Much has been made of The Doctor shooting the General and causing him to regenerate. The Doctor has never been a safe character, stretching back to 1963 and William Hartnell. :-Tom Baker’s Doctor there a horda (sort of like an insectoid piranha fish) onto a guard who slapped Leela. He ran out, screaming. I’m sure it didn’t just give him a playful nip, the implication was that it would have stripped off his flesh. I think the shooting scene was to show how Missy had succeeded in causing chaos by putting the Doctor and Clara together. The good news was that the Doctor made sure he had regenerations left, and when he became a woman, she referred to being back to normal, as she’d always been female prior to her last incarnation. Loved the guitar version of Clara’s theme and thee Sisterhood of Karn :-) dropping by
]]>Don’t begrudge Clara her happy ending on borrowed time. As mere humans, we are all (save an Ashildr or Jack Harkness or three) doomed to die. It’s what we do in the moments and minutes and years before that death that matter.
This trio of episodes was a great season-ender. They were also simply excellent episodes, especially Heaven Sent. We watch the crap to get to the good stuff. Thank you, Moffat & co., for so much good stuff in Series 9!
]]>And what I genuinely like is that their relationship is not romantic, or fatherly – though he does refer to Clara as his ‘duty of care’ responsibility – but a true friendship. I think he took a risk of relating to Clara as he would a younger time Lord – trusting her and making her more of an equal than other companions, because of the lengths *she* went to save *him*, and because she kept reappearing in his life, over and over – much like another Time Lord.
]]>“I don’t have any money. But I play.”
The episode starts with a very nice Nevada view and the Doctor driving his red car. Where did he get that from? In the next scene we can see Clara – she’s alive but some doubts appear whether it’s the real Clara or an echo since she seems not to remember anything. By the way, Clara looks pretty in her blue waitress outfit, doesn’t she? The colours of the TARDIS just can’t be wrong. Whovians could already admire it on the cover of Doctor Who Magazine and, of course, on the Internet. The place is also familiar since the diner had been previously used in “The Impossible Astronaut.” We already know that Twelve loves his guitar, therefore, we had to see him play. I really like this version of Clara’s theme. It’s even more sad than the original one.
“- Who the hell does he think he is?
- The man who won the Time War, sir.”
Expectations, expectations… I guess most of Doctor who fans had expected something more. Getting back on Gallifrey was a great idea but, sadly, it was wasted. I waited for something more, more emotions, more action, more events. The Doctor missed Gallifrey… Remember how furious he was when he couldn’t find it in “Death in Heaven”? This time he just “didn’t ask” how they unfroze it and made it come back. Really? Of course it was nice to see the Doctor’s bedroom again and it kind of surprises me how old it looks comparing to the modern technology present elsewhere. It was also strange to see the Doctor eating (or not eating) his red soup. Where are his fish fingers with custard or Jammie Dodgers? It’s a bit sad that the Time Lords and Time Ladies standing there weren’t given any personality. There is the rich and extravagant capital and there are these quiet, slightly scared, modest people.
When the military ship arrives and demands The Doctor’s surrender, he acts exactly as we expect him to. He just draws a line on the ground and returns to his meal as if nothing happened. Peter Capaldi is extremely talented as far as this kind of scenes is concerned. It seems to be a not very involving scene but it wouldn’t have been as great if it hadn’t been him. It continues when Rassilon sends troop to get him but he ignores them. What can I say? Brilliant acting. Angry Doctor gives me the chills.
“This way. I can save you.”
So there IS a way to escape the Raven. It’s not that simple but it’s possible. The Doctor wants to have Clara taken from the moment of her death. Consequently, she is technically dead since she has no pulse or doesn’t even breathe. She’s just stuck between her heartbeats but is physically present. We can clearly see that the Doctor doesn’t know anything about the Hybrid and neither does Clara. It was his way to save his best friend. The Doctor can tear everything apart, no matter if it’s space or time or anything else. He is willing to do anything (ANYTHING) because he misses someone he cares about. During the last episode we could see him punching a wall with his bare hand for four-and-a-half billion years. If it’s not enough, I don’t know what is.
