Open Discussion: Is There More to Clara Than We Think?

Guest contributor Ruth Long opens a discussion on Clara’s role in the Whoniverse and her increasing prominence.

“There used to be an idea that the role of the companion was to potter along beside [the Doctor] and have things explained to [them]; but I don’t think that’s true at all, it’s never been true. I think it’s a very dynamic relationship. I think the Doctor is this strange, occasionally often very dangerous man, and he needs to be in a dialogue with someone as strong as he is, intellectually and sort of spiritually… to make him the hero he can be. Without that person by his side, that very special person, he’s nowhere, he’s a threat. I think if you look at all the great Doctor Who companions from the old series, from the new series, that’s what they do. I think they make him better, and him better saves us all.” – Steven Moffat

After the heartwarming, shocking and possibly controversial ending to last Saturday’s episode, Listen, I don’t think these words have ever felt so relevant. Before our very eyes we watched as one particular companion inspired a scared, lonely little boy in a barn to “be the hero he can be”. However, it was not just the insight into the Doctor’s childhood that intrigued me, nor the discovery that he would one day return to that same place to commit (?) his most terrible act. I found this scene so utterly perplexing because it made me ask a question that I thought we’d been given the answer to: Who is Clara Oswald?

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? This was the mystery playing on Whovian’s minds just last year: the enigmatic young woman who the Doctor just couldn’t figure out. He kept meeting her, she kept dying, how was that possible? After months of theorising and speculation, we were finally presented with an explanation for her paradoxical nature. She had jumped into the Doctor’s time stream; scattering herself “like confetti” across his history, saving him over and over again.

But Clara’s role in the Doctor’s life didn’t end there: In fact, this was only the beginning. Her pivotal contribution in the events that followed further cemented her as arguably one of the most, if not the most, influential companions of all time. Following last episode’s revelation especially, this character seems to have been so woven into the mythology of the show itself that I can’t help but ask why? Why has Steven Moffat given one (reasonably new) character such a degree of apparent narrative authority? The matter has (very understandably) been a divisive one; but I struggle to believe that it has been done without good reason.

However, it is imperative that we employ some perspective before jumping to any conclusions. The purpose of this article is not to present a theory, rather to spark discussion. Is Clara really as crucial she appears to be? And is there enough significant evidence to make one wonder if even now; there is more to the Doctor’s companion than we currently know or understand? Remember, there are mysteries that have not yet been solved surrounding the Impossible Girl, and with the promise of a “surprise” to come, things are certainly looking foreboding…

Feel free to talk about your theories, ideas and opinions in the comments below!