History YMMV / DoctorWhoS35E10FaceTheRaven

* RetroactiveRecognition: Anahson is played by Creator/LetitiaWright who went on to prominent roles in ''Series/BlackMirror'' and ''Film/BlackPanther2018''.
* SignatureScene: Clara's death is arguably the one thing people talk about in this episode.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Anahson is played by Creator/LetitiaWright who went on to prominent roles in ''Series/BlackMirror'' and ''Film/BlackPanther''.

** Additionally, the draconian measures she uses to keep order on Trap Street aren't really any better than what she's trying to prevent. After all, if Mayor Me will execute any resident for putting a single toe out of line, is that really any different than living under the rule of a Sontaran, or a Cyberman?

%%* SignatureScene: Clara's death.
* TooDumbToLive: Examined at face value, given everything she already knows about the chronolock and the Quantum Shade, it could be argued that Clara's decision to take the chronolock was a stupid decision on her part. Ashildr certainly thinks so, and with the power of hindsight, Clara wonders if she was subconsciously trying to get herself killed.

* HesJustHiding: With two episodes left to go in Series 9, a significant portion of fans didn't honestly think Clara's CharacterDeath was permanent, even though this was her departure season. As it turned out, while she ''was'' killed off in a KilledOffForReal way, "Hell Bent" reveals that she pulled from time at the very moment of her death, and exists as an immortal for a long time afterward before returning to that point. We still see her final death here.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Ashildr/Me is theoretically sympathetic, as she's motivated to protect her community, and is clearly distraught about Clara's fate. The trouble is that she doesn't appear to care about the ''people'' of her community. Any crime is met with the death penalty, and she's apparently executed more than a few people in a very small population. She tries to justify it as the only way to keep the peace among aggressive alien species, but we see her execute a man for stealing medical supplies for stealing town-owned medical supplies to save his dying wife. This means Ashildr could have saved that woman, but chose not to.

** Clara's death coming as a result of her becoming too much like the Doctor and taking a gamble in hopes of saving Rigsy ''and'' the Doctor's upset about not doing more to discourage her from emulating him accidentally carried the Aesop "Don't aspire to greatness or heroism" to at least one viewer who wrote to ''Doctor Who Magazine'' to complain about it. [[spoiler: "Hell Bent" rectifies this interpretation somewhat by semi-reviving Clara, having her convince the Doctor to hold to his ideals instead of giving them up to be a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who thinks only of himself, and ending up with a TARDIS of her own so she can have adventures with Ashildr.]]

* EndingFatigue: The climax, from the point where Clara reveals to the Doctor and Ashildr/Me that she has taken on the death sentence to her actual death. First the Doctor tries to force Ashildr to save her, then Clara gives '''two''' big speeches to the Doctor (one to talk him out of threatening others over her error, another to convince him to stay strong in his trials to come), and then her death takes place in slow motion, with several replays of the fatal moment from different angles. DeathIsDramatic, yes, but it's also dragged-out. [[spoiler: Especially in light of later events that render her OnlyMostlyDead, and which get their OWN dragged-out bits!]]
* HesJustHiding: With two episodes left to go in Series 9, a significant portion of fans didn't honestly think Clara's CharacterDeath was permanent, even though this was her departure season. [[spoiler: As it turned out, while she ''was'' killed off in a KilledOffForReal way, "Hell Bent" reveals that she pulled from time at the very moment of her death, and exists as an immortal for a long time afterward before returning to that point. We still see her final death here.]]

** Clara's death coming as a result of her becoming too much like the Doctor and taking a gamble in hopes of saving Rigsy ''and'' the Doctor's upset about not doing more to discourage her from emulating him accidentally carried the Aesop "Don't aspire to greatness or heroism" to at least one viewer who wrote to ''Doctor Who Magazine'' to complain about it. Luckily, "Hell Bent" rectifies this interpretation by semi-reviving Clara, having her convince the Doctor to hold to his ideals instead of giving them up to be a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who thinks only of himself, and ending up with a TARDIS of her own so she can have adventures with Ashildr.

* EndingFatigue: The climax, from the point where Clara reveals to the Doctor and Ashildr/Me that she has taken on the death sentence to her actual death. First the Doctor tries to force Ashildr to save her, then Clara gives '''two''' big speeches to the Doctor (one to talk him out of threatening others over her error, another to convince him to stay strong in his trials to come), and then her death takes place in slow motion, with several replays of the fatal moment from different angles. DeathIsDramatic, yes, but especially in light of later events that render her OnlyMostlyDead, it's also dragged-out.
* HesJustHiding: With two episodes left to go in Series 9, a significant portion of fans didn't honestly think Clara's CharacterDeath was permanent, even though this was her departure season. As it turned out, while she ''was'' killed off in a KilledOffForReal way, "Hell Bent" reveals that she pulled from time at the very moment of her death, and exists as an immortal for a long time afterward before returning to that point. We still see her final death here.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: An unusual example: Clara actually ''does'' die in this episode in a way that leaves her KilledOffForReal, but there are fans who ''still'' thought this trope applied with two episodes left to go, claiming/hoping she'd be brought back to life in the finale. Those fans were, to all intents and purposes, right.

