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
Amy picks up her newborn daughter, Melody, as a group of Church guards – including Lorna Bucket – watch on. She tells them about Melody's father who is coming for them, and has lived for hundreds of years though he looks young: the Last Centurion.

On the 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 tells the Cybermen that he brings a message from the Doctor, and a question from himself. He demands to know where his wife is. As the Cybermen ask what the message from the Doctor is, the rest of the ships around them explode. Rory then askes if he need to repeat the question...

On Demon's Run, the Fat Man and the Thin Man discuss the Doctor and pass Lorna Bucket, who is spending her break sewing. Lorna, the Thin Man and the Fat Man discuss the Headless Monks. Lorna explains that they believe that doubt lies in the head and faith lies in the heart, thus leading to their name as "headless". The Fat Man leaves with the monks for 'conversion counselling.' The Thin Man deduces that Lorna has met the Doctor; she confirms that she saw him when she was a child in the Gamma Forests.

The Fat Man enters a room where the Monks are gathered. A voice tells him that he has been selected to be converted to 'their faith' and told to make a donation. The Monks advance on him carrying an empty 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 named Madame Vastra. The maid (named Jenny) leads her to the drawing room; the TARDIS stands on the rug. Vastra explains that a very old debt must be repaid, telling Jenny to pack the swords.

In the middle of the Battle of Zaruthstra, 4037, a man searches for a nurse for a boy who is clearly unwell. 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, Strax tells the man that being a nurse is his penance. The TARDIS is heard, and Strax says that his penance is about to finish. He wishes the man well.

In Stormcage, River Song returns from a birthday outing with the Doctor, accidentally setting off an alarm. She deactivates it. Rory appears and River seems stunned at the sight of him. Rory asks that she comes with him, but she says that she can't come until the 'very end', as it is the day when the Doctor will rise so high, and then fall further than ever before. It is also the day he finds out who she is.

Dorium appears to be leaving his bar, the Maldovarium, before he is interrupted by the Eye Patch Lady, whom he names as Madame Kovarian. He says that the reason the Doctor hasn't attacked yet is because he's raising an army of people who owe him favors. 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 Dorium, much to his dismay.

At Demon's Run, Colonel Manton gives a speech about the Doctor, saying that he is only a man. Amy watches from above, but is interrupted by Lorna. Lorna 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 realises that Lorna 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, to reveal knots of skin where the bases of their necks should be. The third monk removes his own hood; it is the Doctor in disguise. The Monks raise their swords and the marines except Lorna raise their guns. At the same time, Madame Vastra and Jenny hold the men in the control room at swordpoint.

In the main room, the Doctor puts up his hood as the lights go out. The lights come back on and the Doctor is nowhere to be seen. He reveals that he is disguised as one of the Monks; as his voice echoes his location cannot be pinpointed. A marine shoots a hooded figure who turns out to be a real Monk.

The Monks begin to kill the marines in retaliation until Colonel Manton tells everyone not to fire. 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 appear with their guns pointed at the marines. Commander Strax also appears. He holds the Colonel at gunpoint, claiming the base.

Manton claims that the fleet outside the asteroid will come to help if they lose. However, The Doctor has a group of Dalek Upgraded-Spitfires attack the base to disable their communications.

Making her escape, Kovarian orders that the child be brought to her ship. Melody is brought in a portable cot, and Kovarian says that the Doctor must think he is winning until the trap closes. Unknown to her, Lorna is listening, and runs off.

Rory suddenly appears and holds Kovarian at sword point; Henry and Toby Avery exit Kovarian's private ship with a crewmember tied up. She and Colonel Manton are both brought to the control room where the Doctor is sitting. The Doctor tells the Colonel to tell the marines to "run away." He taunts Manton that he will be known for the rest of his life as "Colonel Run Away" - a warning to those who would try 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 is Melody. The Doctor then calls the baby 'Melody Pond,' much to Rory's annoyance and Amy's enjoyment. The Doctor also seemingly converses with Melod, commenting that he speaks 'baby'. Madame Vastra enters and says that the marines are leaving without bloodshed, and that the Doctor has never risen so high. Rory remembers River's words and looks concerned.

Amy leaves the TARDIS with a crying Melody, saying she doesn't like the TARDIS noise. The others all debate what she might be crying about until the Doctor emerges with a cot. He is asked where he got it and says that it is his before heading back to the station control room. Dorium is going through the computers and discovers scans of Melody. They reveal that her DNA contains traces of Time Lord. Vastra asks when Melody was conceived, as she knows that the Time Lords became what they were through exposure to the time vortex. The Doctor realises that the first time Amy and Rory were together on the TARDIS (in this version of reality) was their wedding night. Vastra 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, Vastra points out what he himself is capable of doing. Vastra and Dorium leave as the Doctor remembers the little girl from 1969 America. Kovarian suddenly appears on a view 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 are not alive.

Elsewhere in the base, the Monks begin to attack the Silurians. Vastra 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. Rory, Vastra, Jenny, Strax and Lorna rally to protect Amy and Melody, and the battle begins.

