Plot Hell Bent (Doctor Who)

in nevada, doctor enters diner , encounters waitress physically identical clara oswald, neither recognizing other. begins tell story clara. doctor narrates, episode flashes gallifrey, doctor has escaped confession dial, activating cloister bells in city alert time lord president, high council, , sisterhood of karn. try summon doctor them, refuses overtures. president attempts have doctor executed, others, including gallifreyan military, see him war hero. instead, exile president, revealed rassilon, , high council. doctor learns had been trapped in confession dial rassilon, force him reveal identity of hybrid of gallifreyan prophecies, destined conquer gallifrey , stand in ruins. general , ohila attempt learn more hybrid doctor, doctor claims must consult clara oswald it.

the doctor has time lords use extraction chamber retrieve clara timeline instant before death in face raven , biological processes suspended in time loop. keeps alive, leaves without pulse , unable age. general attempts explain situation clara, doctor steals sidearm and, after confirming can still regenerate, shoots him cover , clara s escape. doctor takes neuro block lab before pair flee cloisters, contains matrix, computer system serves repository of knowledge of dead time lords. while looking exit , avoiding cloister wraiths protect it, doctor tells clara 1 time lord managed escape cloisters, leaving him mad. clara recognises doctor himself, having learned of prophecy of hybrid wraiths. lead him leave gallifrey in stolen type 40 tardis. doctor tells clara held out confessing in order have bargain life when escaped through azbantium wall. newly-regenerated female general , ohila give chase , attempt convince clara come them , doctor tell them knows. questioning ohila, clara learns doctor held in confession dial 4 , half billion years, though have left gave knew hybrid. clara distracts time lords, allowing doctor steal new tardis workshop below cloister.

the doctor attempts take clara far enough away gallifrey break away time loop , regain heartbeat, hoping can escape having return moment of death, despite potentially damaging time in process. when becomes apparent clara s timeline not readjusting, doctor pilots stolen tardis extreme end of universe, minutes before due totally collapse. having travelled in time, not space, tardis materialises inside ruins of gallifrey. doctor answers door , finds ashildr waiting him, having lived through entire existence of universe , becoming last immortal being left. accuses of being hybrid, being human modified mire technology. after doctor dismisses idea hybrid may instead half-time lord , half-human, ashildr presents own theory on hybrid s identity: doctor , clara hybrid. since alike, each pushes other potentially catastrophic actions. doctor reveals intention erase clara s memories of him, hoping if left on earth without memory of doctor, time lords not able find her.

clara, has been listening them inside tardis, attempts reverse polarity of neuro blocker using doctor s sonic sunglasses, backfire on doctor. when doctor , ashildr return, clara admits watched them. tells doctor happy accept death, insists on retaining memory. doctor doubts clara has reversed function of neuro blocker, concedes has gone far save clara. 2 agree activate neuro blocker together, not knowing 1 of them affected. upon activation, device erases doctor s memories of clara, says goodbyes before passing out. doctor awakens in nevada desert unaware how had arrived or clara is.

in present, having managed piece clara except looks like, doctor finishes telling story waitress, encourages him keep going. goes room, revealing ashildr , tardis console. diner in fact new tardis doctor stole, , waitress clara. restaurant-tardis departs, leaving doctor behind , revealing own tardis, still covered rigsy s painted tribute clara ( face raven ) includes portrait. ashildr reports chameleon circuit isn t working, tardis stuck in form of american diner. clara declares intent return gallifrey die , restore timeline, death fixed point in time. since ageless, decides take long way around , sets off ashildr travel universe.

inside own tardis, doctor finds message clara on blackboard: run, clever boy, , doctor . tardis produces new sonic screwdriver, , doctor closes doors, ready continue adventures. doctor sets tardis new destination rigsy s tribute fading tardis dematerialises. doctor s tardis , clara s tardis pass each other mid-flight, before flying off in opposite directions.

continuity

the tardis doctor , clara steal escape cloisters modelled in interior on original tardis original series seen in unearthly child. first episode since end of time feature rassilon. clara uses phrase reversed polarity in modifying memory wiping device; phrase commonly associated third doctor, has been used other doctors well. doctor, once on gallifrey, travels same barn in dry lands spent time child, seen in listen , , later debates use of moment in day of doctor .

before deciding doctor , clara, combined, hybrid, ashildr postulated doctor might half-human , hybrid. eighth doctor made similar statement lineage in 1996 television movie. when ashildr knocks on tardis s door, knocks 4 times, doctor points out. reference tenth doctor s regeneration , prophecy stating knock 4 times before death. when doctor decides wipe clara s memory of himself save her, mentions s done before, telepathically, referring tenth doctor s wiping donna noble s memory of him , travels in tardis in journey s end . doctor recognises diner same 1 visited eleventh doctor in impossible astronaut companions amy pond , rory williams.

the cloister wars mentioned missy in magician s apprentice , along doctor stealing moon , president s wife. doctor sets record straight in episode (albeit inadvertently in babbling when reunited clara after on 4 billion years), claiming daughter, not wife, , did not steal moon, lost it. doctor claims rescued clara because has duty of care , phrase mentioned before.

foxes version of don t stop me heard playing when doctor first walks diner; song used in mummy on orient express . doctor, while talking waitress, plays on electric guitar, , @ times plays variations on both clara s theme, composed murray gold , heard first in asylum of daleks , , bad wolf leitmotif.