Clara Oswald (2012-2015)

"Let me be brave."

MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD

I'm an avid Doctor Who fan, and some, well those few individuals that read this blog are probably wondering why on earth I've not blogged about series nine. I've been saving it up to make a big whopper of a post, because I want to double back and watch the episodes again. Series nine has actually been a lot of fun and has picked up a thread from the latter of series eight (which was fun at the end). Unfortunately something's come up - Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) that is.

The impossible girl.

The girl who flew in on a leaf.

She's gone.

Somehow I knew that Clara would go bravely ahead, but it's the first companion to have really died in New Who. There have been others, but never a recurring character at this scale. I had prepared myself already as I knew Jenna Coleman's contract was up. Despite all of that, I never really felt prepared for what was to come. It's not a big scale fanfare, it's a tiny reckless mistake - her copying the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) to unknown consequences.

In Face the Raven Rigsy (Joivan Wade) finds himself in trouble, a tattoo has appeared on the back of his neck and it's counting down. He calls in Clara and The Doctor, the pair of them showing up immediately to try to figure out whats going on. Evidently after a quick check-up they find out that Rigsy's memory has been tampered with, including his phone.

Besides the fact that the numbers on his neck are counting down to his death.

The Doctor starts talking about secret pathways riddled with aliens who're in the middle of London, but just out of sight. They find this secret alley that feels like a throwback to Harry Potter with its cobbled streets, and Rigsy is not welcomed with open arms. He's apparently murdered someone, a two-faced woman who could see into the past and future of anyone.

Clara doesn't believe Rigsy has done it, and when they figure out that the numbers appeared because of that, the three of them try to figure a way out of it. Me (Maisie Williams) is also there, being the one who threw the sentence, and showing off the secure street where she's managed to create a truce within.

During all of this Clara finds out that she can ask the mark of Rigsy, and they can cheat the whole thing, as she's supposed to be under the care of Me. When they do figure that all of it is just a made-up mystery to bring in the Doctor - the other unfortunate consequence is that 'you cannot cheat death' - Clara has to face the Raven. She tells the Doctor to be brave, as well as herself, it's a gut wrenching end, and foreshadowed earlier in the episode "they always run" says one of the characters, but Clara doesn't.

"Let me be brave," are her last words, and oh, she is very brave. Parts of me are convinced she'll return, somehow, as we've unfortunately seen her pass away so many times that the impact, however bittersweet, doesn't hit us as much as it would. (Then again, I take that back, as I wept like a child this morning re-watching the end)

Clara Oswald hasn't been a perfect character, though I've enjoyed her tenure with Capaldi's Doctor much more than Smith's. I think that has much to do with series seven not being the greatest, especially when there were no two-parters, and Smith seemed a bit more tired. Jenna Coleman's Clara was a bit too upbeat and perky for him to handle when she showed up, and her character was shrouded in mystery. She's more than her mystery, and it's sad that, the plot-line was what supposedly made her interesting, because, as a consequence she was rebooted during Capaldi's appearance.

Then she was all about 'becoming the Doctor', and that has been repeated to death since it showed up. I'm going to miss her, but I can't turn my back to the problematic nature of creating a character purely for the sake of 'oh cool story bro'. I'd rather like someone ordinary to take up the spot in the Tardis, and who's main plot isn't 'she/he is a mystery', but an adventure seeking companion who wants to travel about all of the time through time and space. When Amy's life was a bit off that wasn't the main interest of the Doctor to pick her up, and that's why series five is probably my favourite of the show.

Yet, despite all of this, I'll miss her to bits. I salute Jenna Coleman for being a wonderful actress and for staying so long as she did.

Thank you Clara Oswald. 

You will be missed.