Hell Bent (3512 / 912)

[P-90_177]

Ok I've had a bit of thinking time and I can come back to add my thoughts to this episode.

For me this was a perfect send off for Clara. I didn't think I wanted her back. I loved the fact that she was dead but this really did surprise me and it really did make me appreciate how great at these twists Moffat is.

The Timelord aspects could have been fleshed out but simultaneously I don't feel like they were midding anything because ultimately it ended the way it was always going to. The Doctor was never going to have some big show down with the Timelords because ultimately, if the Doctor was going to make an adversary of them they would be the one enemy that could walk all over him. Instead it was established quickly that for all the power Rassilon has, he cannot hold a candle next to the gravitas and achievements of The Doctor. Ultimately by having Gallifrey back just like that is fine too. The Doctor doesn't have to solve every single issue in the universe. There are Timelords just as smart as he is.

The scenes with Me worked terribly well, in the sense that The Doctor had a showdown with her in the intellectual sense which is how the two of them have always played off eachother and yet they've never really been enemies so the way it ended worked beautifully between the dialogue and the imagery.

Even more beautiful was the ending where the Doctor is talking to Clara without knowing it. I can't deny I was worried about this whole episode from the point Clara showed up because I thought she was going to get resurrected in some convoluted way, but that's not what's happened. She's still dead. That much is certain... she's just got a little time to kill before then. And the thought of Clara travelling the stars with me brings both characters to a happy ending, In particular Clara who has been growing towards being more like the Doctor with each passing series.

All in all I loved this episode. I really did. Everything about it made me smile. I'd say it's the best finale since series 5.

[Coco Pops]

I don't hate Clara (at first I even really liked her), but I do find her extremely annoying. I am irritated that we're constantly told how wonderful and clever she is but don't often see evidence of this, just an egomaniacal control freak with a superiority complex. I'm annoyed that the character becomes or makes herself the centre of attention wherever she goes and is actually quite selfish. What annoys me the most is how much of the show has revolved around her since her introduction.

But they did that kind of thing with Amy Pond too in season 5 and it almost became the Amy Pond show. But I kept watching it as it was good.

I couldn't give it a perfect score even if there was one to rate it under. Maybe 5/10

it was good I'll say that but there were a few moments when I just looked at the screen and thought WTF? is going on.

My only real nitpick is how the hell does Clara know how to fly a TARDIS? When did she gain this knowledge? I did like that Ashildr is traveling with her as I like her.

The whole build up all season about the hybrid, and what? Nothing, that felt like a huge waste of time and energy because of all the buildup. Why did they even bother with this storyline?

I'm going to have to watch this again..

Will there be a full series boxset? I want that...

[Coco Pops]

Why did he ask for a human compatible neural block?

That device shouldn't have worked on him, regardless of what Clara said she did to it..

[Flyboy]

I agree with all of the negative points raised here.

I'm quite frankly let down. I was expecting pure fireworks. And it all went south the moment the Doctor rescued Clara. I know the Doctor has a history of running away, but having just literally led a military coup against the High Council he needs to show a bit more responsibility than he did... bare in mind the Doctor has been obsessed with going home and finding Gallifrey since DotD, I'm amazed he would leave it so quickly. Further, he has a sodding duty to restore it to somewhere that ISN'T right at the end of time... but hey, let's ignore that!

So many issues SHOULD have been dealt with, I mean, fcol - whatever happened to Rassilon's plan to destroy time itself? And their supposed ascension...

The Clara fanwank was sickening. I never thought I'd say this, but can we go back to having companions that just scream and shout 'Doctorrrrr!' at the top of their voice each time they get captured? Congratulations Moffat, you had two excellent opportunities to bin Clara, and you failed to commit on both of them. Heck, given how last minute Jenna Coleman's decision to stay with DW was last year she should have just been written out there and then in Last Christmas. That, at least, was an emotive ending and would have worked.

This episode should have been about The Doctor. His origins. His legacy. His secrets. It should not have been reduced to nothing more than a contrived scheme to undo the death of a companion a couple of episodes before. After the sheer genius and mastery that was Heaven Sent, I am really disappointed in Hell Bent.

[Coco Pops]

Here's a question.

What did Clara say to the Doctor that was so important that they had to literally blank it out with scenes of the city above for almost 10 seconds?

It almost felt like one of those scenes where a man kisses a woman and they show a train for 6 seconds ..............

[Coco Pops]

I agree with all of the negative points raised here.

I'm quite frankly let down. I was expecting pure fireworks. And it all went south the moment the Doctor rescued Clara. I know the Doctor has a history of running away, but having just literally led a military coup against the High Council he needs to show a bit more responsibility than he did... bare in mind the Doctor has been obsessed with going home and finding Gallifrey since DotD, I'm amazed he would leave it so quickly. Further, he has a sodding duty to restore it to somewhere that ISN'T right at the end of time... but hey, let's ignore that!

