A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)

A Good Man Goes to War was the seventh episode in the sixth series of Doctor Who and the last episode of the spring half of the series. Narratively, it was significant for revealing the identity of River Song, naming her as Melody Pond, the daughter of Amy and Rory. Additionally it saw the reappearances of several of the Doctor's allies and enemies.

Synopsis
Amy Pond has been kidnapped and the Doctor is raising an army to rescue her as the drama continues. Yet as he and Rory race across galaxies, calling in long-held debts and solemnly given promises, his enemies are laying a carefully concealed trap. In her cell in Stormcage, River Song sadly acknowledges that the time has come at last – today will mark the Battle of Demon's Run and the Doctor’s darkest hour. Both sides will make their sacrifices and River Song must finally reveal her most closely guarded secret to the Doctor.

Plot
At Demon's Run, Amy picks up her newborn daughter, Melody Pond. Amy tells Melody about her father, who is coming for them: the Last Centurion.

On a ship of the Twelfth Cyber Legion, a group of Cybermen detect an intruder who is steadily working his way up the levels. The intruder is revealed as Rory, who says that he has a message from the Doctor and a question. He demands to know where his wife is, as the ships around them explode.

On Demon's Run, the Fat Man and the Thin Man discuss the Doctor. Lorna, the Thin Man and the Fat Man then discuss the Headless Monks. The Fat Man leaves with the monks for "conversion counseling." The Thin Man deduces that Lorna has met the Doctor; she confirms that she saw him as a kid in the Gamma Forest. Later, the Fat Man enters a room where the Monks are gathered. A female voice tells him he has been selected to be converted to their faith and told to make a donation while a Monk holds out a box.

In Victorian London, a hooded figure arrives home. She is greeted by a maid and tells her that she has killed and eaten Jack the Ripper. She reveals herself as a Silurian called Madame Vastra. The maid--Jenny--leads her to the drawing room; the TARDIS is sitting there. Vastra explains that a very old debt must be repaid and to pack the swords.

In the middle of the Battle of Zaruthstra, a man searches for a nurse. A Sontaran enters, asking if they called for him. A few minutes later, the boy is awake, and the nurse reveals himself as Commander Strax. Leaving the medic tent, he says that being a nurse is his penance. The TARDIS is heard, and Strax says that his penance is about to finish and wishes his patients well.

In Stormcage, River Song returns from a birthday outing with the Doctor. Rory appears and asks that she come with him, but she says that she can't come until the very end. She says that Demon's Run is the day when the Doctor will rise higher then ever before, then fall just as hard. It's also the day when the Doctor finds out who she is.

Dorium is shutting down a bar before he is interrupted by Madame Kovarian. He says that the reason the Doctor hasn't come yet is because he's raising an army of people who owe him debts. Dorium also mentions that the Headless Monks are customers of his, and he therefore knows the location of their base. After Madame Kovarian leaves, the TARDIS arrives for him, much to Dorium's horror.

At Demon's Run, Colonel Manton gives a speech about the Doctor. Amy watches from above, but is interrupted by Lorna, who offers her a prayer leaf with Melody's name on it in the language of her people. Amy ignores the offer of kindness, but turns when she realizes that Lorna has met the Doctor. She accepts the prayer leaf, and warns Lorna to be on the right side for her own sake. Lorna hurries to the speech, where the Colonel removes the hoods of the monks, revealing them to be actual headless beings. The third monk removes his own hood; it is the Doctor in disguise. The Monks raise their swords and all the marines except Lorna raise their guns. At the same time, Madame Vestra and Jenny hold the men in the control room at swordpoint.

