This week marked the beginning of the end for Clara Oswald. I say the beginning because she will be in the finale in some shape or form. My own theory is that she is an Echo, but we’ll see.
But Face the Raven isn’t only focused on Clara’s death, unlike many other companion departure episodes. There is no (extra) foreshadowing (Amy and Rory), no cryptic prophecies (Rose), no massive events that you know not everyone could possibly survive (Donna). It’s not until a quiet moment halfway through the episode when Clara takes Rigsy’s death sentence that we realize this is it.
I mean, it’s not as though they were warning us about it both in and out of the show.
At first, knowing what’s coming, I was irritated at how impulsive Clara’s act seemed. Then I remembered:
This is the woman who sacrificed her ‘page 1’ without hesitating, who volunteered to speak to Skaldak, who jumped into the Doctor’s time stream to save him even though it meant her death. 
This is the woman who watched the sun nearly burn her own planet from space, who would have trapped herself on a volcano because she couldn’t get her boyfriend back, who convinced a bunch of Cybermen that she’s the Doctor at the risk of her life.
This is the woman who left the Faraday cage to get her phone, who nearly convinced the Mire to leave Earth, who calmly informed her Zygon duplicate, who had control over her life, that she would and could lie to her.
Of course Clara would take Rigsy’s Quantum Shade. Of course she would. Because Clara is, primarily, reckless, arrogant, self-asssured. Take your pick. She’s the control freak who thinks she can control the universe. And boy has she tried. I mean, she freaking ordered the Time Lords to stop asking The Question and they listened.
And how fitting an end for the control freak; an inevitable death she couldn’t decide the circumstances of. The only thing she can do is die ‘a good death like Danny Pink.’ And so she goes out there and faces the raven, literally, and dies bravely.
Clara can be brave; I would never claim otherwise. I just want to point out that what people usually quote as examples of her bravery are usually not examples of brave behavior. Clara is stalwart, takes risks, is reckless, and is brave, but her actions usually come from a place of no fear, not of a place of courage. In the instance of her death, Clara is afraid, very much so, but she finds the courage to face her death.
It’s in the quieter character moments we see Clara’s bravery. She chooses to stay with the Doctor, even though he has changed so drastically and it terrifies her. She lied about Danny’s return so that the Doctor could return to his home. She left her happy and beautiful dream of Danny to return to the cruel real world.
These quiet moments are when we really see Clara, when she loses her controlling and snarky outer shell. And it’s very fitting her death sees her stripped bare, just her on an empty street, dressed in simple clothes (although I am surprised they didn’t dress her in red), just a simple death scene, her and the raven.
One more thing:
“Your reign of terror will end with the sight of the first crying child and you know it.”
Ah, who is going to fill your high-heeled shoes, Clara Oswald?
Other bits, since this post isn’t only a (premature, I’m sure) eulogy of Clara:
- Mayor Me’s outfit. Guess what I’ll be cosplaying when I finally get to a Comic Con? No power in the verse can stop me, even if you steal my hairspray.
- The Doctor’s reaction to Lucy: “She’s brilliant.”
- The design and special effects. Gorgeous. And very Harry Potter like.
- The Quantum Shade. Why is it quantum exactly?
- Rigsy tagging the TARDIS. I hope the Doctor gets to see it before the TARDIS gets itchy and burns it off.
- Who wants to bet the people who told Ashildr to bait the Doctor are the Time Lords? So called it.
Next time…
The Doctor rehearses for his audition monologue while being chased by a Dementor in Hogwarts. Gosh, they really are going for this Harry Potter imagery, aren’t they?
GIF of the week is a video of the week:
I love this idea, so, so much.
Giraffe's Judgements 