Much like I did with the “Girl/Woman”
two-parter earlier in the season, I’m going to combine my review posts for the
final three episodes into one multi-part essay. I wasn’t necessarily *planning*
on doing it this way, but the last three stories are so tightly connected that
it seems the best way to do it. Also, after having seen “Hell Bent”, I can’t
write the same reaction to “Face the Raven” that I would have done at the time.
Ready? Let’s first head down a trap street…
<SPOILERS AHEAD!!!>
Clara,Clara,Clara. It’s been obvious
this season that our dear Ms. Oswald is something of an adrenaline junkie, and
her travels with the Doctor are what fuel her addiction. She seems to be the
one always pushing to go further, explore more deeply, and basically jump in
with both feet. At one point in “Face the Raven” (and isn’t that just a
poetically lovely title?) she is hanging out of the TARDIS doors, but almost
falls out completely. When she gets back
in, safe and sound, she is laughing hysterically. It’s not the laughter of
someone who literally escaped death not 30 seconds before, but she was like a
little kid, “let’s do it again!!” That scene is meant, I think, to encapsulate
all of Clara’s adventure-lust. What it did for me as a viewer was sort of
distance her from me as an identification figure. There’s a difference between
fearless and reckless, and Clara has become more and more reckless this season.
A lot of it does stem from her “I want to be like the Doctor” mentality, which
comes back to bite her at the end of this episode. But I also think since the
death of Danny Pink last season, Clara has decided to live this life with the
Doctor full speed ahead, consequences be damned. She’s moved beyond simply
seizing the day and living life fully. Clara has become someone who will ignore
warnings and march straight into danger, much like the Doctor, but with an
overconfidence that becomes her undoing.
Sarah Dollard’s script for “Face the
Raven” is beautifully written, and has some ideas that I would love to see
explored further down the line. The Street has a lot of potential as a setting,
although I don’t know if it would be possible to continue its story without the
participation of Maisie Williams. Mayor Me seems to be the driving force behind
the Street and its occupants. I loved the idea of the Janus – such a simple
concept, that I’m frankly amazed it hadn’t been done before. The final moments
between Clara and the Doctor are beautifully written and both Capaldi and Coleman
bring their A game. I do think Clara might not have been so quick to simply
give in and accept her fate, it seemed a little too pat for me. If nothing
else, she’s a scrapper. It’s only with her line “Let me be brave” that I felt she
truly accepted what was happening, and a lot of her talk beforehand was sheer
bravado.
Next we move on to “Heaven Sent”. Good
Lord, I thought Peter Capaldi’s performance in “The Zygon Inversion” was
fantastic, but here? This is an acting master class in performing, essentially,
a one man show. Every emotion, every little nuance that Capaldi can muster up
is put to perfect use in this story. With his performances this season, I feel
confident in saying that Peter Capaldi his put himself in the upper echelon of
actors who have played the Doctor. The man is just so freaking good!
The story itself is a jaw dropper,
before we even get to *that* ending. I sometimes have recurring nightmares, where
in one night I’ll have the same bad dream over and over, and that is exactly
what this was for the Doctor, except that instead of just one night, it was
billions of years. The Doctor, alone and scared more than I think we’ve ever
seen him, facing a nightmarish, unescapable world. When we find out what he
does to escape – eventually – it’s a heartbreaking moment. Knowing what the
Doctor puts himself through for the sake of his friend, reinforces the bond
that the Doctor and Clara have.
Much
has been said already about Rachel Talalay’s direction on both this and “Hell
Bent” and I just want to add my voice to that praise. This was beautifully directed
and AMAZINGLY edited by Will Oswald. The montage at the end of the episode,
could have been dull, could have been another Chronic Hysteresis scene from “Meglos”,
could have failed in any number of ways. But by using different takes,
different pacing, it’s a standout piece of work.
It’s hard to talk about “Heaven Sent”
without moving right into “Hell Bent”. Although the two parts are, like all
Steven Moffat two parters, wildly different in tone, they connect to each other
seamlessly. The barely contained fury that the Doctor shows at the end of “Heaven
Sent” is echoed throughout his early scenes on Gallifrey at the start of “Hell
Bent”. He is wordless, dismissive of those who sought to bring him in. His
standoff with Rassilon as the soldiers side with the Doctor shows the power
that this man has. The Doctor, whom we
all think of as a “non-violent” hero, is lauded on Gallifrey as a War Hero.
Again, Peter Capaldi is brilliant in this episode, taking the reins of command
of Gallifrey as easily as he might put on a coat.
For me, though, this was Jenna Coleman’s
perfect last hurrah as Clara. I really enjoyed “Face the Raven” and would have
been satisfied if that had truly been the end of Clara Oswald. Bringing her
back here, in the moment before her death, gives us one last look at the Clara
I knew from this season. The one who
will fight like hell and can still be brave in the face of her own demise.
Admittedly, the thought of her gallivanting off with Me in their own TARDIS isn’t
my favorite part of this story. I kind of wanted her to face up to her death
like she supposedly did in “Raven”. So I’m not one of the ones calling for a
Clara and Me spinoff, but a guest spot at some point isn’t out of the question.
When the Doctor returns to the TARDIS
at the end, changes his clothes, and gets his new sonic screwdriver (which I
keep thinking is like the Phillips head version of the sonic), it’s one of
those scenes that just leaves me grinning like an idiot. The Doctor is back. He may be without his
memories of Clara, but I think that was one of the only ways to tie up her run
as a companion. They were co-dependent on each other and the Doctor needed to
flush her out of his system. But now he is traveling, alone, knowing who he is.
He’s found Gallifrey and seems to wash his hands of the whole planet. This was
a terrific finale to what I think may be the strongest season of Doctor Who since 2005. The Christmas
special looks to be a bit of lightweight fluff after this, but I for one can’t
wait to see what Series 10 has in store next year!
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