In the main room, the Doctor puts up his hood after yelling for Amy to be ready to leave as the lights go out. The lights come back on and the Doctor is nowhere to be seen. The Doctor tells them that he is disguised as one of the Monks after saying he is none of the things they compared him to. A man shoots a Monk who turns out to be genuine and is killed. The Monks begin to kill the marines in retaliation until the Colonel tells everyone to disarm themselves as a sign of good faith. Lorna notices a Monk using a sonic screwdriver on the door and follows him out of the room as the rest of the marines disarm themselves. An army of Silurians and Judoon suddenly teleport in with their guns pointed at the marines. Commander Strax also teleports in and holds Manton at gunpoint, claiming the base as their own. Manton claims that the fleight outside the asteroid will come to help if they lose. However, the Doctor has a group of modified WW2 Spitfires attack the base to disable their communications. In a escape route, Kovarian orders Melody be brought to her. After aquiring Melody, Kovarian tells the Clerics to return to the fight to make the Doctor think he is winning until the trap closes. Unknown to her, Lorna is listening, and she runs off. Rory suddenly appears and holds Kovarian at swordpoint while she taunts him; Henry and Toby Avery exit Kovarian's private ship with a crew member tied up, informing her that they have control. She and Colonel Manton are both brought to the control room where the Doctor is sitting. The Doctor tells Colonel Manton to order the marines to run away. When Manton asks why, the Doctor angrily tells him because he wants him to be forever known as "Colonel Run-Away" - a warning to others not to use the Doctor's friends to get to him.

In her cell, Amy hears someone at the door and yells that she is cross. With sarcasm, Rory unlocks the door using the sonic screwdriver. Amy tells him they took Melody; he enters with the baby in his arms. The Doctor walks in and tries to excuse himself as it is an emotional reunion, but Rory orders him in. The Doctor is confused at what to call the baby until Amy tells him her name, prompting him to call the baby Melody Pond, much to Rory's annoyance. He also comments that he can speak baby. Madame Vestra enters and says the marines are leaving, and that the Doctor has never risen so high as he won a battle without bloodshed. Rory remembers River's words, becoming worried.

Later, Amy leaves the TARDIS with a crying Melody, saying that the baby doesn't like the noise inside. The others all suggest what she is crying about until the Doctor emerges with a cot. He is asked where he got it and says that it is his before hurrying back to the control room.

Dorium is going through the computers and discovers scans of Melody. They reveal that her DNA contains traces of Time Lord. Vestra asks when Melody was conceived, as she knows that the Time Lords became what they were through exposure to the time vortex. The Doctor realizes that the first time Rory and Amy were together on the TARDIS (in this version of reality) was their wedding night. Vestra deduces that Amy's kidnappers might have wanted Melody - a part-Time Lord - for a weapon. When the Doctor asks how a Time Lord could be used as a weapon, Vestra points out what he himself is capable of doing. Vestra and Dorium then leave as the Doctor remembers the little girl from 1969 America and how River described her. Kovarian suddenly appears on a screen and says that the girl is hope in the war against the Doctor.

Lorna is brought to Rory and Amy at gunpoint, as she had been listening. She insists that they're in a trap, and that she only joined the clerics to meet the Doctor as he is "a great warrior," to which Amy explains that he is not. Confused, Lorna asks why he is called the Doctor as the lights go out. Strax says that there are no life forms in the base excluding them, but Lorna says that the Headless Monks do not register as life forms as they lacked heads.

Elsewhere in the base, Monks begin to attack the Silurians. Vestra joins the others; the TARDIS is suddenly surrounded by a force field and the doors are locked. Dorium identifies the Monks' chant as the attack prayer. Amy goes to hide with Melody. Dorium goes into the darkness to try to reason with the Monks, but is beheaded; his body joins the Monks who are advancing on the group.

Back in the control room, the Doctor angrily tells Kovarian that a child is not a weapon. On the screen, Kovarian smugly tells him that she will become one. When the Doctor vows not to let her recapture the child, Kovarian replies that fooling the Doctor once was a joy, but fooling him again the same way is a privilege. The Doctor suddenly realises what Kovarian has done and runs off to find Amy.

Rory, Vestra, Jenny, Strax and Lorna battle against the Headless Monks, using both guns and swords, while Amy watches, holding Melody protectively. Melody, looking over Amy's shoulder sees a hatch appear in the air, through which Kovarian is watching her. Kovarian whispers "Wakey, wakey," and Melody collapses into Flesh. A horrified Amy screams for Rory. Eventually all the Monks are defeated, but Strax and Lorna are both fatally wounded. The Doctor arrives, yelling that Melody is a Flesh avatar and is greeted by Rory who tells him that they already know. Rory then goes to help a wounded Strax, who says that he always dreamed of dying in battle. Strax admits it's not entirely as pleasing as he had hoped. Strax then succumbs to his wounds. The Doctor then tries to comfort Amy before he goes to talk to the wounded Lorna. When Lorna mentions that she had met him, he tells her that he remembers her before she dies, even though he hasn't met her yet in his timeline.