“We’re on Gallifrey. Death is Time Lord for man flu!”
As I mentioned – he is capable of doing anything to save his friend. He even shouts “I will not let Clara die!”. Twelve is definitely rougher than his predecessor but seeing him killing the General in cold blood isn’t something we got used to. Of course, we could see Twelve being ice-cold, hard-faced, mad, or even grumpy but killing somebody is definitely more shocking. It was already said in the episode that Doctor’s “words are his weapons” but this time he decides to use something definitely more effective. He makes sure that there are regenerations left, but as we already know – regeneration still feels like dying. It’s not usual to see the Doctor putting someone through such physical pain. Even Clara is startled and she’s been with the Doctor for such a long time. I’ve seen on the Internet that people complain about this regeneration as such since it’s another example of being regenerated into a woman (again!). I understand that complaint since most of Whovians don’t want the Doctor to be changed into a woman. It would be really, really strange.
“Exterminate…me!”
Having entered the Cloisters, the Doctor and Clara meet many creatures (or monsters?) like Daleks, Cybermen, or Weeping Angels – all of them are said to have tried to steal the Matrix’s database consisting of Time Lords’ minds. We’ve seen many Daleks, which were cruel, heartless, powerful, but the one standing there says “Exterminate me” – it’s way creepier than I would ever assume. However, in my opinion, Weeping Angels are the most terrifying enemies in Doctor Who, therefore, the scene where Clara is surrounded by them makes me anxious a little. The idea of this place is pretty interesting. There is also a rumour that says that only one student of the Time Lord Academy, the Doctor, managed to escape with the help of Sliders (which protect the entrance). Everyone knows that the Doctor is special, right? There’s no irony or sarcasm here. I liked the fact that Clara got angry at the Doctor’s hitting the wall for that many years even though she was already dead. I also appreciate the recognition of the time that passed by looking into the Doctor’s eyes. It reminds me of the scene in “The Day of the Doctor,” when she answered to the War Doctor: “Your eyes. They’re so much younger.”
„Time will heal. It always does”
The scene in the classic TARDIS is heartbreaking (the music also has its part in it). Don’t blame me, I’m a woman. If I were in their shoes, this minute of waiting would be one of the longest minutes of my life. Who would want to erase any memory with the Doctor? On the other hand, why did it have to be the Doctor? It’s really, really sad… He loved his Impossible Girl but emotions or feelings sometimes can be destructive. I’m not even sure which ending for Clara was more painful. I think this ending broke me even more since it wasn’t that quiet, and the Doctor saying goodbye isn’t something typical. Moreover, there was Clara’s memorial disappearing into nowhere, and words on the board: “Run you clever boy… and be a doctor.” No longer “remember me.”
“Clara? Clara who?”
People have been saying that “Clara is the new Doctor” and this concept, presumably, influenced Steven Moffat who thought this is a brilliant idea (as if Clara hadn’t done enough). The best part of this phenomenon is the return of the classic TARDIS, which looks fantastic! I didn’t know how much I had missed this old-fashioned TARDIS’s interior. What was surprising for me was the fact that Clara decides to travel with Ashildr. Why would she do that? Ashildr/Me spoke some nice words about Clara but that’s all. “I never meant for anyone to get hurt” – a serial killer can say the same and still keep the same meaning. As a character she wasn’t really popular and the Doctor hates her: “I told you once… so long ago… that the universe would become a very small place when I’m angry with you.” What is more, there are some problematic aspects like: what happened to Clara’s echoes? Does the Doctor remember Oswin? Is Clara going to enjoy her (zombie) life being a threat to the universe? Who is the real Hybrid?
That’s a lot of questions but what would the Doctor (Who) be without them?
7/10 wasn’t bad but could have been better + I’m happy that the Sonic Screwdriver is back!
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