Whovians - Is there anyone else who isn't overly fond of Clara?

[Parrothead]

I know I can't possibly be the only one.

 

I don't like her more than I didn't like Martha.

 

I can't put my finger on why, but the character is not adding anything to my Drl Who experience.

[Tenaj]

Yes, though I've only seen a few of the episodes she's been in. I just commented to my teens the other day that I think that's one reason why I'm happy to wait until Netflix gets this season to watch it. Like you, I'm not quite sure what it is about her that bugs me.

[Word Nerd]

I like her, but I'm not overly fond of this season of DW.

[BarbecueMom]

I miss the companions' families, and I hate having a Cliff Notes version of their backstory. The thing that was so great about Rose/Martha/Donna was seeing who they were before the Doctor, why they were that way, and watching them grow and change. Amy's backstory WAS the Doctor, basically, so it didn't necessarily have to follow that pattern. This 10-minute, here's-the-facts, showing family we will likely never see again makes it really hard to get attached to Clara.

 

Oh, and the "I've been on another planet for twenty minutes and I have a complete understanding of alien customs" thing needs to stop.

[oceanseve]

I don't care for her either. Haven't watched the newest ep yet though. Usually you're trying to figure things out one ep to the next. I think I've got this one pegged so until I see something that makes me doubt what I'm pretty sure we are going to find out they just need to be entertaining. I want my mind blown again and I'm just not getting that from this storyline.

[BarbecueMom]

I want my mind blown again and I'm just not getting that from this storyline.

 

 

I am dreading the finale for this reason alone. The episode title and build up alone has set that bar too high.

 

I honestly don't have a Clara theory, because I'd rather not have one than have a good one and be sorely disappointed.

[Rosie_0801]

I didn't get the "I've been here for 20 mins so know everything" vibe. I felt it was more like "I've been here for 20 mins and may not develop a clue before we leave, so what the hell, I might as well blunder through than hide in a corner and sob."

 

 

I like her, but I'm not overly fond of this season of DW.

 

 

Yeah, this. I didn't develop an appreciation for Martha until seeing her in Torchwood. I'm expecting to develop an appreciation for Clara, but the scripts are being written in a way that makes me feel they are trying to play hard to get or something. I guess I don't want to feel it is my responsibility to build a relationship with a television character, kwim?

[Amber in SJ]

My problem with Martha & now Clara had more to do with the previous companion(s) than themselves. I was so devastated by the loss of Rose that I couldn't "bond" with Martha. I like some of her episodes better during subsequent viewings than I did during her seasons. I think I am having the same problem with Clara. I miss the Pond's. I can't open up to Clara because I am still grieving. This is mostly tongue-in-cheek, but not completely.

 

Amber in SJ

[Word Nerd]

My problem with Martha & now Clara had more to do with the previous companion(s) than themselves. I was so devastated by the loss of Rose that I couldn't "bond" with Martha. I like some of her episodes better during subsequent viewings than I did during her seasons. I think I am having the same problem with Clara. I miss the Pond's. I can't open up to Clara because I am still grieving. This is mostly tongue-in-cheek, but not completely.

 

Amber in SJ

 

 

I miss Rory but not Ms. Bossypants.

[mommymilkies]

I'm also not a fan. I must say, too, this has been my least favorite season so far. I'm just not feeling it.

[Mergath]

I'm trying to like her, but it's just not happening yet. Though, and I'm very ashamed to admit this, it took me a good ten episodes to warm up to David Tennant so I may still grow to like Clara.

 

I think she's too much like the Doctor. Every episode, it's like I'm watching the Doctor talk to himself for an hour. They're both clever and talk way too fast, along with having the same sense of humor.

[Mergath]

 

I miss Rory but not Ms. Bossypants.

 

 

I loved Amy! I've seen Angels Take Manhattan three or four times now, and sobbed like a baby through the ending every time.