** Things only further broke with the events of "Hell Bent", in which Clara is pulled from time and able to live a long life before returning to the moment of her death, and Ashildr becomes her ''companion'' -- they even have their own TARDIS! By the show's logic, Clara ''is'' going back to Gallifrey and fixing the damage caused by the Doctor, just "taking the long way around", so this may be considered an AuthorsSavingThrow. BUT she may never return of her own volition, meaning she may forget what exactly she's running away from -- and by travelling with another immortal she will never grow as a person; they'll both keep acting the way they are and not calling each other out on it, which is why the Doctor wouldn't just take Ashildr on as a companion in the first place. So now fans wonder if he'll still have to deal with Clara, at least, in the show's future; some would much rather see the Doctor move on, some hope their romance will be rekindled...

** Ashildr really hit this ''hard'' for some fans, considering her HeelFaceRevolvingDoor shtick and the fact she, by some variation, led Clara to her death. Also, even if she didn't mean for Clara to get hurt, she had no problem with betraying and hurting the man who ''saved her village and her life'', who was willing to do anything he could to keep her from growing heartless -- and couldn't even bring herself to apologize for it. Then again, did the Doctor "deserve" this for saving her life in a way that had unfortunate side effects, given that the alternative was not living up to his moral code and disregarding the lesson Donna taught him 'way back in "The Fires of Pompeii"?
** Things only further broke with the events of "Hell Bent", in which Clara is pulled from time and able to live a long life before returning to the moment of her death, and Ashildr becomes her ''companion'' -- they even have their own TARDIS! By the show's logic, Clara ''is'' going back to Gallifrey and fixing the damage caused by the Doctor, just "taking the long way around", so this may be considered an AuthorsSavingThrow. BUT as they are both immortal she may never return of her own volition, meaning she may forget what exactly she's running away from -- and by travelling with another immortal she will never grow as a person; they'll both keep acting the way they are and not calling each other out on it, which is why the Doctor wouldn't just take Ashildr on as a companion in the first place. So now fans wonder if he'll still have to deal with Clara, at least, in the show's future; some would much rather see the Doctor move on, some hope their romance will be rekindled...

** Clara's death coming as a result of her becoming too much like the Doctor and taking a gamble in hopes of saving Rigsy ''and'' the Doctor's upset about not doing more to discourage her from emulating him accidentally carried the Aesop "Don't aspire to greatness or heroism" to at least one viewer who wrote to ''Doctor Who Magazine'' to complain about it. Luckily, "Hell Bent" rectifies this interpretation by [[spoiler:semi-reviving Clara, having her convince the Doctor to hold to his ideals instead of giving them up to be a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who thinks only of himself, and ending up with a TARDIS of her own so she can have adventures with Ashildr.]]

** Things only further broke with the events of "Hell Bent", in which [[spoiler:Clara is pulled from time and able to live a long life before returning to the moment of her death, and Ashildr becomes her ''companion'' -- they even have their own TARDIS! By the show's logic, Clara ''is'' going back to Gallifrey and fixing the damage caused by the Doctor, just "taking the long way around", so this may be considered an AuthorsSavingThrow. BUT as they are both immortal she may never return of her own volition, meaning she may forget what exactly she's running away from -- and by travelling with another immortal she will never grow as a person; they'll both keep acting the way they are and not calling each other out on it, which is why the Doctor wouldn't just take Ashildr on as a companion in the first place. So now fans wonder if he'll still have to deal with Clara, at least, in the show's future; some would much rather see the Doctor move on, some hope their romance will be rekindled...]]
* HesJustHiding: With two episodes left to go in Series 9, a significant portion of fans didn't honestly think Clara's CharacterDeath was permanent, even though this was her departure season. As it turned out, [[spoiler:while she ''was'' killed off in a KilledOffForReal way, "Hell Bent" reveals that she pulled from time at the very moment of her death, and exists as an immortal for a long time afterward before returning to that point. We still see her final death here.]]
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: An unusual example: Clara actually ''does'' die in this episode in a way that leaves her KilledOffForReal, but there are fans who ''still'' thought this trope applied with two episodes left to go, claiming/hoping she'd be brought back to life in the finale. [[spoiler:Those fans were, to all intents and purposes, right.]]

