Howling:River may not really be dead....?

I just saw Forest of the Dead for the second time, and this time AFTER seeing most all of River's later adventures. Well, something struck me. Near the end of the episode, when the Doctor is running down to "save" River, the chair that she was in is now empty. No ashes, no skeleton, no corpse. And if you listen to the dialogue earlier, River tells the Doctor that "It will fry both of your hearts" But not "It will totally disintegrate you." Also, The Doctor thinks that there is a tiny chance that he may survive, so why couldn't she?

So, did anybody else notice this? And doesn't it seem strange that, once the countdown reaches zero, we never see River in the chair again? And only see the Doctor's reaction? It's far-fetched, but Steven Moffet has done stranger, and just think of The Doctor's reaction when he asks River where she was last and she replies: "The Library." (For that matter, imagine the audience's reaction.)

I know, I know, everybody on the show has said that she's dead, but what if Moffet told them that, but left the option open if he ever wanted to bring her back. She very well could be dead, but it wouldn't take much at all to change that. And yes, she's out of regenerations, but that's never stopped The Master.

He put that shot of the empty chair in there for a reason. And River wasn't in it for a reason. So the question is, why? 70.234.186.31talk to me 16:07, January 5, 2013 (UTC)

Judging by Moffat's record, the reason is probably to keep future options open -- which is, of course, just another way of saying what the title of this topic says. He did much the same with Jenny (The Doctor's Daughter, not Jenny Flint). It doesn't mean Moffat has a clear plan to bring River back but it does mean he -- or another writer -- has room to do so. Right now, Moffat seems to be busy with yet another character who treats death as a temporary inconvenience. Later on, though... --92.17.165.19talk to me 17:54, January 5, 2013 (UTC)