 

And I'm assuming that anyone reading this thread will know that the Ponds left, and this won't be a spoiler. ;)

[Χά�ων]

Yeah, this. I didn't develop an appreciation for Martha until seeing her in Torchwood. I'm expecting to develop an appreciation for Clara, but the scripts are being written in a way that makes me feel they are trying to play hard to get or something. I guess I don't want to feel it is my responsibility to build a relationship with a television character, kwim?

 

Martha was in Torchwood?? I started with Torchwood, how on Earth did I miss that.

[mommymilkies]

Am I the only one that's a little disappointed that Smith will be around another year? He's already been on for so long and I just don't like him as much as Tennant. I know that's sacrilegious. ;)

[Mergath]

Am I the only one that's a little disappointed that Smith will be around another year? He's already been on for so long and I just don't like him as much as Tennant. I know that's sacrilegious. ;)

 

 

I miss Tennant too. I mean, I like Matt Smith, but I LOVED David Tennant. In a seriously unhealthy way. :p Honestly, I don't think I'll ever like another Doctor as much as I liked him. He was just so perfect for the role. I miss Rose, too. :(

[Word Nerd]

Am I the only one that's a little disappointed that Smith will be around another year? He's already been on for so long and I just don't like him as much as Tennant. I know that's sacrilegious. ;)

 

 

I like him but he's the #3 Doctor for me after Eccleston. I loved the 10th Doctor. I have a feeling that when [spoiler alert!] Tennant appears on the 50th anniversary episode, I'll go through the same sighing and moping I did when he went away the first time.

[BarbecueMom]

 

 

I miss Tennant too. I mean, I like Matt Smith, but I LOVED David Tennant. In a seriously unhealthy way. :p Honestly, I don't think I'll ever like another Doctor as much as I liked him. He was just so perfect for the role. I miss Rose, too. :(

 

 

Yeah, I miss Tennant. He'd wanted that role since he was a preschooler, and it showed. I think he picked the right time to exit the show, though, before his character arc got sloppy. I think I would like Matt's Doctor more if I wasn't so disappointed by plot. I rarely rewatch Series 5-7 episodes. DH, on the other hand, has enjoyed those seasons much more than the 9th/10th Doctors. I don't get him.

 

(BTW, speaking of Tennant, anyone else finish Broadchurch? Woah.)

[Mergath]

Yeah, I miss Tennant. He'd wanted that role since he was a preschooler, and it showed. I think he picked the right time to exit the show, though, before his character arc got sloppy. I think I would like Matt's Doctor more if I wasn't so disappointed by plot. I rarely rewatch Series 5-7 episodes. DH, on the other hand, has enjoyed those seasons much more than the 9th/10th Doctors. I don't get him.

 

(BTW, speaking of Tennant, anyone else finish Broadchurch? Woah.)

 

Oh, pooh. Give me David Tennant in a sloppy character arc any day. :D Though the Matt Smith episodes do seem to be much more family friendly, which is nice for my four-year-old. She's an even bigger fan than I am.

[BarbecueMom]

 

 

Oh, pooh. Give me David Tennant in a sloppy character arc any day. :D Though the Matt Smith episodes do seem to be much more family friendly, which is nice for my four-year-old. She's an even bigger fan than I am.

 

Yeah, we've had to watch Dinosaurs on a Spaceship... more than twice. Every time someone brings up books where humans are riding dinosaurs, I think of that episode: "How do you start a triceratops?!"

 

DS3 has a sonic screwdriver; he was the 10th Doctor for Halloween last year.

 

ETA: Ugh, I post like I talk, starting everything with, "Yeah..." Must. Break. Habit.

[elegantlion]

We just started series 7 tonight. Got through A Town Called Mercy. I've seen Clara bits here and there, but I'm not sure I'm going to love her.

 

I love Rory and Amy. Tennant is just well, he's Tennant, what's not to love. I was surprised I like Matt Smith as the Doctor quite well. I find him very charming. If I ever get ds to wear a tie, I'm sure it will be a bow tie.

 

Ds wants to make a sequel to Snakes on a Plane, Dinosaurs on a spaceship, extended to a full movie version.

