How Much Do I Love Clara Oswald? Let Me Count the Ways...

MediaMattersMediaMatters Posts: 377
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;) Principally - though not exclusively - for filling that Pond-shaped hole left in the Tardis after Manhattan (I'm still grieving them :cry: but she salves the wound a little bit!). So much better than the Doctor roaming around on his own like Ten did after leaving Donna behind.

So in no particular order of preference, here's why I'm thankful for Jenna-Louise Coleman's part to play in the Tardis.

[Funny thing is I had a premonition that Ms. Coleman would be a suitably excellent heroine for the Tardis back in her 'Emmerdale' days & for some reason imagined her appearing opposite the Doctor. I know, you say, it's far easier to say that now after she won the role! :rolleyes: But what can I say? :o ]
Now back to why I'm lovin' Ms. Clara Oswald:
  1. After a full two-and-a-half seasons of Pond Life with Amy & Rory, a new companion refreshed the show at just the right time;
  2. THAT red dress! ;) U know the one...
  3. Her different relationship to Eleven when compared to Amy. Matt's Doctor started out & grew up in the same sandpit with Amy as they journeyed together; whereas Eleven was drawn to Clara with questions about who she was & why she kept appearing apparently at random, that Impossible Girl;
  4. The slowly unfolding roll-out for the viewers as well as the Doctor of her true identity. Souffles? A leaf in a travel book?
  5. When we first meet her in 'Asylum of the Daleks' she's playing Carmen. The meaning of the song Carmen is something like (I believe) 'elite companion'. What better way to introduce yourself on the show?
  6. Like many of the Doctor's friends before now [Donna in 'Turn Left'; Amy & Rory numerous times until that rooftop at Winter Quay], Clara didn't think twice about confronting her own death on Trenzalore if it meant saving the Earth/Doctor while she too was still discovering who he actually was. It's one thing to sacrifice yourself for a loved one, but someone you're still getting to know...
  7. Jenna's accent is sublime! :) Very polished elocution with a twist of her Lancashire roots;
  8. Clara's obvious intelligence in Asylum of the Daleks (though, was it technically her?) & with the laptop in 'Bells of St John'
  9. The Doctor's initial triumphant euphoria with finding that 'Impossible Girl' again in Bells after her loss in the Snowmen probably matched us viewers;
  10. Her initial credulity about the ridiculousness of the Doctor & his blue box. Maybe suggested how grounded she is & she couldn't just rush away with the fairies?
  11. THAT red dress! ;)
  12. The most devastating introduction to any of the Doctor's new friends EVER when it was revealed that Clara was turned into his deadliest enemy. How was the Moff gonna get out of that one? ;)
  13. For putting up with the rebellious Angie & Artie, teens pushing back against parental authority
  14. Fighting the Daleks off with classical music and souffles. That is composure under pressure!
  15. For Clara's fealty to her late-mother's memory. No child should EVER have to suffer the loss of a parent, but she carries on anyway. Quite admirable!

In certain ways, it is a shame that Matt won't be hanging around to see Eleven interact with Clara after finding out who she really is 'cos there was by necessity emotional distance between the two of them as Clara & #11 found their way towards each other. Though the age difference between Mr. Capaldi & Clara could make a refreshing difference to what's gone before in recent times??? Just trying to console meself 'cos like the Doctor, I HATE endings too! :(
What say you? Do you like Clara too? :confused:
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Comments

  • saladfingers81saladfingers81 Posts: 11,301
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    Jenna seems lovely and very talented. She was brilliant in Asylum and the Snowmen. But alas no...her time on the show so far has been a disappointment of unfulfilled promise and half arsed attempts at an arc/'but its not really a proper arc like s6so don't worry too much ok! Keep watching!'

    There were very few scenes of any spark between Matt and Jenna from 'The Bells...' onwards, not that I blame them. They proved the could work together wonderfully i The Snowmen. But I just don't care about her character right now. She has been poorly developed and written in the episodes since. A real shame.

    She has filled a gap but part of me thinks of her as little more than a stop gap and the companion who shouldn't have been. In an ideal world the Ponds would have stayed for the whole of Matts era and said farewell together and then a new start with Capaldi. Instead we have Clara who more and more feels like an albatross around the shows neck that the sooner she is jettisoned the better.

    As I say nothing against JC. She could and should have been brilliant. Maybe she will be and prove me wrong. But right now I care very little about her, her backstory and where her character might go.