** Things only further broke with the events of "Hell Bent", in which Clara is pulled from time and able to live a long life before returning to the moment of her death, and Ashildr becomes her ''companion'' -- they even have their own TARDIS! By the show's logic, Clara ''is'' going back to Gallifrey and fixing the damage caused by the Doctor, just "taking the long way around", so this may be considered an AuthorsSavingThrow. BUT as they are both immortal she may never return of her own volition, meaning she may forget what exactly she's running away from -- and by travelling with another immortal she will never grow as a person; they'll both keep acting the way they are and not calling each other out on it, which is why the Doctor wouldn't just take Ashildr on as a companion in the first place. So now fans wonder if he'll still have to deal with Clara, at least, in the show's future; some would much rather see the Doctor move on, some hope their romance will be rekindled...
* HesJustHiding: With two episodes left to go in Series 9, a significant portion of fans didn't honestly think Clara's CharacterDeath was permanent, even though this was her departure season. As it turned out, while she ''was'' killed off in a KilledOffForReal way, "Hell Bent" reveals that she pulled from time at the very moment of her death, and exists as an immortal for a long time afterward before returning to that point. We still see her final death here.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: An unusual example: Clara actually ''does'' die in this episode in a way that leaves her KilledOffForReal, but there are fans who ''still'' thought this trope applied with two episodes left to go, claiming/hoping she'd be brought back to life in the finale. Those fans were, to all intents and purposes, right.

** Clara's death coming as a result of her becoming too much like the Doctor and taking a gamble in hopes of saving Rigsy ''and'' the Doctor's upset about not doing more to discourage her from emulating him accidentally carried the Aesop "Don't aspire to greatness or heroism" to at least one viewer who wrote to ''Doctor Who Magazine'' to complain about it. Luckily, "Hell Bent" rectifies this interpretation by semi-reviving Clara, having her convince the Doctor to hold to his ideals instead of giving them up to be a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who thinks only of himself, and ending up with a TARDIS of her own so she can have adventures with Ashildr.

** Things only further broke with the events of "Hell Bent", in which Clara is pulled from time and able to live a long life before returning to the moment of her death, and Ashildr becomes her ''companion'' -- they even have their own TARDIS! By the show's logic, Clara ''is'' going back to Gallifrey and fixing the damage caused by the Doctor, just "taking the long way around", so this may be considered an AuthorsSavingThrow. BUT as they are both immortal she may never return of her own volition, meaning she may forget what exactly she's running away from -- and by travelling with another immortal she will never grow as a person; they'll both keep acting the way they are and not calling each other out on it, which is why the Doctor wouldn't just take Ashildr on as a companion in the first place. (Some suspect Clara's story, at least, still hasn't been resolved as a result.)

** The Doctor's rather forgiving attitude towards antagonists in this series, such as Bonnie the Zygon, made his fury at Ashildr for her role in Clara's death -- he never would forgive her onscreen, though ''Clara'' would -- a divisive topic. (Did Ashildr deserve forgiveness, given that she didn't mean for anyone but the Doctor to suffer in the plot, or did her choice to betray him after all he did for her constitute a squandering of the second chance he gave her after "The Woman Who Lived"?)
** Ashildr really hit this ''hard'' for some fans, considering her HeelFaceRevolvingDoor shtick and the fact she (by some variation) led Clara to her death, on top of betraying and hurting the man who ''saved her village and her life'', who was willing to do anything he could to keep her from growing heartless -- and couldn't even bring herself to apologize for it.

** Things only further broke with the events of "Hell Bent", in which Clara is pulled from time and able to live a long life before returning to the moment of her death, and Ashildr becomes her ''companion'' -- they even have their own TARDIS! By the show's logic, Clara ''is'' going back to Gallifrey and fixing the damage caused by the Doctor, just "taking the long way around", so this may be considered an AuthorsSavingThrow. As they are both immortal she may never return of her own volition, meaning she may forget what exactly she's running away from -- and by travelling with another immortal she will never grow as a person; they'll both keep acting the way they are and not calling each other out on it (this is why the Doctor wouldn't take Ashildr on as a companion in the first place; apparently ''he'' doesn't know anything...).

* TooDumbToLive: Examined at face value, given everything she already knows about the chronolock and the Quantum Shade, it could be argued that Clara's decision to take the chronolock was a stupid decision on her part. Ashildr certainly thinks so, and with the power of hindset, Clara wonders if she was subconsciously trying to get herself killed.

* AccidentalAesop: Clara's death coming as a result of her becoming too much like the Doctor and taking a gamble in hopes of saving Rigsy ''and'' the Doctor's upset about not doing more to discourage her from emulating him accidentally carried the Aesop "Don't aspire to greatness or heroism" to at least one viewer who wrote to ''Doctor Who Magazine'' to complain about it. Luckily, "Hell Bent" rectifies this interpretation by semi-reviving Clara, having her convince the Doctor to hold to his ideals instead of giving them up to be a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who thinks only of himself, and ending up with a TARDIS of her own so she can have adventures with Ashildr.

