Doctor Who: The 10 Saddest Things About Clara

Known as the Impossible Girl in Doctor Who, Clara Oswin Oswald was a companion scattered throughout The Doctor’s timeline. She met every Doctor and was of assistance to them all. But it was The Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors that she was especially close to and who she spent the most amount of time with.

Clara saw many tragic things on her adventures with The Doctor, and like most companions, she had her own tale to tell. Clara loved the life that she had and the amazing opportunities it granted her, but nothing joyous comes without tragedy and emotional moments.

10 She Was Compared To Other Versions Of Herself

The version of Clara, who eventually became The Doctor’s companion, was not the first version of Clara The Doctor had met. The Doctor told Clara that she reminded him of a friend who died, to which Clara responded, “well, whoever she was, I’m not her.” The friend The Doctor mentioned was a previous version of Clara who died during their time together. Despite telling Clara he wouldn’t, The Doctor continued to think of Clara as a curiosity and something he had to solve.

9 The Doctor Forgot Her

The Doctor and Clara would do anything for each other. Their relationship was one of dangerous love and loyalty. One that could not continue for the sake of them both. So when the time came for them to say goodbye, neither would voluntarily leave the other, which led to the agreement that one would have to forget the other. Together, they pressed the button that would erase one of their memories. It was The Doctor who forgot Clara, meaning he would not remember all the great times they shared together.

8 She Died Multiple Times

When Clara entered The Doctor’s timestream, she became a part of his life and a part of every incarnation. She was scattered in time and space, and she ran to save The Doctor. All the versions of Clara The Doctor met, died.

Oswin Oswald, a genius who crashed on the Dalek’s Asylum planet, became a Dalek but remained of human consciousness. She navigated The Doctor, Amy, and Rory, saving them, while she died a prisoner. The version of Clara who was a Victorian governess died fighting the Great Intelligence and the original version of Clara herself, who died when she faced the Raven, was ultimately saved but trapped between heartbeats forever.

7 The Story Of Her Parents

Clara lost her mother, and viewers were left unwise to the story of her father after Clara’s travels with The Doctor. But the parts of her childhood that were revealed were heartfelt. Her parents’ story was as lovely and heartbreaking as any beautiful romance. Clara’s loss was the audience’s loss. Her pain was their pain. Clara’s desire to travel was inspired by her childhood book, “101 Places To See,” and she held it close to her heart.

6 She Felt Betrayed By The Doctor

Clara was used to facing intense pressure during her adventures with The Doctor. She had The Doctor by her side with her interests at heart. But when The Doctor made Clara and her student choose between the fate of humanity and the life of an unborn creature, it was considered a huge betrayal.

It was a time of crisis and she was left alone, forced to make an unbearable decision in a time-sensitive environment. She didn’t feel respected as The Doctor had intended; she felt patronized.

5 Sacrificing Her Mother’s Leaf

Memories and emotional attachment were needed to satiate the appetite of the Old God of Akhaten. And Clara used her mother’s leaf, her parents’ story, to implode Akhaten. It was a leaf that held infinite possibilities of a future unlived. A leaf that had grown in the exact place on an exact tree, which was blown by a very specific gust of wind, into the face of Clara’s father. A leaf that brought her parents together. And Clara sacrificed it.

4 The Death Of Danny Pink

Danny Pink died while on the phone with Clara, after she had told him she loved him and would never say those words to another. However, all was not lost as Danny was uploaded to the Nethersphere because of one of Missy’s schemes, leading to the Doctor and Clara’s attempts to rescue him. Unfortunately, it was too late by the time they found him as he was converted to a Cyberman. Many fans were heartbroken for Clara as it meant she lost another person she cared for.

3 Her Last Christmas

After Clara had lied to The Doctor, telling him that Danny had returned to her, the two didn’t see each other for a while. They only reunited during a Christmas adventure when Clara was attacked by a dream crab.

For many fans, Clara’s dream was quite heartbreaking as she dreamed she was spending Christmas with Danny. The bittersweet dream gave them one last Christmas together but teased at what could have been. Clara knew that when she woke up, Danny would be gone, which is why she tried to treasure every single moment they had left.

2 She Entered The Doctor’s Timestream

Clara sacrificed her life, her existence, by entering The Doctor’s timestream. Her consciousness was diffused throughout history, tasking her with the responsibility to save The Doctor’s life, with the phrase “Run you clever boy and remember” scattered throughout the timeline too.

This act was the reason for every other version of Clara The Doctor had met. She believed she was born to save The Doctor. She saw the devastation on The Doctor’s face at the mention of Trenzalore, and she risked everything to stop the Great Intelligence from destroying him.

1 She Lost Two Regenerations Of The Doctor

Clara traveled with The Eleventh and The Twelfth Doctors. She watched The Eleventh Doctor regenerate into The Twelfth Doctor, believing she had lost the friend she had come to know and love. Knowing two versions of The Doctor means experiencing twice the pain. Clara and The Twelfth became incredibly close, only to have to leave each other through a sacrificial separation on both their parts. Clara had a conversation with him, knowing he saw her only as a stranger.

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