Clara's personality is a cheat. The Great Intelligence added 40 IQ points and ambition. That upgrade can be "turned off". Either by accident or a return of the Intelligence. Could original Clara cut it as a Companion? I have reservations whether if Original Clara could cut it as School teacher.
We've had several episodes where the Doctor exclaims "he must save Clara", or that he would change history to save Clara. Clara Oswald is as good as worm food. Just like her boyfriend, that she got over quickly and all those Clara/Oswins clones.
I'v been rewatching some of the Matt Smith episodes, and I just got started with "The Snowmen" and the first couple episodes of Series 7B when Clara first shows up. She was so much more likable back then! Ugh, what happened?
Matt Smith left and they had to tweak her character because you can't have a 60 year old guy and a 29 year old girl flirting, so they gave her a boyfriend and tried to shoehorn her into a storyline which didn't fit the Clara they started out with, the nanny who blew into the world on a leaf and wanted to see 1001 places. Choices. Forced conflict with the Doctor that didn't need to be there, because you already had a good relationship between them. Danny Pink. It's not Jenna's fault, nor Capaldi's. Just...poor choices were made. But I still love her and will be sad when she leaves.
I think it's funny that you say this because I actually thought this was addressed rather well. One of my favorite exchanges between Twelve and Clara... Doctor: "Clara, I'm not your boyfriend." Clara: "I never said you were." Doctor: "I never said it was your mistake." I didn't mind her as much last season with Danny Pink. This season, however, I just feel like she's not even a character anymore. I really do wonder how much of this had to do with Jenna's last-minute decision to remain on the show. I wonder how much that affected the scripts. That said, maybe her final episode(s) will be very Clara-heavy and make me super sad about her departure. Moffat has a knack for that sort of thing.
I think they were also effected by allowing her to go off and shoot a film at the same time as she was making the series. I'm guessing that had a part to play in why she and Capaldi have had far fewer scenes together this year.
For me, Clara has been way more interesting once she stopped being "The Impossible Girl Plot McGuffin." For a time traveler, the Doctor was awfully stupid with that mystery. Once she was able to just be a character, she was more engaging. And, while last season wasn't always great, I thought the relationship and the struggle with it between Clara and Twelve was great. Better than the "Oh, Doctor, you're so CUTE!" Bleh.
Clara in season 7B lost her dashing young gentleman time-travel partner and gained another, strange guy in his place. Series 8 Clara had a boyfriend, but then he died too. And she also realized that this time-travel stuff is kind of addictive and really, it's the life she wants. "Flatline" showed that she was good at pretending to be the Doctor, and that probably put some ideas in her head. Series 9 Clara no longer has an "anchor" in Danny. She's still a teacher, sure, but for all intents and purposes she sees herself as the Doctor's partner. She wants this life. She wants to know "the rules." First the Doctor tried to tell her there was only room for one "him" in the TARDIS, because he was concerned about her trying to live the life of a timelord when in fact she's human. Get a hobby. Get a boyfriend. But...this is what she wants. Kinda like DoctorDonna, she wants to travel with him. An earthbound life isn't good enough for her anymore. She's gone "all in," and that's what the Doctor is partly concerned about. He can regenerate -- she can't. If something happens to her, or if she truly realizes that she can't do this forever.... But at the same time, he loves her and wants her around. He sees her as his partner in crime. "We're time travelers," he said a couple episodes ago. So I think her character arc is quite clear. She's given up her earthbound life and wants to travel in the TARDIS, whatever the consequences. And there will ultimately be consequences. I don't think this year's storylines were necessarily affected by Jenna's decision to stay at the last minute. It seems like a natural progression for her character. Not what I personally would've picked, but if they're going for a gut-punch...
^ Great description and I agree! I personally wonder if she'll somehow end up on Gallifrey rather than dying? Maybe do what Ace was planned to do had the classic series continued? Of course, Gallifrey is kind of locked away which means her character would be too. She could also serve as a reformer on Gallifrey.
^ When the title of Series 9's first episode turned out to be The Magician's Apprentice, I assumed that Series 9 would be all about the Doctor and Clara finding Gallifrey together, and at the end, she'd fly away in her own TARDIS. But it seems they decided to go for "the dangers of travelling with the Doctor" type of storyline. And with the 2-part episodes, there's not a lot of room for getting to Gallifrey with only 6 or 7 stories.
maybe she will "die" in the next couple of episodes. the finale is still called "Heaven Sent" isn't it? seems appropriate that she might rise from the dead...
No. Heaven Sent is episode 11, AKA The Peter Capaldi One Man Show, it's the episode in which Capaldi is the only actor in it. At all. The finale is titled Hell Bent.
The latest rumour I've read and one that makes sense in a Moffaty way is that the waitress that Jenna was seen playing in Episode 12 is actually Oswin. This dialogue from the Series Nine Preview is pretty obviously going to be between Capaldi and Coleman: “Is it a sad song?” “Nothing’s sad till it’s over. Then everything is.” “What’s it called?” “I think it’s called Clara.” “Tell me about her." So then the final irony that closes the loop would be that being told about Clara is what inspires her to head out into space.