Doctor Who 9x12 Hell Bent - Edited

A small but interesting nuance ot the Doctor/Clara relationship is to compare the Clara as the Doctor imagines her in the Confession Dial to the real one, and how different they are. In the Confession Dial the Doctors imagined Clara is what spurs him on, what keeps him 'winning' for billions of years of torment, telling him "get up off your arse and win". But when the real Clara finds out what he did to himself her response is quite different and distraught, "Why? Why would you even do that to yourself?"

OK now we are at the end of this series I can elaborate on something I mentioned way back at the start, before the start in fact in the prequels. Grab a cuppa! If you remember this series had not one prequel but unusually two of them, the second one put out on Moffats insistence and made available not just on YouTube and the normal platforms but also on the BBC red button, making it available to anyone in the UK with a TV even if they cant access YouTube, in other words he really wanted folk to see it. Why? Well my theory about this series is that the Doctor knew Clara was going to die from the very beginning, and put his plan to save her into motion all the way back at the start. And the second of the prequels is where it begins. First thing of note is its title- unlike the other prequel which has a descriptive title- The Doctors Meditation, this one is called Prologue. Indicating its less of a take it or leave it extra and more important than that, its the official prologue to what we are about to see. In that prologue the Doctor goes to Karn and sees the Sisterhood, the conversation they have we are led to believe will be part of the set up to the opening two parter with Davros, but with hindsight what happens in it and what is said in it doesn't really make any sense in that context. Its written with double meaning so it can seem to be about Davros, but in the end doesn't actually fit once we've seen those episodes play out. Lets take the dialogue and take out the assumption it was about Davros, and instead assume its about something else - Clara's death and who is responsible and that the Doctor we see already knows of Clara's death. “He has asked to see you. His servants seek you everywhere”- what if this refers not to Davros but Rassilon, seeking answers to the Hybrid. “Will you go....Soon? Why did something happen? Was it recent? - referencing the Doctor going to Gallifrey and to Clara dying. “Whatever it was you owe that creature nothing' – her calling Rassilon a creature would not be out of character given the relationship between Rassilon and the Sisterhood and aeons of enmity. 'He and I have known each other for a long time'- true of the Doctor and Rassilon. 'You've been enemies for all of it' which is true going back to classic and the 5 Doctors and especially through the Time War and its ending. The Doctor then gives her his confession dial with the words - “You know who to give that to”. The next time we see the dial it is in the possession of Missy, how? And when did the Time Lords tamper with it to make it a prison? The implication here is that she was to give it to Rassilon with instructions to then get it to Missy to return to the Doctor, allowing the Time Lords to set up the means by which the Doctor could get to them by making them think they were setting up a trap for the Doctor. When in fact in true Doctor fashion he was using their trap against them. The Doctor is then told “You are embarking upon an enterprise that could end in your destruction”- this statement doesn't make sense in the context of Davros, especially given we know with hindsight the Doctor already had a plan and set up for Davros and knew what he was up to the whole time. However saving Clara, risking the Web of Time by breaking a fixed point to save her, taking on Rassilon and the High Council- that certainly is a path setting out to possibly his own destruction. It makes more sense the path he is embarking upon is the one to save Clara. The next bit of evidence is when Clara finds him meditating in middle ages England, Clara surprised by his behaviour asks “Which one of us is dying?” and the Doctor hugs her and repeats his, “never trust a hug its just a way to hide your face” line because he is hiding the truth from Clara, not that he is dying, he isn't and the idea he is never comes up again, but she is, and that does comes up again throughout this series. The Doctors growing concern for Clara's behaviour comes up over and over in small ways and through the repeated theme of having a duty of care towards her, there are points where he comments directly on the fact she may die as in the Viking episode, or hints towards it as in the ghosts episode. Or in scenes such as when Clara says “Don't worry old man, I'm not going anywhere” and the camera focuses on the Doctor giving a telling look in response, as if he knows she is. My theory therefore is the Doctor knows she will die and who is to blame, but not exactly when or by what means, that he sets the entire thing with the confession dial and the plan to resurrect her in motion by going to Karn and giving the confession dial to the Sisterhood in order to get to Gallifrey with the bargaining power he needs to stage a coup and get Clara back once it happens.

