9 Clara Oswald Moments That Defined ‘Doctor Who’ (PHOTOS)
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Clara, the Impossible Girl
As companion to both the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, Clara (Jenna Coleman) has also been the first companion to meet three different Doctors (at the same time), discover the Doctor’s real name and partner with the reincarnated female version of The Master.
While this “Impossible Girl” once splintered into “echoes” trapped inside the Doctor’s timeline to save him repeatedly (while dying repeatedly herself), her original version always remained unharmed. But facing danger head-on resulted in facing the raven, a risk that ultimately led to death…one that not even the Time Lord could stop. With Clara’s disappearance, we pay tribute to the clever, feisty and confident companion by highlighting episodes that showcased her most defining (and important) moments throughout the series.
"Asylum of the Daleks" (Season 7, Episode 1)
Who can forget the very first time Clara was introduced as Oswin Oswald, expert Dalek Asylum hacker and souffle maker? The Doctor was so impressed by her pluck that that he promised to rescue her, only to discover her true form: a converted Dalek with a still-active human mind.Defining Moment: Clara was introduced in an unconventional way that showed her courage (to destroy the asylum), but the reveal also had viewers wondering how she would fit in as a future companion. Plus, the big twist set up the ongoing "Impossible Girl" mystery. — Sherry Huang
"The Snowmen" (Season 7, Episode 6)
It was going to take lots of charm to rescue the Eleventh Doctor from his funk after he lost Amy and Rory Pond forever. Fortunately, Clara, as a Victorian barmaid/governess, had spunk in spades. And when the Time Lord tried to avoid befriending her (preferring to mope around London like an ersatz Scrooge), she chased his horse drawn carriage through the snowy streets with her crinolines flapping—and hoisted herself aboard.Defining Moment: This was the second time the companion appeared as Clara Oswin Oswald, though in a completely different era. Her reappearance and death, plus her catchphrase, "Run you clever boy. And remember," shook the Doctor out of his sadness and into a new mystery/adventure. — Aubry D'Arminio
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"Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" (Season 7, Episode 11)
When Clara became trapped alone inside the TARDIS, getting lost led her to The History of the Time War book which held an important secret that only one other woman (the Doctor's wife, River Song) knew. But once the Doctor reunited with Clara, he realized time had to be reset to prevent the TARDIS from exploding and prevent her from dying/becoming an ash-like zombie.Defining Moment: The secret that Clara learned? The Doctor's real name. But any knowledge of it soon disappeared once the Doctor succeeded in saving Clara (again), which caused her to lose all previous memories. — Sherry Huang
"The Name of the Doctor" (Season, Episode 14)
To prevent the Great Intelligence from rewriting (and thereby destroying) the Doctor's history, Clara jumped into his time stream and splintered into different versions that met every Doctor and saved him from harm. But in spite of doing so, she couldn't prevent the Doctor from being at his burial ground, Trenzalore, where he met a version of himself that he would rather forget...Defining Moment: The mystery of the "Impossible Girl" was finally solved: the Doctor kept encountering Clara everywhere because she was trapped in his timeline with one goal, to save him while he saved the world. — Sherry Huang
"The Day of the Doctor" (50th Anniversary Episode)
Putting up with the antics of one Doctor is hard enough, but three is a Clara special. In this super episode, she became the first companion to assist three of the rebooted series’ doctors (the Tenth, the Eleventh and the War Doctor) simultaneously in three different “time zones.” And, oh, the squabbles she had to mediate. (Bonus: she got to be the only bridesmaid at the Tenth Doctor's wedding to Queen Elizabeth I.)Defining Moment: Using her ingenuity, Clara got to remind all three Doctors to never give up saving Gallifrey and give it "a day of hope." This inspired them to preserve their planet in a 3D painting while also tricking the invading Zygons. — Aubry D'Arminio
"Listen" (Season 8, Episode 4)
The Doctor’s spent many lifetimes saving people from their greatest fears, but who’s going to save him from his? That would be Clara, who traveled back in time and used her best teacher’s voice to give a soon-to-beDefining Moment: Clara was the one who planted the idea of “a soldier so brave, he doesn’t need a gun" in the mind of a young Time Lord, thereby giving the long-living Gallifreyan the moral code he’ll follow for many incarnations to come. — Nivea Serrao
"Death in Heaven" (Season 8, Episode 12)
It’s a pretty bold claim to say you’re the Doctor, and Clara used this lie for the first time to prevent the Cybermen from killing her. It helped that she was familiar with more than three regenerations of the Time Lord, which allowed her to drop facts like the Doctor had been married four times.Defining Moment: While she didn't completely fool the Cybermen, one of Clara's many big risks was one no other companion would have made. But her bold move earned her eyes a spot in the episode’s opening credits, where the Doctor’s usually are. — Nivea Serrao
"Zygon Inversion" (Season 9, Episode 8)
Clara would never try to kill the Doctor, but her Zygon version had no qualms arming herself with a rocket launcher. Zygon Clara also broke into UNIT on her way to world domination, but was hampered by none other than…the real Clara, who still remained conscious in her Zygon pod.Defining Moment: This episode saw Clara play against herself and reveal a dark side, making quips and dropping threats like any fun villain. — Nivea Serrao
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“Face the Raven” (Season 9, Episode 10)
Playing at being the Doctor might have succeeded once for Clara (“Death in Heaven”), but her second attempt went horribly awry. Her secret plan to use her guaranteed immunity to take on her friend Rigsy’s chronolock failed, forcing her to serve his death sentence instead.
Defining Moment: Rather than let the Doctor threaten Mayor Me (Maisie Williams) into finding a way to cheat death, Clara forbid the Time Lord from seeking revenge. Instead, she faced the raven (and her death) with courage and calm—just like her former beau, Danny Pink. — Nivea Serrao
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