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This review contains spoilers!

This story is full of crazy time travel shenanigans - they've gone full Moffat, it's so wacky and I love it.

Alex Kingston's having a ball in this, isn't she? I love the way that we follow River at the different points in the timeline - it's so confusing but so cleverly written so you clearly understand at the same time. She takes on a commanding and striking lead role, battling ethics as well as getting up to all sorts of shenanigans with the Doctor. Speaking of, again they handle the Doctor's role in this with care, having an active role but not overshadowing River - a lot of fun dialogue is given to him and he bounces off the rest of the cast super well.

Kovarian's return was brilliant. Barber steps back into the role effortlessly and with as much seductive evil when she originally played the character. There's something so illustrious about the way she's written, and Barber brings those words to life in a menacing but fantastically appealing way. I really enjoyed her slightly irritated manner throughout this, reflecting her unpredictable nature and unsettling the audience a little. Brooke feels a little generic, even as a villain, which is a shame, because it would be great to explore more of the dynamic between her and Kovarian but nothing really comes of it.

The timey-wimey setting is phenomenal. John Dorney captures the essence of the show with its complicated nature perfectly - the way we keep bouncing back and forth from the past to the future then back to the present is so much fun, and it never gets old. The restaurant setting is so thrilling, and it reminded me of The Husbands of River Song, and these characters interact so well with it, especially considering the atemporal nature.

Andrew is such a sweet man, and Davison obviously revels in playing a completely different role (although the Fifth Doctor is also incredibly sweet). His vibes are so wholesome and it's almost heartbreaking to hear River be so willing to sacrifice him. I enjoyed the company that River has in the maître d', the two again having fantastic chemistry as they delve further and further into this whole timey-wimey mess.

The score is good, the tone fits in with the nature of the rest of the story, but it's not particularly memorable, again.

Favourite Line: "Ah. You are stripping a second gentleman. Who looks exactly the same as the first. Madame clearly knows what she likes."

I can't stress how much fun this episode is - the cast are at the top of their game, they're revelling in such fantastic material to work with and the cliffhanger is brilliant. This is definitely one of my favourite releases from the Diary of River Song range.


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