This is not the entire fanfic, it is rather a part of a larger story - Shattered Time, written by The Genie. This is the part I wrote. You should also check out her fan series Eighth Doctor Adventures featuring the Eighth Doctor and his companion Robin Moon. Shattered Time is a part of the Eighth Doctor Adventures and is just one of the specials that are in line to be released soon.
Wow! Reviewing Doctor Who fan fiction. Never thought I'd be doing that but as fate would have it, I am, and I am glad that I've been given such a chance. So first of all I'd like to thank you Genie for valuing my opinion and secondly I'd like to tip my fez to all the people who were involved in this Series.
Ah, so getting to the point. What we have here is the first proper Eighth Doctor Series, a good fourteen stories long and in each and every way mirroring and sometimes even challenging the stuff we get to see in the TV Series. A good point to note would be that it features the Eighth Doctor(obviously), perhaps the only Doctor to have lived mostly outside of the TV Series, and if you haven't read the books or don't listen to Big Finish Audios then you probably don't even know what Paul McGann's Doctor is really like...just like me. Doctor Who is built upon a framework that not only supports change but also thrives on it. This is a show divided by eras and Doctors and show-runners and yet unified by the show's ever loving and ever criticizing fans. This year we were introduced to the twelfth Doctor and with a new Doctor came a whole new tone and texture to the show. We were greeted by a dark, haughty and fierce Doctor as opposed to the playful and vibrant Doctor of Matt Smith. The thing with such a change and its relationship with Doctor Who is that it allows the show to constantly explore the horizons and helps the writers engineer something new out of it. I personally feel that Series 8 was step towards making the show a bit more adult which explains the emphasis on the Doctor-Companion relationship dynamic and also the dark and heavy story arc. This change of tone also allowed for exploration of more realistic and human elements that we experience on a daily basis and how it actively affects the Doctor and the people who surround him. Join me as I try to examine some of the prominent realistic elements that were covered in Series 8. Strange thing being a whovian is and why should it not be? Whovians of varied opinions who come together to discuss and rant and praise the show and we all know that there's a lot of all of that going on all the time. With so many heated discussions going on over a plethora of topics everywhere I began to wonder why we love this absolutely strange and funny and horrific and action packed show(there are more adjectives I could use but I think you get my point) and I think I have finally got it. Now I am not going to throw the this-is-the-best-show-ever ball at you, because I know this is not the only show out there and I personally believe that such a thing is purely subjective and varies from person to person. But I think if you are here reading this then there must be some love and affection that you feel towards this show and I am here to share a few thoughts on why I love this show. The TARDIS doors burst open with a loud bang. “Clara! Run! Run faster!” the Doctor shouted over his shoulder. Clara was just behind him running equally fast. Both of them sprung into the TARDIS and The Doctor hurriedly closed the door and then leaned against them while catching his breath. Clara sat down on the cold metal floor, her right hand clutching her stomach, panting. It took them about two minutes to calm down and start breathing normally. The Doctor jumped back into action and went on towards the TARDIS console. He pressed a few buttons and then pulled the lever. The sound of the TARDIS dematerializing filled the console room. “Right then, where to next?” He asked Clara normally, as if just a few minutes earlier they hadn’t been running for their lives. “ZARAN!” Clara shouted almost thunderously while simultaneously standing up and startling the Doctor. “I didn’t kn-“ “Planet of the most beautiful desert in this galaxy! Planet of the most peace-loving people in this quadrant! Where when the sun sets in the crimson sky against the vast horizons of the desert sand, the people sing hymns of their ancients in the most melodious tunes ever created in all of time an-“ “Well basically all that’s true. I just miss-“ “-missed the bit that wearing RED is a crime on the planet and the guilty is chained and left in the middle of a blazing desert to starve to death or to be eaten alive by bloody sand-piranhas.” “Well we could’ve easily gotten out of that mess if you didn’t have two jackets. Why have you got two jackets?” the Doctor retaliated. “Shut up! Doctor, we wouldn’t have gotten into that mess in the first place if it hadn’t been for that ridiculous looking magician’s