DW S7.11. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS.

[elisi]

Please DO NOT post spoilers for anything taking place after this episode, especially not the finale! No vague hints, NOTHING. *looks stern*

Right, my thoughts, scattered though they are... (It's been a long week, and I've not had time to write anything proper. I have lots more thoughts, but this is all for now.)

Fairy Tale Mirrors
Once upon a time there were three brothers.

Just how fairy tale is that?

But the youngest (the cleverest, the one who was destined to inherit), was not what he seemed. He did not even know that he was family as his body was a lie. (He was damaged in an accident, and they repaired him, but he lost his memories.) And his name was 'Tricky'.

As I said to Promethia: The only way they could have made him more of a Clara mirror is if they'd put him in a little red dress.


Something of the Wolf about her...

There is a lovely duality to all our Claras. She is both victim and monster:

- In the Asylum she was both ‘the plucky surviour’ and a Dalek.

- In The Snowmen, she was dragged to her death by a frozen mirror. (Not to mention that she was living an actual double life.)

- And here, Clara was both Little Red Hiding Hood (with the TARDIS as the forest), and the wolf/monster.

So, she is a normal girl, with something hidden. She is not who she thinks she is, and she is dangerous. And it has something to do with the TARDIS...

(Rose + TARDIS = Bad Wolf. The Bad Wolf destroyed all the Daleks. Just like Oswin. Just like the Doctor.

From Journey's End (my italics). Supreme Dalek: "The TARDIS is a weapon and it will be destroyed.")


Through the Looking Glass

We are used to looking out of the TARDIS doors. To see it as a gateway to 'all of time and space'. When we look *in* we tend to go 'bigger on the inside'. But Victorian Clara and Rory were right.

She is smaller on the outside: The TARDIS is another dimension.

The door just happens to be shaped like a box, but no one would expect a room to the size of the door, would they?

But back to my point. Anyone who steps through the door is, quite literally, in a different world. Going out brings them back to their own world, just in a different place and time. But inside the TARDIS they're in Wonderland. There are still rules, but they follow their own logic, and a real-world mindset won't get you far (as we saw).

The Doctor, of course, is comfortable in his own (green)world, and lives by its rules (and not by the ones of the 'real world'). But, just like in the real world, the rules are there for a reason. And the interesting thing is, that Clara seems very comfortable with Wonderland, knowing instinctively how it works:

Clara: "Good guys do not have zombie creatures--rule one, basic storytelling!"

The Doctor's world works by story logic. Except there is a different set of rules in operation...


Rule One: The Doctor Lies

Because the Doctor is not a straightforward 'good guy'. His role is that of Trickster, something beautifully evident in the way he turns the tables on the Van Baalen brothers.

And in this episode we see something we've not really seen before (in New Who at least) - the Companion properly, genuinely, terrified of the Doctor himself. And questioning the very foundations he's built his life on:

Clara: "What's the use of secrets anymore?"
Doctor: "Secrets protect us! Secrets make us safe!"
Clara: "We're not safe."

There is a fascinating dynamic between them, as well as the fact that Clara's story seems to go the opposite way to the normal Companion's... He asks them to trust him, and as time goes on, he wins that trust to the extent that people will do extraordinary things for him. But Clara... Unless the show is lying to us, Clara will ask "Doctor Who?" and not be satisfied until she has an answer. (Of course the mirror question is 'Clara Who?'...)

Comments

[thisbluespirit]

Clara: "What's the use of secrets anymore?"
Doctor: "Secrets protect us! Secrets make us safe!"
Clara: "We're not safe."

This isn't really a sensible reply to this post (as usual) but thanks! You inadvertently made me realise why this exchange seemed so familiar - it's very similar to some of Ned and Chuck's conversations from Pushing Daisies.

Um. Other than that, enjoying your comments and this series muchly. ♥ And looking forward to more tonight!

