Maisie Williams starring in a show featuring a magic raven? This sounds strangely familiar. Ashildr is back once again, continuing her complex connection to the Doctor. Rigsy (Joivan Wade) is also back after his single appearance last season. But as some characters return, a regular leaves in the series' most gut-wrenching ending of an episode by far.
After discovering a mysterious tattoo on the back of his neck, Rigsy calls the TARDIS in the hope the Doctor and Clara can help him. This leads them to discovering a hidden street in London, where Ashildr poses as the mayor. The TARDIS crew soon realise the brutal laws of the street, as people sentenced to death are forced to "face the raven", whereupon said raven stalks and kills them. One such man sentenced to death is Rigsy, whose tattoo is counting down to the moment the raven will come for him. With time running out, the Doctor and Clara must convince the townsfolk of Rigsy being innocent of a murder case, and Clara is prepared to go to extreme measures to ensure this...
First things first, does the episode hold up without that big, emotional ending? I'd say it does for the most part, with there being a good focus on the mystery of the street, and not just endless build up to the climax. The street itself is a claustrophobic environment, and its residents are equally unsettling. They are disgusted by Rigsy's supposed act of murder, yet never act violently towards our protagonists. Instead, they silently declare him "murderer" whenever Rigsy is present, a much more nerve-wrecking attitude than a bombastic mob of grievers. There's this weird subplot that focuses on the daughter of the "victim", someone who can see the past and future. Both her and the victim have a more alien appearance, with them having another face on the back of their heads, and the daughter reveals that Ashildr is the mastermind behind Rigsy's predicament. Very little time is spent with this character, and so she feels like a simple plot device to quickly reveal everything the Doctor needs to know. Ashildr, however, is merely a puppet acting under orders. She leads the Doctor to her with the threat of Rigsy's forthcoming death, and plans to transport him far away. All of this comes to the fray very quickly, but it at least creates potential for the season finale, as we await to learn who exactly she is working for.
But the moment everyone's been talking about is the sacrifice of Clara, which many viewers have said was maybe a tad too emotional for a family drama. After learning the tattoo can be transferred to a willing taker, Clara becomes marked for death after convincing Rigsy Ashildr cannot break her word of endangering her. She does this without anyone else in the know, and it ultimately costs Clara her life. Ashildr promised her superiors to mark only Rigsy for death, and so the transfer of the tattoo to Clara cuts her out of the agreement, rendering her powerless to do anything. Not even the Doctor can prevent the raven taking her life, and he quickly resorts to threatening Ashildr to save her. From this point, Clara does what she has been doing brilliantly throughout her tenure as the Doctor's companion: reminds him of who he really is. Whenever the Doctor was lost, it was Clara that helped him through the struggle, and kept him motivated by the promise he made to himself: to help others (hence the title of Doctor). This was something she did in the Doctor's darkest hour, featured in the 50th anniversary special, and its resurgence here makes for a fitting send off for the character.
Of course, what makes this final scene work is the performances. Both Capaldi and Coleman are at their best here, and they deserve many plaudits for their work, with so many different emotions to cover in such a short space of time. I disagree with the opinion that the scene was too drawn-out, and therefore too over emotional. Since its revival in 2005, Doctor Who as ensured heartfelt and epic exits for its long-serving companions. Why some feel this one should have been lessened is beyond me, as the character has been involved in the show since 2012, and has been revealed as having a major involvement with the Doctor's past.
And so, as we say goodbye to Clara, the Doctor has no time to mourn as he is further involved in the oncoming danger. Who exactly set this plan into motion, and how will the Doctor survive? It's all to be expected as we move into the final episodes of this series...
First things first, does the episode hold up without that big, emotional ending? I'd say it does for the most part, with there being a good focus on the mystery of the street, and not just endless build up to the climax. The street itself is a claustrophobic environment, and its residents are equally unsettling. They are disgusted by Rigsy's supposed act of murder, yet never act violently towards our protagonists. Instead, they silently declare him "murderer" whenever Rigsy is present, a much more nerve-wrecking attitude than a bombastic mob of grievers. There's this weird subplot that focuses on the daughter of the "victim", someone who can see the past and future. Both her and the victim have a more alien appearance, with them having another face on the back of their heads, and the daughter reveals that Ashildr is the mastermind behind Rigsy's predicament. Very little time is spent with this character, and so she feels like a simple plot device to quickly reveal everything the Doctor needs to know. Ashildr, however, is merely a puppet acting under orders. She leads the Doctor to her with the threat of Rigsy's forthcoming death, and plans to transport him far away. All of this comes to the fray very quickly, but it at least creates potential for the season finale, as we await to learn who exactly she is working for.
But the moment everyone's been talking about is the sacrifice of Clara, which many viewers have said was maybe a tad too emotional for a family drama. After learning the tattoo can be transferred to a willing taker, Clara becomes marked for death after convincing Rigsy Ashildr cannot break her word of endangering her. She does this without anyone else in the know, and it ultimately costs Clara her life. Ashildr promised her superiors to mark only Rigsy for death, and so the transfer of the tattoo to Clara cuts her out of the agreement, rendering her powerless to do anything. Not even the Doctor can prevent the raven taking her life, and he quickly resorts to threatening Ashildr to save her. From this point, Clara does what she has been doing brilliantly throughout her tenure as the Doctor's companion: reminds him of who he really is. Whenever the Doctor was lost, it was Clara that helped him through the struggle, and kept him motivated by the promise he made to himself: to help others (hence the title of Doctor). This was something she did in the Doctor's darkest hour, featured in the 50th anniversary special, and its resurgence here makes for a fitting send off for the character.
Of course, what makes this final scene work is the performances. Both Capaldi and Coleman are at their best here, and they deserve many plaudits for their work, with so many different emotions to cover in such a short space of time. I disagree with the opinion that the scene was too drawn-out, and therefore too over emotional. Since its revival in 2005, Doctor Who as ensured heartfelt and epic exits for its long-serving companions. Why some feel this one should have been lessened is beyond me, as the character has been involved in the show since 2012, and has been revealed as having a major involvement with the Doctor's past.
And so, as we say goodbye to Clara, the Doctor has no time to mourn as he is further involved in the oncoming danger. Who exactly set this plan into motion, and how will the Doctor survive? It's all to be expected as we move into the final episodes of this series...
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