After losing his wife and in laws what would another tragedy do to the doctor ?. He might hold it together just long enough to get through Claras funeral. Next scene he has a melt down in the tardis. PC could make that work lots of fans would all cry with him.

It's a wonder the character of the Doctor hasn't had clinical depression by now!

(Although I know there's a popular fan theory that the 11th Doctor suffered from it after he lost the Ponds.)

Couldn't agree more. I really do not understand why, when Jenna changed her mind about leaving, the whole ending to Last Christmas wasn't changed? Like you say the ending would have been a perfect one and now it cannot be used (as her actual ending.) Changing the ending to Last Christmas and keeping that beautiful ending for when Jenna actually leaves would have made much more sense.

I cannot see a happy ending for Clara, not anymore. But like I said, I, personally, would rather she was ripped from the Doctor (regardless of how sad ) than her just deciding to leave. Something I do not think Clara would ever do, not after all they have been through.

Happy ending, sad ending I really couldn't care less, I just hope that it is soon and fairly final that leaves no reason that she would ever return.



She's never not chosen to stay on earth during the course of her adventures so unlike most other companions, her wanting too live her life on earth would not change her situation at all from what we've seen so far. From my point of view she's been the least interested companion ever. Her attitude has basically been 'I suppose I'll squeeze in travelling with you as long as it dosen't get in the way of my mundane everyday life'. It's one of the main reasons I'll be glad when she's gone, as I like companions like rose and donna who have as much passion for the travelling as the doctor, and appreciate just what a once in a lifetime chance it is.

True, But Moffat/JC have both stated Clara does not feel she really fits in on earth.

What on Earth.

Oh yeah, I appreciate and agree with you on that one!

It's called a 'musical', I believe.

Fun fact: I timed it and it's the exact length of a standard West End musical including interval.

Fun fact 2: The original document was so long that the site editor had to split it into three 'Acts' (or parts) when publishing it online.

Nice work there, Mr Holmes.

Thank you, Watson.

Maybe there will be a hint to the manner of Clara's departure in episode 2 "The Witch's Familiar"

Last year Moffett totally ignored the supposed relationship between Missy and Clara (from Flat Line "My Clara. I have chosen well."). it looks likely that having re-secured the services of Jenna and Michelle, he's going to correct that omission this year.

We know
Missy was the woman in the shop who gave Clara the Doctor's telephone number and brought the two of them together.
Missy kept them together after the Doctor's regeneration by placing the announcement in the newspaper

Possible scenario
Missy give the Doctor the technology to bring back Danny Pink from the dead in Death In Heaven but she already knew that Danny had a massive guilt complex over the little boy he killed when he was a soldier, so she knew he would sacrifice his chance to get home for the boy and thus Clara and the Doctor would continue to travel together. But the Doctor and Clara lied to each other and went their separate ways.

So Missy sent in the dream crabs to bring them together in Last Christmas. Success!

But then in series 9 episode 1 something happens to split up the Doctor and Clara either by accident or design.

So Missy decides "If you want a job done properly, do it yourself".

We know
Missy meets Clara and declares "I need your help" and "The Doctor is in trouble"

Possible scenario
This is clearly a trade-off "You help me, Clara, and I'll help you find the Doctor again". There can be no other reason for Clara to agree to help Missy.

Casting suggests The Sisterhood Of Karn may be back in the opening two-part story. Maybe the Sisterhood have possession of Missy's TARDIS. "You get my TARDIS back from the Sisterhood, Clara, and I'll use it to help you find the Doctor.

But at some point Clara annoys Missy so Missy angrily (and hopefully scarily) blurts out the real reason why Missy goes to so much effort to get the Doctor and Clara together.

Maybe it's something as simple as the Doctor caring so much for his Impossible Girl that he breaks the rules for her:
He entered his own grave at Trenzalore to save his Impossible Girl (that must be against the rules, surely.)
He tried to bring Danny Pink back from the dead (that's definitely against the rules) and he did so despite Clara's betrayal (which shows how much he cares for her.)
He was going to kill Missy to stop Clara from killing her and becoming a killer (thus reducing himself to Missy's level - something Missy enjoys)
He used technology provided by Missy to try to bring Danny back from the dead (thus reducing himself to Missy's level)

"If you continue to travel with the Doctor, he's going to end up doing something SO BAD to save his Impossible Girl".
Missy then wipes Clara's memory of this "conversation" and orchestrates a reunion between the two, either by Clara saving the Doctor from danger or the Doctor saving Clara from danger (preferred option)

then in the series finale the Doctor is going to do something SO BAD to save Clara that she sacrifices herself to stop him doing something SO BAD.