[elisi]

This isn't really a sensible reply to this post (as usual) but thanks! You inadvertently made me realise why this exchange seemed so familiar - it's very similar to some of Ned and Chuck's conversations from Pushing Daisies.
My pleasure! :)

Um. Other than that, enjoying your comments and this series muchly. ♥
Thank you! ♥

And looking forward to more tonight!
Tonight should be a bit of a breather metaphorwise, what with it being Gatiss. Although hopefully it'll be plenty entertaining even so.

[amy8benson.livejournal.com]

Fantastic meta, as always! :)

Once upon a time there were three brothers.
Just how fairy tale is that?
Wow!

But the youngest (the cleverest, the one who was destined to inherit), was not what he seemed. He did not even know that he was family as his body was a lie. (He was damaged in an accident, and they repaired him, but he lost his memories.) And his name was 'Tricky'.

As I said to Promethia: The only way they could have made him more of a Clara mirror is if they'd put him in a little red dress.

That's interesting. It's about identity again.
There's also this idea, with all those big reveals that we are promised, that the Doctor isn't actually the Doctor, but he doesn't know it yet. And in this case Tricky mirrors him.

[elisi]

Fantastic meta, as always! :)
Aw, thank you. There so much more there, but I just haven't had the time to write it all up...

That's interesting. It's about identity again.
It's about not knowing who you are and even his body is a lie... If Clara isn't related to the Doctor I'll have to eat my hat!

There's also this idea, with all those big reveals that we are promised, that the Doctor isn't actually the Doctor, but he doesn't know it yet.
Sorry, you've lost me. ETA: The Doctor knows perfectly well who he is (including his name and all it entails), it's Clara who is the mystery & unaware of her true nature.

[amy8benson.livejournal.com]

Sorry, you've lost me. ETA: The Doctor knows perfectly well who he is (including his name and all it entails), it's Clara who is the mystery & unaware of her true nature.
Sorry, I meant there's a theory, that the Doctor is not the Doctor, though he probably believes that he is. He's been somebody else for a while, an impostor of sorts. And the real Doctor is dead or imprisoned. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it is still interesting, imho.
I hope it's less confusing now :)

Of course, Clara is the mystery, though I think it's more about her future, than about her past. Your speculation about her is absolutely consistent; I just have a feeling that what makes her special hasn't happened yet.

[elisi]

Sorry, I meant there's a theory, that the Doctor is not the Doctor, though he probably believes that he is. He's been somebody else for a while, an impostor of sorts. And the real Doctor is dead or imprisoned. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it is still interesting, imho.
I wasn't aware of this theory, but I can see where it comes from. And it does tie in with various things - especially Omega, who stole the Fifth Doctor's body, so the body snatching isn't something out of the blue. Although I don't think the Doctor isn't himself. (No hints at all of this in 'the text' of the show, sorry - or the subtext or the imagery or... anything - this is why I was confused.) My alternative theory (if we disregard the Omega theory) is that it's a future!Doctor (maybe Valeyard) who is manipulating the current Doctor & Clara.

Of course, Clara is the mystery, though I think it's more about her future, than about her past. Your speculation about her is absolutely consistent; I just have a feeling that what makes her special hasn't happened yet.
*nods* And Tricky was the youngest brother - this Clara definitely feels younger and less confident than her counterparts.

[liliaeth]

Wasn't this theory stated by a Ten/Rose shipper, who still believes that the second Doctor who's with Rose in the other dimension is the 'real' Doctor?

[promethia_tenk]

How is this so succinct yet satisfying? Hit the nail on the head <3

[elisi]

Aw, thank you! <3 I've left out GIANT CHUNKS but this all fitted together so neatly I thought I'd just post it. Love it when everything just follows on logically. :)

ETA: What was it we said? Elegant and simple = the correct answer. All of this fits those criteria, ergo I must be on the right track!

[promethia_tenk]

Aw, thank you! <3 I've left out GIANT CHUNKS but this all fitted together so neatly I thought I'd just post it. Love it when everything just follows on logically. :)
It's brilliant when things actually start making sense!