    I would get rid asap if I'm honest.
  • MediaMattersMediaMatters Posts: 377
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    :) But... You've punctured my expectations! ;)

    Admittedly, I am slightly disappointed that Eleven & Clara won't be sharing more adventures beyond Christmas as they've really only just got to know each other.

    Almost forgot :eek: : how about the way Jenna rocked each of the costume changes when she was running after the Doctor at the start of 'Name of the Doctor'? Gallifreyan Clara, 80s Clara, 60s Clara... Have I changed your mind yet? ;)
  • scumcatscumcat Posts: 349
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    Not at all really, weakest nu who companion so far. She is pretty though
  • bbll22bbll22 Posts: 527
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    This is just going to come across as a really negative thing to be posting on my birthday I've just realised, I'll try and post positively at some point I'm sure...


    I think its safe to say I'm another of the dislikers....she's just not worked for me at all and it is a case where I'd sooner have had the Ponds fill out all of 11s era, or have someone like River or Kate Stewart fill it out till he left because its not worked at all.

    Jenna seems very capable, but has only proved herself in Asylum of the Daleks to me. There have been quite a lot of questionable acting moments from her since and the writing certainly hasn't helped, but she is still responsible in part to me.

    I've never seen her and Matt have any form of on-screen chemistry as it just feels forced and awkward between the pair - it comes across the same in interviews I've seen of them - and it's a problem of I don't find Clara likeable or Jenna for that matter. There's just something 'off' about her for me, I'm not sure what, but it just isn't working.

    I hope she does well with Capaldi because I want to like her, but I just don't. Personally, if I were in Moffat's shoes, I'd have held Clara over to S8 and done the Ponds/River/Kate alternative until Matt left instead...
  • Sara_PeplowSara_Peplow Posts: 1,579
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    Maybe in hindsight that would have been better. I like Clara and don't think JC is a bad actress.
    Just didn't quite get the "impossible girl" thing. Why does each companion have to be more amazing and super then the previous one ?. Amy was the girl who waited. Donna lost all her memories. Rose got sent to an alternative dimension. It was like saying the other companions sacrafices were nothing compared to Claras. Amy and Rory lost the chance to raise their daughter or have other children. (Untill 1946 and adopting Anthony). River lost her childhood ,went to prison and died for him. Yet he seemed to bury all that untill confronted with her ghost form. Maybe things will improve in the specials and S8. Clara will have to get use to the new doctor. When she does go I hope it is on her own terms. Hug and thank the doctor then go on to live her own life.
  • tomwozheretomwozhere Posts: 1,081
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    I love her but I do think she's been underwritten and underdeveloped. I do think that she's been near enough spot on perfect in all of Moffat's episodes (maybe less so in Bells) but I don't think the other writers have handled her that well, maybe it's the scripts. I think there hasn't been enough emotional talks between them when other writers have wrote her. I do think this is mostly down to the story ark though, hopefully now that the mystery is over she might be written a lot better for series 8. It'll kill me if she isn't because I adore Jenna and I think that her character has so much potential but so many people don't like her :(
  • owlycherriesowlycherries Posts: 2,384
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    For me, Clara is just too "perfect". Where are her flaws? She's gorgeous, clever, witty, 'feisty', confident, chirpy, wears gorgeous (expensive) clothes, everyone loves her, the list goes on and on! I find it very hard to like someone who has just been seemingly designed to be perfect.

    Plus, I find Jenna a very average actress. She's one of those actors who is very plainly "acting". It doesn't come across as natural to me.

    I haven't said this to anyone I know who likes DW in real life, because I think it makes me sound jealous of Clara. She just annoys me a lot :(
  • bbll22bbll22 Posts: 527
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    For me, Clara is just too "perfect". Where are her flaws? She's gorgeous, clever, witty, 'feisty', confident, chirpy, wears gorgeous (expensive) clothes, everyone loves her, the list goes on and on! I find it very hard to like someone who has just been seemingly designed to be perfect.

    Plus, I find Jenna a very average actress. She's one of those actors who is very plainly "acting". It doesn't come across as natural to me.

    I haven't said this to anyone I know who likes DW in real life, because I think it makes me sound jealous of Clara. She just annoys me a lot :(

    I have to agree with all of this, Clara is just too perfect as it stands. As you say, she doesn't really have any flaws at all which makes her so plain and uninteresting for me.

    I agree about Jenna being an average actress too, I know what you mean about seeing her act,,,,at times it is as if I can see her trying to remember her next line. I don't really find anything about her natural at all.

