REVIEW: Doctor Who: ‘Face the Raven’

‘Face the Raven’ – the Doctor and Clara; credit: bbc.co.uk

Whovians, let us have a moment of silence and reflection for Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl…

We unfortunately have a comparatively short slide show this week. It has been quite a generally busy time for our staff. Today we present to you some reviews of Episode 10 of Series 9 of Doctor Who, ‘Face the Raven.’ Anyone who was paying any attention the past few weeks knew that this would be the episode in which Clara would die. While the Doctor cares deeply about all of his companions, she is one of the few whom he holds especially close to his hearts… and we just saw those hearts break.

In ‘Face the Raven,’ Rigsy calls the Doctor and Clara to help solve the mystery of lost memories and an animated tattoo on the back of his neck — a set of numbers that is counting down. The Doctor figures out that Rigsy had been in contact with aliens the previous day, that his memory of the experience had been wiped, and that he will soon die. The next task is to find the hidden street in the middle of London which the Doctor suspects is the source of Rigsy’s dilemma. Just as they are narrowing down their search to a specific location, flashes of memory return to Rigsy and the street becomes visible to him.

The street is a secret alien refugee camp run by Ashildr. She reveals that she has sentenced Rigsy to death for the murder of Anah, a beloved resident of the camp. The method: soul extraction by quantum shade. The tattoo is a chronolock, counting down to his death. When Clara learns that the sentence can be passed along to a willing recipient, she convinces Rigsy to give it to her. She thinks that she is outsmarting Ashildr because Clara is under her personal protection, thus forcing Ashildr to remove the chronolock.

James Aggas – Staff Writer

Wow. That’s all I can say regarding that ending.

First thing’s first: how was ‘Face the Raven’ overall? I really liked it. I loved the look of the “trap street.” It strongly reminded me of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, which helped give the episode a slightly magical feel. I always enjoy a story where the ordinary world hides an element that is supernatural or alien, so I really appreciated how that environment was presented.

It was also great to see the return of both Ashildr and Rigsy from last year’s ‘Flatline’ (easily one of my favourite episodes of Series 8). Both were also worked into the story rather well, I thought, with both returns presented as central to the story.

But it’s Clara’s demise that everyone’s going to remember. I was really grateful for how it was presented. I must admit, when the time came, I was really afraid that they’d take the easy route and only imply Clara to be dead, (for example, by teleporting the Doctor right before the raven hits Clara), but no. We saw it on-screen, we saw her die, and it was pretty shocking.

How shocking this episode will remain has yet to be seen – with two episodes left, there’s the very dangerous possibility that Moffat could have re-written her ending somehow. And I really, really don’t want that to happen. Because after several false exits, this is easily the only way Clara could leave the show for good. It’s not that I don’t want to see a version of Clara show up at some point (such as one of the copies created in ‘The Name of the Doctor’), but our Clara? I’m strongly hoping that Moffat doesn’t retcon her tragic exit before the series is over. Here’s hoping that ‘Heaven Sent’ and ‘Hell Bent’ can live up ‘Face the Raven.’

Next: The End of an Era

‘Face the Raven’ – Clara and the Doctor; credit: bbc.co.uk

Joel Getter – Staff Writer

“Be a little proud of me. Goodbye, Doctor.”

Last night, Clara Oswald’s travels with the Doctor came to an end. Her death wasn’t a result of some big threat to the universe. There were no grand stakes at play. She simply made a poor calculation in trying to be like her hero, the Doctor. And there were tragic consequences.

Prior to watching ‘Face the Raven,’ I decided to revisit Clara’s first few episodes with Matt Smith’s incarnation. After watching her initial run, I saw just how much this episode showcased Clara’s transformation. Unlike past Doctor/companion pairings, there were no romantic feelings between the Twelfth Doctor and Clara. I always viewed their relationship as more of a father/daughter one, and their final scenes together illustrate this dynamic. The Doctor needs Clara in his life to keep him grounded, and Clara wants him to be proud of her.

Throughout Series 9, Clara began taking more risks and growing more reckless. From the opening dialogue about their previous adventure to Clara gleefully hanging outside the TARDIS miles above ground, we see just how much like the Doctor Clara has become. But unlike her mentor, she’s quite breakable.

Although the dangers of traveling with the Doctor have been explored many times, this episode perfectly captures this idea. The dialogue between the two leads is great, but their final exchange is more about what is not being said thanks to the stellar performances from Capaldi and Coleman. Her final plea to the Doctor to be proud of her was one of the great emotional moments of Series 9. The buildup to the end was a bit of a letdown, but it is forgivable due to the solid acting from its leads.

