Early Access - Doctor Who | 9x12 "Hell Bent" Reaction & Review

- Part 2 - ► CLARA WHO? ◄ This whole episode is about Clara's agency and subverting the Companion-Doctor dichotomy. I can get why people don't like Clara, if they just find her annoying or bossy -- I can't argue with that. It comes down to preference, and I find Clara most entertaining when she's toxic, petty and manipulative. Sorry, I just like those characters. Asuka is my favorite Evangelion character. It's not just the depth I know both these characters have, I love their meanness and domineering presence. But what I can't grant as valid is people insisting that Clara should not be this way precisely because she is a Companion, and is overstepping. Her not fitting neatly into the box of a companion -- which narratively she still obviously does, just with some deviation -- and defying the Doctor-Companion dynamic is so refreshing. To echo Clara's words this episode, Why? Why does the companion need to be the same every series? We've had our Roses, our Amys. It's like people consider a grave sin being committed for the companion to rise anything close to the role of the Doctor, that they're only allowed to have a certain amount of leverage over the Doctor but he has to be in charge ultimately. I love that Clara leaves her mark on the show by completely challenging this paradigm and asserting herself as Clara. I forgot that "Clara Who?" was actually said by The Doctor in this episode, mostly because I'd associated it so much with the fanon disparaging name for Clara being too Doctor-like. I love how official it becomes, she even has her own TARDIS with a broken chameleon circuit along with a companion to travel with her. And there's countless other ones, I saw a comment point out that her heartbeat is off like a Time Lord's, but there's so many small details too throughout her tenure, even in S7 too. I agree that The Doctor remembered Clara in the end, in a technical sense. It's like he says: "When something goes missing, you can always recreate it by the hole it left". The final hole was her face, which the painting on the TARDIS solved for him. There's something very wholesome about it. I'm assuming you had seen the FTR post-credits scene to understand where it came from. But even though Twelve remembers Clara so soon, to me it's just like how this episode makes two eps without the TARDIS feel like an eternity -- despite him only actually forgetting Clara for a bit, I still feel the weight of him remembering him, and it does feel like a grand journey was undergone. He is changed from the experience, and even though he may memory-wise be in the same place with Clara that he was previously, I think the emotions are completely different and he feels like he can move on because of how her memories have been recontextualized as something he remembered. I don't think I'm conveying this idea well, but in the moment when he sees her face on the TARDIS and he steps inside, it truly feels like things are different now. It's the perfect evolution from the S8 finale, because this time they both are able to leave each other with complete clarity. I also like that The Doctor needed to let go of Clara in this episode, and then we see in the diner scenes that Clara has to move on from The Doctor, and then finally The Doctor is able to keep to his word once he sees her face. ► MISC ◄ • I agree with the silliness of the Time Lords out in the desert being intentional. When the high council (I think?) shows up and bows, with that eccentric music playing and it just cuts to The Doctor going back in the barn without a second thought it makes me chuckle every time • I suppose Rassilon is technically recast, but don't forget that the concept of regeneration applies to him too. I like it because it works for the new depiction of this character as an expired blubbering man, deluded of his power, being exiled. I think that same concept fits more with this actor than with Timothy Dalton, though perhaps you could make the argument that it would feel more impactful if The Doctor exiled him in that more respectable form. • I'd recommend you watch at least Jodie's first episode. I haven't watched all of her tenure, but I remember the first episode being quite fun. I'm sure there's a couple standalone episodes people could recommend for if you want a bit more of her era without committing to the full thing. I don't believe the 60th Anniversary will contain anything you need prior knowledge for, not just because from an executive / production standpoint the RTD and Chibnall eras stand at opposite ends of popularity but because a new showrunner is in general going to try and establish a fresh start. I'd imagine it'll be written to make sure even people who don't know about Donna will be able to follow along with the story The music in Clara and Twelve's goodbye, and the use and rendition of Clara's theme. Watching this episode for the first time, I was ecstatic at the diegetic use of Clara's theme. Not just because this was an aspect I saw as an easter egg that I thought I was so clever for recognizing, but because I also felt the same with Capaldi playing the guitar: I knew about it in between S8 and S9, so seeing him play it in the season premiere, then again in "Before The Flood", and culminating in this episode in such a perfect way felt... well, perfect. Like I said in my preliminary comment, I could do with a couple less uses of Clara's theme this episode than there are, I do think it's a little overused, but I really love it in their final goodbye. There's something special about the way the music swells in the same way as "Face The Raven", but this time when it reaches its peak, instead of bombastically