 

We'll finish part 1 of the season tomorrow. .

[Jilly]

I'm also not a fan. I must say, too, this has been my least favorite season so far. I'm just not feeling it.

 

 

I agree. I am just not feeling the love for Doctor Who this season.

[Cinder]

(BTW, speaking of Tennant, anyone else finish Broadchurch? Woah.)

 

 

Yes--excellent show! Seriously, my eyes got a bit moist at the end.

 

 

As to the topic at hand, I liked Clara in Asylum of the Daleks and The Snowmen so I'm still holding out hope that things will get better with her character.

[Lady Florida.]

I'm among the small number of people who actually liked Martha. I loved Rose and Donna, and I even liked Mickey. Martha had big shoes to fill, but that wasn't her fault. I never really liked Amy. Rory made Amy tolerable. Clara is okay, but I don't care for her mysterious background storyline.

[Mergath]

Clara is okay, but I don't care for her mysterious background storyline.

 

I would like it better if it wasn't quite so mysterious. I mean, come on, give us something to go on.

[oceanseve]

I don't think the storyline is mysterious. I mean, haven't we learned when something is "mysterious" it's because of that item or person's interactions with the doctor. I think somewhere near the end of her storyline she will be replicated and dispersed throughout history. Each episode keeps supporting that. This is a normal, human girl.

 

I wish we could go back to Tennant too :(

 

I liked Martha. Whoever it was that asked - She's in the second season of Torchwood, 6th? Episode I think.

 

I thought tonight's episode was pretty good. At least they are entertaining episodes. It was nice to see the assertive doctor make a reappearance when he claimed to turn on the self destruct.

[goldberry]

I liked Amy and Rory, but was tired of that storyline and ready to move on. The last season with them was really boring to me, although I did love the Angels episode and the way they wrapped it up. I've rather liked the uncertainty of this season. To me it's added a bit of adventure back.

 

 

I like Clara, she's ok. But what I like best is seeing the Doctor all giddy and excited over things again. He seemed to get his "joie de vivre" back when Clara came around, that he didn't have for awhile even before Amy and Rory left.

 

So will Matt Smith be still on after the Christmas special? I thought for sure that would be his exit. I don't really want him to leave, but mostly because I'm afraid I won't like whoever's next. Matt Smith has grown on me, but I'll always be a Tennant Girl.. :blushing: (And yes, I talk like a teenager when discussing Doctor Who...)

[Caitilin]

I loved Tennant, but I could.not.stand Rose. Liked Martha, enjoyed Donna, adored the Amy/Rory pair. I do truly like Smith, too. I'm willing to like Clara, but I don't think she's come into her own yet.

[Pippen]

I loved Clara in the preseason specials. Loved her energy and interaction with the Doctor and couldn't wait for more. Not feeling the love yet. I know from the preseasons that they can write her well and she can deliver, so I'm guessing it's deliberate on Moffat's part to play her as a more sedate version than her distant future or distant past self.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Not feeling it yet either. I loved Matt Smith's very first episode, though he is no David Tennant. Love Rory, not so much Amy.

I am not happy with the new season yet though I liked Cold War very much, nice throwback to original Dr. Who. Hoping for more like it.

[Butter]

Well, I love her :) I think she's fabulous and I've got a few theories about her. She's just really an "okay, I'll roll with this" adventuresome girl. I like that. And I like her with Matt.

[Night Elf]

Well, I love her :) I think she's fabulous and I've got a few theories about her. She's just really an "okay, I'll roll with this" adventuresome girl. I like that. And I like her with Matt.

 

 

Me too. I think she's cute as a button and her energy does seem to match the Doctor's energy and I like that. But I was ready for any change because I didn't care for the Amy/Rory pair. I wouldn't have minded Rory by himself. Or remember Craig? Craig would have made a fantastic companion.