ETA: What was it we said? Elegant and simple = the correct answer. All of this fits those criteria, ergo I must be on the right track!
Elegant and simple! It will be baroquely embroidered elegant simplicity, but elegant and simple none the less.

[hawkmoth.livejournal.com]

All I can say is Hurrah, meta!

(And the TARDIS herself is still full of secrets and half-truths.)

[elisi]

All I can say is Hurrah, meta!
\o/ (Working fulltime is no good. Meta time is far too short...)

(And the TARDIS herself is still full of secrets and half-truths.)
As is Clara... ;)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I love you for this...well - a lot more than this, but this was fantastic!

*HUGS*

[elisi]

♥ ♥ ♥

random other options

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

whatever happened to the Doctor double from last season? did he die? i don't recall. the plastic one that Amy couldn't distinguish from the "real" one.

what about Jenny? though Clara isn't very Jenny-like.

Re: random other options

[elisi]

The Flesh!Doctor died, yes, sacrificing himself to save the rest of them.

And Jenny is still out there, alive and kicking. Mind you, since the actress is now married to David Tennant and having babies, I don't suppose she'll show up... :(

ETA: Sorry, what was your point re. Jenny? I theorised that she might be Oswin's mother way back when Asylum first aired.

Re: random other options

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

oh! well, i was thinking she WAS Jenny (after a regen that went skewy), but given all the times grandfathers and grand-daughters have been mentioned, your notion is more plausible. :)

[radiolaires]

Short but straight to the point. Ideal before tonight's episode...

But the youngest (the cleverest, the one who was destined to inherit), was not what he seemed. He did not even know that he was family as his body was a lie. (He was damaged in an accident, and they repaired him, but he lost his memories.) And his name was 'Tricky'.
This, all of this! It's quite uncanny... Is this what's in store for her?
Especially since she keeps being damaged -well, dying really- locked underground, dropped from the sky, drown, burnt -conveniently she did the four elements...

Good point about her duality, monster and victim, yes. Which makes her very much an Alice - though I always saw her as a Little Prince. Suspect and alien for the Wonderland dwellers -the Doctor, the TARDIS. Everything is an image or a mirror in the TARDIS; tons of thresholds, of echos, even the Library -'you're just showing off'. Maybe that's why, as Alice, she's very much aware of the rules of this world -red button = don't open...

And everything turned out to be rewritten. A dream?

[elisi]

Short but straight to the point.
There's too much there, I had to cut...

This, all of this! It's quite uncanny... Is this what's in store for her?
Well that's what the episode (and logic) dictates. Although someone is probably already at work, what with a woman very conveniently giving her the Doctor's phone number...

Especially since she keeps being damaged -well, dying really- locked underground, dropped from the sky, drown, burnt -conveniently she did the four elements...
Ha! That's brilliant, hadn't noticed that. :)

Good point about her duality, monster and victim, yes. Which makes her very much an Alice - though I always saw her as a Little Prince. Suspect and alien for the Wonderland dwellers -the Doctor, the TARDIS.
Mmmm, she fell down the rabbit hole. Or was she pushed? Or did she come from there originally, and just forgot?

Everything is an image or a mirror in the TARDIS; tons of thresholds, of echos, even the Library -'you're just showing off'. Maybe that's why, as Alice, she's very much aware of the rules of this world -red button = don't open...
Mirrors EVERYWHERE. But others have delved into that in greater detail than I! :)

And everything turned out to be rewritten. A dream?
Run you clever boy, and remember...

[radiolaires]

There's too much there, I had to cut...
Short is great! My brain is already overtaken by all the metas I read, when it really should be focused on other things...


Ha! That's brilliant, hadn't noticed that. :)
I've been religiously taking lessons in alchemy through janie-aire's gorgeous metas.


Although someone is probably already at work, what with a woman very conveniently giving her the Doctor's phone number...