    I think she is quite a big reason behind me not enjoying S7 pt2....
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 400
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    Clara's my favourite companion since Rose, although I did like Donna. I think Jenna is a very good actress and in all the interviews I've seen, I think she's a lovely person as well. I feel like I know Clara as a character, and I understand her, more than I ever did Amy or Martha, for example. She's just very likeable so far and I think it's refreshing to have a companion who isn't at the forefront of the attention and actually lets the Doctor take the lead. I think Matt's Doctor was sometimes overshadowed by Amy.

    She's only been in it for half a series, so no wonder we haven't seen a lot of her. Plus, she's got the best wardrobe out of all of the companions so far.
  • bigheatherbigheather Posts: 694
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    I'm sorry to say, I'm another who is underwhelmed by Clara. With the companion so central to the show these days, it's pretty crucial that you like them. I think Amy and Rory stayed too long, I wasn't particularly enthusiastic about either, but they did keep my interest. Jenna's first 3 appearances were promising, but that quickly disappeared. I'm not a fan of story arcs, and hers has been particularly uninteresting. The 'chemistry' between Clara and the Doctor comes across as contrived, with too much reliance on quick delivery dialogue at each other rather than believable exchanges. Some of Jenna's scenes have been ropey, which I will be charitable and say they could have been down to the direction and lines she's been given.

    I am very excited at the prospect of Capaldi's Doctor, but I fear he will be lumbered with bland Clara for all of his first series. As companions no longer suddenly remain behind to help rebuild civilisations, or fall in love within the space of 25 mins, I think Clara will be around for a while, unless she just can't stand the new Doctor.
  • MediaMattersMediaMatters Posts: 377
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    :eek: ...BUT where's the luv peeps?! :(;)

    I'm going to put this down to the fact we've only just found out who she is & her story still has a way to run; missing the Ponds [:cry: Me too & I'm still incredibly shocked that The Moff gave them such a ringing finality 'cos I don't think we've seen a companion's demise on-screen for a long time. The Brigadier? Captain Adelaide Brooke? River Song? :eek: I'm hopeful one day that the Tardis will return to NYC! :) ]; plus I think Clara has already demonstrated the characteristics of the Doctor's best friends: courage, endurance, tenacity, loyalty, compassion, intelligence ... Though, I wouldn't necessarily say she has outshone her predecessors. :confused: It's just every story is a little different.

    Though, I suppose that if I were to be a little critical, I might say that Clara has been a little monochromatic with such a steady character. Karen, for example, seemed to constantly present a different side of Amy from one episode to another: Amy the flirtatious good-time girl, Amy the mother, Amy the wife, Amy the mourner... We've not seen that variety from Clara yet, but that may have more to do with the story & the slow reveal of her identity. :confused:

    Thanks for the replies! :)
  • CorwinCorwin Posts: 16,588
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    [Funny thing is I had a premonition that Ms. Coleman would be a suitably excellent heroine for the Tardis back in her 'Emmerdale' days & for some reason imagined her appearing opposite the Doctor. I know, you say, it's far easier to say that now after she won the role! :rolleyes: But what can I say? :o ]


    You should have written it down ;)

    From 2008



    While I do like Clara I have to agree with others that Oswin and Victorian Clara are better characters.


    It will be interesting to see how Clara's experience in the Doctor's Time stream will affect the Character. I doubt they will have her remembering everything once she's out of the Time Stream but will remember fragments (a bit like Rory).
  • CD93CD93 Posts: 13,939
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    Corwin wrote: »
    You should have written it down ;)

    From 2008

    Clearly there's a psychic-triangle of some description here.
  • Michael_EveMichael_Eve Posts: 14,424
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    Well, I like her, OP!

    As others have suggested, maybe we've not seen her reach the heights of 'Asylum of the Daleks' and 'The Snowmen' yet (Yes, I know. Different Oswalds!) She's fine and well performed but I guess after certain recent companians she's not so 'upfront'....whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is open to debate, I guess. But as you say, she was very much a 'mystery to be solved' in these episodes.

    Still, thought she was great in 'Name of the Doctor' and she's only had half a season. We will see what transpires at the end of 11 (Nooooooo!) and with the start of 12 (yaaaayyyyy!)

    Donna's not been knocked off her perch for me yet, though. ;)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 666
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    I liked Oswin Oswald.
    I liked Clara Oswin Oswald.
    I'm neutral to Clara Oswald - she seems too bland compared with the other Ms Oswalds that we've met, I wish we could've kept Victorian Clara! I do love her relationship with the Doctor however, he's so protective over her, it's very heartwarming :)
  • GDKGDK Posts: 9,467
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    I loved Oswin. The completely over the top perkiness, her bright confidence, her intelligence, her vulnerability and the repartee with 11 was great!

