But even worse, despite the fact the raven is called upon with the ending of the countdown, can track someone down regardless of where in space or time they travel, and can even pass through walls and other solid objects, it must decide to take the scenic route to give Clara one really long and drawn out good-bye monologue. Otherwise why else does it take so long to find someone who is just down the street from it?
I know Moffat didn't write this episode (or at least isn't credited) but I'm pretty sure he must have had a hand in Clara's death scene since it's him all over. Seriously, why does the guy write key moments of the show as such talky affairs where the characters deliver minutes-long monologues talking about what's about to happen rather than just showing the deed happening? This is one of the worse offenders, as this is the death scene of the show's second lead, a character the audience has been attached to for nearly three years. We should be sad at this moment, perhaps, if written properly, we might even feel the need to cry, or at least mopey as though we're losing a friend. I felt none of this during Clara's death scene and actually screamed "get on with it!" at my TV.
I think it was an editing issue, not a writing issue. I had no problem with the talky part, aside from the editing that already showed the raven flying around during the monologue. In this case the editing made it appear that the raven started flying before the counter hit zero. It wouldn't have been a problem except that they had already established the raven process earlier in the episode. They also didn't need to show Clara starting to scream from 3 different angles, even that process was drawn out from what was established earlier.
I think they could have made it work if they had tightened up the editing, and reworked the sound so you could actually hear her screaming.
The editing certainly didn't help, but I still maintain my complaint about the scene basically being a five minute monologue about Clara dying before Clara goes ahead and dies. These monologues are a huge problem with Moffat's key episodes, everyone spends more time talking about what has to happen instead of actually doing what needs to happen. Take for example. Name of the Doctor, Clara spends exactly two and a half minutes delivering a monologue about entering the Doctor's timestream before finally entering the timestream. And don't even get me started on Death in Heaven which is so drawn out and talky to the point the climax is four characters delivering monologues. Moffat seems to need a reminder that television is a visual medium, meaning it works better to actually see people doing things rather than hearing them talk about doing things.
I'm not sure if anyone else has pointed this out yet, but it seems that Clara is the first full-time companion from modern-day Earth to die in the entire run of Doctor Who (new and old).
The only other full-time companion I can think of who died was Adric, in the Fifth Doctor era, but although he was human, he wasn't from Earth.
Depends on you definition of companion and death
Jack died, lots
River died, including post regeneration in the library
Rory died/wiped from existence
Kylie died
Clara died in the snowmen and dalek-clara
Mars woman died
Donna died in turn left
Danny pink died
Other unimpressive fates awaited Donna and dalek-head
Slugboy's criteria was full-time companion from modern day Earth.
Jack is a gray area. Although he doesn't originate from modern times, he has spent enough time in the modern day. Regardless, only six of his many deaths were in service to the Doctor, and even then, does he really qualify as a "full time" companion?
River is not from modern day, nor was she a full time companion.
I'll give you Rory.
Astrid wasn't from Earth, nor was she full time.
Neither Snowmen Clara nor Dalek Clara were from modern times.
Adelaide Brooke is another gray area. Though we see her some decades in the future, we know she grew up in modern times. Still, she wasn't a full time companion.
Donna's death in Turn Left was immediately undone, but I'll reluctantly concede the point.
Danny Pink wasn't a companion at all.
Why are people spoiling the season finale in here? I was trying to stay spoiler free.
No one in this thread has revealed anything that hasn't already been revealed by the BBC, Moffat, Capaldi or Coleman.
BTW, if you're this jittery about spoilers for the finale, stay away from the current issue of DWM. It's cover image is literally taken from the finale's final scene.