 

I"m also not a David Tennant fan. Oh I like the actor and I think he did an okay job as the Doctor, but his storylines were awful. I've enjoyed Dr. Who for years, including old ones, but I had to stop watching for a while because Tennant's stories were simply so dark.

 

But I've enjoyed the Clara episodes so far. Good stories.

[Trez]

Tennant is a favourite here as well. I like Clara. It always seems like she and the Doctor are playing together (best friends). I haven't been really impressed with the episodes though. I'm not sure why but they are just sort of meh....

[Kim in Appalachia]

Clara's ok, but just ok. I actually liked Martha; some of my favorite episodes are with her. Rose started to get on my nerves in the end. Donna was an excellent companion, and yes, Rory has been my favorite. :) Matt Smith is good, but he's no Tennant, but I don't think all the blame goes to him. The writing is not as good. I feel like Moffat is beating a dead horse, and it's getting on my nerves.

[Cinder]

I wouldn't have minded Rory by himself. Or remember Craig? Craig would have made a fantastic companion.

 

 

We are big Rory and Craig fans here too. I also really liked Donna and Wilf (her granddad) though ds2 (the only other DW fan in the house) doesn't.

[Pippen]

 

We are big Rory and Craig fans here too. I also really liked Donna and Wilf (her granddad) though ds2 (the only other DW fan in the house) doesn't.

 

 

Loved Craig! By far my favorite episodes with Matt Smith were those when Amy was absent or minimalized.

[clarkacademy]

I wish it would get back to him trying to figure out who she is. I have no real need to know his name either so I am glad that didn't spill out last night. In the first episode with the snow men she fell. Why couldn't he just catch her like he did River when she jumped from the building in The Silence? Sometimes I think the story is so built up that it leaves people wondering why he couldn't do such and such ya know? That little book she was reading in the Wi-Fi episode was on their facebook page it was supposedly written by Amy and will be sold at some point online. I also still want to know what Run you clever boy and remember means? Remember what?

[Parrothead]

The writing is not as good. I feel like Moffat is beating a dead horse, and it's getting on my nerves.

 

 

I agree. The writing is rather crappy. The stories don't seem to go anywhere. The last two haven't even grabbed my attention much. I sure hope Moffat knows what he is doing.

[Parrothead]

I have no real need to know his name either so I am glad that didn't spill out last night.

 

 

Dd and I have been wondering about his name. We've decide it is either a very common name. Like he is telling the truth when he calls himself John Smith. Or it is so foreign that we would not recognize it as a word. Either some nonsense thing or a sound like an armpit fart. Or he is actually someone quite famous in Earth's history.

[Word Nerd]

I'm looking forward to the Neil Gaiman episode later in May. The ones that aren't written by Moffat are better IMHO. I really liked The Doctor's Wife, which Gaiman also wrote.

[oceanseve]

 

Dd and I have been wondering about his name. We've decide it is either a very common name. Like he is telling the truth when he calls himself John Smith.

 

 

Hadn't thought of that! I love it!

 

I don't really want to know his name either

[Butter]

That little book she was reading in the Wi-Fi episode was on their facebook page it was supposedly written by Amy and will be sold at some point online.

 

It's a Kindle book and has been out for a while :) http://www.amazon.co...B00BGC6GG8/ My daughter bought it about 3 week ago and already read it.

[BarbecueMom]

 

 

Dd and I have been wondering about his name. We've decide it is either a very common name. Like he is telling the truth when he calls himself John Smith. Or it is so foreign that we would not recognize it as a word. Either some nonsense thing or a sound like an armpit fart. Or he is actually someone quite famous in Earth's history.

 

My personal theory about the Doctor is that in his last regeneration, just before he dies permanently, he sacrifices himself at the very beginning of the human race to ensure its survival. And his name would be something that essentially translates to "god/creator/savior of humankind" or something. It would explain his attachment to Earth and humans (well, besides show budget constraints), why he had to be the one to stop the Daleks and the Time Lords during the Time War, why he's been running and hiding from this fate, because he's quite scary when he gets a messiah complex. As he spends more and more time primarily with humans and gets farther from his home world, he "humanizes" and that becomes the prototype for what humans will eventually be.

