Doctor Who: 7 Big Questions After Series 9 Finale 'Hell Bent'

Clara Who?

Like a lot of the best Doctor Who episodes, Series Nine closer Hell Bent was one that totally subverted our expectations. After that terrific cliffhanger at the end of Heaven Sent, we were anticipating an episode all about a grieving Doctor ready to unleash his fury on the Time Lords. Well, that is sort of what we got but it only really took up half the episode. Instead, the finale eschewed a big action-packed climax for a poignant farewell to Jenna Coleman's Clara Oswald, who was saved from death and given a new lease of life, albeit one without the Doctor. Or a pulse... It also found time to wrap up the loose ends of this series, including the mystery of the Hybrid and the true reason the Doctor left Gallifrey. Or did it? Actually, we've still got a fair few unanswered questions after watching this finale.

7. How Did Gallifrey Escape The Pocket Universe?

Last time we saw them, the Doctor had saved the Time Lords from destruction by shunting their planet off into a pocket universe. Though they tried to break back through in Matt Smith's last episode The Time Of The Doctor, they eventually got bored and decided to sprinkle some Time Lord pixie dust to give the Doctor some new regenerations, before slipping quietly away. In Hell Bent, however, the Time Lords really have escaped the pocket dimension and have hidden themselves at the end of the universe for safekeeping. So how did they do it? Clara does actually ask the Doctor for an answer but he only replies that he "didn't ask. It would make them feel clever." Will we find out in a future episode? Or is this a fact Moffat thought would only interest hardcore fans so felt he didn't need to include it? If so, that may well be true but, within the world of the show, it is quite a big deal so we surely have to get an explanation some time.
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