Is the Doctor Responsible for Ellie Oswald’s Death?
Guest contributor Daniel Boyle expands on this intriguing idea.
In my last article I mentioned the idea that the Doctor may be responsible for Clara’s mother’s death. In this article I will go into more depth of the theory of what happened in the events of ‘Rose’ that would result in the death of Ellie Oswald, and what might happen if Clara discovered this.
Two significant events happened on March 5th, 2005: Rose first met the Doctor and Clara lost her mother. Although the idea was obviously not thought of 10 years ago, it could be easily inserted into the series as an almost reflection of the past 10 years of Doctor Who. The lesson of all actions having consequences is something the Doctor is very fond of, and instead of the Doctor keeping his consequences a secret, what if in this case he is not aware?
In the episode ‘Rose’ the Doctor blew up the shop that Rose worked at in order to combat the Autons. But how do we know that there was not someone left in the building? Perhaps someone who worked at the store and went back to get their handbag or phone? Now what if that person was Ellie Oswald and she was a victim? Later, Rose and the Doctor are talking in her flat and in the background the news is on and they state that a body was discovered. Could this just simply be Wilson? Or Ellie Oswald?
Let’s just say it was Clara’s mother who was caught up in the explosion. If Clara was to discover this in Series 9 I think we would see a whole new dynamic in their relationship, could she trust the man responsible for her mother’s death? Will this result in her departure from the show? I think that this would be an interesting route to take, as the Doctor has not been responsible for the death of a companion’s loved one in the past and it would be something ‘new’ and quite ‘dark’ which would suit Capaldi more than any other Doctor (and who wouldn’t love some flashbacks to ‘Rose’ and possible scene recreations?).
How would this impact their relationship and the story telling? Well I don’t know about you, but if I found out my best friend was responsible for my mother’s death I would have a few questions about continuing my relationship with them. As for story telling I think it is quite an interesting and fitting end to Clara’s time on the show, it ties in with her introduction as well as the show’s revival, which in turn would act as an anniversary type revelation. The Doctor was obviously unaware that he killed anyone in the explosion, but just imagine the heartbreak!
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show’s revival I created a short video about what I’m putting across. It’s a phone call between Missy and Clara where she is told what really happened to her mother that night!
So what do you think? Could this be the correct theory about Clara’s final story? It sure seems like the ideal plot for me, but at the same time it might just be too dark for the show?