blaring, it pulls back. That small moment as The Doctor falls and lets go may be my favorite musical cue in the whole show. It instantly communicates such a deep sadness, and yet a feeling of relaxation and contentedness -- "This is right", as The Doctor says -- and yet deep sadness, once more. And while I love the melodrama of it, there's also moments of their farewell that feel very much like a goodbye from Classic Who to me. The "Good luck, Clara", "Good luck, Doctor" part especially. The calm mutual respect between them has a certain classic energy to it. Also, a parallel: Hell Bent --> "So what happens now, eh? Me and you, what do we do now?" Dark Water --> "So, what now? What do we do now? You and me, what happens now? Doctor?" (and the Doctor follows with "Go to hell", which is funny because he tells Me the exact same thing this episode) On The Doctor being half-human, the lore behind this is it was a reveal from the failing Doctor Who 1996 movie. Fans hated the movie as well as that choice for the Doctor's origins. It was then ignored / retconned and has been a joke ever since. Moffat is playing with it here, almost in a tongue-in-cheek way (Though I can't think of an explanation for the Doctor's reaction to Me's words if he isn't half-human, so I don't think it's very ambiguous). I think the observation that The Doctor spends WAY too much time on Earth for how big the universe is to be very valid, though. The Four Knocks is a great parallel to Listen. But also tying into The Master, which ties into Tennant's run. And there's great references to Smith's run too. I agree with you, there's something cool about Capaldi's Doctor making mention of Amy and Rory. For me it adds to the mature and layered feeling of the Twelve and Clara stuff. Sometimes I think Moffat just can't help himself, but this is a show about a protagonist who's made so many memories, so why not? And this was a good time for it. There's also a few other references to the Eleventh Doctor aside from the diner, there's the Ice Warrior in a submarine (one of his first adventures with Clara), of course there's "Run you clever boy", and there's Capaldi snapping his fingers to shut the TARDIS door -- which originated from Tennant, yes, but it was a Moffat-credited episode. Oh, and "You don't like endings". And on Me knocking on the door, Moffat really does have his fun with the "Me" double-meaning, doesn't he? For me the idea of it being her was in the back of my mind, but the general tone and the Doctor implying Clara should stay in the TARDIS had me expecting he was about to have a conversation with himself. It's very time travel-y, and very Doctor-y. But on the Me and Doctor conversation, I think the dialogue is honestly almost perfect. The golden lighting is beautiful as you noted, and this is the first time I noticed it but I think Me is very different from Face The Raven. I think in my first watch I lumped her character into "The Girl Who Died" and "Everything after", but the difference between her third and fourth (this) appearances may be stronger than the difference between her second and third. Maisie's delivery and how she seems generally bored but also stern is great. In general everyone's performances are top notch. I'd normally include some of my favorite line deliveries / subtle mannerisms of Capaldi or Jenna in this episode, but it feels wrong to because every single one is just so perfect. It's not wonder I've rewatched this episode so much. Overall, I'm glad you had the reaction you did to this season. This is my personal favorite season of Doctor Who and it made me happy that your reactions to the episodes were so positive. The next Christmas special is also one of my favorites, so I'm looking forward to it.

tom

I'm pleasantly surprised that you were pleasantly surprised with this episode! My basic thoughts were pretty much covered in my first "preliminary" comment, so right into the topics. ► SUBVERSIONS, OR RETCONS? ◄ GALLIFREY I used to be a little bitter about how Gallifrey gets discarded this episode. It was built up so effectively, not only in Day of the Doctor but very expertly continued in Death in Heaven, only for this season finale to say "Sike, we don't care about that anymore!". Surprisingly, back then as a kid I did understand that it was an attempt at subverting expectations, but it just didn't connect for me. I even questioned if it was too soon to bring Gallifrey back, but then figured no two seasons is a good decent set-up, which rubbed it in even more. Up until this rewatch, my love for the Clara-Doctor stuff almost outweighed my criticisms of the episode, but those criticisms were still very strong. Now, after thinking about it, even though we do literally see the destruction of Gallifrey, it doesn't feel as much that it's narratively buried as in the beginning of New Who. Rather, it's just ignored for this episode to make a statement. What an interesting turn of events how you felt how the Clara-Doctor stuff in Face The Raven was overshadowed by Gallifrey, only for this episode to completely flip that idea on its head. But yeah, Gallifrey is still there, just like Earth is still there even though we've seen it been destroyed before in the far future. One could still argue that the setup is diminished as soon as Gallifrey is first used. However, I wonder sometimes if it's inevitable that Gallifrey not be a major part of the show. Russell T Davies created the Time War and killed off all ("all") the Time Lords for a reason, because the series is much better (or perhaps just easier to write around) when you focus on The Doctor without distractions. In the Classic series, it actually took a while before we were introduced to the