We haven’t seen the last of Jenna Coleman as spoiler pictures from the finale have hit the internet, but Clara Oswald is gone. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Doctor handles his guilt over the loss. So long, Impossible Girl. You will be missed.

Next: A Disappointing End

‘Face the Raven’ – Ashildr; credit: bbc.co.uk

Kory Plockmeyer – Staff Writer

I left this episode feeling underwhelmed. Clara’s exit was billed as being emotional – but I felt more relieved that it was over.

My concern with ‘Face the Raven’ stems from two matters in particular: first, the “tragedy” of Clara’s death was, for me, undercut by the fact that she brought it on herself. Ironically, this makes her death more tragic in the classical sense – brought about by her own hubris rather than by unfortunate circumstances. Clara overstepped her bounds and took upon herself the role of the Doctor and she faced the consequences. As a Classicist (I’m working on a Ph.D. in Classical Studies) I can appreciate the nods to Greek tragedy, but I did not find the tragedy connecting on an emotional level.

The second concern I had with this episode was an unbelievability to the character of Lady Me/Ashildr. Yes, she is functionally immortal. Yes, she has lived for hundreds of years and is aware of the Doctor and the presence of aliens. In this episode, though, she has taken on near-magical qualities. While I usually don’t complain of the blurring of the lines between fantasy and sci-fi, with Lady Me I find it to be just a little too unbelievable that, even with some 1,500 years of life under her belt, Ashildr has been able to learn such extensive intricacies of alien technology to the extent that she is able to hide the presence of such significant alien populations even from the Doctor in the middle of London.

Honestly my complaints about this episode are probably being nit-picky. Overall I would watch ‘Face the Raven’ before almost any episode from Series 8. As some of my colleagues have noted in previous reviews, it is a sign of how great this season is overall that I would rate this episode as one of my lesser favorites.

Next: A Heartbreaking Goodbye

‘Face the Raven’ – the Doctor and Clara; credit: bbc.co.uk

Leah Tedesco – Assistant Editor/Staff Writer

As with many fans of Doctor Who, it takes a bit more for me to warm up to some of the Doctor’s companions than others. This was true of Donna Noble, whom I resented at first for being rude to him. It took me a second watching of her run on the show to truly appreciate and admire her character.

This was also true of Clara Oswald, who has taken me on a roller coaster of various opinions of her character. I am very thankful that the writers did such a good job with her development this series. While it is tragic that she died, not doing justice to her potential would have added another level to that tragedy.

‘Face the Raven’ is one of the saddest episodes in the history of Doctor Who. Clara’s may not have been as grand an exit as those of Rose or Donna. But being cut down at such a high point in her life, and by the brave risk that she took to save her friend, Rigsy… these things make the loss of her one that will send shockwaves through the Whoniverse for some time to come.

I just now realized how it feels as if I am writing a eulogy and am crying more than I did when I watched the episode. Perhaps it took a bit of reflection for her death to really sink in for me.

To briefly get back to “review mode,” ‘Face the Raven’ was beautifully designed, shot, and written. The Harry Potter feel was cool. I also enjoyed seeing Rigsy, Ashildr, and various alien species again. And I adore that they included another mention of Clara’s ongoing relationship with Jane Austen. Perhaps the Doctor will drop in on the writer again one day to deliver the heartbreaking news.

Next: This is the End

‘Face the Raven’ – the TARDIS and Rigsy; credit: doctorwhotv.co.uk

And now, a few excerpts from The Doors song ‘The End.’ They are eerily applicable to the matter at hand.

"This is the endBeautiful friendThis is the endMy only friend, the endOf our elaborate plans, the endOf everything that stands, the endNo safety or surprise, the endI’ll never look into your eyes againCan you picture what will beSo limitless and freeDesperately in need of some stranger’s handIn a desperate landLost in a Roman wilderness of painAnd all the children are insaneAll the children are insaneWaiting for the summer rain, yeah. . .The blue bus is callin’ usThe blue bus is callin’ usDriver, where you takin’ us?The killer awoke before dawn, he put his boots onHe took a face from the ancient galleryAnd he walked on down the hall. . .It hurts to set you freeBut you’ll never follow meThe end of laughter and soft liesThe end of nights we tried to dieThis is the end"

Goodbye, dear Clara. Onward to the next adventure. The Doctor will be alone in a place of fear made especially for him. Here is the trailer:

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