of her mother and grandfather. She may also find information regarding the Doctor and/or Rose Tyler and the Battle of Canary Wharf. Possibly false as Donna gets trapped at the end of Silence in the Library.
• It is rumored that Jack may appear in the previous episode. If so, being a two parter he will likely be in this one as well. Possibly false as Jack did not appear in the previous episode.
  • One rumour states that River Song is a future mutation of Jack Harkness, as it was implied that Jack may one day mutate into the Face of Boe and it may be assumed he could take other forms over the process. River Song mentions that she has been to the end of the universe. As only Martha, Jack, and the Master were in 3x11 Utopia at the end of the universe, which means Jack is the only one capable of living long enough to mutate so radically."End of the Universe" may not refer to the events of Utopia (TV story), she may just mean she and the doctor visited the edge of the universe in any time period. The events of this episode simply suggest that River Song is a companion, time lord, jack harkness, or otherwise, that the doctor meets and travels with in the future. This sort of thing should happen more often in the doctor's life.
• One rumour is that River Song is Romana in a regenerated form. This was hinted at by River saying to Lux "He's only just met me" refering to the Doctor.
• Another rumour is that River Song is revealed to be the Doctor's TARDIS in humanoid form. The classic series had more advanced types of TARDIS capable of human form and independent thought. It is possible over time, the Doctor's type 40 may have upgraded to these capabilities. Which could also make sense because while perhaps not sentient at the time, the TARDIS was present that the end of the universe in "Utopia". Furthermore River Song revealed knowlege of the TARDIS emergency codes and trasport systems when the Doctor mentioned them. On the other hand she may have known this anyway from what a future incarnation of the Doctor has told her.
• The Gelth makes an appearance.
• Rose Tyler may be seen in one of the library's books. This might be true as she is seen on the website for the previous episode inside River Song's diary.
• 'Cal' may turn out to be Cal MacNannovich, who appeared briefly in The End of the World.
• One rumour is that Doctor Moon is actually an anti-virus trying to help the library computer (The Girl) save the people in the library.
• The Shadows take hold of River Song's diary and coerce The Doctor into using a gun because of what they discover.
• The Doctor is stunned by something River Song whispers in his ear.
• River Song may be Rose Tyler as she remarks about having been to the end of the world with the Doctor,(DW: The End of the World.) and the only other female companion to do so is Martha Jones who is black, and cannot be Dr Moon. - This is unlike however because of the strong bond between Rose and the Doctor that Rose would keep her identity hidden, though River Song does seem to know about emergency program 1 which the Doctor used on Rose in DW: The Parting of the Ways.
• River Song may also be a future version of The Girl as she knows the Doctor but he doesn't know her...yet. - River Song cannot be the little girl as River Song asks who the little girl is and as River Song got a clear view of the girl it means either she loses her memory or she is not the little girl
• CAL is the little girl.
• River Song's diary could be a biography of the doctor as it looks like the TARDIS and she wont let him read it as its "spoilers" and he will be abe to see what happens to him.
• The episode will begin by River using the sonic blaster to create a hole in the wall to escape.
• It is rumoured that River Song will be found to be a Time Lady. Journey's End, according to rumours, will get rid of any changes made by Russell T Davies, so as to "wipe the slate clean" for the new producer when Russell T Davies leaves at the end of the specials in 2009. River Song may be a Time Lady from Gallifrey, which could have been ressurected at the end of the series.
• It is also rumoured that the Doctor dies, and that is the Doctor's biography. The Doctor states that "you need a good death. Without death there would only be comedies". This is likely to be the Doctor's biography, written after his death, and River Song has picked it up.
• River song is an older Jenny. The doctor met her later on in the series and gave her a sonic screwdriver. This would explain why River acts in the same flirty way as Jenny, and why she says to the doctor that she is not just anyone. If this were true, why wouldn't River recognise Donna straight away, the woman who named her?"
• River Song is a Time Lady. She possesses a Sonic Screwdriver, apparently the Doctor's. She also knows the Doctor, and is a figure from his personal future. She would have to be a Time Lady created after the Time War, or else not be from Gallifrey, because the period of the Time War is the last time the Doctor visited Gallifrey. Otherwise he would have recognised River Song. In the previous series it is mentioned that the Doctor can recognise a Time Lord when seeing them, but this could be just ones he has seen previously.
• River Song could be the Doctor's mother. She seems to take motherly care of the Doctor when seeing him, expressing how young he looks. This is unlikely because the Doctor would surely have recognised her.
• River Song could just be River Song, a future companion of the doctor who the audience have not met until this two-parter.
• Donna has been digitized and saved into the index/hard drive, along with the 4022 people. "Saved" in the computer's message is used in the context of a computer, not meaning "rescued."

Filming locations

To be added

Continuity

To be added

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

To be added.

DVD and other releases

• It will be released on the Series 4 boxset DVD in November 2008.

External Links

To be added.