    I loved Victorian Clara. The mystery of her character (her attraction to the Doctor) and her intelligence was great!

    A non-contemporary companion, for me, would've been (and still would be) a welcome change. It's not been done yet in the new era. Victorian Clara would've fit that bill nicely.

    I'm less than thrilled with contemporary Clara. She seems a bit bland and, at times, poorly acted. To be fair, I don't think the scripts have developed or served the character that well. Over all I am generally underwhelmed with season 7 part two. I'm hoping for better to come...
  • Shawn_LunnShawn_Lunn Posts: 9,353
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    Clara Oswald is a brilliant companion. I do think with the mystery out of the way, we need a little more insight into her as a person, so some things I'd like to see with her in Series 8 ...

    - Clara quits working for the Maitlands and they're written out of the series. Let her father serve as a link to present day London.
    - Speaking of her father - develop their relationship, what would he think about her travelling with the Doctor?
    - Clara travels with the Doctor pernamently for Series 8 but then leaves of her own accord in either the finale or Christmas 2014.
    - Some more details on Clara's mother would be nice.
    - Love life wise - does Clara have any ex-boyfriends/girlfriends? Does she get a love interest this series or what?
    - Make her relationship with the 12th Doctor different from the 11th Doctor but as interesting and keep it platonic too.
    - If we get another regular companion travelling with Clara and the Doctor, explore how she gets along with them, etc.
    - Also some consequences for Clara being splintered in time as well - her remembering certain things and the effect it might have on her mental state etc.
  • SatmanagerSatmanager Posts: 837
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    The Doctor has just been confused about Clara the entire time and has never been sure about her. Now that she has performed the ultimate act of love and duty to save the Doctor, his trust level is going to increase. At the same time, she has seen the Doctor, all of his lives, all of the good and bad, and is going to understand him better than anyone alive. How she is going to be able to absorb all of that is the question. Is she going to remember it or not?

    If is able to remember a lot of his past, she is going to trust the Doctor more than before. A closer relationship will develop, one on trust and respect, one on shared sacrifice, after saving each other.

    When Clara experiences the Doctor going through his regeneration, she won't have the same difficulty accepting the change as the other companions did as she has seen the past lives. She will only see the new face and body. She might make a snide comment or joke but she won't be shocked by the change.

    I think Clara is going to step up and make a great companion to the Doctor. She has spunk and is willing to stand up to the Doctor. But she has heart and soul to stay with the Doctor to keep him grounded.
  • starsailorstarsailor Posts: 11,347
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    Problem with Clara is that she just seems to me to be like she's created by a committee, she has all the qualities a modern audience expects in a companion, and that's it.

    She's smart, sassy, feisty, pretty brave, witty and clever.

    She's doesn't have that ´something´. Amy had that anger and fire in her, but Jenna is too cute and girly for that. Donna was older, and had a more cynical worldwide view often. Martha....well Martha was ruined by the one sided love thing... and Rose had a chavvy (and that's not in a bad way) charm and strength and heart

    Clara just seems, well at the moment, too Vanilla, too middle England, she's not had her moment ( apart from her different versions) to become her character....
  • mikey1980mikey1980 Posts: 3,647
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    starsailor wrote: »
    Problem with Clara is that she just seems to me to be like she's created by a committee, she has all the qualities a modern audience expects in a companion, and that's it.

    She's smart, sassy, feisty, pretty brave, witty and clever.

    She's doesn't have that ´something´. Amy had that anger and fire in her, but Jenna is too cute and girly for that. Donna was older, and had a more cynical worldwide view often. Martha....well Martha was ruined by the one sided love thing... and Rose had a chavvy (and that's not in a bad way) charm and strength and heart

    Clara just seems, well at the moment, too Vanilla, too middle England, she's not had her moment ( apart from her different versions) to become her character....

    I agree. In short, I'd say she doesn't have a character. She has tagged on 'qualities' that all companions have, but no definable character.

    I've watched her for 9 episodes in total, but I don't feel in any way that I know her. In contrast, Donna Noble's character only appeared in Doctor Who for 16 episodes (and the last two as an inconsequential cameo), yet we know so much about what drives her, her insecurities and fears, her dreams for the future. Donna was a brilliant character. And to a lesser extent, so have all the other modern-Who companions been - until Clara.
  • KapellmeisterKapellmeister Posts: 41,322
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    ;) Principally - though not exclusively - for filling that Pond-shaped hole left in the Tardis after Manhattan (I'm still grieving them :cry: but she salves the wound a little bit!). So much better than the Doctor roaming around on his own like Ten did after leaving Donna behind.

