We all know by now that Clara Oswald will die at some point in Series Nine. In fact, that death may have even taken place, with the Zygon Bonnie having killed Clara and taken her place. Yet, even with her death, it was expected that Clara, or one of her splintered selves, would be making appearances in future episodes of Doctor Who. She is, after all, scattered throughout the Doctor’s timeline.
However, according to Steven Moffat, that is not going to be the case. Speaking with Italian fans of the show, Moffat stated that Clara would “never return” and that her departure would “shock, terrify and surprise” us. That certainly sounds as though when Moffat says she will never return, he means it.
The question now is what, exactly, does Moffat have in mind when it comes to Clara’s demise? It could be that her passing has already occurred, with her death at the hands of the Zygons. However, based on the buildup that Moffat has given her departure from Doctor Who, seeing her in a Zygon tank is not quite what one would have expected. Indeed, in the manner of potential ways for Clara to depart the mortal coil, that seems somewhat mundane.
This revelation also would put an end to death being a mere blip on the radar. For the most part, few major characters have actually died permanently in the new incarnation of Doctor Who. Even the Brigadier has made a return in a way, appearing as a Cyberman when Missy transformed the dead into a personal army.
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Even though Clara was one of the more polarizing characters on the show, the fact that she will not be returning in any facet is disappointing. It always felt as though her character had a lot of potential, and could have been one of the more spectacular companions that the Doctor had. Instead, it took until this, what will end up being her final season, before we got to see Clara progress from being a generally whiny one dimensional being into a more dynamic character.
Now that Clara is starting to realize that potential, and to become a lot more interesting and, dare we say, likeable character, she will be receiving the axe. While it is certainly time for a new companion, it is unfortunate that we had to wait this long for Clara to begin to tap in to the potential that her character could have had from the beginning.
Next: Review: The Zygon Invasion
In the case of Clara Oswald, death will be permanent. Perhaps this will be a shift in philosophy on Doctor Who going forward.