I just wanted to add to the pile of praise for this piece before it slid so far down my friends page that I completely forgot about it. : 0 ♥ ♥ ♥
This is really well thought-out, and you catch so many subtle things I'd completely missed (Susan's face in the glass globe Clara's holding; the changing leaf; the time beetle on the tree). That's because I'm crazy obsessive. *g* But also because it's so rewarding. The deeper you go, the more [connections] you see. (Also, that's what happens when something percolates for half a year...)
I have my issues with the writing in the second half of season seven, mostly because I feel like the episodes were being cut too short (Ragdoll's theory is that the episodes were shortened to allow for commercials on BBC-America, in which case, a pox on them They shorten them on BBC America, yes. Which is evil. They're very tightly-written, and I have no idea how they manage to cut them, but apparently they do. Plus, adverts on the BBC is just wrong.
but all these things you point out show that Moff certainly had been thinking about Clara and her role on a deeper level. Some stuff may have been lost in translation (somewhere between Moff's brain, the script, and the finished episode), but clearly Clara is meant to be a lot more than "the Doctor's cute new friend." She turns up twice before we actually see her - the writing is crazy clever. Turning the companion into the mystery is tricky though, as it's turning the viewer's normal reference character/avatar on its head.
I was a little "meh" about the character at first, but "Day of the Doctor" really made me love her, and by the time Matt made his exit, I was fully flying the Clara flag. She sort of snuck up on me... I liked her, but can't pinpoint when exactly I fell for her. I just did. ♥ (Also, she's quite like me in some respcts. If the Doctor turned up on my doorstep I'd totally say 'Come back later'. I need to plan my spontaneity. *g*)
It'll be very interesting to see how she meshes with Capaldi's Doctor. Uh-huh. He'll be a lot more difficult to handle... Eleven she had eating out of her hand, Twelve will not be so easy. ;)
I'm so glad we're going to get a full, uninterrupted run of episodes, I can't even tell you. Oh yes, I hear you. A whole arc, all in one go. ♥
Anyway, sorry about the tangent--thanks so much for sharing this meta with us. It was definitely worth the wait! Thank you! And tangents are wonderful things, that's generally how my brain works. :)
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♥ ♥ ♥
This is really well thought-out, and you catch so many subtle things I'd completely missed (Susan's face in the glass globe Clara's holding; the changing leaf; the time beetle on the tree).
That's because I'm crazy obsessive. *g* But also because it's so rewarding. The deeper you go, the more [connections] you see. (Also, that's what happens when something percolates for half a year...)
I have my issues with the writing in the second half of season seven, mostly because I feel like the episodes were being cut too short (Ragdoll's theory is that the episodes were shortened to allow for commercials on BBC-America, in which case, a pox on them
They shorten them on BBC America, yes. Which is evil. They're very tightly-written, and I have no idea how they manage to cut them, but apparently they do. Plus, adverts on the BBC is just wrong.
but all these things you point out show that Moff certainly had been thinking about Clara and her role on a deeper level. Some stuff may have been lost in translation (somewhere between Moff's brain, the script, and the finished episode), but clearly Clara is meant to be a lot more than "the Doctor's cute new friend."
She turns up twice before we actually see her - the writing is crazy clever. Turning the companion into the mystery is tricky though, as it's turning the viewer's normal reference character/avatar on its head.
I was a little "meh" about the character at first, but "Day of the Doctor" really made me love her, and by the time Matt made his exit, I was fully flying the Clara flag.
She sort of snuck up on me... I liked her, but can't pinpoint when exactly I fell for her. I just did. ♥ (Also, she's quite like me in some respcts. If the Doctor turned up on my doorstep I'd totally say 'Come back later'. I need to plan my spontaneity. *g*)
It'll be very interesting to see how she meshes with Capaldi's Doctor.
Uh-huh. He'll be a lot more difficult to handle... Eleven she had eating out of her hand, Twelve will not be so easy. ;)
I'm so glad we're going to get a full, uninterrupted run of episodes, I can't even tell you.
Oh yes, I hear you. A whole arc, all in one go. ♥
Anyway, sorry about the tangent--thanks so much for sharing this meta with us. It was definitely worth the wait!
Thank you! And tangents are wonderful things, that's generally how my brain works. :)