So many issues SHOULD have been dealt with, I mean, fcol - whatever happened to Rassilon's plan to destroy time itself? And their supposed ascension...

The Clara fanwank was sickening. I never thought I'd say this, but can we go back to having companions that just scream and shout 'Doctorrrrr!' at the top of their voice each time they get captured? Congratulations Moffat, you had two excellent opportunities to bin Clara, and you failed to commit on both of them. Heck, given how last minute Jenna Coleman's decision to stay with DW was last year she should have just been written out there and then in Last Christmas. That, at least, was an emotive ending and would have worked.

This episode should have been about The Doctor. His origins. His legacy. His secrets. It should not have been reduced to nothing more than a contrived scheme to undo the death of a companion a couple of episodes before. After the sheer genius and mastery that was Heaven Sent, I am really disappointed in Hell Bent.

On my 2nd viewing of this I felt I was left asking more questions then when I watched it the first time. It just didn't gel as a coherent story but a jumble of things mashed together.

[cosmichobo]

I'm smiling.

That's my review of this story - It left me with a smile upon my face.

I may have taken a few kicks to the testicles along the way, so it may be a grimacing smile... But it is a smile.

Ok, first, some refs.

Loved Ohila's reference to fireworks - tie back to 4's use of a firecracker to repair the Sacred Flame...

LOVED finally seeing the original TARDIS set (from An Adventure In Time & Space) being used in Doctor Who... It was glorious... Oh, the doors! (Actually, they looked a little narrow...)

I think it's a shame they couldn't have convinced/afforded Dalton to return as Rassilon... The new guy was okay..... but didn't spit nearly as much.

Ok... can't avoid it forever, I guess... Oh what, I guess Moffat always does (avoid stuff, that is).

Yes, I love LOVING this story... until the Doctor extracted Clara... Silly me actually thought - can you believe it - that maybe just maybe he'd be extracting the 8th Doctor or something (well, there were all those rumours...)... Then instead we get Clara back again... and my brain just said to me, as the camera pulled up into the sky -

Capaldi and Coleman... both contracted for the full season... Clara's "light" story was obviously "Heaven Sent", (no idea when/if Capaldi got a light one?), but basically - she's in this story, not just as the "light" Clara in the cafe, but yes, she's gonna be full on Clara too... And I wasn't thrilled... cos she died... she faced death head on... (in a scene that should have been emotional but really wasn't) but now, as Moffat SO loves doing, he's just pissed all over it.

I am a really anal guy... I hated RTD for letting Ecc go after 1 season - because the Doctor could only ever have 13 lives... and that's 1 wasted so quickly... (Ok, I've moved on - Capaldi rocks!) (Oh! And... Yes, Capaldi - is the Doctor... I'm there... I took the long way round, but I'm there) I hate when there's some indisputable anything, and then.... it gets disputed.

Within this story, they've said Clara CAN'T continue, or it will fracture time itself... The noble thing, the proper thing, the thing I expected from that moment onward, especially after the Raven episode - was that Clara, ultimately, would insist upon returning, and facing her death...

No.

Whoops.

But aha... that basically has remedied my issue with Raven - leaving Clara laying dead in the street.... (and the short story that I wrote a few days ago about the Doctor collecting her body... well, totally and utterly disappeared in a puff of logic now...)

I *want* to see Clara make a cameo next year. Some 5 minute little thing somewhere... and the year after... Just - cos of the anal thing again really. She saved his life a billion times, so - he has to keep running into her... surely.

And this post is a great representation of how this story has f**d my head

[Blencathra]

Totally agree with everything you say FB.


Anyway, I've had a thought...

From Listen

DOCTOR: [talking about Orson Pink] Pioneer time traveller. Rode the first of the great time shots. They were supposed to fire him into the middle of the next week.
CLARA: What happened?
DOCTOR: He went a bit far.
CLARA: A bit?
DOCTOR: A big bit. Look at him now. Robinson Crusoe at the end of time itself. The last man standing in the universe. I always thought that would be me.

[cosmichobo]

Have to admit - I didn't expect Ashildr... Nor when the Doc said it was "Me" did I realise...

Can't say I'm a fan of the character... and not huge on the actress.

[P-90_177]

I'm smiling.

That's my review of this story - It left me with a smile upon my face.

I may have taken a few kicks to the testicles along the way, so it may be a grimacing smile... But it is a smile.

Ok, first, some refs.

Loved Ohila's reference to fireworks - tie back to 4's use of a firecracker to repair the Sacred Flame...

LOVED finally seeing the original TARDIS set (from An Adventure In Time & Space) being used in Doctor Who... It was glorious... Oh, the doors! (Actually, they looked a little narrow...)

