Face the Raven

You'll find it's a very small universe when I'm angry with you.

Face the Raven was not quite what I expected when I saw the preview for it last week. I thought it might have more of a Poe tie in, especially since the alley looked an awful lot like the Diagon Alley set that was used in the Harry Potter movies. I guess I was expecting something a little more like The Unquiet Dead. But, to a degree, it did have a little of that flavor.

Naturally the big thing to talk about with this episode was the death of Clara. Of course, Clara has already died twice back in Series 7, but this is Clara Prime as we might call her and unlike the previous versions, we've gotten to know her over the course of two and a half series. I think the most interesting thing is that Clara did not die as a true act of sacrifice (although there was a sacrifice made on her part) but died as a result of making an arrogant assumption that she or the Doctor would be in full control of events. I rather liked that.

It was not that I didn't like Clara, I actually did enjoy her as a companion. But there was a certain arrogant recklessness that swirled around her character. Amy had a touch of recklessness but there was also a dash of fear that would draw her back. She also had her love for Rory that tended to draw her back into reality when she stepped outside the breach. Clara acted more like an adrenaline junkie. This was especially notable when the bit of turbulence they hit caused her to nearly fall out of the TARDIS. Instead of being scared, she laughed it off like she was getting a rush.

I think it is also fitting that her death should involve Rigsy. Flatline, where we first met Rigsy, was the first story where Clara fully took on the role of the Doctor and also fully embraced the pleasure thrill of danger. There were flashes of it before in Time Heist, but in Listen, Kill the Moon, and Mummy on the Orient Express there was still this healthy respect for danger with flashes of fear drawing her back. The fear was so strong in Kill the Moon that she had the scared teenager temper tantrum that created the initial schism between her and the Doctor that wasn't fully reconciled until Last Christmas. I do like the fact that her character developed in such a way that an empty death was her ultimate fate.

I also enjoyed the development of Ashildr over her three stories. She was naive but enjoyable in The Girl Who Died and then cold and desperate in The Woman Who Lived. This story had her more mature but willing to compromise for the sake of protecting her people. It gave her purpose so you can understand her desire to keep things safe. I don't really think Ashildr can be faulted for much of what happened. She set a puzzle with the full expectation that once the Doctor had figured it out, Rigsy would be released and no one would die. Even selling out the Doctor probably didn't matter too much to her since she could easily assume that Clara would still be around with control of the TARDIS and that she could assist the Doctor in getting out of whatever trap she had put him in. She hold up her end of the bargain and it's not her fault that whomever she made it with couldn't kill or keep the Doctor contained, whatever their final purpose was.

So overall, I enjoyed it. I thought the middle was both a bit slow and that part of the puzzle was a little too easy to manipulate. Also, while emotional, I didn't get hit quite in the feels as hard about Clara's death and I think I was meant to. Whether that's because I heard the Clara died before I saw the episode or that it was heavily telegraphed at the halfway point, I'm not sure. But there was a brief moment where it was supposed to be touching that I was starting to get the "just die already" feeling. But still, an easy episode to pick up and watch again with full enjoyment.

Overall personal score: 4.5 out of 5