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Doctor Who Companion Surprised By Grim Exit, ‘Impossible Girl’ Likely To Return?

By Ny MaGee
Published on: 11:12 PST, Nov 22, 2015

Warning: this post contains spoilers for Face The Raven.

Jenna Coleman has played Doctor Who companion Clara Oswald since 2012 – to the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors – but the “impossible girl” met a deadly end Saturday night, when Clara’s life was taken by a raven known as a Quantum Spirit – a spirit, as the Doctor explained, that is “bound to a victim, you could flee across all of time and all of the universe and it would still find you.”

Even Coleman was left stunned by Clara’s fate – which was sealed when she foolishly, or selflessly – depending on the Whovian you ask – offered to take on the death sentence placed upon her friend Rigsy. Ever the risk taker, Clara assumed that the combined powers of Ashildr (Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams) and the Doctor would be enough to protect her from the deadly spirit … not so much. When the raven caught up with her, all the Doctor could do was watch as it hurtled into his friend.

Viewer reaction to the death of adventure loving Clara Oswin Oswald has been mixed, and CNN notes that many Whovians took to Facebook and Twitter to express their sadness about the episode, titled Face the Raven– making #DoctorWho a trending topic after it aired in the U.K. and U.S. Jenna revealed to the Sunday People that she was surprised by her character’s exit.

“It was a surprise when I read the script. It did not go in the direction I thought it was going to. But it’s really cool and different, and good, I think. And sad,” she said.“I couldn’t stop crying after I filmed my final scenes – it was ridiculous to get emotional. I’d planned all these things I wanted to say but only got two words out.”

Despite Clara’s dying wish for the Doctor not to seek revenge for her death, the show ended with him warning Ashildr to, “Keep out of my way. You’ll find it’s a very small universe when I’m angry with you.”

Clara first appeared in the seventh series of the show as companion to Capaldi’s predecessor Matt Smith. The Eleventh Doctor said Clara was “not possible” due to their previous encounters in his personal timeline, with two such moments seeing her die. While many tried to convince the Doctor that she was simply “an ordinary girl,” Eleven wasn’t buying it, and thought her to be “the only mystery worth solving.” Perhaps the Doctor will get the chance to do just that before the series ends.

Fifty-two years after the show premiered, the British Science Fiction series continues to resonate with fans and pick up new ones along the way – from all ages and cultures. Lately, critics remain skeptical about the direction of Doctor Who, saying recent storylines have been “overly complex, or even incomprehensible.”

“I think some of the storylines are complex and some of them aren’t and I think the balance is fine,” Capaldi says. “It’s good for people to be challenged and if something is complex it may need more reflection later but I think generally that reflection pays off.”

This may not be the last fans see of “The Impossible Girl,” as her complex storyline could require further reflection since fragments of Clara remain scattered throughout the Doctor’s timeline – and episode 7, The Zygon Invasion, left Zygon Clara running about. It’s likely fans will see some version of Clara in the future – perhaps even in the Christmas episode. After all, she is “The Impossible Girl.” The Zygon Invasion also left fans wondering if Osgood is being set up as the Doctor’s new companion.

Back in September, Jenna confirmed that she is moving on from Doctor Who to play a young Queen Victoria in a $15.7 million television production for ITV. As Variety reports, the eight-part drama miniseries will follow Victoria’s early life, from her ascension to the throne at the age of 18, through to her marriage to Price Albert.

What do you think? Is this last Doctor Who fans will see of Jenna Coleman?

[Image courtesy Chris Jackson/Getty Images/Twitter/Twitter BBC]

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