5 Reasons Why Clara Should Stay for Series 9
Guest contributor Toby Hankin takes a look.
Since August, rumours have been rocketing sky high concerning the fate of the 12th Doctor’s current companion and best friend, Clara Oswald. At first, The Mirror claimed that Jenna Coleman had made the decision to leave in the 2014 Christmas special Last Christmas. Now they’re claiming that Jenna won’t leave at Christmas and will stay until midway Series 9. Make your mind up, would you?! Now in my opinion, I’m hoping the latter is true and that she should stay. So here are my reasons why:
Unexplored Background
One of the main reasons that I hope Jenna Coleman isn’t leaving is because of the character’s unexplored background. We’ve only seen something like a minutes worth of footage regarding Clara’s past and her childhood. Everything seems mysterious and unresolved. Now we have “the woman in the shop” storyline done and dusted, I think it’d be nice and satisfying to focus on some of her past life and childhood.
The Potential Subject of Future Storylines
Linking into my past point, there is something about Clara that feels yet to be answered. She’s like a walking question mark. I think that the storyline of Series 9 should revolve around some questions we’ve been asking about Clara from the very beginning. Such as: How did her mother Ellie Oswald die? How is she so perfect (I know this was kind of resolved in Death in Heaven, but I feel that there’s more to it)? Why is she like a personification of the show itself, sharing the same birthday as Doctor Who, 23rd November? Why does the TARDIS dislike her? Maybe some of you are sick and tired of Clara playing the crucial plot point of a series, but I feel like it would definitely be worth it to have another story arc revolving around Clara. She is definitely still a woman of mystery.
Christmas Storyline could be too comical/soft for an exit
This isn’t a major point that I’m making, but it should be taken into account. I feel as though this year’s Christmas storyline sounds like it could be too comical and soft to be an exit story for a legendary character like Clara Oswald. The woman who splintered herself a thousand times to save the man that she loved, exiting in a story that involves Santa Claus and elves… A bit of a too low-toned story for a character as strong as Clara, I think.
A Chance to show off more talent
I’m not saying that I didn’t like the Series 7 Clara, but I think she wasn’t very well developed. She was quite clingy and it did take a while for her to find her feet. Things definitely did change right from the off in Series 8, beginning with Deep Breath in the scene where Clara had to hold her breath to save her life and then later bargain for it. This superb acting carried on through the rest of Series 8. We had Clara’s speech to the younger Doctor in Listen, Clara standing up to the Doctor at the end of Kill the Moon. There are too many outstanding performances to list, and I think that Series 9 would benefit with the masterclass acting of Jenna Coleman.
Emotions should be explored in depth
Lastly, I feel like Last Christmas won’t give us a big enough chance to observe how the loss of Danny Pink has effected Clara emotionally. I think we should see Clara’s emotional state play a part in Series 9. How does she cope daily? Just how much did she love him? Has Clara left her job as a teacher following mental trauma? Is Clara coping?
Conclusion
In conclusion, I think that Jenna Coleman should play Clara Oswald until either the midway point of Series 9 as the latest rumour suggests, but I’m equally happy if she stays until the finale. If Clara were to stay with the Doctor, I think it would bring a whole host of potential storylines with her, which would hopefully add up to a powerful and emotional exit. If done the right way, Clara could exit at some point in Series 9 with her head held high and with grace, after a what should be a sensational final story. Just what the character deserves.
What do you think; should Clara leave in Last Christmas, or Series 9?
