Doctor Who Blog

Line in the Sand

So what did you all think of the finale? How many of you predicted that ending? How many fan fiction novels do you think will be written because of that ending? How many actors who once appeared in The Sea Devils did you recognize in the episode? What did you think of Me? (I don’t mean the person writing this blog, I mean the character also known as Ashildr)? Was the Doctor violent enough for you or not enough? Which TARDIS console room did you prefer?

So many questions that can be asked, and only another three weeks until the next episode (don’t get used to that regularity of new episodes when we hit 2016 by the way). Let us know the answers and whatever else you may have thought in the comments section below.

9 Comments...

A very good, but not great, episode. There’s a lot to chew on out of this episode.

We get an old, white Time Lord regenerating into a not-as-old black Time Lady. In theory, this opens up the possibilities for anyone to play the Doctor in the future.

We get Clara - caught in between the last heartbeats of her life - dashing about the cosmos with Me. Aside from all the slash fanfiction this will undoubtedly spawn, this means we have a ‘companion’ (and the word applies far more loosely in Clara’s case) who cannot be killed because she’s about to die anyways. How reckless will this make her now?

The whole season arc of the Hybrid was, as so many of them have been, contrived. Perhaps it’s best the whole issue of the Hybrid has been left unresolved, as the Hybrid may now be whizzing about the cosmos in a 1950s diner. It’s making me long for the good old days of stand-alone episodes, of travel and adventure because that’s what happened wherever the TARDIS landed.

Some witty lines, some good concepts, some gratuitous scenes (the Weeping Angels and the Cyberman in particular; the Dalek was redeemed by the idea of a Dalek so helpless that it cannot even exterminate itself), and some strong acting: in other words, a typical Steven Moffat effort.

Posted by David H. Olivier  on  12/06  at  12:48 PM

This website has some awesome Dr. Who collectibles you should check out:
https://mimiimports.com/

Posted by Trici  on  12/07  at  04:34 PM

For me it was unlikely anything could have lived up to Heaven Sent, and while Hell Bent tried it ultimately fell short. And I’ve never been keen on Doctor Who’s inability to maturely handle death. But, as David says above, there’s a lot to chew on. I suspect my appreciation will grow over subsequent viewings.

Posted by Andrew  on  12/08  at  09:49 AM

good, not spectacular. Ultimately this leaves MANY MANY doors open.  Primarily, Clara is NOT dead… she could show up years from now [ala Sarah Jane in “Children of Time”) because (a) Me got her another alien regenerative devise, (b) Clara receives a new body (ala Rory/plastic or Amy/whatever that goo was).

MY question to all:  since the Dr. can’t remember Clara, but can still play Clara’s Theme on the guitar, will he someday remember Clara?  AND ... Just because the Dr. can’t remember, what about the Time Lords and all of Gallifry?

Finally, what’s to stop Clara and Me from hooking up with the Dr.‘s Daughter who is herself galavanting around the universe?

Posted by Marlow  on  12/08  at  08:17 PM

I could get cynical and say that Clara’s return would be predicated on how well her new series about Queen Victoria does. I hope it does get across the “pond” to us here.

Personally I suspect that she might make a guest appearance in the future but what I dream of seeing is an episode or two where ALL of the companions including Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy, Clara and any others still hanging around get together and give the Doctor a hard time. It would be one hoot of an episode.

Getting back to this season and Clara… Of all the new companions since this latest incarnation of Doctor Who began and despite the fact that Clara has lasted longer than just about any other recent companion of the Doctor, I don’t feel that I know that much about her. I was much more invested in the lives of Rose, Amy and Donna (forget Martha). The writers never managed or wanted to fill us in about Clara. Her demise didn’t affect me except to get me speculating about who the next helper might be (Ashildur/Me or how about Missy?).

Next season the rumour mill has it that there may only be a couple of specials. A few years ago a similar situation upset me as I dearly missed the program. At this point I have to think that taking a year off might not be such a bad idea. The stories have gone stale. The series is reaching the point where there is so much background baggage from previous episodes hanging on that a new story is almost impossible to concoct. (I call it the Star Trek malady if you know what I mean). A year away might just rejuvenate the Doctor.

Posted by The Observer  on  12/11  at  09:58 AM

> Next season the rumour mill has it that there may
> only be a couple of specials.

Worry not about the length, next season has been confirmed by the BBC to be the full 12 episodes plus a christmas special.

The bigger question is when will it air? The start has been getting later and later, so we may see the season split fall and winter. Or possible starting in winter 2017?

Posted by Andrew  on  12/11  at  10:57 AM

Not the best episode. Interesting to see what happens next. Still a big fan, and if any other fans are looking for awesome Dr. Who merch check this out: https://mimiimports.com/product-category/doctor-who-merchandise-in-canada/

Posted by Patricia  on  12/16  at  12:48 PM

I just watched “Hell Bent” and I am really really angry! I have suffered through the last two seasons hoping it would get better, instead of worse. I have hated Clara from the start, at least with the 10th Doctor she was a bit easier to bear, but with the 11th Doctor she was absolutely awful! This doctor is a little bit harder to like, I could deal with that, but she just made him worse every episode! They had this whole undercurrent the last seasons about the doctor being worried about how Clara was acting and they did nothing about it. I was happy, really happy when she was killed off in the Raven episode, the only reason I made it through the series was cause I knew she was supposed to die, and then they go and bring her back?!! And the doctor tried to destroy the universe to get her back. Seriously!!!!! She was a horrible person and brought out the worst in him and she’s the one he would destroy everything for? And then what happens, she selfishly makes him lose his memories so she could keep hers and gets to fly off in a stolen TARDIS with Ashilder, another horrible person, and get up to no good. Those two are the ones everyone should be worried about!!! They will destroy everything, and unlike the doctor wont know how to put it all back together. Horrible, Horrible, Horrible!!! I never want to see Clara or Ashilder again. I hope they are dead!

Posted by Carly Williams  on  01/31  at  06:04 AM

Geez Carly ... chill!! Intellectually I can understand you hatred of Clara (I never really liked Rose and was slow to appreciate Donna).  But I’d remind you of a few things:  First, Clara didn’t *choose* to have the Dr. loose his memory.. it was a 50-50 proposition.  2nd - and this is important to me - Clara is the ONLY companion who actually gave her life for the Dr.  (when she stepped into his time stream to disrupt the eternal evil of the Great Intelligence) She willingly sacrificed herself. [Yes, the Children of time threatened to kill themselves and everyone else.. but they didn’t pull it off] Regarding Ashilder/Me, I completely agree with you.  On a slightly darker note:  It seems to me that the entire concept is slowing down, bogging down, trying to be consistent with established Dr.Who canon, but being swiftly painted into corners.  Maybe the Dr. *should* have ended the universe, and let it reboot (old enemies/friends don’t exist old enemies become friends, friends become enemies (example:  River song is re-incarnated as a sort of mad-anti-doctor, whose sole purpose is to disrupt the time/space universe)- for a COMPLETELY fresh start

Posted by marlow  on  01/31  at  11:57 AM

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