Doctor Who: Who is Clara Oswald?

Doctor Who: Who is Clara Oswald?

From a Dalek asylum to Victorian London and finally the present day, The Doctor has met Clara Oswald a grand total of three times - and she has died on two of those occasions. Her third incarnation is currently travelling with The Doctor and, while distinct, the characters are all played by Jenna-Louise Coleman and thus are regarded as the same person. Yet with no memory of ever meeting The Doctor before and boasting a generally normal past, how can Clara Oswald, the woman twice dead possibly exist?  

With that in mind and the season finale approaching this Saturday, here are five of the best (and occasionally laughable) theories flying around the internet regarding the identity and purpose of "The Impossible Girl."

5 - Clara is The Doctor

The theory: This one definitely dives head first into the laughable category, but it's an interesting starting point nonetheless. If canon has stayed true throughout the years since Classic Who, The Doctor can only regenerate twelve times - as he is currently in his Eleventh form (as portrayed by Matt Smith), that means he has two left. There has been media buzz in recent series', particularly during David Tennant's departure as the Tenth Doctor, that eventually the Time Lord could become a woman. The regenerative process is also a very painful one and, according to the Fifth Doctor, it becomes more dangerous with each occurrence  Could it be possible that in the future The Doctor has regenerated into a woman and forgotten his past incarnations?

Probability: While it would be a welcome and experimental change of form for the show, this still doesn't explain how Clara (or some echo of her) has survived an explosion and a fall from the sky. Even The Doctor himself couldn't regenerate from becoming a Dalek and then blowing himself up. Right? Right.

4 - River Song created Clara

The theory: When last we saw River Song, she had left a heartbroken Eleventh Doctor dealing with the loss of former companions Amy and Rory. However, in her own timeline, her last major event was her death in the Season 4 episode Forest Of The Dead in which she sacrificed herself in an enormous library to save The Tenth Doctor's life. The Doctor then realises that her mind can still be uploaded to the library's data core, therefore giving her a life inside the computer system.

In the upcoming series finale River will somehow be released from the computer and the trailers have seen her talking to Clara. With River living inside the biggest digital system in the universe, is it possible that she has somehow created the perfect companion for The Doctor to combat his loneliness and, if need be, save his life?

Probability: Not very likely. While River's appearance in this Saturday's episode does warrant plenty of questions of its own (how did she escape the library?), it seems impossible that she could create a human being with flesh, blood and a family from a computer system. That being said, it would explain how Clara was recreated in different eras with the same looks and characteristics - coincidentally at the precise time and place The Doctor happened to be. 

3 - Clara is an enemy

The theory: "What are you? A trick? A trap?" The Eleventh Doctor's words to Clara in Journey To The Centre of the TARDIS finally showcased his curiosity giving way to frustrated confusion, but with his companion's fearful and bemused reaction he deduced that she truly is a normal human being.

OR IS SHE?!

It is possible that, in some part of The Doctor's future or past Clara has been recruited by an enemy to keep him alive in order for him to land head first into a trap. In Season 6, River Song was revealed to be the woman who apparently kills The Doctor under the orders of The Silence, a religious movement who believed the Time Lord would somehow bring about the end of the universe. Luckily, The Doctor faked his own death and The Silence ceased their pursuit of him. Perhaps they have discovered his treachery and have taken cunning steps to bring his downfall by manipulating his reputation of always travelling with a companion.

Probability: It is a possibility, and not a bad one at that, however given that The Silence have already featured prominently in Matt Smith's run of Doctor Who it's unlikely that show-runner Steven Moffat will desire to use them in yet another series finale. Add to that the fact that The Great Intelligence and The Whispermen have already been confirmed as the antagonists in the finale and this theory feels increasingly unlikely. 

2 - Clara has a connection to Rose Tyler

The theory: LOOK AT ALL THE ROSES! With David Tennant and Billie Piper (The Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler) returning for Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary Special, it makes sense that the series leading up to it would slowly but surely lead to a story arc reintroducing them - is Clara that arc? Perhaps these constant 'Rose' references are just Easter eggs for the fans, but there's no such thing as coincidence in Doctor Who. 

Now, this is possibly the most fan-rewarding theory around and it would certainly regain a lot of respect from fans who have felt that recent episodes have been lacking in nods to previous eras of Doctor Who. At the end of Series 1, Rose saved the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) by briefly becoming the "Bad Wolf," an all-seeing, all-knowing entity that spread its name across the Doctor's past...and future.
It could be a red herring, but in the recent episode Cold War, the song Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran is a consistent plot point. Again, there's no such thing as coincidence in Doctor Who. LOOK AT ALL THE ROSES!

Probability: This is actually one of the most plausible theories out there, although it still won't be right. With the 50th Anniversary Special coming up, it would make sense to have fan-favourite companion Rose Tyler play a pivotal role in the run up to it. That said, it's tough to see how exactly this could happen - if Rose could see the future, surely she would do everything in her power to stay with The Doctor instead of being trapped in a parallel universe?

1 - The Doctor created Clara

The theory: I know, right? Think back to the Tenth Doctor's episode The Waters Of Mars: stricken with guilt over not being able to interfere in an established point in time, The Doctor departs a space station in which several humans are being left to die. It soon hits him that his actions on the planet actually caused the massacre in the first place: "every time I try to save them, everything I do...just makes it happen."

With that in mind, it could be pitched that in his quest to discover who the seemingly ordinary Clara Oswald really is, The Doctor actually makes her extraordinary. It remains to be seen how or why exactly, but given his meddling with time in the past it's possible that he accidentally grants Clara some form of immortality, or gives her personality an echo through the universe which affects his entire timeline.

Probability: This is the most likely theory of the lot, and it would certainly give a darker tone to The Doctor and his guilt over Clara's two deaths. That said, the fact that Jenna-Louise Coleman has already confirmed she will be appearing in another series of Doctor Who puts a nail in this theory's coffin, and it's also unlikely that the show will take such a gritty route. Still, with nothing unusual rearing its head in Clara's persona so far it is incredibly possible that The Doctor "makes it happen." Curiosity kills the cat, after all. Or the Clara.

Check back to Movies Under The Microscope this weekend for a full review of Doctor Who: The Name Of The Doctor, in which the mystery of Clara Oswald will finally be revealed...