Dr. Who's New Companion, Clara Oswin Oswald
I finally got the chance to watch the Dr. Who Christmas special and see a bit more with his new companion soufflé girl. She has a tough act to follow with two excellent characters leaving the show, but while I was sad to see the Ponds leave the show I think it was time for a change and it seems like ClaraOswin Oswald has potential to be different and I like Jenna-Louise Coleman in the part.
My thoughts on this companion can’t really be explored without some spoilers. But I’ll start with the more basic stuff. So far I like the actress who plays her and the character seems different, though I feel like she might be trying a bit too hard to be different. The simple example of this is the “It’s smaller on the outside.” line. This was cute enough if it isn’t a sign that she is going to constantly be doing that, but I have some fear that she will be constantly trying to do the unexpected whether it makes sense or not.
She also seems to fit the typical companion mold. Willing to help people, not afraid to get into danger, smart and independent enough to not do everything that the doctor tells her. This is fine, but I would prefer if the broke the mold just a little more. Mostly I’m not interested in another romantic relationship for the doctor. First, he is a married man, but beyond that it just isn’t what I’m looking for in Dr. Who. He is after all a thousand year old alien which makes a relationship with a twenty something a bit odd at best. Moreover it’s been done. We already had Rose, Martha and even Amy with some amount of romance with him. In the latter I think the show become far more interesting after she got married and that subplot was completely gone.
What was most interesting about the character is that she died. If my recollection is correct then she has died in both episodes she was in, and reappeared as a different character. The doctor seemed intrigued by this and so am I. Is this some type of reincarnation or something even stranger.
For me the verdict is still out. I have enjoyed the character so far, but in many ways I enjoyed the other ‘companions’ in this episode more. The lizard woman is interesting, though not someone I would want to see all the time, but Strax could be fun for a while, especially if he’s not the main person on the show. A bit too much comic relief but when there actually is a reason to fight he can become far more competent.
The Snowmen episode itself was weak for a Christmas episode in my opinion. The Snowmen as a villain weren’t all that interesting and it felt as if it were trying to do a bit too much by introducing a new companion, having the Sherlock Holmes jokes, the two alien characters, the children and a bunch of setups for the remainder of the season. Beyond that the idea that the ice was melted because an entire family was crying on Christmas Eve just seemed absurd because beyond everything else it seems as if there had to be plenty of families already crying. London is a big city and people die every day. Those are minor complains though, and in general I liked this episode and it makes me want to see more.