Another Take on “Clara Who”
Guest contributor Andrew Nickels gives an alternate view on the recent Clara complaints.
Clara is one of the most loved and most hated characters of the revival at the moment. Some people utterly adore her, while some people think that her constant glorification is tiring and want to see more of the Doctor. Previous articles have all stated that Clara is not in fact as prominent a character as some people are saying, and I constantly see comments stating the claims that the show has become “Clara Who” are completely unjustified. I would like to point out that there are indeed reasons behind this argument. Allow me explain.
First, we need to define the argument of calling the show “Clara Who.” Do these people really think there is too much companion focus in the show? Well, while Clara has had a good deal of focus, it is not much more than Rose, Martha or Donna did in their respective series. Even Amy and Rory got quite a fair bit of screen time. So why the complaints now? Is it just horrible people hating on Moffat for no reason? No, it is not. I find that the issue stems from two things. The first, which also leads to dislike of nearly every series among some group of the audience, is dislike of the companion. The second problem lies not totally with Clara herself; it is the lack of focus or even a negative portrayal of the Doctor in favour of Clara.
I will address first the dislike of Clara. Before people come defending her with their life, consider this: a lot of people dislike Rose, because she could be a bit selfish and clingy at times. Other people dislike Donna, because she could be loud and annoying. And of course, other people love those companions for the same reasons. It is exactly the same with Clara.
In the last series she was underdeveloped, but Series 8 has given her a more complex character with both strengths and flaws. And those flaws are huge: she’s an egotistical brat, she’s judgmental, condescending, and prone to lies. And of course, some people find that great and love her for it. And others hate her for that same reason, as with every companion.
Some people also feel that she has had too greater an effect on the Doctor’s life. She basically created him in Listen, she reversed his darkest moment in The Day of the Doctor, and she got him a new regeneration cycle in The Time of the Doctor. Series 7 was about how she met every incarnation and saved them all. Yes, you can state that any companion would have done the same, but that is irrelevant. The fact is, she has been portrayed as the Doctor’s savior, and without her the show wouldn’t exist. And if someone doesn’t like her, can’t you see why glorifying her would get on their nerves? Hate for Rose because she had such a great effect on Ten’s tenure is quite prominent, though this argument is generally accepted. Clara has had the most protective fans of any companion, some going as far as to say that she should be the next Doctor, but there are many valid arguments against her.
The second issue spawning the “Clara Who” complaints is the lack of focus and negative portrayal of the Doctor. Let’s examine where this comes from. The Clara Who complaints first appeared after the airing of Listen. Besides the scene mentioned above, a great deal of the story was based around the Doctor being forgetful and pathetic. For example, the Doctor wrote “listen” on a chalkboard and forgot? How stupid is he? If you accept the common claim that there was nothing in the TARDIS, this is quite questionable and could lead to complaints that the Doctor is being overshadowed or even discredited.
Of course, the biggest “Clara Who” complaints started after The Caretaker. While this episode was a Clara-centric story, such companion-centered stories have been done before. So why did this one spawn complaints? Well, not only was Clara the focus, the Doctor was nearly the story’s antagonist. He was portrayed as prejudiced, stupid, and an all-around jerk. Meanwhile, we have Danny taking some shots at him, and from the perspective it was presented, it seemed as though the narrative wanted us to believe Danny— and accept that the Doctor was a bad person.
So if that is where the issue stems from, why has all the blame gone on Clara, instead of making an argument that there needs to be more heroic portrayal of the Doctor? Well, much of the reason that he hasn’t been portrayed in a good light is because of Clara. She is constantly condescending to him. He regenerated in The Time of the Doctor, and before he had even done anything to her that would spawn negative behavior from her, Clara was prejudiced against him.
From the start of Deep Breath, she demonized him for regenerating. Instead of thanking him for literally giving his life to save as many people as he could on Trenzalore, she was angry that he looked ‘old’. First of all, she fought for the Time lords to give him that regeneration, so she should have been grateful that he didn’t just die. Just imagine how angry she would be about that! You can say the Doctor has acted badly towards her, but from the very beginning she was angry and prejudiced toward him. If anything, he picked it up from her! He tried to be nice in the restaurant scene, but she went so far as to tell him not to smile. She slapped him across the face in Into the Dalek. Yes, he was being a bit of a jerk, but since when is physical abuse ever a solution? She could have simply talked with him so that he would change his mind, (we know that Time Lords mysteriously obey her from her “save him” speech in The Time of the Doctor) but instead, she resorted to domestic violence.
She exhibited the same disrespect all throughout the series, from screaming at him in The Caretaker, to putting him down in Kill the Moon when he was trying to explain that gravity increased. He asked what was wrong with his yo-yo, and Clara immediately spat “Doctor, it goes up and down,” assuming that he was just too stupid to realize that. And yet she called him patronizing. With the Doctor’s latter actions in Kill the Moon, Clara threw a fit. Now the actions were questionable, and that’s a talk for another day. But Clara immediately turned against him, trying to paint him as a villain. Though perhaps not intentionally, this behavior establishes two sides: the Doctor’s and Clara’s. If the Doctor is portrayed as an antagonist, then Clara’s side automatically becomes the good one. And for every fan who has known the show longer than Clara has been in it, fans love Doctor Who because of the Doctor, a character we have known and loved for over 50 years, this is irritating and broods dissatisfaction with the direction of the show.
Personally, I like that Clara has gotten development this series, but I do prefer the Doctor to be the hero of the show rather than an anti-hero as he has often been portrayed in Series 8. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the show has become Clara Who, the claim that the Doctor has often been overshadowed is valid.
