Co-Editor Liam Trim ponders the problem of Doctor Who’s new companion….
Steven Moffat has clearly set us viewers a conundrum, as well as the Doctor himself: he wants us to work out who Clara Oswald is. Ever since her unexpected introduction in last year’s Asylum of the Daleks, the Doctor has been preoccupied with discovering the identity of ‘the impossible girl’. But in setting up this ongoing mystery Moffat has hampered other successful aspects of the show.
The Clara storyline has not been a natural fit with the emphasis on standalone, cinematic episodes. With no linked episodes or two parters, there has been little opportunity for narrative flow throughout the series. One week the Doctor is hunting ghosts in the 1970s, with Clara not doing much more than chatting to the locals, and another week we’re in Victorian Yorkshire, where Clara does much the same. In his first series, Moffat appeared to be the master of the narrative arc, embedding clues about the crack in Amy Pond’s wall in almost every episode. This time Clara’s mystery is always mentioned, but rarely developed.
It would be unfair to pin all of Series 7 Part 2’s problems on the new companion. Most of the episodes have felt weak. The writing could have been better. Tonight’s episode, Nightmare in Silver, was one of the better ones, for reasons I’ll discuss below. But it was written by Neil Gaiman, the man behind The Doctor’s Wife, which explored the Time Lord’s relationship with the TARDIS. That episode is thought of as one of the new era’s best, along with Moffat’s Blink. Gaiman should have been allowed to write Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, which was instead penned by Sherlock scribe Stephen Thompson, in order to continue his exploration of the Doctor’s big blue box.
Mark Gatiss is responsible for the best episode so far, The Crimson Horror. It’s probably the best episode he has written for the series, too. The reason it was successful though was the absence of the Doctor and Clara for the first twenty minutes. We were introduced to a wonderfully fun story, full of references to Victorian ideals, classic horror and dark comedy. Then the Doctor and Clara were parachuted in, via a delightful sepia flashback, thankfully with little reference to ‘the impossible girl’. Here was an episode simply to enjoy.
Before Nightmare in Silver started, I thought I had cracked the Clara conundrum. I don’t mean working out who she is, but working out why she hasn’t worked fully yet as a companion. The previous companions of the new era, like Rose or Amy, were introduced in their home environments. Rose had ties to her mum but lots of reasons to escape her claustrophobic council estate. Amy had the Doctor as an imaginary friend, but she also had Rory holding her back.
What do we know about Clara? We know bits about her different versions but mostly we just know that she looks after a couple of kids, and that she stays with their parents. In one episode we had some back-story about her parents meeting by chance and her desire to see lots of places around the world. But that’s it.
How are we meant to care deeply about a character with no roots? The amazing, whirlwind journey through space and time only matters if the Doctor is spiriting the companion away from something, as well as towards adventure. No matter how feisty or quirky Jenna Louise-Coleman makes her performance, we can only get to know Clara a certain amount.
I thought Nightmare in Silver would be a good episode because the kids were tagging along for the ride. At least this would give Clara some roots, something from home, to fuss over and care about. This was partially the case. Gaiman gave Clara plenty to do, leading troops and fighting off an army of upgraded Cybermen. Clara was fierce in her protection of the children at points. But there was still something missing. Most of the fun came from Matt Smith’s performance, as the Cybermen infiltrated the Doctor’s mind, creating a manic split personality.
The result of all this disappointment surrounding Clara is that next week’s season finale has a lot of explaining to do. Moffat already has to tie up narrative strands he has left hanging from the last series, and even the series before. And we’re talking big plot points! Who blew up the TARDIS in Series 5? I’m still waiting to be told that. Then there are all the questions surrounding River and the Doctor’s name. The villain appears to be Richard E. Grant’s The Great Intelligence, used in the Christmas special. I found him a disappointing foe, so let’s hope the threat is convincing.
Can Moffat do away with all the companion related disappointment in one week? It seems unlikely. But if Clara’s true identity isn’t a real revelation, that’s truly satisfying for fans, the disappointing episodes affected by her half fleshed out character will be even more of a letdown.
Moffat acknowledges all the explaining he has to do in the prequel to the finale, which you can watch below…
Originally published May 11, 2013. Updated April 14, 2018.