Juliette, based on what you said about the Tardis decoration at the end, I think you missed (as did I the first time I watched Face The Raven) that there was a small scene after the ending credits (not sure this has ever been done in any other Dr. Who episode), which will explain the decorations with Clara's picture on the Tardis. This was not the same as the "coming next" clip which is at the end of most episodes (and something you normally would not want to watch in order to avoid spoilers).

This is such a beautiful and tragic conclusion to the trilogy. These are the episodes that cemented the 12th Doctor as my favorite. I do like that we got a little nod to Donna here "I've done this before" but unlike Donna, Clara wasn't necessarily saved by the memory wipe, it just needed ONE of them to forget the other. Given that Clara is all 12 has known, I can't imagine what he must be thinking now. He obviously remembers BEING with Clara, he just doesn't remember specifics.

When I first watched this, I was so sure he was talking to another one of the versions of her created when she went into the Doctor's timeline

I've never been a fan of that explanation of what 'The Hybrid' is, but they really were all just guessing! Steven Moffat often builds that kind of ambiguity into his writing.

The one thing I know is that if I saw Clara again I'd know.... ouch :( A season of two parters - Hybrid episodes you could say- ended with maybe the best one yet, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent are absolutely incredible episodes. The Doctor and Clara, pushing each other to extremes for fear losing people they love, look what Clara did for Danny (the volcano scene in Dark Water) and the Doctor with the confession dial for Clara, Missy bringing them together and look what is born! Seen some comments about this being Timelord Victorious-esque, I get it but I think it's just more that the Doctor always has that anger with him, the man who we thought at the time war went to kill all of the Timelords and Daleks, the ending to the Family of Blood two parter with David Tennant, without Donna look how that Christmas episode with the giant spider lady would have ended! Pure evil in DT's eyes. I mean the whole point of season six is that they get a child to raise an assassin to kill the Doctor because of the fear he inspires, we don't see it too often but to many he is the evil one! But yeah love everything about this finale, it's just excellent. (wonders off slowly into the distance playing Clara's theme on the guitar)

And there we go. My favourite doctor/companion duo now over. The season 7-9 story for both of these is my favourite in the show in the entire 60+ years. The tenth doctor arc of the timelord victorious is fully realised here in my opinion, showing the amount the doctor will abuse his power for his own selfish gain. I’ve said before and will say it again, but each 12th Doctor finale gets better and better

The conclusion of this story reminds me of the film with Ronald Colman and Greer Garson, based upon the James Hilton novel of the same title, called 'Random Harvest'. In the last days of the First World War, a British officer who had been gassed in the trenches and lost his memory is confined to an English asylum as "John Smith," an unidentified inmate. On the day the war ends, the asylum's gatekeepers abandon their posts to join the celebration in the nearby Midlands town of Melbridge, and Smith wanders away. In town, he is befriended by a singer with the stage name Paula Ridgeway. She guesses he is from the asylum, but as he seems harmless, she arranges for him to join her traveling theatrical group. After an incident that threatens to bring unwanted attention, Paula takes Smith to a secluded country village in Devon, where they stay at an inn run by Mrs. Deventer. They fall in love and marry, renting a small cottage and eventually having a son. "Smithy", as Paula calls him, discovers he has some literary talent. Paula remains home with their newborn son while Smithy goes to Liverpool for a job interview with a newspaper. He is struck by a taxi. When he regains consciousness, his past memory is restored, but his life with Paula is now forgotten. He is Charles Rainier, the son of a wealthy businessman. None of his meager possessions, including a key, provide any clue about where he has been. Charles returns home on the day of his father's funeral. Kitty, the stepdaughter of one of Charles's siblings, becomes infatuated with her "uncle." Charles wants to return to college, but the mismanaged family business needs him, and he puts off his own desires to safeguard the jobs of his many employees and restore the family fortune. After a few years, a newspaper touts him as the "Industrial Prince of England." Meanwhile, Paula has been searching frantically for her Smithy. Their son died as an infant, and she now works as a secretary. One day, she sees Charles' picture and story in a magazine. Paula becomes his executive assistant under her real name, Margaret Hanson, hoping that her presence will jog his memory. Dr. Jonathan Benet, who works at the Melbridge asylum, is her confidant and admirer. He warns her that revealing her identity would only cause Charles to resent her. As Kitty grows up, she sends Charles love letters, and they become engaged. However, a hymn that Kitty is considering for their wedding triggers a vague memory in Charles. Kitty, realizing he still loves someone else, sadly breaks off the engagement. Margaret joins Charles in Liverpool, where he is trying one last time to piece together his lost years. They recover his old suitcase from a hotel's lost and found, but he recognizes nothing. Charles is approached to stand for Parliament. After his election, in which Margaret provides invaluable assistance, he feels the need for a wife in his new role. He proposes to her, more as a business proposition than a romantic one, and she accepts. They become an ideal couple, at least to all outward appearances, with Margaret a perfect society hostess. They discuss his lost past, and she tells him of her own lost love, without revealing that it is him. He hopes their life together can fill the void they both feel.