** The Doctor's rather forgiving attitude towards antagonists in this series, most notably Bonnie the Zygon, made his fury at Ashildr for her role in Clara's death -- he never would forgive her onscreen, though ''Clara'' would -- a divisive topic. (Did Ashildr deserve forgiveness, given that she didn't mean for anyone but the Doctor to suffer in the plot, or did her choice to betray him after all he did for her constitute a squandering of the second chance he gave her after "The Woman Who Lived"?)

** Things only further broke with the events of "Hell Bent", in which Clara is pulled from time and able to live a long life before returning to the moment of her death, and Ashildr becomes her ''companion'' -- they even have their own TARDIS! By the show's logic, Clara ''is'' going back to Gallifrey and fix the damage caused by the Doctor, just "taking the long way around", so this may be considered an AuthorsSavingThrow. But as they are both immortal she may never return of her own volition, meaning she may forget what exactly she's running away from -- and by travelling with another immortal she will never grow as a person; they'll both keep acting the way they are and not calling each other out on it (this is why the Doctor wouldn't take Ashildr on as a companion in the first place; apparently ''he'' doesn't know anything...).
* HesJustHiding: With two episodes left to go in Series 9, a significant portion of fans didn't honestly think Clara was KilledOffForReal, even though this was her departure season. As it turned out, while she ''was'' killed off in a DeaderThanDead way, "Hell Bent" reveals that she pulled from time at the very moment of her death, and exists as an immortal for a long time afterward before returning to that point. We still see her final death here.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: An unusual example: Clara actually ''does'' die in this episode in a way that leaves her DeaderThanDead, but there are fans who ''still'' thought this trope applied with two episodes left to go, claiming/hoping she'd be brought back to life in the finale. And those fans were, to all intents and purposes, right.
* SignatureScene: Clara's death.
* TearJerker: Goes without saying.
* TooDumbToLive: Examined at face value, given everything she already knows about the chronolock and the Quantum Shade, it could be argued that Clara's decision to take the chronolock was a stupid decision on her part.
----

* ToDumbToLive: Examined at face value, given everything she already knows about the chronolock and the Quantum Shade, it could be argued that Clara's decision to take the chronolock was a stupid decision on her part.

* AccidentalAesop: Clara's death coming as a result of her becoming too much like the Doctor and taking a gamble in hopes of saving Rigsy ''and'' the Doctor not doing more to discourage her from emulating him accidentally carried the Aesop "Don't aspire to greatness or heroism" to at least one viewer who wrote to ''Doctor Who Magazine'' to complain about it. Luckily, "Hell Bent" rectifies this interpretation by semi-reviving Clara, having her convince the Doctor to hold to his ideals instead of giving them up to be a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds who thinks only of himself, and ending up with a TARDIS of her own so she can have adventures with Ashildr.

* HesJustHiding: With two episodes left to go in Series 9, a significant portion of fans didn't honestly think Clara was KilledOffForReal, even though this was her departure season. As it turned out, while she ''was'' killed off in a DeaderThanDead way, "Hell Bent" reveals that she pulled from time at the very moment of her death, and exists as an immortal for a long time afterward before returning to that point.
* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: An unusual example: Clara actually ''does'' die in this episode in a way that leaves her DeaderThanDead, but there are fans who ''still'' thougt this trope applied with two episodes left to go, claiming/hoping she'd be brought back to life in the finale. And those fans were, to all intents and purposes, right.

* AccidentalAesop: Clara's death coming as a result of her becoming too much like the Doctor and taking a gamble in hopes of saving Rigsy ''and'' the Doctor not doing more to discourage her from emulating him accidentally carried the Aesop "Don't aspire to greatness or heroism" to at least one viewer who wrote to ''Doctor Who Magazine'' to complain about it. Luckily, "Hell Bent" rectifies this interpretation by semi-reviving Clara, having her convince the Doctor to hold to his ideals instead of giving them up to be a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, and ending up with a TARDIS of her own so she can have adventures with Ashildr.

** The Doctor's rather forgiving attitude towards antagonists in this series, most notably Bonnie the Zygon, made his fury at Ashildr for her role in Clara's death -- he never does forgive her, though ''Clara'' does -- a divisive topic.
** Ashildr really hit this ''hard'' for some fans, considering her HeelFaceRevolvingDoor shtick and the fact she (by some variation) led Clara to her death, on top of betraying and hurting ''the man who saved her village and her life, who was willing to do anything he could to keep her from growing heartless'' -- and couldn't even bring herself to apologize for it.