Time Lords, and after a while of them being present they started to plague the stories and writers had to come up with all sorts of reasons why they wouldn't interfere. Of course there are no rules in storytelling, and I think having Gallifrey as a consistent presence in Doctor Who could create a very interesting dynamic -- in Classic Who there's a multi-part story where the Doctor is put on trial by the Time Lords for his irresponsible actions, and there's also a Doctor who is sentenced to a forceful regeneration where he's then exiled on Earth without the use of his TARDIS -- but I can understand why the story gravitates toward keeping them out of the picture. CLARA Yes, I agree that there's a "nothing is sacred" approach to a lot of modern storytelling, and New Who especially struggles with letting companions go until they're forced to. Clara would have been the first character with an outright death, and it got undone to the most drastic end possible where she is now functionally immortal. But aside from the fact that it feels like a huge lost opportunity to have not only the first companion death (in New Who) finally happen, it also would've hit so hard for Clara, a character who feels innately tragic and self-destructive, like she's on borrowed time throughout the entirety of S9. But she ends up with an extremely happy ending, getting her wish fulfilment and reward for Doctor-like behavior, and theoretically having all the time in the world before she has to die, allowing her to die content. It's sort of like how I've come around to your belief that Amy and Rory exiting in S6, though I wasn't ready for it at the time, would be something very different and refreshing. I'm glad to see your warm reaction to her exit. It's cathartic after "Death in Heaven" and "Face The Raven" left you feeling like something was missing, that this finally brought you a sense of relief and closure. There's some mixed feelings, of course, as I mentioned. I've seen some raise the idea that Clara's exit isn't retconned because it was clearly written as a three-part finale. As opposed to "Death in Heaven", which was written AND performed as her final send-off. THEMES Was there a thematic retcon? I don't have too much to say about this, but Heaven Sent undeniably serves as an exploration and arc for the Doctor's grief regarding Clara's death. It's not the fact that this episode is no longer about grief (similar emotions, but not the same concept), nor the Clara's death is recontextualized, but that The Doctor confirms in this episode he knew there was a way to save Clara all along. This puts a spin on all of his behavior in Heaven Sent, as now know he was not fighting for himself, nor for the idea of being a Doctor, but for Clara. It also slightly ruins the scene where Clara appears in his TARDIS to quite literally say "Everybody loses everyone, you're not special" and the Doctor ACCEPTS this, with the narrative implication being that he understands himself as having lost her. Oh, and he also says in his own words "Whatever I do, you still won't be there". He goes from "I had to figure out how to fight knowing I can't change Clara's death" to "I was fighting to fix Clara's death all along". FRAME CHOICE • Middle-right: Clara slowly grabbing The Doctor's hand has always been a memorable moment for me, and it's perfectly encapsulated in the frame you chose. It's honestly like a painting with how expressive it is. The Doctor takes up the right-half of the frame, and Clara's posture is so unique that it communicates her emotions in that moment. One of those "a picture is worth a thousand words" moments. • Top-right: Man, you've given me such an appreciation for how the set design of the TARDIS is included in cinematography. i always loved it before, there's so many memorable shots such as the new interior reveal in "The Eleventh Hour" and "The Snowmen", and so, so many in Capaldi's era (the tracking shots as he walks around the top floor, and the camera fixed to the top rotating part). His TARDIS is very underrated. But my favorite type of shot might be embodied in this episode with moments where the set is used to create these textured, layered shots in the new core TARDIS. The top-right frame is just gorgeous and I love the practical feel to it that makes it so real. There's also another one of Me as she walks through one of the transparent beams and the camera moves. I also love the final shot as Clara and Me go flying onto unknown adventures when it focuses on the weird centerpiece. I can't recall which episode it is, but they've done similar shots where it focuses on one of those weird displays on the console and it goes intentionally out of focus to transition to the next scene. • Top-left and Middle-middle: The atmosphere of the slumbering TARDIS waking up in Twelve's presence is nothing short of a pictureqesue beauty. The beam of light and dust illuminating Capaldi's silhouette is so perfect that it looks drawn in, yet is so crisp and good. I love the way the TARDIS is an old friend that it really feels like Capaldi has been away from for years, or in our terms a whole season. But it's only been two episodes! Yet you can feel the weight of how long it's been for him, and the feeling of him returning home, returning to who he is. That whole final scene has always interested me so much in since my first watch with how it feels like a character defining moment. Like it's Twelve finding himself, catharsis after the pain. And I think it was. Although it was 2/3 into his story, it feels like his moment of self actualization. The way the humming synth of "A Good Man" almost harmonizes with the frequency and ambience of the TARDIS lighting up still gives me chills. I