After the masterful solo performance we witnessed in “Heaven Sent”, “Hell Bent” had enormous expectations to meet. As the finale of Season 9, it needed to wrap up not only the intense emotional journey following “Face the Raven”, but also address the larger questions raised throughout the season, particularly in “The Magician’s Apprentice” and “The Witch’s Familiar”.
The episode opens in a familiar yet strange setting – a Nevada diner that keen-eyed viewers might remember from “The Impossible Astronaut”. This framing device, with the Doctor telling his story to a waitress who seems oddly familiar, immediately sets up the bittersweet tone that permeates the entire episode.
When we finally return to Gallifrey, it’s not the triumphant homecoming we might have expected. Unlike the political machinations we saw in “The Zygon Invasion”, here the Doctor’s approach is personal, almost vengeful. The man who talked his way through conflict in “The Zygon Inversion” now stands silent, wielding only a soup spoon and four billion years of accumulated rage.
The return of Rassilon (last seen in “The End of Time”) should feel like a major event, but it’s practically a footnote here. This isn’t a story about Time Lord politics – it’s about how far the Doctor will go for someone he cares about, reminiscent of the emotional stakes we saw in “The Woman Who Lived”.
The extraction of Clara from her fixed point in time echoes the dangerous territory we explored in “Before the Flood”, but with far more serious consequences. The Doctor’s actions here make his temporal meddling in “Under the Lake” look like child’s play.
What makes this episode particularly powerful is how it subverts our expectations. After “Sleep No More” played with narrative structure, “Hell Bent” goes further, making us question everything we think we know about the Doctor-companion relationship. The hybrid prophecy that’s been teased since the season opener turns out to be not about a single being, but about the dangerous combination of the Doctor and Clara themselves.
The ending, with its role reversal of the Doctor losing his memories instead of the companion (as happened to Donna in “Journey’s End”), feels both shocking and inevitable. It’s the kind of brave storytelling choice that Season 9 has become known for, from “The Girl Who Died” onwards.
Clara’s departure, flying off in her own TARDIS with Ashildr/Me, provides a fitting end to her character arc. It’s a far cry from her first appearance as a mystery to be solved – now she’s become almost too much like the Doctor, a development that’s been carefully seeded throughout the season.
The final scene in the diner, where we realize we’ve been watching Clara all along, brings everything full circle. It’s heartbreaking to watch the Doctor tell their story without recognizing her, but it feels right. Some wounds can only heal through forgetting, a theme that carries through to “The Husbands of River Song”.
Rating: 4.5/5 – A bold, emotional finale that prioritizes character over spectacle and isn’t afraid to take risks with its core relationship.
Next up: Join me for the Christmas special, “The Husbands of River Song”, where we bid farewell to River Song in style.
