12 Great Moments From Hell Bent (Part 1)
Mark McCullough picks out 12 faves from the 12th episode of Series 9.
A finale is supposed to bring with it a sense of satisfaction, and draw closure to the various plot threads that formed the arc of the series. Instead, at the conclusion of Hell Bent, I found myself feeling a sense of Déjà vu. For those of you who remember last year, I was less than enamoured by Death in Heaven (But did come to appreciate it a lot more over time). This year I find myself feeling the same way, and for the same reasons too. I do not feel the episode delivered on what was promised from the set-up going into it, under-utilising Gallifrey and the intrigue that its return could have yielded.
With regards to the story arc too, it left things open ended meaning there was a lack of any real pay-off with regards to the hybrid. The worst crime however (and the reason this episode currently sits at the bottom of my list of finales) is the addition to Clara’s departure, but a lot more on that later. The best way to describe my thoughts on the episode is like this: If Moffat had decided to create the perfect square peg, there is no doubt that he succeeded. Hell Bent is an episode of impeccable quality, that isn’t even a question. The issue is that Moffat has placed in a slot that resembles a round hole, as a consequence, things start to unravel and great moment lose their impact or worse still undermine what has gone before!
12. The Doctor and Clara’s Goodbyes
The true goodbye between the two came shortly beforehand on the TARDIS, where the Doctor mirrored Clara’s last words to him from Face the Raven. He instructed her to follow his promise: “Never be cruel and never be cowardly. And if you ever are, always make amends.” And told her to run from her fate as he did for Trenzalore. The most heart-breaking moment was him asking for one final smile only for Clara to be too sad to do it. His last words to her “Don’t worry, I’ll remember” were more than just ironic, the mirrored perfectly her echoes final request of him “remember”. The tragedy here is that neither was able to fulfil the others final request.
11. “You Are Hated”
This was a scene that brought back memories of The Time of the Doctor, with Clara facing against the Time Lords. Then she was begging for their help, here she is delivering the damning verdict that the Time Lords are hiding at the end of time because of their reputation. She’s quite right in saying that they are hated, look at the armies that assembled to kill them upon return to the universe. Whilst the content of Clara’s confrontations with the Time Lords differed, the reason for both was the same: to help the Doctor, a testament of how much he meant to her. The scene also allows Clara to show her anger at the fact the Doctor was left suffering for billions of years in a scene which utilised Jenna’s unquestionable acting abilities to their maximum potential. Fitting that Jenna bowed out on one of her best performances to date.
10. The Matrix
In an episode packed with great concepts, the matrix topped them all mostly because of what it did for the mythology of death for a Time Lord. On one hand we have the flippant likening of death to the flu for a Time Lord, then we get this. The Matrix is revealed to be a place where the minds of dead Time Lords is uploaded after undergoing purification in their own personal torture chamber. The minds are then used to make prophecies and alert the Time Lords of any impeding danger. A pretty grim concept which makes it understandable that a Time Lord would start to fear death once they near their last regeneration. As for the flaws within the Matrix, the Cloister Wraiths, whilst extremely creepy (come on, I want to see more of something that it’s OK for even a Time Lord Soldier to be scared of) instead we had cameos from Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angel which were ultimately unnecessary.
9. Clara’s Extraction
Has to be included in this list of moments because of the impact it has on the wider series as a whole. Long story short the Doctor uses Time Lord Technology to remove Clara from the Trap Street between her final heart beat and death. The sci-fi behind the concept is just sublime drawing on the fact that Clara would have different sensory perceptions now that her bodily functions have been time looped, very intelligent writing by Moffat. Clara’s reaction too to finding herself on Gallifrey was a particular highlight, once again an example of Jenna’s stellar acting. Also worth noting is the Doctor’s wonderful comment about not taking a selfie on pain of death. This scene fed into one of my other choices for a top moment later in the article.
8. Gallifrey
Why? Why? Why? Why? (repeat ad infinitum) I’m sure I’m not alone in the sentiment that the return of Gallifrey was something to get really excited about. Following the denouement of Heaven Sent I could barely contain my elation at the fact we were finally getting to see more of the Doctor’s home. More so than this I was really looking forward to learning more about Time Lord Society and how being saved from the war had impacted this. Sadly the narrative opted to overlook all of this potential in favour of investing more time in Clara, which also paid off. I suspect this episode could have even benefited by being a two-parter, or even being extended further. That said, what we did see of Gallifrey was no less than sublime with the red planet perfectly realised by the wonderful Rachel Talalay. Unlike with Clara there will be plenty of opportunities to expand on this particular aspect of the show, so for now we have seen more than enough to whet the appetite for when that day does indeed come.
7. “Get off my Planet!”
I have to say that I absolutely adored the concept of the Doctor declaring that Gallifrey was his. I suppose it isn’t too much of a stretch to suggest that he actually earned the right to that claim, he was the one who saved them, so their existence is down to him. Based on that we should not have been surprised by the fact that he had a following too, yet it still struck me as a shock. The Doctor’s status was elevated to that of almost a god, which was nice to see him get some recognition for a change.
The big problem with the scene though was Rassilon who was such a far cry from the version that was presented in The End of Time that it fathoms belief that the two are the same person. Would the man who would rather end the universe than give up his power just let the Doctor take it without using his glove capable of wiping those who oppose him from existence? Of course there could be the explanation of the passage of time, and the fact that Rassilon has regenerated since. That said the Doctor maintains his key attributes across his regenerations so the latter is unlikely. Perhaps this is something that will be revisited at a later date.
6. Clara’s Send-Off
Clara’s final send-off could easily have been moment number one, but it could also have been left off the list entirely. Obviously the reasons for both are different and I will cover both here, as you can see I’ve gone for an average and placed the moment in sixth. So let’s start with the good. Clara’s story arc has been about her growing more and more like the Doctor, so for her to have her ending being the fact that she now has a TARDIS and companion of her own is just perfect for the character. Looking at it on an even more basic level, all she has to do is keep running from Gallifrey, now where does that sound familiar? The episode ends with the Doctor and Clara finally as absolute equals which is why the scene of the Diner TARDIS and Police Box TARDIS crossing over each other as they embark on their respective adventure is a moment I will treasure forever. Me and Clara is something I just have to ship (Ashildir can have a look in too), and I’d love to see some of their adventures in the future.
However, this was not the only perfect ending the character of Clara has received. There was also the events of Face the Raven two weeks ago. Here Clara’s ending also gave an exit that was in fitting with the character’s development. Of the two I think I preferred the first we seen, not because Clara didn’t deserve a happy ending (she did) but because the tragic one just worked better for her. Technically both endings still stand, but the events of Hell Bent certainly reduce the pathos of Face the Raven. I’m not for one minute implying it undoes it all, but it certainly reduces it. Part of the impact of Clara’s death comes from her young age, and the robbery of the things she could have done but can’t. Rigsy and her family can now be visited, and Clara can literally do anything she wants. One could argue that Clara now has a longer life than she was ever going to have and no matter what anyone says that reduces the tragedy of her untimely death.
Join us tomorrow for Part 2!