Or - alternatively

The Doctor nearly does something SO BAD but in the end finds a NOT BAD way to save Clara, they both realise it's dangerous for her to continue to travel with him, so he takes her home to Earth and they say a final emotional goodbye. (the cop-out ending.) (Preferred option.)

That would be cool. I hope they do something shocking. I'd like to see Clara become the Master's companion after episode 2, actually, with something the Doctor and Missy do changing her opinions of them.

I don't think Moffett would seriously mess with the Doctor/companion relationship because, don't forget, different writers write other stories in between and need to have their format to follow.

We move from The Witch's Familiar to Toby Whithouse's 2-part ghost story which really does sound like a standard no-nonsense, no-gimmick Doctor Who story.

True. Also, unless she's under hypnosis, I can't see Clara switching sides. Or, rather, I hope that doesn't happen cos for me it'd undermine quite a lot. How boring it'd be to go: she's on Missy's side after all!!! or: now she's on the bad guy's side!!!

Don't think that would be a problem. Just write part 2 first and give it to the other writers. It would make a change for there to be a 'evil' companion in the new series for once IMO.

Would certainly be different. Hard to imagine how they'd get Clara to that point after she wanted Missy dead last time she saw her but if it was written in a believable way then it could be good.


True, but there are a a few of ways they could still make a possible 'Clara as missy's companion' scenario work.

1) Clara becomes Missy's companion and we simply don't see Clara for a handful of episodes. While she is off with Missy, the doctor is having normal episode adventures with one episode characters, with Missy/Clara dipping in and popping up every time there is a Moffat episode. In this scenario, they could have it set up that the whole theme of the series is the doctor chasing missy and Clara throughout space and time before Missy talks Clara into doing some terrible thing, but the normal episodes are a result of him keep getting waylayed by the TARDIS.

2) After the 2 parter Missy has someone hypnotised Clara to do her bidding on the quiet, so episodes are largely normal, but every so often we see Clara summoned back into a trance state doing small little things for Missy to further her plans.

3) Clara and Missy have involvement at the start of the series, that involvement looks as though it is done, is not mentioned again but at the end Clara reveals she has been working for Missy since those episodes and we see flashbacks of things she's been doing for her, and reporting where they are every episode when the doctor wasn't around.

Not saying that I necessarily think it likely that Missy will have a heavy involvement in the series (although I'd like it), or that I think they would be likely/willing to show Clara working for Missy, just that if they were feeling that ambitious there are ways it could be done without affecting the usual format.

Don't forget that Moffat toyed with the idea of Clara being a baddie or not being who we thought she was in the trailer for last year's series finale; clips of her threatening the Doctor on the volcano or telling the Cybermen "Clara Oswald has never existed". In the end she was exactly who we thought she was.

Also Matt Smith's Doctor traced her history trying to unravel the mystery of the Impossible Girl. He saw her parents' first encounter, he saw 18 year old Clara mourning her recently departed Mum. he was told by Jessica from Call The Midwife, who had special powers that "Clara is just an ordinary girl". I don't think Moffett will change that.

Of doctor blue box's suggestions number 2) seems the much more likely option.

Or Danny Pink could look where he's going when he's crossing the road, then we wouldn't have a problem!

Oh, we would. We'd still be stuck with the plank

Things can change. Circumstances can change. A number of things could happen to Clara to make her trust Missy over the Doctor, even if she currently hates her guts over Danny.

Oh, right. So when I suggested that Clara could change her mind and choose to stay on Earth and stop her TARDIS adventures, no way, no chance in hell. But when it comes to switching sides and being on the baddie's side (whom she hates with a passion), eh, things change, circumstances change.

Don't tell me; things can change, circumstances change, and in this case your opinion also changed over night

I just don't see what there is on Earth that could stop her travelling in the TARDIS when she could see the whole universe AND travel the globe.

Yes, she has a job but that's never stopped her.

She doesn't have Danny now and she presumably no longer nannies the Maitland kids. So what's going to make her want to stay on Earth?

Whereas with evil Clara, all it would take is for the Doctor to commit genocide and Missy to save a civilisation and I reckon she would switch sides.

Does she really need to betray 12 AGAIN?

She didn't really betray the Doctor really, given the Doctor invented the whole volcano scenario as a dream.

But she said she would have gone through with it.....plus the fact she rejected hiim in the beginning telling him he was not 'her" doctor"

Plus threatened to leave/or did leave multipe times.

I dont want to see anymore of her turning on him, he deserves a companion who is loyal and wont turn on him on a dime.