Why Hell Bent Is The PERFECT Doctor Who Finale

[@Knights_of_Zurg]

Capaldi is such an underrated doctor. He's honestly my favorite.

[@cozyvrc]

He’s dishonestly my favorite

[@hazmat7949]

Years later dont think he is underrated anymore

[@mogy7331]

He isn’t underrated anymore. He’s literally argued to be the best in most rankings

[@marlls1989]

He has become my favourite

[@Ronariverah]

I love him so much

[@paularc1899]

He was the Doctor that didnt like hugs but that loved the most. Such a beautiful story.

[@Triskaan]

Always loved Hell Bent. Such an underrated masterpiece.

[@johna5635]

I had a massive advantage when I watched "Hell Bent"... I wasn't watching online reactions at the time - therefore I had no idea what "the internet" had got together and decided to think about it. Consequently, I really enjoyed it.

[@ftumschk]

Exactly. From what I've seen, a lot of the hate has been stoked and sustained by opinionated, largely anti-Moffat/anti-Clara influencers, and many fans have jumped on the bandwagon. It became almost trendy to dislike Hell Bent, but I neither understood, nor fell for, the negativity. I still don't.

[@gerryandersonisbest]

​@@ftumschk Truth. ✊️

[@lennymccartney1]

@@ftumschk just likes it trendy to dislike the current doctor!

[@cyberinsecuregaming2890]

I didn’t watch any online reactions and I didn’t like it. To each their own I guess.

[@rog2224]

I was on the internet - I enjoyed the episode, and regarded the naysayers as dim.

[@R.senals_Arsenal]

There are a few moments in Doctor WHO that just break my wall (see what I did there) of emotions and make me cry, and the soft spoken matter of fact answer of "I had a duty of care," is one of them.

[@chris-hz2wd]

12 is my doctor but I have never seen The Doctor so broken and lost. “I had a duty of care” is heart breaking you can see just how lost in his grief he is, he can’t fathom why Clara is even asking the question of course he would spend 4.5 billion years to try and save her why is she even asking?? He just doesn’t see how far he’s come and capaldi acted it masterfully. I always shed a tear

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

Beautiful indeed.

[@kingbeauregard]

He says it like it's so obvious that he doesn't understand why anyone wouldn't get it: the only thing in HIS universe is her well-being. All of time and space at his disposal, and the only thing that matters in all of it is her.

[@Which-Craft]

This was the best episode of Who Culture I've seen. Thank you, Ellie!

[@WhoCulture]

Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for watching!

[@JoshRazauskas]

This was an absolutely amazing video! Please do more long form essays like this! Absolutely loved it! I have always said Hell Bent was one of the most underrated episodes of Doctor Who!

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

Spot on Josh! I am tired of silly top ten lists. They're pointless. Ellie's dialogue and overall review for this video was exceptional. Because we were dealing with a deeper more emotional moment in DW, that was also what we got in the review - greater depth and emotional sincerity. I was impressed by this and too would like to see much more in this vein. I have resubscribed due to this and am so hopeful we will get more engaging material and intersting discussion. Cheers

[@JoshRazauskas]

@@triplejazzmusicisall1883 I personally love everything they do, but that’s great to hear that about you. Hopefully, that’s the case for sure! Ellie like my tweet about this video so I think they are listening!

[@tracyroweauthor]

FINALLY! Someone GET'S IT. I've spent YEARS defending this episode because so many people didn't see it's brilliance.

[@chickenchip3638]

"defending"? it's the consensus best doctor who episode oat

[@DrWhoFanJ]

@@chickenchip3638It really isn’t. The preceding episode maybe, but definitely not this one.

[@kenthomas505]

Finally, some appreciation for what Hell Bent represents to the overall arc of the Doctor and Clara's relationship. The analysis of the grieving process through these 3 episodes leading up to it was spot on. Some fans may still say it ruined what Heaven Sent did, but I totally disagree, and I would never want to forgot those last moments of the Doctor and Clara in the diner and how she reacts to his saying he would know her immediately if he ever saw her again. Just heartbreaking. Hell Bent may have its flaws but I think its a fairly good bookend to Series 9. P.S. nice matching Ellie with the purple background, loved your outifit! 🟣💜💜💜

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

Your statement, '...would never want to forgot those last moments of the Doctor and Clara in the diner and how she reacts to his saying he would know her immediately if he ever saw her again. Just heartbreaking,; is a perfect summary for how those who connected with this episode felt. Thank you sincerely for the articulate and heartfelt way you put it into words. Over decades I hope this final is reassessed by those who were too quick to criticise it. Those final two episodes imo are extremely ever likely to be topped for genuine emotional pull and heart and soul. Both Capaldi and Coleman knocked it out of the park with their brilliant acting. Sadly they were so good it made the next Doctor and companions feel so wooden, but I'll remain positive and not go there. The Doctor, Clara in one of the most undefinable loving relationships both being completely selfless and putting the other first. Beautiful. When we also think about the end of Season ten and put it together with this season final for every dud episode Capaldi did score some gold. Mind you he could polish a dog t*** and make it look great. There will never be another Peter Capaldi.