overcoat that you wear.” “Ridiculous? How could I have known that red color was not allowed there? Last time I visited I wore a tweed Jacket and a bowtie-a blue one at that and maybe a Stetson.” The Doctor and Clara frowned at each other intensely for several seconds before Clara broke down into giggles and the Doctor smiled in return. “Oh Doctor you’re going to get us killed someday.” Clara said while smiling and fixing her hair. “No, I won’t.” “Yeah and how do you know that?” “Well you know I have been doing this for 2000 years. I know what I am doing.” the Doctor replied with an air of superiority in his tone. “Yeah well the Zaranians didn’t think so and sometimes neither do I.” Clara said still smiling. “Fair enough.” The Doctor grinned. “You didn’t tell me though, where to next?” “Well last time I checked I was going to go on a date before you came and lured me in here. So right now I’d like to go back and finish up on that please.” “What? Who is this mystery person you seem to be going out a lot with? I thought we were just getting started. Wait. Is it the shelf-guy?” “Started? Doctor that was two days ago. And shelf-guy? Really? His name is D-“ “Oh stop. Don’t bother. I don’t want the name. I’d probably delete it later anyway.” Clara rolled her eyes. ”Well I am dirty and muddy all over. I’ve got to freshen up. Just shout for me when we get there. Okay.” “Well now that you say it I think I might need to clean up a bit too. Change clothes.” “Get a new coat.” Clara snickered, leaving the console room and going towards her room in the TARDIS. “Why? I love this coat” The Doctor shouted at her as she disappeared into the corridor. “As you say Mr. Magician.” After watching Death in Heaven I found myself slightly underwhelmed by the whole “Woman in the shop” arc. There didn't seem to be any real motivation for Missy to choose Clara. Also I couldn't really understand why Missy would even require Clara but going by Moffat's previous arcs I can say that his resolutions though underwhelming (sometimes) are generally very tight and meaningful given you fill the blanks appropriately. So here I present you all with a possible walk-through of events that led up to Death in Heaven. Clara, Clara, Clara, The impossible girl, the girl who was born to save the doctor. Well it seems like her time as the Doctor's companion is about to come to an end. After witnessing Death in heaven's awkward and off-putting last scene, I spent hours pondering what to make of it. To me it felt extremely wrong because for a companion who holds so much significance in the Doctor's life, her final fate seemed a little too underwhelming. I was personally hoping for something more tragic and groundbreaking, for example, dying at the hands of Danny when she deletes his emotions (now that would have been devastating) or saving the Doctor by sacrificing herself and killing Missy. However upon reflection I have started to appreciate this conclusion to her chapter and I will explain the reasoning behind it but first let's see what Clara's character has been about this series. Just bear with me, I will get to my point soon. Her development this season has been fantastic. Her transformation from the almost perfect girl in Series 7 who saves the Doctor by jumping into his time stream, who convinces him to save Gallifrey, to a more aggressive and bossy girl who is has her own flaws was really rewarding to watch. Her denial of the Doctor's regeneration in Deep Breath and her constant struggles with him have really allowed for some great character moments. As the Series progressed it became clear that she has developed an addiction to her life in the Tardis, and her constant fascination with being the Doctor proved that she no longer has a problem with being a bit ruthless herself. I mean I was totally amazed by the fact that she was going to kill Missy with her own hands, Yes KILL. She has really come a long way. Also her continual lying to Danny just added more depth and relatability to her character. When watching that last scene in Death in Heaven, I have to say that what struck me the most was her choice of words. "Doctor, travelling with you made me feel really special. Thank you for that." Why would she say this? Of all the things she could have said, why this? These lines tell us what she must have been feeling. When she was with the Doctor she was someone really special, someone who was friends with the last of the Time lords, someone who was not bound by the constraints of a mundane and routine life like everybody else, someone important. This is the real tragedy, because the Clara we all know and have come to like really did sacrifice herself for the Doctor when she agreed to say goodbye albeit not in the most conventional sense. The mid-credits scene however totally nullifies this conclusion. Well I have something to say about that too. |
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