Doctor Who: 8 Matt Smith Era Problems The New Series Should Improve Upon

1. Clara Oswald

Clara has split the Doctor Who fandom in two, with each half desperately waiting to see what awaits this character in the coming year. Just as Matt Smith had to take over from one of the most popular Doctors of all time, Clara has had to replace two of his greatest companions, Amelia Pond and Rory Williams. The problem most fans have with the character so far is that she has been treated mostly as a plot device, with the 'Impossible Girl' story arc playing out across the entirety of series seven. Even in episodes unrelated to her mysterious origins, her biggest conflict has been the balancing of her life as a nanny and her desire to explore with The Doctor, leading to a sort of detached tone that audiences are not accustomed to receiving from the companions. Yes, Clara does have a personal backstory that has been explored, as well as a certain independence and cheekiness that is unique to her, but she has not yet experienced her character defining moments. The reason that companions such as Donna Noble and The Ponds are remembered so fondly is because each of them discovered, through their travels in time and space, their worth as people and place in the Universe, and because of that they often became the only thing standing between The Doctor and his darker impulses. The greatest companions are not only changed by their time with The Doctor, but they change him for the better when they are around. The 'Impossible Girl' storyline has ended, and the payoff from that is that the eighth series will begin with a companion that has witnessed everything that The Doctor has ever experienced €“ all of his darkest moments played out before her simultaneously. This companion €“ who now knows exactly how dangerous The Doctor can be €“ will be travelling alongside an incarnation that reflects the War Doctor more than any other new regeneration. While it is possible that Clara could come to the end of her time on the show without her character defining moments, it would be a grave mistake on the writer's behalf not to exploit this character's potential.