 

And when he's really gone? He's not. He's scattered throughout time and space protecting humans all along.

 

So I really don't want to hear the Doctor's name. It'll really mess up this elaborate story in my head.

[Mergath]

I don't think the storyline is mysterious. I mean, haven't we learned when something is "mysterious" it's because of that item or person's interactions with the doctor. I think somewhere near the end of her storyline she will be replicated and dispersed throughout history. Each episode keeps supporting that. This is a normal, human girl.

 

Wouldn't that be too easy, though? That's about the easiest and most boring explanation Moffat could come up with. If that is how it happens, there are going to be a lot of really peeved Whovians out there.

 

I think Clara will turn out to be something more than human. They keep repeating the "Run you clever boy, and remember..." theme, so that would imply there's something the Doctor has forgotten. But the Doctor doesn't forget anything easily, so there has to be something big going on.

[Mergath]

My personal theory about the Doctor is that in his last regeneration, just before he dies permanently, he sacrifices himself at the very beginning of the human race to ensure its survival. And his name would be something that essentially translates to "god/creator/savior of humankind" or something. It would explain his attachment to Earth and humans (well, besides show budget constraints), why he had to be the one to stop the Daleks and the Time Lords during the Time War, why he's been running and hiding from this fate, because he's quite scary when he gets a messiah complex. As he spends more and more time primarily with humans and gets farther from his home world, he "humanizes" and that becomes the prototype for what humans will eventually be.

 

And when he's really gone? He's not. He's scattered throughout time and space protecting humans all along.

 

So I really don't want to hear the Doctor's name. It'll really mess up this elaborate story in my head.

 

I've been thinking something similar, that our idea of "God" originally came from the Doctor and his name will translate to some word for God.

 

That, or Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. :D

[Word Nerd]

I also wonder why the TARDIS isn't keen on Clara. Has that ever happened with any of the other companions or one-time visitors?

[BarbecueMom]

I also wonder why the TARDIS isn't keen on Clara. Has that ever happened with any of the other companions or one-time visitors?

 

Captain Jack, sort of, after he became immortal. Because he was "wrong".

[Parrothead]

Captain Jack, sort of, after he became immortal. Because he was "wrong".

 

Yes. She did try to throw him off didn't she.

[oceanseve]

Wouldn't that be too easy, though? That's about the easiest and most boring explanation Moffat could come up with. If that is how it happens, there are going to be a lot of really peeved Whovians out there.

 

I think Clara will turn out to be something more than human. They keep repeating the "Run you clever boy, and remember..." theme, so that would imply there's something the Doctor has forgotten. But the Doctor doesn't forget anything easily, so there has to be something big going on.

 

 

Yeah, but when you look back at all the episodes that's the prevailing theme the dr has mysteries because he creates them often simply by his presence alone. I'm sure he'll do it in a far more convoluted way than I've put it :p

 

I've found the episodes with Clara to be predictable. I called the ash creature episode when I saw her in the echo room with it.

 

DH called the ghost episode in the first 5 minutes (but the freaky love story was a cute surprise).

 

The cold war episode and wifi episodes were good, but don't contribute to the plot, unless they pursue whoever was feasting on the minds.

 

The only long arch progress we've made is multiple things supporting that Clara is a normal human. That's not much progress in 4 episodes so I get the impression he wants to drive home she really is a normal human.

[Word Nerd]

Captain Jack, sort of, after he became immortal. Because he was "wrong".

 

 

I forgot about that. I need to go watch all the Captain Jack episodes again. :001_tt1: Didn't they intimate at some point that he was the Face of Boe?

 

So maybe the impossible girl is also immortal?

[oceanseve]

I still love Tennant's face when Jack tells them he was known as the face of boe :) It really looks like the two of them were not expecting Jack to say that like it was unscripted or at least not shared (like barbosa's reappearance at the end of Pirates 2). That or he really is an awesome actor.