DOCTOR WHO REVIEW: THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR:

DOCTOR WHO REVIEW: THE NAME OF THE DOCTOR:

“The name I chose is the Doctor. The name you choose, is like... it's like a promise you 

make.”

- The 11th Doctor

Just watched the season finale of Dr. Who 3 days ago. Holy crap was it a good cliffhanger! I’ve generally been disappointed by this season because Clara is so boring, but I feel like they put her to good use here. Also, you wanted an anniversary episode with some Doctors? How about ALL the Doctors. Oh, it’s only for brief moments…but they’re all there!

   So, the main plot is that The Great Intelligence convinces The Doctor to fight him in what will be his final resting place. During this time (Long story short!) he almost gets him to reveal his name, and he gains access to The Doctor’s time-stream. I’m trying to hard not to give spoilers, but man…it means T.G.I can erase The Doctor from history.

     Clara is sent in to repair The Doctor’s timeline, which hopefully means we won’t see much more of her, and resolves how she is able to be everywhere in The Doctor’s history. (I.e.: as a Dalek and such!) So, I think that was good. Goodbye, Clara!

    When in the Doctor’s time stream, she is surrounded by all his previous forms. However, there is one form that apparently The Doctor fears, and he keeps claiming that that man is not The Doctor; even though everyone there is The Doctor. Apparently, this one might be somewhat evil, maybe? He claims to use The Doctor’s real name, and The 11th Doctor further clarifies that he didn’t do these things in the name of The Doctor. Still, we don’t know who he is.

    Then the man turns around to reveal (spoilers!): JOHN HURT? MINDBLOWN! So, let’s end this with a nice Whovian debate. Who do you think John Hurt really is? The 12th Doctor? The Valeyard? Some other evil version of himself? I’d love to hear some fan theories in the comments section. Especially from those in the UK, since I’m American, and may be a bit behind on Doctor Who lore than those in The Doctor‘s home turf! Also, I’m really hoping this whole time stream repair plot means some old Doctors will re-unite! Allons-y, I say!

   A good episode, all in all! I think it was misleading, since we still don’t know The Doctor’s name, but what a cliffhanger! I even got to see some old Doctors, AND (possibly) Clara’s gone! So, whatever comes next should be action-packed and thrilling, with big reveals, and maybe some Doctor team-ups! Who knows? Doctor Who knows! Let me know what you know in the comments section!

                                                          (Episode poster!)
                                                           

A digital William Hartnell makes an appearance! (1st Doctor!)

   

(Clara makes a sacrifice to save The Doctor throughout time!)

DOCTOR WHO’S CLARA IS BORING!: SO FAR…

DOCTOR WHO’S CLARA IS BORING!: SO FAR…

"Listen, there is one thing you need to know about traveling with me. Well, one thing, apart from the blue box and the two hearts. You don't walk away."

- The Doctor in The Rings of Akhenaten

I really don’t know what to make of The Doctor’s new companion Clara. She seems to have the same attitude as Amy, without any character development. The last episode The Rings of Akhenaten was good, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to relate to Clara or even like what she was doing in that episode. The reality: I fear the same “She’s your secret Time Lord daughter plot” they’ve been repeating since the 10th Doctor. Clara appears in different times before she started traveling before she met the Doctor, unless that means she is just caught in a time loop.

Spoilers: Clara doesn’t even have that much mystery surrounding her. We know she’s a Dalek. A converted Dalek. The only way you wouldn’t know that is if you didn’t watch the last season with Amy in Asylum of The Daleks. So, all this “Who is Clara Oswald?” business is just hype. We know who she is. Plot points are already repeating. Not that I’m not glad to see The Doctor again, and The Rings of Akhenaten was a great tribute to previous Doctors (with allusions to the 1st, 4th, and 10th Doctors adventures; even Indiana Jones.)


   Consider: The Doctor dropped in on Amy as a little girl. Clara Oswald just sort of latched onto him from what I can figure, after The Snowmen. And the worst thing is that plot points have been repeating ever since. The premiere episode The Bells of Saint John seemed to me to be a rehash of The Snowmen, but with The Great Intelligence controlling the wi-fi instead of snow. And for all we know, the Dalek episode may well happen at the end, which is the beginning! Although I really hope it doesn’t.

    Look, I know one plot point about Clara’s character: eventually, she’ll be a Dalek. What’s the mystery? Why does The Doctor keep her around knowing this? And she wants to walk away on their 2nd adventure? (of season 7.) Crazy! Plus, if The Rings of Akhenaten’s intro is any indication, she’s probably in a time loop. So, that leaves me with two possibilities: 1. She’s a Dalek. 2. She’s a Time Lord…which would be even worse, as you might recognize this as every plot since the 10th Doctor. It made sense when the 4th Doctor did it; but the 9th Doctor stated he (The Doctor) was  now the last Time Lord. Are we supposed to say he’s lying?

    I’m willing to give Clara a chance, but if they pull that River Song-type “She’s your daughter.” plot then it will be…well, hard for me to like her. I recently threatened to stop watching the show, but I cant…Matt Smith is just too good, and wacky! He’s got a good character in the 11th Doctor. I can’t walk away. (Literally or figuratively!) But, Clara. Come on. You need to get an attitude adjustment. And I really hope you’re not secretly River Song. Give me something new!