I think it’s just a ploy from Moffat/Capaldi to get us all upset that she might be leaving, especially after that next time trailer, so that when she does leave, it will be totally unexpected.
So, yes Capaldi said on The Graham Norton Show that Face The Raven is her last episode, it’ll be very emotional blah blah blah, but if we take a look at everything we know about Heaven Sent & Hell Bent, it actually looks like Clara won’t be leaving tonight.
The Synopsis:
Long before the Time War, the Time Lords knew it was coming. Like a storm on the wind. There were many prophecies and stories. Legends before the fact. One of them was about a creature called the Hybrid: half Dalek, half Time Lord. The ultimate warrior. But whose side would it be on? Would it bring peace, or destruction? Was it real, or a fantasy?
“I confess: I know the Hybrid is real,” the Doctor proclaims. “I know where it is, and what it is. I confess: I am afraid.”
First thing’s first, yes these two episodes look pretty Doctor-centric without any mention of Clara in the synopsis, but for all those people who have been analysing Twelve’s character ever since he arrived, and The Doctor in general after he loses a companion, they would notice that his quote sounds too light for it to be an aftermath of Clara’s depature episode for The Doctor.
Quote:
CLARA: “Is it a sad song?”
THE DOCTOR: “Nothing’s sad till it’s over. Then everything is.”
CLARA: “What’s it called?”
THE DOCTOR: “I think it’s called Clara.”Bam! So, we know she speaks in one of these episodes. Some may say that Twelve meets one of Clara’s echoes, or some may agree that Clara won’t die in Face The Raven, but has in fact been dead this entire series and, if that’s the case it looks like The Doctor is maybe about to tell Clara that she has been dead all along, and he’s finally accepting that.
Other Bits:
Capaldi says there’s a “sadness, a romance, and tragedy” to episode 12
“Sadness” and “tragedy”could suggest that Clara maybe does leave in Hell Bent in a very traumatic way?
Director Rachel Talalay says Moffat has layered in a lot of things throughout the series which you never thought were important – “You have no clue what the series arc is, or how Clara leaves”
Again, Face The Raven may just be a ploy to get us all teared up at the fact that it MIGHT be her last episode, but instead they’re just going to surprise us and ruin us with how she actually does leave.
The finale is the fallout of Clara sort of becoming the Doctor.
?????? If this doesn’t tell you that Clara isn’t leaving in Face The Raven, then idk what does
Moffat thinks if the Doctor found Gallifrey he’d run away again. He thinks Clara is the same with Earth now. She has lost her “sense of home”
They’ve been building up to Clara becoming The Doctor since last season, so if they’re saying the fallout of it only happens in the finale, then we may have two more episodes with her.
Anyway, conclusion is Clara may not be leaving in tonight’s episode and may in fact be leaving in Hell Bent.
This isn’t confirmed, and this is just my speculation of what I’ve seen in this article on Doctor Who TV. I’m sure there are plot holes in my arguement and maybe I’m just in denial, who knows but hey! At least it’s hopeful? Right?
Ash, you totes did your research on this. I completely agree that this is not the end of Clara’s story. I think the cliffhanger we are left with tonight leads us more into the Doctor’s journey and bringing us back to Clara (and I suspect Ashildr) in Hell Bent. DWM stated that the start of Hell Bent was set like a Western and I believe the diner scenes are at the beginning of the finale. we start with maybe a Doctor AND a Clara with memory loss and this leads us on to the next stage. All speculation but I think we’ll see Clara again. Also, on reddit ages ago, there was a leaked photo of Twelve and Clara on the set of Hell Bent with Clara in her Raven outfit so I think something resets. I will see if I can dig that pic up. I think I saved it when I saw it.
say you love me 