Questions, Questions: The Unsolved Clara Mystery (Part 2)

Guest contributor Ruth Long concludes her investigation.

Despite the apparent closure of Clara’s original story arc; threads were left hanging, and queries left unexplained. In the time following, Steven Moffat has dropped many a tantalizing hint; both directly within the narrative of the current series and outside of it. Thus, it would seem that this is not necessarily a matter of iffy continuity, but rather a complex long-term plan for the character; a character who, it seems, has a role to play that is yet to be fully revealed…

Welcome back folks. I apologize for leaving you previously with the not-so comforting thought that Clara could be an (unwitting) puppet for the sinister plan of a crazy Mary Poppins. Whether that is indeed the case is still to be confirmed; though the finale trailer does little to dispel the notion. For this second part, however, I would mainly like to discuss some of the other unanswered questions relating to Clara, and believe me, there are quite a few of them.

Note that they range from “plausible” to “rather silly”, and may not necessarily be addressed (in any capacity) in the future, but still it’s fun to play with the idea that they could all culminate in the series’ conclusion. Certainly, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them are tied to the “Puppet Master” theory we discussed in Part 1

, and/or the crazy things we witnessed in the preview for “Dark Water” (I’ll get to that).

Unfinished Business?

 

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure whether to include this particular “mystery” or not; mainly because it may not be one at all. For the longest time, I have felt, let’s say, somewhat dissatisfied by the “Impossible Girl” arc; not because of its concept (which I believe was a stroke of genius), but the way its final resolution and aftermath was handled.

Understandably, with the buzz of the 50^th anniversary episode and its celebration of half a century of Doctor Who, time could not be afforded to explore the fallout of Clara going into the Doctor’s timestream, and I certainly don’t hold that against it. However, almost a year on, the complete lack of any repercussions for (or even any reference to) this event is irksome: if only because it gives the impression that the whole thing was swept under the rug without consequence.

In fact, upon a re-watch, the entirety of The Name of the Doctor’s ending feels a bit, well… off. For example, the following conversation took place between River and Clara just before she entered said timestream:

“If I step in there, what happens?”
“The time wounds will tear you into a million pieces, a million versions of you, living and dying all over time and space, like… echoes”
“But the echoes could save the Doctor right?”
“But they won’t be you. The real you… will die. They’ll just be copies”

The situation is presented to us as if Clara is about to willingly give her life for the Doctor; and both she and River seem to fully believe this. With a “run you clever boy, and remember me”, she seals her own fate. But Clara didn’t die. She was very much alive, even before the Doctor went in to retrieve her (remember River’s continued connection with her). So, how and why did she survive being scattered “like confetti” across time and space? Did someone intervene? (looking at you, Missy) or is there another reason?

Those aren’t the only questions that we’re left with: what happened to the Clara echoes when they died? Did they rejoin Clara prime or go somewhere else? Why hasn’t there been any visible effect on Clara from this event? How did the Doctor get Clara out of his timestream? Did something happen in there that we didn’t see?

Now it’s very possible that though significant, this chapter of Clara’s story will not be returned to. When it comes to lot of my and other fan’s issues with it; it may be left to our own imaginations to figure out. The apparent “renewal” of Clara’s mystery incited by the finale trailer does give me hope, however, that we are heading for Clara continuity “Heaven”.

A Perplexing Relationship

The next big question mark hovers conspicuously above Clara’s relationship with the TARDIS. Throughout series 7, and particularly in episodes such as “Hide” or the minisode “Clara and the TARDIS” (pretty self-explanatory), the idea that blue box didn’t quite approve of this new companion was explored. From playing “practical jokes” on Clara to refusing to cooperate when she needed her, the TARDIS certainly wasn’t afraid of expressing her feelings of dislike towards the Impossible Girl.

Despite her teasing however, I wouldn’t say that the old girl’s treatment of Clara ever crossed the border into pure animosity or hatred. In fact, we’ve seen things between the two take a rather dramatic U-turn lately. Post “The Name of the Doctor” (after a fairly jarring time gap), we next saw Clara arrive through the doors of the time machine (on a motorbike, as you do) before closing them with a snap of her fingers. According to River Song, this ability is unique to the Doctor; even among the Time Lords. So for Clara of all people to do this (and retain the privilege – as seen in “The Caretaker”) is more than enough to raise a few eyebrows (*insert Twelfth Doctor joke here*).

The noticeable shift in their dynamic didn’t end there, either. On occasion the TARDIS has shielded Clara from the time vortex (in “The Time of the Doctor”), become mentally linked with her (in “Listen”) and even allowed Clara to pilot her to some degree (shown in a number of recent episodes). Apart from a throwaway line in “Kill the Moon” and perhaps the odd moment in “Listen”, their formerly established tension hasn’t really been that evident at all.

