River Song Returning in the 2015 Christmas Special! · 8:45pm Sep 2nd, 2015
Yes, my fellow Whovians. After over two years, River Song will be making another appearance on Doctor Who. This time in a Christmas Special and alongside Peter Capaldi's Doctor!
In the past, I've stated that I was content with the possibility of River never returning due to me personally finding her previous appearance in The Name of the Doctor to be an emotionally satisfying farewell for the character. But I am most definitely ecstatic about seeing her return! I can't wait to see how she and 12 interact with each other!
Of course, this also points a bit to the very possible reality of Clara Oswald meeting a terrible fate in the Series 9 finale. I feel that River would would be a good way to help 12 continue on after Clara. Of course, how Clara departs (which she most likely will by the end of this season) and how 12 runs into River are still unknown. For now, let us River Song fans rejoice for her return! And for those of you who don't like River...sucks to be you then, I suppose. 
You can read more about River's return at this link here.
River's emotional departure can stay as it is in meaning and impact, assuming they smartly make this appearance from somewhere in the middle of her timeline (she apparently met every Doctor, so let's actually see one of those meetings). And yeah, Amy with 2 and a half seasons is the longest consistent run of a companion in New Who thus far, so if Clara makes it to the end of this season, she'll overtake that record, as her half of S7 was longer than Amy's by a few episodes.
Wasn't Clara supposed to depart at the end of the last season? And yet she didn't. Honestly, I'd rather like to see Clara not depart, but we'll just have to see what happens.
But yes, River Song! Yeah!
3366021
Yes but I'm glad she didn't. Not just because I love the character but also because Series 8 overall feels more like a second act for Clara rather than a third. Series 9 looks like it's shaping up to be the third and final act for the character. And I think 2 and a half seasons is a good enough tenure for a companion. Again, I love Clara and I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of her and 12 together this season but I am starting to get that itch to see a new companion. So, as of now, I think Series 9 could shape up to be a fitting time to say farewell to Clara.