I think it's a shame they couldn't have convinced/afforded Dalton to return as Rassilon... The new guy was okay..... but didn't spit nearly as much.

Ok... can't avoid it forever, I guess... Oh what, I guess Moffat always does (avoid stuff, that is).

Yes, I love LOVING this story... until the Doctor extracted Clara... Silly me actually thought - can you believe it - that maybe just maybe he'd be extracting the 8th Doctor or something (well, there were all those rumours...)... Then instead we get Clara back again... and my brain just said to me, as the camera pulled up into the sky -

Capaldi and Coleman... both contracted for the full season... Clara's "light" story was obviously "Heaven Sent", (no idea when/if Capaldi got a light one?), but basically - she's in this story, not just as the "light" Clara in the cafe, but yes, she's gonna be full on Clara too... And I wasn't thrilled... cos she died... she faced death head on... (in a scene that should have been emotional but really wasn't) but now, as Moffat SO loves doing, he's just pissed all over it.

I am a really anal guy... I hated RTD for letting Ecc go after 1 season - because the Doctor could only ever have 13 lives... and that's 1 wasted so quickly... (Ok, I've moved on - Capaldi rocks!) (Oh! And... Yes, Capaldi - is the Doctor... I'm there... I took the long way round, but I'm there) I hate when there's some indisputable anything, and then.... it gets disputed.

Within this story, they've said Clara CAN'T continue, or it will fracture time itself... The noble thing, the proper thing, the thing I expected from that moment onward, especially after the Raven episode - was that Clara, ultimately, would insist upon returning, and facing her death...

No.

Whoops.

But aha... that basically has remedied my issue with Raven - leaving Clara laying dead in the street.... (and the short story that I wrote a few days ago about the Doctor collecting her body... well, totally and utterly disappeared in a puff of logic now...)

I *want* to see Clara make a cameo next year. Some 5 minute little thing somewhere... and the year after... Just - cos of the anal thing again really. She saved his life a billion times, so - he has to keep running into her... surely.

And this post is a great representation of how this story has f**d my head

Not entirely true about her not intending to go back to face the raven. One day she will. She knows full well that she'll fracture time if she doesn't, but as she can't die she has all the time in the universe to go back there. Eventually she will do, we know that because time didn't fracture and her body was still there in Face the Raven. All she needs to do is throw on the same clothes she was wearing at the time, and go back to Gallifrey to allow them to insert her back into the timeline.

[DigiFluid]

I am boggled at the amount of complaining in here. Aside from a couple of little hiccups, I loved this one.

Seeing Gallifrey again? Wonderful! Especially with all the beautiful CGI shots of the capital, showing all the sprawl around the Citadel that we really have not seen to this point. And to visit the bowels of the city, the Matrix itself--scene of so many BF stories. The Doctor's return to the farmhouse, a wonderful echo of its appearances in both Listen and The Day of the Doctor. Being (apparently) his family's property, I couldn't help but wonder: is the old woman a relative of his?

And the people, ha! Great nod to continuity to see the General reappear, and to see that Rassilon is Lord President (I was half expecting that to be ignored). I particularly enjoyed that Rassilon was so hated that everyone from the nameless foot soldiers to the General himself were prepared to turn on him at a moment's notice. AND now he's been banished, presumably in a TARDIS, so perhaps down the line we'll see him reappear as an enemy of the Doctor who hates him for his banishment. Also happy to see Ohila show up again. Made a nice bookend to the season, following her appearance in the minisode that was a prologue to the first episode this series. I suppose it's also kind of a nice bookend to the war itself as well, since she was there at the beginning of it (for the Doctor), and now here she was on his first steps on Gallifrey post-war.

The biggest surprise for me this time around was Maisie Williams. I'm so used to her as Arya Stark that I had a hard time getting used to her as any other character. Add to that her earlier appearances this season not being entirely convincing (in terms of acting, at least to me), and I was initially a little let down to see her again. And then Williams comes out of nowhere with the finest performance I've ever seen her give, on either Doctor Who or Game of Thrones. Her chat with the Doctor at the end of the universe very nearly stole the whole show for me.

Gripe: After emphasising all season long that she doesn't have the infinite memory to go with her infinite lifespan, it struck me as a little incongruous that she was sitting there waiting for him, presumably 100 trillion years since they last met. This is pretty easily fanwanked away--memory enhancement in the intervening eons, payment from the Time Lords, what-have-you--but it just seemed a little lazy to go in the exact opposite direction that they've been playing up all season long.

Backing up a little, I do not understand all the Clara hate, I truly don't. She was a fun companion with a story and life of her own, who continued to have a story even after her 'impossible girl' plot line was resolved. Enter this series, and she's obviously acting out after the death of the love of her life last season--the way some people might start picking fights at every opportunity, or drinking heavily, just to have their brain focus on something--anything--else. This was not a 'little Doctor' thing, it was a grief reaction, and it got her pretty tragically killed. It's so much worse and more soul-crushing that seeing this, the Doctor spent so long in 'hell' and then tried to break time itself in order to save her. This is the Doctor, caring and protective of his own to a fault.

