‘The Bells of Saint John’ was a rip-roaring series (re)opener from the pen of showrunner Steven Moffat. In fact, when you consider the up and downloading of souls into a computer system, the repeated (catch)phrase, the direct addressing of the audience, the ringing TARDIS telephone and the slow rotating reveal, the episode could not have been more Moffat-ish if it tried.

Of course, as well as kicking off the run and showcasing Matt Smith at the top of his heroic game, it had a couple of other jobs to achieve; namely the (re)introduction of the new companion Clara Owsald and her ‘soft mystery’, as well as laying the foundation for this series’ ongoing storyline.

The Clara Variations

It is third time lucky as the Doctor has managed to save one of the ill-fated Oswalds from the grim reaper. Despite her joining the TARDIS, we do not manage to learn a great deal about this iteration of Clara Oswald. Fortunately we can look forward to finding out more over the weeks to come.

We do know that she carries a similar mix of skills and personality, essentially appearing to be the same person again, although altered by her situation. It is almost as though she has undergone a subtle, less seismic, form of regeneration.

At Christmas, Snowmen-Clara was living a dual life, affecting the alias of Miss Montague in order to hold her post as Governess while actually being far more down to earth and helping out as a barmaid. Bells-Clara presents in a similar situation, looking after children whose mother has died, though this time as a favour to her bereaved employer rather than as a paid position. While we can only speculate about Asylum-Clara pre-Dalek, one might assume that a Junior Entertainments Manager is something along the lines of a Butlin’s Redcoat and that she probably spent a fair amount of time involved in childcare too.

Asylum-Clara was a computer genius, though arguably this was because she had mutated into one of Skaro’s finest. While there were no computers for Snowmen-Clara to grapple with, she certainly demonstrated herself to be dab hand at word games and had a taste for adventure. Bells-Clara gained computer skills within the story, granted to her by the Great Intelligence. It remains to be seen if she will retain them and if we can expect any further withering one-liners about certain social media platforms.

The real mystery here is how a twenty-four year old woman living in modern Britain manages to be so much of a luddite? Surely you would be hard pressed to find someone of that age who is not at least proficient with the basics of connecting a computer to the internet.

The Helpline

When seeking help with her networking issue, Clara managed to call the TARDIS external telephone. This is a feat we have only seen the Chula Om-Com powered ‘Empty Child’ manage to do. She dismissively claimed it was a number given to her by a “woman in a shop” who claimed “it’s the best helpline out there”, the “best in the universe”.

Could this be another timey-whimey act on behalf of the Doctor which we will see at a later date? The description sounds very much like it comes from River Song. Alternatively, might it be the act of an as yet unseen adversary ensuring that the Doctor has a Clara by his side?

Run You Clever Boy… And Remember

Appearing here as an initialsim which forms a Wi-Fi password, Clara’s repeated phrase (and twice her dying words) gain the number 123 too. While the repetition of the phrase was the hook for the Doctor to recognise her, we wonder if the number has some significance other than lending the password an air of credibility.

Our money is still on this being the dying phrase of an original ‘Clara Prime’… see our Christmas speculations for more.

The Face of the Enemy

The series’ big-bad may well be the foe we had all assumed was little more than a kiss to the past at the end of the Christmas special. Despite still not having a Yeti in sight, the incorporeal image Richard E. Grant appeared sat spider-like at the heart of his web (of fear).

The devilish Great Intelligence could be just a returning foe that ticks over or is mentioned when we visit Earth’s modern era, much like Torchwood or Mr Saxon. It is difficult to imagine there being much impact on upcoming off-world based stories.

Slight Return

The Doctor called his military friends in for a cameo providing clean-up duties at the Shard. Given his renewed association with the organisation in ‘The Power of Three’, can we expect a return appearance for Kate Stewart and her Tower of London boffins soon?

Again, the only likely candidate might be the series finale, or perhaps the 50th Special with off-world and historical adventures on the roster for the rest of this run.

Summer Falls

Despite saying goodbye in ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’, the former Ms Pond still made her presence felt in the form of one of her books. Not only has Clara read it, but she knows it well enough to have an image stolen from her mind and to recommend a chapter (Eleven, of course)

The word Pond was a plot point at Christmas too, so might the memory of Amy have some further significance down the line? Alternatively, it was just a nice bone to throw us.

‘The Bells of Saint John’ has given us plenty of food for thought. Whether the multiple Claras and the threat from the Great Intelligence are connected remain to be seen. We suspect there isn’t one, but rather that one of the mysteries might be resolved at the end of this eight week run with the other holding over to tease us into November’s 50th Anniversary special. Of course, that’s just speculation.

What are your thoughts? Let us know below…

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