Before the season of Doctor Who initially kicked off, it was announced that this would be the last season where Clara Oswald was a companion. Personally, I was someone that was happy about the news, because I’ve never really been that big a fan of Clara and think that the show needs to pair a fresh face with Capaldi. Clara has been a solid companion, but she was one that has been cocky and was always ready to jump in and save the world despite the Doctor knowing what’s best. Despite always having good intentions, it was interesting to watch a companion’s flaws and lack of caution or knowledge cause their demise, and although I think it should be considered that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Clara, I was a fan of how they handled her sudden departure.
The show brings back Rigsy, who has discovered a random tattoo on his neck that seems to be counting down, which freaks him out. He calls the TARDIS and eventually, with the Doctor’s help, they discover the source of his limited lifespan. The reveal that Ashildr is once again up to something was pretty fun and I love seeing Maisie Williams on this show; however, it’s pretty frustrating to watch her character make continuous attempts to plot against the Doctor. On one end, in Ashildr’s eyes, she’s always just attempting to protect what she has, but at the same time, she never grasps onto the idea that the Doctor can be her ally when bad things happen. In “Face The Raven,” we see her panic when someone has threatened her safe hidden village for refugee aliens, and she wastes no time agreeing to turn him over. Her plan is clever and I love that she fools the Doctor with a mystery she knows he won’t be able to turn down, because it’s one of the character’s few flaws, but I also feel that Clara was underestimated.
I haven’t yet decided whether or not Ashildr is lying about only remembering Clara through stories, but by episode’s end, I’m leaning towards the thought that she does and will never admit it. Clara has always been a wild card because of her self confidence. During her time as a companion, she has learned to believe in herself more and she has picked up a lot of good qualities from the Doctor, like the compassion to save anyone and everyone. We see in this episode that she never once doubts her decision to takeover the death timer from Rigsy, which is just a kind gesture she’s doing for someone she cares about. This also brings up Clara’s flaws and that she takes too many risks without talking to the Doctor first. Even Ashildr feels genuinely sorry when she discovers that Clara took over the shade countdown. Although it’s Ashildr’s fault that the situation is even happening, she never planned for Clara’s heroic wildcard nature to get in the way.
Whether or not Clara returns again this season, I’m not worried about it; they sent her out in a very heroic way while also showing that her flaws were her downfall. I would almost prefer that they kept Clara’s abrupt end the way it was, because moving forward we are going to see Capaldi go on an anger rampage, which he does so well. I absolutely love Capaldi, so I’m thrilled that we are going to see him solo for a little while with 100% focus, and I’m expecting to see him shine. As for the “they” that Ashildr was threatened by and working with? I have some ideas, but am ready to just wait and see how this continues. Doctor Who really did a great job with “Face The Raven,” finding a suitable way to send Clara off. While Clara wasn’t my favorite companion, she had a solid arc that really displayed good character development.
There are still a couple episodes left in the season, but let the future companion theories start!
Other thoughts:
- Wow, when Capaldi does the whole passively silent anger thing, it’s pretty damn scary. Can’t wait to see him going solo while this upset, because it’s going to be a great build to the season finale.
- Maisie Williams was awesome again, and I love seeing her in this role. She keeps showing us a new side of her and I like that she keeps popping up in the Doctor’s life, so I want her to keep coming back but maybe a little less frequently after this season now that we understand her background.
[Photo credit: Simon Ridgway/BBC]
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