River Song appears in a flash of light. The Doctor angrily confronts her. She tells him that she couldn't have prevented what happened, but he retorts that she could have tried. River then tells him so could he and that Amy will be all right; and that the battle is exactly what the Doctor is: A man who can make armies run at the very mention of his name. The Doctor, fed up with her riddles, finally asks River who she is and she pulls him over to the cot, commenting it's been a while since she's seen it. She directs his hand at the cot. He has a realization that shocks him silent at first but then causes him to become increasingly jubilant. The Doctor returns to the TARDIS with a newfound confidence; he tells Amy and Rory not to worry because he knows where Melody is while he informing River to return everyone home. Despite Amy's protests, the TARDIS dematerializes.

Angry at the situation, Amy holds River at gunpoint demanding to know what she just said. River tells her that she needs to focus on the written word as the TARDIS has more difficulty translating it; Amy tries and fails to read the writing on the cot, but River says that the Gallifreyan cannot be translated. River hands Amy the prayer leaf and tells her to read it. Amy says that she knows her daughter's name, but River tells her that they don't have a word for "Pond" in the Gamma Forests where Lorna was from, because "the only water in the forest is the river." River then tells them she knows that the Doctor will find and care for their daughter no matter what. The Gamma Forest writing on it changes to read "River Song." River tearfully tells them that she is Melody, their daughter. Rory and Amy are only able to look on, shocked.

Cast

 * The Doctor - Matt Smith
 * Amy Pond - Karen Gillan
 * Rory Williams - Arthur Darvill
 * River Song/Melody Pond - Alex Kingston
 * Baby Melody Pond - Harrison/Madison Mortimer
 * Madame Kovarian - Frances Barber
 * Dorium - Simon Fisher Becker
 * Henry Avery - Hugh Bonneville
 * Toby Avery - Oscar Lloyd
 * Colonel Manton - Danny Sapani
 * Madame Vastra - Neve McIntosh
 * Jenny - Catrin Stewart
 * Strax - Dan Starkey
 * Lorna Bucket - Christina Chong
 * Thin Man - Dan Johnston
 * Fat Man - Charlie Baker
 * Lucas - Joshua Hayes
 * Domincus - Damian Kell
 * Captain Harcourt - Richard Trinder
 * Eleanor - Annabel Cleare
 * Voice of the Cybermen - Nicholas Briggs

Crew
to be added

Races and species

 * Strax is seen tending to human soldiers, rather than Sontaran troops as part of his punishment. He is also able to produce his own breast milk and is willing to take care of Melody Pond.
 * The Cybermen resemble the parallel Cybermen from Pete's World but without the Cybus logos: Peter Hoar confirms they're "different Cybermen" (which makes them the third seperate race to have this appearance).

Story notes

 * This episode was originally entitled Demon's Run. It was changed to A Good Man Goes to War, although His Darkest Hour had also been considered as a potential title.
 * A Good Man Goes to War, as noted by Steven Moffat, aside from being episode 7 of this series, is also the 777th episode of Doctor Who. Moffat stated there were no 'seven puns' in the episode as the coincidence was only observed after it was shot.
 * The end credits list Russell T Davies as creating the Ood and Judoon. However, no Ood appear in the episode.
 * The battle of Demon's run takes place after 5145, as evidenced by the death of Dorium, who first appeared in 5145 selling River a vortex manipulator.
 * The idea that the term "doctor" originates from the Doctor was first advanced by Steven Moffat in a Usenet post in 1995.
 * Dan Starkey appears as the Sontaran Commander Strax. He previously played Commander Skorr in The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky and Commander Jask in The End of Time. Neve McIntosh played Silurian sisters Alaya and Restac in The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood.
 * According to Steven Moffat, he was unable to include Jack Harkness in the Doctor's army because John Barrowman was busy with the filming of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Ratings
to be added

Myths

 * Karen Gillan is leaving the series and Amy Pond will be killed off at the climax to the spring half of the series. This was proven false.
 * River Song will die. This was proven false.
 * We will learn of the identity of River Song. This was proven true; she was revealed to be the daughter of Amy Pond and Rory Williams.
 * River Song has been recently rumored to be Amy's daughter as well as the Doctor's wife. This was proven true; she was revealed to be Amy's daughter, but her marital status is still unknown.
 * We will find out whom River Song killed. Steven Moffat has said "a good man will die – a good man, and a hero to many." This was proven false.
 * The Cybermen will be newly designed Cybermen. The design was largely the same, with the most significant change being the removal of the Cybus Industries logo.
 * The Cybermen will be planning to trap and capture the Doctor, before freezing him. This was proven false.
 * The character named Jenny will be the Doctor's Daughter in her second regeneration. This was proven false.

