Coleman and Capaldi: What’s Next for Clara in Series 9?
Guest contributor Ruth Long pieces together the SDCC interviews to see if they offer any clues.
With the fun and excitement of Comic-Con last week came a proverbial flood of Doctor Who goodness. We’ve gone mad over the trailer, laughed at the jokes on the panels and smiled at the adorable cast photos (seriously, just look at these guys!). After the daunting initial influx of information (which is especially so if you don’t have functioning internet at the time, I can tell you) follows a steady trickle of news from various interviews; sure to get the speculative cogs whirring and ignite fan discussion.
Naturally, there’s been plenty said about what lies ahead for our two leads in the upcoming series. Peter Capaldi is in his element as a now fully established Doctor, and, despite past uncertainty (though to many a fan’s delight), Jenna Coleman is by his side as companion Clara Oswald for another year. Both actors have spoken of the Impossible Girl’s future, and I think you’ll find that some of their comments are very intriguing indeed.
A Change of Perspective
On staying, Jenna revealed that there is unfinished business with Clara:
“It would have felt wrong to have left with only one year under my belt with Peter, there was just more to do, and our working relationship is so fun, and lovely and exciting, and pushes me. There was just a lot more places to take the character.” (io9)
Indeed, the loss of Danny Pink at the end of last series has had a profound effect on Clara and her outlook on life, prompting her to go in a new direction:
“[Since losing Danny] she’s kind of cut ties a little bit to Earth her perspective’s changed and all she wants to do is travel and have fun and meet some aliens and enjoy everything time and space has to offer. So it’s kind of a freedom and an adrenaline-seeking high that she’s always running towards, which obviously is bringing some danger along the way.” (The Mary Sue)
With this comes a growing disregard for the perils that accompany her travels with the Doctor: “She’s got nothing to lose anymore ’cause she’s kind of lost everything. I think she no longer fears her own mortality, in a way, which makes her a very reckless companion.” (Zap2It)
Partners in Time (and Space)
The upcoming run of episodes have been deemed ‘the glory days’ of the Doctor and Clara, with the pair pursuing a common goal of chasing adventure (the favourite phrase being ‘reckless abandon’). Having spent much of Series 8 getting to know one another all over again, they’re now in a place of mutual understanding, as Jenna elaborates:
“[The relationship is] solid, yeah. I mean, I’m sure there’s some slaps in there somewhere and they obviously disagree, but they know how to, they’re much more on an even keel, I suppose and there’s a lot more give and take. She can tell him off, and vice versa and then they’ll kind of forget it and carry on. It’s a really lovely relationship. They’ve definitely found their groove together.” (The Mary Sue)
Peter also shared his thoughts on their dynamic:
“She’s bolder, I think, than a lot of the other companions. She kind of pushes him around. He’s begun to see he can measure himself against her. She can be a little bit of a moral compass for him.” (Zap2it)
Additionally, there’s promise that the character of Clara will continue her journey of resembling the Time Lord:
“I think she’s becoming more and more Doctor-like. The more adventure she partakes in the more experiences she has, she kind of becomes a bit of a dab hand. Like she knows how to operate the TARDIS with the Doctor, they’re very much a team, they save each other and teach each other and it’s very much kind of an even keel relationship.” (io9)
An Ominous Future
Finally, both Jenna and Peter had some fascinating (if foreboding) things to say about Clara’s ultimate fate; the former discussing what could cause her to leave the Doctor:
“I have no idea. I really don’t, I mean, I think the problem is that she loves the Doctor so, so much. I have no idea what it would take to make her leave! [laughs] I mean, I suppose when you’ve seen all of time and space and you’ve been given those opportunities, how do you just go back to your own life? How do you go back to teaching and suddenly you’ve opened your eyes to the universe? So really, I have no idea.” (The Mary Sue)
As for Mr Capaldi, his enlightening words hint at something very ominous:
“The Doctor is deeply, deeply bonded with Clara. He sees things and understands things that are beyond the perspective of human beings. He knows things about Clara’s future that’s informed his decision to stay with her.” (Slate)
It doesn’t stop there, in another recent interview he expanded on this statement:
“The Doctor wants to enjoy himself with his wonderful friend. The thing that is tricky about the Doctor and his relationship with companions… You know, Christopher Eccleston says in his first episode “I can see… everything. All there has ever been and all there ever will be. And that drives me mad”. So in a way, the Doctor knows the fate of all of his companions. That makes it… difficult. But in this instance he is deliberately enjoying the relationship and this great toybox of time and space that they can explore together. But of course, as it’s Doctor Who, there is an ever deepening shadow pursuing them.” (Doctor Who News)
Very curious indeed, what could that future possibly be?
To Conclude
Often, when a companion stays on the show for a longer period of time, there is a risk of them overstaying their welcome; of them losing momentum, stagnating and lacking any further development. Clara Oswald seems to be doing the exact opposite. It is clear from the views expressed by Jenna and Peter (in addition to comments from Steven Moffat elsewhere) that there is ‘a clear line of progression’ marked out for her character. She is ever evolving, and the new series has presented the opportunity to take the Impossible Girl to places that have never been traversed before by a companion; ending, perhaps, in tragedy.
Will this be the case? Only time will tell. We’ve got a painful couple of months to wait before we find out…