Back in the control room, the Doctor angrily tells Kovarian that a child is not a weapon. Kovarian smugly tells him that she will become one. When the Doctor vows not to let her recapture the child, Kovarian says that fooling the Doctor once was a joy, but fooling him again the same way is a privilege. He 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. The Doctor runs onto the scene where the battle took place moments before, yelling that Melody is flesh; he is greeted by a sullen Rory who tells him that they know. The Headless Monks have all been defeated, but Strax and Lorna have both been badly wounded. Rory goes to help a wounded Strax, who says that he always dreamed of dying in battle before dying. Strax admits it's not entirely as pleasing as he had hoped, and then succumbs to his wounds.

The Doctor tries to comfort Amy, but she only backs away. Vastra brings him over to see the wounded Lorna. She tells him that they had met before, but is worried he does not remember her. He tells her that he remembers everyone, and that they ran together. She then dies.

River Song appears in a flash of light. The Doctor angrily confronts her, saying that he has always been there for her but she didn't come when he needed her. She tells him that she couldn't have prevented what happened, but he retorts that she could have tried. River then tells him he could have as well, and says that Amy will be all right. The battle, she says, is exactly what the Doctor is. Though the word 'doctor' often means healer or wise man, in the Gamma Forests it means "mighty warrior" (explaining Lorna's decision to join the army to meet him). The Doctor, fed up with her riddles, finally asks River who she is; she only runs towards the cot before he grabs her. She directs his attention to the cot and asks him if he can read what is there. He has a realization that dramatically changes his emotional state from anger to joy. After trading a few words with River, the Doctor returns to the TARDIS with a newfound confidence; he tells Amy and Rory not to worry because he knows where Melody is. He tells River to return everyone home. Despite Amy's protests, the TARDIS dematerializes.

After the Doctor departs, Amy holds River at gunpoint demanding to know what she told the Doctor. 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 states 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 Gamma Forest doesn't have a word for 'Pond', because 'the only water in the forest is the river.' As Amy and Rory read the leaf, the writing changes to read the words 'River Song.' River confirms that she is Amy's child.

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
 * Dominicus - Damian Kell
 * Captain Harcourt - Richard Trinder
 * Eleanor - Annabel Cleare
 * Arthur - Henry Wood
 * Voice of the Cybermen - Nicholas Briggs

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.

The Doctor

 * The Doctor pulls out his own cot from when he was a baby, complete with Gallifreyan symbols.
 * When asked if he has any children, the Doctor replies "No". When further asked if he ever did have children, the Doctor is silent.

Story notes

 * This episode was originally entitled Demons 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.
 * Malcolm Hulke is credited as the creator of the Silurians in the end credits. Strangely, this did not occur in The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood and The Pandorica Opens.
 * 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.
 * The TARDIS console room does not appear in this episode. This is the first time this has occurred since Planet of the Dead, over two years prior. This also makes it the first episode of the Eleventh Doctor era to not have a scene set in the TARDIS.
 * 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 Time Lord being used as a weapon.
 * A variation of All The Strange, Strange Creatures play right before the scene mentioned above.
 * This is so far the first story to include River where the phrase "Hello Sweetie" isn't heard at all.

Ratings

 * 7.57million (31.0% market share)

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 plausible as Amy's daughter could or could not have been in the space suit that killed the Doctor, and River Song is Amy's daughter.
 * 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 would be the Doctor's Daughter in her second incarnation. 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. (the same error occurs on a graphic in World War Three) Spellings can change over time.
 * The Cyber-Leader's mouth glows blue when it isn't speaking when Rory was on the Twelfth Legion's Cybership. (This also happened in The Pandorica Opens)
 * When The Doctor is revealed to be wearing a cape of the Headless Monks, the two guards beside Madame Kovarian point their guns at him. However, in the next shot where the army points their guns at the Doctor, the two guards repeat exactly what they did in the previous shot.

Continuity

 * The Doctor defends his belief that "Bow-ties are cool". (DW: The Eleventh Hour, etc)
 * The Doctor has said he speaks every language before. (DW: Planet of the Dead)
 * 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 commented 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 has been altered (DW: The Big Bang), so that Rory and Amy were in the TARDIS together for the first time on their honeymoon.
 * Cybermen, Sontarans, Silurians 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)
 * The Church make their second appearance after DW: 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. The dates given on-screen mean this is the Church a century after Time of Angels.
 * 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. (WC: Prequel (A Good Man Goes to War))
 * 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 (not being) 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. Rory said it would mean something someday. (DW: The Doctor's Wife)
 * The Untempered Schism is mentioned, 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)
 * When River appears at Demon's Run, she wears the same outfit she wore in DW: Day of the Moon.
 * The TARDIS hum is heard as it is revealed in the Victorian drawing room.

Timeline
For the Doctor For the adult River at Demon's Run For the baby Melody at Demon's Run
 * This story occurs after: DW: The Almost People
 * This story occurs before: WC: The War of Art
 * This story occurs after: DW: Let's Kill Hitler
 * This story occurs before: DW: The Impossible Astronaut
 * This story occurs before: DW: Let's Kill Hitler

Home video releases
Released as Series 6 Part 1 with The Impossible Astronaut, Day of the Moon, The Curse of the Black Spot, The Doctor's Wife, The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People on 11th July 2011. It will also be released in a full Series 6 box set after the airing of episode 13.