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * The credits mention that Russell T Davies created the Judoon and the Ood. The only Series 6 episode that features an Ood is The Doctor's Wife.
 * The word "Override" is incorrectly spelt "Overide" on the label for the button which controls the door lock, which two tied up soldiers attempt to press before one is stung by Vastra.

Continuity

 * The Doctor defends his belief "Bow-ties are cool". (DW: The Eleventh Hour, etc)
 * The Doctor has said he speaks every language before. (DW: Planet of the Dead)
 * River has called the Doctor "My love" before. The last time was when she was stuck in a time loop. (DW: The Pandorica Opens, The Big Bang)
 * The Doctor has said "Guess who?" to an army previously. The last time was to the Alliance while they were in their spaceships. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)
 * The Doctor has several flashbacks to the events in 1969 America. (DW: The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon)
 * Rory's Centurion armour and warrior skills, as well as his age, were first shown in The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang.
 * This episode ends the mystery of River Song's identity, a storyline that began in 2008 with DW:Silence in the Library
 * While in The Library, River Song comments that the Doctor would make whole armies turn and run, which may be a reference to this episode. DW: Forest of the Dead
 * The Doctor gives a brief history of Rory's time in the TARDIS to Vastra. He references Rory facing "sexy, fish vampires", (DW: The Vampires of Venice) dying and being erased from time, (DW: Cold Blood) then becoming "plastic" and coming back (DW: The Pandorica Opens). The Doctor also mentions rebooting the universe. (DW: The Big Bang)
 * The Doctor mentions that since rebooting the Universe, reality was altered (DW: The Big Bang), such that Rory and Amy were in the TARDIS together for the first time on their honeymoon.
 * Cybermen, Sontarans, Siliurians and Judoon also all appeared in DW: The Pandorica Opens.
 * Returning characters that the Doctor calls upon are: Dorium (DW: The Pandorica Opens), "Danny Boy" (DW: Victory of the Daleks), and Henry Avery and his son Toby. (DW: The Curse of the Black Spot)
 * Silurians, Judoon (briefly) and Sontarans also return in this story.
 * The Church make their second appearance after The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone. Although some soldiers have the rank of Cleric printed on their uniforms, Manton is referred to as Colonel instead of a religious rank such as Bishop.
 * A fake version of Amy and Rory's child turns out to be Flesh. (DW: The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People)
 * The Headless monks were first mentioned in DW: The Time of Angels.
 * The Fat Man tells the Thin Man a rumour that the Doctor once "chased the Atraxi off a planet" and "called them back for a scolding". (DW: The Eleventh Hour)
 * Dorium says that the Headless Monks are customers of his. (DW: Prequel (A Good Man Goes to War))
 * River Song says that she and an unspecified Doctor ice-skated on the frozen Thames in 1814 during "the last of the great frost fairs". This is a positive reference to CC: Frostfire, and means that both River, Steven Taylor and Vicki were on the same ice at roughly the same time.
 * This is not the first time that the Doctor had created an army composed of some of his old enemies (PDA: Warmonger)
 * The Doctor is once again referred to as a Goblin and a Trickster. (DW: The Pandorica Opens)
 * "The only water in the forest is the river," the phrase River uses to explain why the people of the Gamma Forest translate Pond to River, was spoken to Rory by Idris. The Doctor said it would mean something someday. (DW: The Doctor's Wife)
 * The Doctor references the Untempered Schism, referring to how Time Lords became what they were through billions of years of continued exposure to the Time Vortex. (DW: The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords, The End of Time)
 * The Series 1 & 2 variation of Doctors theme (The Doctor's Theme) plays for 6 seconds when the Doctor and Vastra are talking about the possibility of a Timelord being used as a weapon.
 * A variation of All The Strange, Strange Creatures play right before the scene mentioned above.
 * River is wearing the same outfit she wore in Day of the Moon when she appears at the end of the battle.

Home video releases
Part One, which will contain episodes one to seven will be released in Summer, shortly after the airing of episode seven.