R&J

"Look into our timelines. Complicated, aren't they?"

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: March 2020

Series: Lives of Captain Jack 3.03

Featuring: Captain Jack, River Song

Synopsis

Captain Jack Harkness – time-travelling con-man, saviour of the Earth, and intergalactic adventurer. He has lived many lives.

From ancient battles to eternal wars

A pair of time-cross'd lovers take the stars

Verdict

R&J was an outstanding story to conclude the third, and currently final, series of The Lives of Captain Jack! This has been a really strong series and it's delightful to have two such iconic figures in the world of Doctor Who meet. Considering that both have a spinoff series, it was inevitable that the pair would meet given their time travel capabilities, but I really wasn't expecting a love story spanning over the entire timelines of both characters! There was so much continuity here that was right up my alley and I really like the idea of the two developing a relationship, with River keen to reiterate it as a friendship whilst Jack was taken aback by his feelings after any sort of kiss or physical interaction. There was so much to enjoy here with so many past stories playing a part. We had River as the head of the Time Agency at a time where Jack wasn't even going by Jack Harkness, but he liked the name which was fun to have happen. We even had Jack greeting River before her current iteration on the streets of New York in 1969, presumably around the time of the shocking ending of Day of the Moon. They kept meeting out of sync which was ironic given River's relationship with the Doctor, so to have it happen again here was terrific. I was intrigued that River felt like a relationship with Jack might be a bit more normal, but there was just something about the Doctor that Jack couldn't compete with. He didn't know he was competing with him though as River kept her other man's identity a secret right up until the end. I adored the scene taking place during the events of Boom Town with River's reaction to the Doctor being on a date with a Slitheen a sheer delight. I really enjoyed the cameo of the Ninth Doctor and it was so much fun to think River was in close proximity to this incarnation – and kronk burgers! – and I do hope that with Christopher Eccleston confirmed for more series that they could somehow meet. I loved that River got to meet Jack during The Year That Never Was when the Master had control over Earth, and she was glad to have him fixed down to a single point for a while. The pair venturing to the end of the universe was full of sheer joy as the idea of them encountering Ashildr was great, but the audacity of them apparently being the knock on the door heard by Orson in Listen was tremendous. Talk about a practical joke! It was quite sad to have River being there at the time of the Face of Boe's funeral and Jack also showing up, unknowingly to his own celebration of life. River standing in for Elizabeth I during the events of The Day of the Doctor was amusing, as was 'Hack Jackness' giving a lecture in place of Bernice Summerfield. Ultimately, things ended on a sombre note during the events of The Husbands of River Song and River's last night with the Doctor before heading to the Library. This saw Jack realise that it was the Doctor all along who was the other man, and he accepted his fate as inferior. Throughout though it was nice for him to pick up where the Doctor failed in giving her some normality with a wedding cake and not forgetting her birthday. Overall, just outstanding from start to finish! A dream of continuity and a sublime use of two excellent characters. 

Rating: 10/10