The logical assumption to make here is that the initial conflict was owed to Clara’s “impossible” nature, and that this was resolved after she sacrificed herself to save the Doctor. Though in contradiction to their newfound affinity, Steven Moffat has given the impression that the reasoning behind their mystifying relationship is yet to be explained:

“Now those pesky humans who keep following [The Doctor] home are usually content to stumble about, saying: “It’s bigger on the inside” and remain sufficiently in awe of the Police Box magic never to question it. But clever, skeptical, hard-to-impress Clara might just cause trouble… It’s almost like it’s all building up to something…”

An Impossible Authority

A particular area of interest (and contention) surrounding Clara is her significance in the Doctor’s life. Regardless of whether or not the gravity of her influence has been overstated or exaggerated; it cannot be denied that Clara is a character who has been given considerable agency in some very pivotal events.

Now by no means does this elevate Clara above her predecessors, nor does it necessarily require complex narrative justification for her do the extraordinary. Clara’s actions reflected that of any companion, or indeed anyone who loves the Doctor: comforting a scared little boy in a barn, questioning her friend in his darkest hour, helping him when all hope seemed to be lost, giving her life to save him. She didn’t need superpowers; she simply needed to care.

However, I do not feel that it would be wise to rule out the idea that there is something more to all of this. Especially when taking the prevailing secrecy that still seems to haunt Clara into consideration, and, of course, the potential involvement of Missy (did Clara’s possible “Puppet Master” have these events in mind? a heavy question indeed). Maybe much of her apparent authority in the Doctor’s history is circumstantial; maybe she isn’t nearly as important to the grand scheme as she appears, but I cannot shake the feeling that it’s a little more than mere co-incidence.

Hints or Red Herrings?

Though not particularly substantial in themselves, when scouring Series 7 and 8, one begins to discover possible clue after possible clue; not to mention other potential puzzles. To describe a few:

1. In “The Time of the Doctor” the Silence repeated the word “Confess” to Clara: something that (to my knowledge) they have never said to anyone else.
2. The Teller’s tendency to seek and “lock onto” Clara (over her companions) in “Time Heist” is also err… telling. Does Clara have un-admitted guilt? Or does the guilt lie in her future?
3. Twice in Series 8, Clara’s death has been brought up (first in “Deep Breath” with Strax and then in “Listen” with the Doctor). On both occasions, an opportunity to see how and/or when this occurs is mentioned, and on both occasions she expresses that she’d rather not know.
4. At some point, Clara knew the Doctor’s name, but then “forgot it” in “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS”. However, we know that some of those memories later returned, so does she know it?
5. There has been a lot of confusion (and rumormongering) over Clara/Jenna Coleman’s departure, and her promise of a “surprise” to come in a recent interview. Does she mean that there may be a massive Clara-based revelation? (Judging by a certain trailer, I’m going to say yes).
6. In the prequel “He Said, She Said” The Doctor describes Clara as “too perfect” and “perfect in every way, for me”. Her jumping into his timestream does not do much to explain or justify this statement.
7. Danny’s backstory remains murky, and we still have no idea who he killed that wasn’t a soldier. Does he have a secret in his past that is connected to Clara somehow?
8. Orson Pink, and the implication that he is a descendant of Clara (and Danny). Is this a guarantee of the couple’s future or Moffat misleading?
9. ‘Clara Oswin Oswald’ is an anagram for ‘A Window Across All’. Clara also means “Bright” Oswin means “God’s friend” and Oswald means “God’s power”. The links to “Heaven” and “the afterlife” seem increasingly relevant now.
10. When asked to describe the new series in 3 words, Peter Capaldi said “Trust no one”. Make of that what you will.

…Clara?

Finally, there’s the not-so-simple matter of that trailer. Despite its (no doubt intended) effect of throwing the fanbase into frenzy; it answers nothing and asks everything. Here Clara is almost depicted in a villainous light; arguably more so even than Missy. Her words to the Doctor drip with menace: “Do I have your attention? You will never step inside your TARDIS again”. Surely this is not the Clara we know, or at least not the one that we thought we knew.

But by no means should we take what we see (or hear) in this trailer at face value. It’d be pretty poor form, would it not, if the finale’s big bombshell was dropped before it had even aired? Our knee-jerk reaction is inevitably going to be “Clara is bad?” or “Clara has never existed?” but let’s not jump to conclusions; especially when things thus far have been anything but predictable. Indeed, the later-released TV trailer makes everything even more confusing.

The potential twists and turns of the next two episodes are nigh on impossible to determine: Moffat certainly wasn’t kidding when he said that “bets are off”. In writing these articles, I attempted to derive even the slightest inkling as to where this could all be heading, but in all honesty, I haven’t the foggiest… and that is exactly the way it should be.

All of our questions are about to be answered: as plans unfold, secrets are revealed, identities exposed… and fates met.

Right then Clara Oswald, time to (finally) find out who you are…