Doctor Who: 10 Overused Tropes Of The Steven Moffat Era

10. No One Can Die Properly

Throughout the first few years with Matt Smith’s Doctor, it became a running gag among fandom that Rory just kept on dying. First, he’s turned to dust, but that turned out to be a dream, then he was erased from time, then caught in an exploding universe, then... there’s at least three more.

A similar thing happened with Clara. We saw her die twice, but these were just splinter selves, and then the real Clara left the show about five times, the second to last of which was presented as an actual serious death... until the Doctor undid it. Osgood, Missy, and even the Brigadier have also come back from the grave.

It’s all exhausting, really. We know this is an age-old sci-fi trope, but it takes away from the drama of the show if whenever someone dies you expect to see them alive and well in a couple of episodes’ time. It would restore some stakes if a major character would die and then stay dead. Or they could, you know, not die at all. That would be nice too.