Major bonus points for the classic TARDIS. I recognized the exterior right away as being the same design that we saw back in The Name of the Doctor, and a few times the same look appeared in the original run. And how about that classic interior?! I just about 'squee'd when it appeared

[rkgardner2003]

Maybe I was too sleepy when I watched this last night. I thought at the end that Clara and Ashildir said that time wasn't healing itself (like the Doctor thought it would) and that they were going back to Gallifrey so that Clara could go back to meet the raven and set it right. Wasn't that the point of her checking for her pulse that never came back? I was left thinking that Clara was going back to let herself die and that would leave Ashildir with the other Tardis...

[Coco Pops]

Maybe I was too sleepy when I watched this last night. I thought at the end that Clara and Ashildir said that time wasn't healing itself (like the Doctor thought it would) and that they were going back to Gallifrey so that Clara could go back to meet the raven and set it right. Wasn't that the point of her checking for her pulse that never came back? I was left thinking that Clara was going back to let herself die and that would leave Ashildir with the other Tardis...

She is but she told Ashildr she would take the long way around to get back there bookending the line the Doctor used.

[DigiFluid]

Maybe I was too sleepy when I watched this last night. I thought at the end that Clara and Ashildir said that time wasn't healing itself (like the Doctor thought it would) and that they were going back to Gallifrey so that Clara could go back to meet the raven and set it right. Wasn't that the point of her checking for her pulse that never came back? I was left thinking that Clara was going back to let herself die and that would leave Ashildir with the other Tardis...

She wasn't going to go back right away, but that's largely the impression I got, yeah.

[P-90_177]

I am boggled at the amount of complaining in here. Aside from a couple of little hiccups, I loved this one.

Seeing Gallifrey again? Wonderful! Especially with all the beautiful CGI shots of the capital, showing all the sprawl around the Citadel that we really have not seen to this point. And to visit the bowels of the city, the Matrix itself--scene of so many BF stories. The Doctor's return to the farmhouse, a wonderful echo of its appearances in both Listen and The Day of the Doctor. Being (apparently) his family's property, I couldn't help but wonder: is the old woman a relative of his?

And the people, ha! Great nod to continuity to see the General reappear, and to see that Rassilon is Lord President (I was half expecting that to be ignored). I particularly enjoyed that Rassilon was so hated that everyone from the nameless foot soldiers to the General himself were prepared to turn on him at a moment's notice. AND now he's been banished, presumably in a TARDIS, so perhaps down the line we'll see him reappear as an enemy of the Doctor who hates him for his banishment. Also happy to see Ohila show up again. Made a nice bookend to the season, following her appearance in the minisode that was a prologue to the first episode this series. I suppose it's also kind of a nice bookend to the war itself as well, since she was there at the beginning of it (for the Doctor), and now here she was on his first steps on Gallifrey post-war.

The biggest surprise for me this time around was Maisie Williams. I'm so used to her as Arya Stark that I had a hard time getting used to her as any other character. Add to that her earlier appearances this season not being entirely convincing (in terms of acting, at least to me), and I was initially a little let down to see her again. And then Williams comes out of nowhere with the finest performance I've ever seen her give, on either Doctor Who or Game of Thrones. Her chat with the Doctor at the end of the universe very nearly stole the whole show for me.

Gripe: After emphasising all season long that she doesn't have the infinite memory to go with her infinite lifespan, it struck me as a little incongruous that she was sitting there waiting for him, presumably 100 trillion years since they last met. This is pretty easily fanwanked away--memory enhancement in the intervening eons, payment from the Time Lords, what-have-you--but it just seemed a little lazy to go in the exact opposite direction that they've been playing up all season long.

Backing up a little, I do not understand all the Clara hate, I truly don't. She was a fun companion with a story and life of her own, who continued to have a story even after her 'impossible girl' plot line was resolved. Enter this series, and she's obviously acting out after the death of the love of her life last season--the way some people might start picking fights at every opportunity, or drinking heavily, just to have their brain focus on something--anything--else. This was not a 'little Doctor' thing, it was a grief reaction, and it got her pretty tragically killed. It's so much worse and more soul-crushing that seeing this, the Doctor spent so long in 'hell' and then tried to break time itself in order to save her. This is the Doctor, caring and protective of his own to a fault.

Major bonus points for the classic TARDIS. I recognized the exterior right away as being the same design that we saw back in The Name of the Doctor, and a few times the same look appeared in the original run. And how about that classic interior?! I just about 'squee'd when it appeared

Absolutely agree, Digi. I loved every second of it.