Top 10 Clara Oswald Moments… (So Far?)
Guest contributor Zach Guida counts down the best of Clara.
With the 2014 Christmas special fast approaching, Jenna Coleman’s future in the show is still a mystery with the ambiguous rumours of her exit, and her stay. Regardless of what happens here are my top ten moments from Clara (so far… or not!)
10. The Day of the Doctor – Changing the Timeline
Seeing the 10th and 11th Doctor step in and help the War Doctor destroy Gallifrey, to watch it burn once again, Clara just couldn’t help herself. It was a chilling and breathtaking moment as she feared what was to come. She was used to seeing 11 being so kind and frilly. Now she sees him about to blow up Gallifrey. She never imagined him the one to do it. It’s a tense moment as she changes the Doctors’ minds, forcing them to rewrite their timeline, allowing Gallifrey to survive.
9. Listen – Fear is a Superpower
Being one of Series 8’s most powerful episodes, why wouldn’t this be on the list? Clara, having been through her boyfriend’s timeline of chasing the Doctor’s suspicions of “what’s really under the bed” we get the surprising ending where in fact, Clara ends up being what’s under the young Doctor’s bed. She realizes the Doctor is merely afraid of the dark. She delivers a heartwarming and motherly speech she only heard the Doctor give moments ago. The scene is edgy. We see both the Doctor as a kid, and Clara embrace him, giving him the right feelings to combat it. After all, fear makes companions of us all.
8. The Snowmen – Smaller on the Outside
Being the second episode to introduce our future companion, the Victorian Clara follows the Doctor onto a cloud, after escaping Dr. Simeon and the Snowmen, to discover he’s a time traveling alien. In what every companion goes through upon entering the TARDIS, she exhibits the thrill and shocked expressions, only to say the complete opposite of what every other companion has said in the past. It’s not larger on the inside, it’s only “smaller on the outside”.
7. The Name of the Doctor – Lost in Time
In the opening act of the Series 7 finale, one rare moment occurs where the fandom almost broke. We see the repair shop with faulty time machines. Gallifrey. Clara is lost, through the Doctor’s time stream. We see her following each Doctor. Telling the First Doctor which TARDIS to take, calling to the Third Doctor in Bessie to turn around and so on. It’s a powerful scene, as it was never done before in the revived show. We’ve always seen pictures of the past Doctors, but never full cut scenes from stock.
6. Hide – You Old Cow
It’s no secret that Clara and the TARDIS didn’t get along when she first came onboard. In Hide, when the Doctor needs saving, Clara and the TARDIS come together to save him. Clara calls the TARDIS a big old cow, and it even takes on her appearance through the interface to piss her off. Eventually the TARDIS gives in to Clara’s pleas and the two of them enter the parallel universe to save the Doctor from the Crooked Man.
5. Nightmare in Silver – Boom!
After taking over the Punishment Platoon, Clara soon picks up a gun and destroys a Cyberman. A feat in which hasn’t been seen since Mickey took a few out. The scene is powerful, showing the fans that Clara isn’t just some helpless girl. She can handle herself and when it comes down to it, will fire a gun.
4. Dark Water – Keyless
In what could be considered as the biggest betrayal any companion could ever do to the Doctor, Clara “destroys” all 7 keys to the TARDIS. Even though it was ultimately a mind trick brought on by 12, Clara believed it was real, and the Doctor played along with it. After suffering the grief brought on by Danny’s death, she couldn’t handle it. She wanted time to change and wanted the Doctor to do it. It’s a dark scene and most Clara fans wouldn’t approve.
3. Flatline – I’m The Doctor
When the TARDIS goes into Siege mode, and the Boneless arrive in the 3D world, Clara is forced to become the Doctor. Moffat wrote Clara to be like the Doctor, and she shows it off no better here. This episode proves that Clara could handle being alone. We see her for who she really is.
2. The Rings of Akhaten – The Most Important Leaf
The leaf that brought Clara’s mother and father together, the leaf full of history and stories, powerful enough to beat even the Doctor’s memories. Even thought it was bit of a let-down compared to the Doctor trying to save the day with his thousand-year-long memories, Clara arrives to save the day, feeding the creature her memories. Adding The Long Song in, makes this scene one of the most powerful and satisfying saves by Clara. There’s an infinity of emotions in this scene, and even an infinity can be too much to handle.
1. The Time of the Doctor – The Crack
The Doctor has fought for 900 years, but he can’t just move on and regenerate, so Clara comes in. Out of all her times saving the Doctor, this is most defining. She tries to convince the Time Lords that it doesn’t matter what his real name is. What matters is that he is the Doctor. He needs saving. Clara succeeds and the Time Lords give the Doctor a whole new regenerative cycle, expanding the Doctor’s limit. In an episode deemed by some as poorly written and slow to get the plot going, this scene regardless stands out as supreme.
So whether it’s saving the Doctor or betraying him, Clara’s time may nearly be over. With Last Christmas on our doorsteps, she proves that she is just as important and successful as any companion before her.