I really think this is probably the Finale I love the best, every rewatch it gets better and better.

The level of ''iconism'' in that last scene is just unmatched, so many details scream: ''This is the Doctor right there'', especially with the 12th doctor's theme ''A Good Man?'' on top of it. Steven Moffat really understands this character at it's core and it's so beautiful to see. Also Rachelle Talalay directed this finale, that includes Heaven Sent, she also did season 8's finale, her work on this show is truly magnificent. And of course, do I even need to mention Peter who was just born to play the Doctor and Murray's music being fantastic like always. Anyways, thank you for these wonderful reactions videos, re watching this season (for it's 10th anniversary!) was so good and I absolutely cannot wait for what's next!

This one is probably my favourite episode of the show. I adore 12 & Clara, my fave pairing. But this ending for them is so perfect. The raven trilogy of episodes perfectly capture the feelings of grief. Can’t wait for the reaction to the next ep and season!

Clara and The Doctor flying by eachother at the end always gets me lol. She will be missed. Up there with Martha and Amy and Rory as my top companions so far

the first time i saw this, i had no idea it was such a divisive episode, and i LOVED it-and now on rewatch I love it even more. as finales go, i'm honestly not super moved by extremely large-scale planet/universe destroying threats or incomprehensible timelines, this kind of finale really just sat right with me as it turned out the greatest threat was the doctor's love for his companion. the scenes in the diner are just.....sublime, and to me the saddest part is always the doctor saying "look how far i went, for fear of losing you....this has to stop". that just suddenly made it all feel quite adult and real, makes me think of in Angels in Manhattan when the Eleventh Doctor can't let Amy go and it has to be River to tell her to go to Rory. finally he realized what needed to be done and ugh such great acting from jenna and peter! random lines from this season also spring to mind... "when do i not see you?" from magician's apprentice, "clara oswald got into my head....trust me, she never leaves" from zygon inversion etc.....season 9 is a killer rewatch! i could not be more excited for next week's episode. i watched face the raven, heaven sent, hell bent, and the next episode for the first time all in one day and i am sooooo happy i finished with the last one because it immediately became my favorite episode of the entire show (nothing else comes close). great reaction as always! glad you liked the music too. such a nice use of clara's theme <3

Sorry but I cannot help but say that Clara very much does NOT know how to take a pulse!!

I absolutely love this episode. It's one of my favourites. It is both beautiful and emotionally devastating. The scenes between Clara and the Doctor in the cloisters break me, as do the scenes when he says goodbye as he loses his memories of her. This and Heaven Sent, to me, is the ultimate example of the Doctor taking things too far as a result of all his pain and loss. It shows just how deeply he cares. I'm glad to see you had a similar take as this one is quite divisive in the fandom.

Unfortunately while this has been a fantastic season, this is considered a weak finale and I agree, as well as being an unsatisfactory resolution to the storyline of the Doctor finding Gallifrey. It was interesting that when you gave your thoughts on the last episode you were interested in seeing the Doctor's darker side emerge again, a-la the Timelord Victorious, but I wasn't so keen on having that rehashed. I'm particularly not keen on his shooting the general, especially as they only have a couple of regenerations left so it's still a form of execution that the Doctor himself has been through in the past. There are still some good bits. When the Doctor wiped Donna's memory without her consent it was pretty controversial, so at least they addressed that this time. The design of the other TARDIS was nicely retro and akin to the classic series, there was the Doctor's joke about traveling 'from time to time'. It's also a nicely dramatic and tragic end with Clara for a first time viewer, good call on the tissues and you'll need them next time as well.

I'm one of those who didn't hate the sonic sunglasses but MAN was it nice to see Capaldi finally get his own screwdriver and the design is easily my favorite. I practically jumped out of my couch when this first aired lol. What's not to love? It literally looks like a mini TARDIS!