    So in no particular order of preference, here's why I'm thankful for Jenna-Louise Coleman's part to play in the Tardis.

    [Funny thing is I had a premonition that Ms. Coleman would be a suitably excellent heroine for the Tardis back in her 'Emmerdale' days & for some reason imagined her appearing opposite the Doctor. I know, you say, it's far easier to say that now after she won the role! :rolleyes: But what can I say? :o ]
    Now back to why I'm lovin' Ms. Clara Oswald:
    1. After a full two-and-a-half seasons of Pond Life with Amy & Rory, a new companion refreshed the show at just the right time;
    2. THAT red dress! ;) U know the one...
    3. Her different relationship to Eleven when compared to Amy. Matt's Doctor started out & grew up in the same sandpit with Amy as they journeyed together; whereas Eleven was drawn to Clara with questions about who she was & why she kept appearing apparently at random, that Impossible Girl;
    4. The slowly unfolding roll-out for the viewers as well as the Doctor of her true identity. Souffles? A leaf in a travel book?
    5. When we first meet her in 'Asylum of the Daleks' she's playing Carmen. The meaning of the song Carmen is something like (I believe) 'elite companion'. What better way to introduce yourself on the show?
    6. Like many of the Doctor's friends before now [Donna in 'Turn Left'; Amy & Rory numerous times until that rooftop at Winter Quay], Clara didn't think twice about confronting her own death on Trenzalore if it meant saving the Earth/Doctor while she too was still discovering who he actually was. It's one thing to sacrifice yourself for a loved one, but someone you're still getting to know...
    7. Jenna's accent is sublime! :) Very polished elocution with a twist of her Lancashire roots;
    8. Clara's obvious intelligence in Asylum of the Daleks (though, was it technically her?) & with the laptop in 'Bells of St John'
    9. The Doctor's initial triumphant euphoria with finding that 'Impossible Girl' again in Bells after her loss in the Snowmen probably matched us viewers;
    10. Her initial credulity about the ridiculousness of the Doctor & his blue box. Maybe suggested how grounded she is & she couldn't just rush away with the fairies?
    11. THAT red dress! ;)
    12. The most devastating introduction to any of the Doctor's new friends EVER when it was revealed that Clara was turned into his deadliest enemy. How was the Moff gonna get out of that one? ;)
    13. For putting up with the rebellious Angie & Artie, teens pushing back against parental authority
    14. Fighting the Daleks off with classical music and souffles. That is composure under pressure!
    15. For Clara's fealty to her late-mother's memory. No child should EVER have to suffer the loss of a parent, but she carries on anyway. Quite admirable!

    In certain ways, it is a shame that Matt won't be hanging around to see Eleven interact with Clara after finding out who she really is 'cos there was by necessity emotional distance between the two of them as Clara & #11 found their way towards each other. Though the age difference between Mr. Capaldi & Clara could make a refreshing difference to what's gone before in recent times??? Just trying to console meself 'cos like the Doctor, I HATE endings too! :(
    What say you? Do you like Clara too? :confused:

    No, I don't, but then I don't fancy her so my critical faculties are probably less impaired than your own.
  • Michael_EveMichael_Eve Posts: 14,424
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    My critical faculties are impaired....I cannot see! My critical faculties are impaired....I cannot see!

    That's my impression of a self-doubting yet unusually articulate Dalek being attacked. ;):o
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 270
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    I have to say I don't like Clara. Jenna is pretty and she's a good actress, but there's something amiss. Maybe Clara is to reasonable, too down-to-earth, just like Jenna - I'd prefer someone who is crazier, more quirky. I think Catrin Stewart would make a good companion, for example. And I can't see any chemistry between Eleven and Clara, in spite of the flirtation and the frequent remarks in the script suggesting there's a special bond between them.
  • Sara_PeplowSara_Peplow Posts: 1,579
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    Guess we will just have to wait and see what they have in store for her.
    There are still a few things like what happened to her mother. Who gave her the tardis phone number in TBOSJ ?. See what she does in the two specials and S8.
  • sandydunesandydune Posts: 10,986
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    starsailor wrote:
    She's doesn't have that ´something´
    Maybe when Clara meets the someone, then the something happens.:D
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