love the incorporation of sci-fi elements into the whole central conflict of this episode. Yes, the memory wipe is very straightforward, but everything about Clara facing the raven and having been pulled from the end of her timestream and dealing with those complicated emotions is amazing. I think I commented a similar thing under Kill The Moon, where their argument was predicated on such raw human emotions but in an extremely unimagineable situation. Oh, and they essentially argue about the exact same thing back then, but The Doctor finally understands and agrees with Clara's point. That's character development. ► POSSIBLE FEMINISTIC LENS ◄ Not only is this not the first time The Doctor swapping genders has existed as a concept (Missy's joke to Clara in the premiere of this season which, combined with The Doctor's words to Clara this season, would imply he was a little girl once (though I take Missy as an unreliable narrator who would absolutely make a joke that only she can understand); "The Doctor's Wife") far before Jodie, but it's not even the first time in Doctor Who history. Tom Baker in 1981 coyly responds to questions about his replacement with "Well you're making an assumption that it's going to be a man". Maybe this was a joke, who knows, but during a later hiatus of the show when it was failing, it was proposed by the man who came up with the idea for the TARDIS and The Doctor that, following an initial regeneration of recasting an old Doctor, they should have the Doctor regenerate into a woman. It's kind of fascinating how these ideas, only in the opposite order, would eventually be implemented 37 years later. I partially wish this happened so Jodie as a Doctor was less divisive for the wrong reasons, but I also suspect we would've ended up with something pretty sexist. In the proposal it was stated to "avoid a flashy, Hollywood Wonder Women because this kind of heroine with no flaws is a bore", and Newman was confident that with time he could create such a character, but who knows how a creative vision could be transformed by execs or mediocre writing (In the 60s, Susan begins as a very eccentric and intelligent female character only to end up as a cliche damsel in distress). Plus, even if they stuck to the plan the show could've died shortly after the attempted revival like it did in reality, only that time the gender of the Doctor wasn't the scapegoat. On feminism in this episode, like my comment in "Kill The Moon" I noticed here that the male characters all get defeated. We have The Sisterhood of Karn (The leader's name is apparently "Ohila" which I didn't know either), The General (F), Clara and Me. Then on the male side we have The Doctor who is proven wrong by Clara (AND Me) and loses the coin flip, Rassilon who gets humiliated and banished, and The General (M) who literally becomes a woman and is "back to normal". Of course this isn't a one-note thing, and I think it's done rather tasteful if this subtextual idea is even true -- I'm just giving a possible reading but I don't personally believe it to be "true" --, both The General (who goes from positively coded as a man to neutral-negative coded as a woman) and Ohila (who is certainly a wise strong figure, but--) getting a tongue verbal lashing from Clara. So it's not a stereotypical case of battle lines drawn on the boundaries of gender. And the Vice-General, though very minor, is positively coded as a man. Again, just an idea. There are thematic theories for feminism in this episode that feel stronger than my little character idea, though -- Clara's rejection of the duty of care is almost an argument against the Doctor as a paternalistic (or, patriarchal) figure, and in a meta sense her surviving with her own agency is a rejection of "fridging", a concept where female characters are brutally sacrificed for the male characters' development. The thing that isn't done tastefully, however, and I really detest is that "How do you cope with all that ego?" line. Moffat strikes me as one of those male feminists where I can't decide if he's well-meaning or projecting a thiny-veiled domination fetish.

tom

An interesting thing piece of context about this finale is that when Steven Moffat wrote it he thought it would be his last finale. When he wrote the Christmas Special that aired just a few weeks after the finale, he thought it was his final episode period. He came back to do one more season because Chris Chibnall was busy with broadchurch, and the BBC asked him to fill in. I think that's why the Doctor's speech to Clara about how to be the Doctor feels so much like a regeneration speech. The Doctor started the previous season not knowing how to be the Doctor, and ended this one explaining it perfectly. I like to look at this episode through the lens of "what if this had been the finale of the entire show?" (and the Christmas Special the epilogue) I think returning to Gallifrey the long way round, and finally elevating the companion to be the Doctor's true equal would have been a fascinating end to the show.

While the show often changes characters endings, I don't see Clara's ending as egregious at all, at least compared to other retcons in this show. The episodes were written together as part of the same storyline, and Clara's death is a vital part of the symbolism of Clara becoming the Doctor. She steals a TARDIS and runs away from Gallifrey, she has a companion, she has the wrong number of heartbeats, and... she cheated death! Note that when the raven killed her she had her arms outstretched in a regeneration pose. I don't think she would really feel like she had fully become the Doctor until she could cheat death, it's an important ingredient in her transformation.