I said it elsewhere but this force could be both negative and positive. It will be revealed in the finale, but so far Moffat's finales have been happy: two weddings! Are we going to get a funeral -yes, I know we are missing two weddings (can Vastra and Jenny, Craig and Sophie count)? The whole (half) season appeared extremely dark to me, even more than series 6. I don't know how children took it but had I been nine, I would have refused to watch. Mummies, zombies, deformed monsters and reference to the Underworld everywhere... Series 6 played with the stuff of nightmares, series 7 seem to be dabbling with death and the afterlife.


Or was she pushed? Or did she come from there originally, and just forgot?
That's why I see her as a Little Prince... Does she need to die to come back to her world? She's an alien, she's lost. Her sole desire is to come home?

[flowsoffire.livejournal.com]

Loving your thoughts, as always. Or rather, the things you see. They're amazing—even when it's not fully-fleshed theories, like you said, you just notice symbolism and parallels beautifully and it's fascinating :D
The insight is wonderful. Every single one of your points. I was just grinning as I read ;)

[elisi]

Thank you! ♥ There's too much there, but at some point I'll try to pull it all together...

[lonewytch.livejournal.com]

Agree that the dynamic is totally fascinating. Such mistrust. And the thing is, she forgot that bit of self-knowledge she'd gained about her identity. And it wasn't just knowledge, it was a lesson, a fundamental one, that follows the arc of lessons she has been working with about her own mortality.

He's hiding this lesson from her, he's not facilitating her to "know thyself". It's not even like he's challenging her to find that self knowledge, he's just allowing her to not know. He is broken as a mentor towards self knowledge, or at east it appears that way. I really think he is so tied up in his own aversion to the self knowledge of admitting what his name means/the weight of that, that he's projecting this onto Clara. (of course, like you point out, the mirror goes both ways, because we need to know "Clara Who as well).

[elisi]

He's hiding this lesson from her, he's not facilitating her to "know thyself". It's not even like he's challenging her to find that self knowledge, he's just allowing her to not know. He is broken as a mentor towards self knowledge, or at east it appears that way. I really think he is so tied up in his own aversion to the self knowledge of admitting what his name means/the weight of that, that he's projecting this onto Clara.
I'd say yes and no... Because he doesn't know who she is so he can't help her. And that scene is very telling - he is asking her what she is, and he does expect an answer. Which means that all the time she's travelled with him he's been suspecting her of... something. Now he knows that she's 'innocent' as it were, but he's still no closer to discovering the basis for all the different Claras. And considering how she freaked out when she found out about her other selves, he might just want to keep it from her. (Doesn't mean he's right to, but it's a perfectly valid justification from his POV.) Plus, she might still be a trap or something, just one unaware of her potential...

Re. his name, then mine & Promethia's favourite theory at the moment is that he used his name to seal the Time War. Which means that he cannot tell anyone, because it would be insanely dangerous. And maybe if it all got sorted (by magic rainbows & River at Trenzalore), he'd be free of that burden and could carry on and be happy. Clara will be the one to ask the question, of course, and somehow her TARDIS-like qualities would also come into play. (Mind you, if it is Omega, and if he wants to blow up the universe, then he could use the Doctor's name? THERE IS TOO MUCH THERE! /o\)

ETA: You might like this post. V. brief. I was trying to work out what I was actually thinking, as I felt very lost.

[lonewytch.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a hard one, I do tihkn he has justifiable reasons - but i can;t help feeling his own inablity to own his own idenity is too mixed up in that for it to be a postitive thing for her :( my reading of Clara's heroic journey has stalled because of it, because i feel like she is just so stuck without this self-knowledge.

Oh, yes yes yes!!!! I started wondering if he used his name to seal the Time War when the issues around his name came out in series 6! It's cool to know we are thinking along the same lines. The whole thing with the Time War History/Clara reading his name in there also links. Not that I think they will bring the actual Time War back - though that was my initial thought ages ago, but i think there's a v strong possiblity his name could be the key to that lock .Squee!