The Impossible Clara Oswin Oswald
There are a multitude of theories running around regarding who Clara Oswin Osward is. Everything from the “granddaughter” Susan to the Time Lord Romana, and Jenny as the Doctor’s test-tube daughter to an early regeneration of River Song. They are each plausible in the Doctor Who fairytale, and it’s amazing what that team of writers can do.
The River Song regeneration could be plausible as she mentioned being an “impressionable young girl” when she first meets the Doctor. Depending on a definition of “young”, that could have been Mel in Let’s Kill Hitler, but at that time, Mel was far from “impressionable” in the traditional sense. There’s also the issue that River’s regenerations bring around a new body, while Clara has been the same character twice. In a Steven Moffat-esque twist, this might still work. In the same episode, Amy mentions to River “Apparently you used all your remaining regenerations in one go. You shouldn’t have done that.” Perhaps as the normal regeneration process was interrupted, but she still retains some of the attributes. Maybe she’s now getting multiple 1UP’s. Same body, but having to continually take the slow route.
Amongst the guesswork, the hat should be thrown in that Clara Oswin Osward might be the legitimate daughter of the Doctor and River Song. To put it bluntly, they had to have had a few adventures together alone after they had been married. *nudge*nudge*wink*wink*
What’s the thrill and excitement in being predictable, anyways?
The TARDIS always takes the Doctor where he’s needed. Perhaps the TARDIS recognizes Clara, knows that the Doctor needs someone with him, and takes the initiative to bring the two of them together. With a mix of Time Lord DNA and human DNA with TARDIS blessings, the outcome could be a person that lives and dies, but retaining the same genetic codes. Almost like a reincarnation, complete with a simple mind wipe of the previous life (she obviously doesn’t recognize the Doctor in Asylum of the Daleks). Born on November 23, which is the date when the first Doctor Who episode was broadcast. A new life created on the birthday of the show?
Regarding the flirt and fascination with each other, it’s obvious that something’s pulling the Doctor and Clara together. It seems possible for an oddball twist reminiscent of the Star Wars Luke & Leia flirt-and-kiss before they knew that they were related.
Depending on how long Clara is planned to be a companion, the show could have lots of play time to build up the suspense of who Clara is. Sure, it would be a corny ending to the hype, but it also holds a much more emotional tie that could only be compared to the moment when we discovered that River Song was Amy and Rory’s daughter.
Besides, with Clara’s wit and feisty spirit, a “Hello Dad” could be delivered with the same enthusiasm as “Hello Sweetie”.
The name itself, Clara Oswin Oswald, seems like a brilliant search for anagrams. It’d be a shame if there wasn’t some kind of hint in there somewhere. Aside from some interesting words, “snow” does appear in it.
We inch closer day by day to the season premier of Doctor Who on March 30. I’m sure that the writers aren’t going to be letting us down. It’s going to be an intense roller coaster ride of adventure and emotion, and we can’t wait.
