Clara Oswald
Clara Oswin Oswald was a human barmaid and governess in 19th century London.
She was one of the three known people that the Doctor claimed were one and the same; along with Oswin Oswald and Clara.
Biography
Clara Oswin Oswald was born on November 23rd, 1866 in Victorian England. By 1892, she working as a barmaid at The Rose & Crown as well as posing, under the pseudonym "Miss Montague," as a governess looking after the Latimer family. She met the Doctor originally when he was passing by, and she mentioned that a snowman just appeared out of nowhere. The Doctor simply agreed with her and walked away, as at this point he did not interfere with the timeline of the universe.
Clara then followed him and worked on tracking him down. She found his TARDIS on a cloud in the sky, with a ladder to reach up to it. Later, she and the Doctor escaped the snowmen and climbed back towards the TARDIS. She then said that the TARDIS was "Smaller on the outside" and asked the Doctor if there was a kitchen. She then said that she didn't know why she said that "I guess, I just like making soufflés". The Doctor then watched as, to his shock, an iced figure with the "template" of ice and human taken from a deceased governess frozen in a pond, dragged Clara off the cloud, to the ground. She died, but was brought back to life temporarily by Strax' technology. The tears of the Latimers caused rain, instead of snow, which potentially saved the world from decimation. She later died. Her last words were "Run, you clever boy... And remember." These were the exact same words that Oswin Oswald had said in the Dalek Asylum shortly before her first death. The Doctor believed that Clara was somehow the same woman, or at least another incarnation of her, he had met in the Dalek Asylum. (TV: The Snowmen, Asylum of the Daleks)
Personality
Clara was feisty and strong willed. She was fascinated by the Doctor and even kissed him passionately. She was also slightly flirtatious, teasing the Doctor while he was climbing a ladder since she had a good view of his bottom. She cheerfully tricked him into climbing the ladder first with the words "Eyes front, soldier" since he could easily see up her dress if she went first. Clara was very curious and determined to find out all she could about the mysterious Time Lord; notably she asked the First Question twice in the same night and when the Doctor noted that it was a dangerous question Clara responded with "What's wrong with dangerous?" This showed that she also had a reckless streak. Clara was also a bit of a feminist and was briefly angry with the Doctor when he said the TARDIS was "no more a box than you are a governess" saying that he had spoken just like a man. Apparently the Doctor was not the first man to speak to her like that and she accused him of being the same as all the other men who called her "sweet, little Clara". She proudly claimed that she was not sweet and, although she was a small woman, she certainly wasn't little on the inside.
Clara had a great deal of faith in the Doctor, in contrast to her past incarnation, Oswin, who was slightly wary of him, and when even the Doctor's friends, Vastra, Jenny and Strax, had given up thinking that he would ever regain his adventurous spirit, Clara was able to snap him out of his misery. The Doctor realised he had found a new companion and when Clara died he was briefly devastated but later elated when he realised that there was another version of her somewhere in the Universe.
Clara was highly intelligent, just like Oswin, and was able to quickly guess the Doctor's plan to use an umbrella to pull down the ladder that led to the TARDIS. She was also the second person, after the Doctor, to guess that Walter Simeon needed the Ice Governess, although she wasn't sure why until the Doctor explained it to the rest of the group. She even managed to figure out the one word that would get the Doctor to come and save the world again, "Pond", which not only got the Doctor off his cloud but also explained that the Latimer's pond contained something dangerous. Clara was also very sharp and quick witted, being able to talk even more quickly than the Doctor and make witty remarks and retorts very easily. She was able to quickly make the Doctor smile with this talent only moments after they first met and the Doctor grew to like her very quickly, even giving her the TARDIS key, despite only knowing her for a couple of days. Unlike most women in Victorian times Clara also wouldn't hesitate to take the lead when necessary.
Clara still had the ability to change her accent easily and led a double life acting as both a barmaid and a governess. Captain Latimer's children adored her and they felt more comfortable talking to her about their problems than their own father, showing that Clara had a very maternal side of her personality. The whole family was devastated when she died. Their tears, and the single tear that Clara shed on her deathbed, were ultimately the means that defeated the Great Intelligence. (TV: The Snowmen)
Behind the scenes
- Clara's headstone in 1892 states that she was born on 23 November 1866 and that she died in 24 December 1892, meaning she not only shares the same birthday (though not the year) as Doctor Who itself but that she was also 26-years-old when she died — the same age as Doctor Who was when it was cancelled in 1989. The Evil of the Daleks, which introduced the other Victorian companion, Victoria Waterfield, who also faced the Daleks and the Great Intelligence, took place in 1966, one hundred years after Clara was born. The oldest Dalek model to appear in her first story was also from Victoria's origin story and another of her stories (TV: The Web of Fear) was referenced in her second (a reference to the 1967 London Underground).
- Like Astrid Peth and the Doctor's daughter, Jenny, Clara was invited to travel with the Doctor, but died before she was ever able to take her first trip.
- She was given a TARDIS key, but died shortly after receiving it, making her the only one-time companion to receive a key.
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