Doctor Who: 5 Opportunities Afforded By The Newest Companion

2. Fleshing Out Clara Oswald

The mystery of Series 7.2 was Clara Oswald herself. Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl who, as it turned out had been created expressly to "save the Doctor". That was it. That was her one-dimensional, endlessly aggravating and underwritten purpose. Jenna Coleman is a wonderful actress, to be sure, but that doesn't excuse the inherent weakness of her character's overall arc so far. The addition of another companion offers the chance for us to see Clara move beyond the played-out "Impossible Girl" infatuated with the Doctor arc and into something substantive. Meeting Danny Pink might actually lead us to see more of Clara's life on earth and more of the story behind her. That in and of itself is an exciting prospect, and we can only hope that it isn't hamstrung by a contrived love story between Clara and Danny. That assumption may sound cynical, but we all know that the accusations of sexism leveled at Moffat-era Who aren't empty complaints. Moving Clara from being dependent on the Doctor to being dependent on Danny Pink isn't the same thing as making her a legitimate character in her own right. Executed correctly, though, Danny Pink's addition to the TARDIS crew could go a long way towards legitimising Clara individually.