[@kenthomas505]

@@triplejazzmusicisall1883 Thanks for the kudos! For me the platonic love that the Doctor and Clara shared was totally encapuslated there in the diner, although Clara was the only one who could sell it because of the Doctor's mind wipe. That and the earlier scene of them in the cloisters where Clara finds out how long the Doctor was stuck in his confession dial (his one goal being to save her) and then she says to him: "people like me and you, we should say things to one another, and I'm going to say them know." and it cuts away leaving us to imagine what she might have said. I would like to think that she confessed her love for him then and there thinking that she wouldn't have another oppurtunity to do so (but it doesn't matter). They brought out the best, and the worst, of each other. Their time together was the most enduring, and the most memorable, of any Doctor/Companion duo. I only hope they can meet one final time before she has to go back and face the Raven. Maybe in a memory TARDIS mini episode where they relive their final adventure together before he brings her back to Trap Street himself. I will shed tears for that one.

[@Aynshtaynn]

Even Ellie herself said that Hell Bent cheapened the quality of the previous episodes, in "Top 10 saddest companion departures" video. Hell Bent is a special kind of episode which needs time to sink in, which is not inherently a good thing, but perfect in this instance, since grief is not a simple thing one can simply break free.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

@@kenthomas505 A sublime comment. THANK YOU heaps.

[@agm5424]

Capaldi's turns as the Doctor was the shows underrated peak. The man deserved to have at least two more seasons.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

I agree but with Chibnal in charge I am glad it didn't happen.

[@judithstrachan9399]

I don’t think he could have done it. It was getting too much for him & he didn’t want to give it less than his best.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

@@judithstrachan9399 Hi had to reply so we got a wallaby and a koala pic together - very Aussie. I agree with your comment too. I also think he is one very smart man and probably knew that the future direction of the show was not going to succeed so got out just in time. He was my Doctor for sure. Cheers

[@onernoa]

I have never agreed this hard with any of your theories before. Hearing you talk about the Doctor's grief made me realize how much I was working through my own personal grief the first time I saw this episode and why it resonated with me so hard. I was not a fan of Capaldi until these three episodes made me realize just how powerful he was in the role. Thank you for this

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Hope you're doing well now. Grief has no time limits and we all take different lengths to deal with different losses. Been there, done that, as they say 🤷🏻‍♀️. The one thing I've learnt is that yes, you can move on, but there's no reason why, years down the line, you can't have a good mope, preferably with some ice cream or chocolate, or better still, chocolate ice cream! Much love to you ❤

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

It is such a shame that so many didn't stick with Capaldi for they missed one of the best Doctors and character arcs in the entire DW history. I don't blame or judge people for switching off tht is their perogative but I am glad you felt rewarded with this incredibly emotional and sincere final. I too, as we all do at sometime in our lives, lost very dear friends so I found it very relatable. I am glad it resonated with you and I hope it gave you some fond memories and some small release from your grief. As Sarah Jane said about emotions, (paraphrasing significantly) that grief, sadness and loss are just as important in defining who we are as humans as happiness and joy... What she in essence, or the writer, was saying is all these emotions come from the same place - love and affection for others.

[@peggyerickson2549]

I'm very sorry for your special loss

[@Jaggededge112]

I honestly loved “Hell Bent” Peter Capaldi is such a great actor, I felt his pain.

[@asheryap]

"The writing didn't cheapen Clara's death, the Doctor's actions did" Mind Blown!! I always hated that ending for that reason, but you are absolutely right!! Going off to rewatch it with this new perspective.

[@doorofnight87]

I completely agree, it is a stunning performance and a great look at how grief works. The one thing I would say is that the 'stages of grief' are not linear and it something people bounce between quite a lot before they move into acceptance.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

Good point and I was happy to see someone make it.

[@idjles]

@@triplejazzmusicisall1883and Ellie does refer to that!

[@pjappleton4893]

I'm glad someone finally posted an intelligent defense of this episode, instead of just complaining about it. It may be uncomfortable to watch, because it addresses issues that most of us aren't ready to deal with, but it is one of Peter Capaldi's best performances (obviously overshadowed by his performance in the previous episode, and his performance in "The Zygon Inversion" earlier that season). Also, I'm glad glad someone else besides me recognizes that, (even though the production team meant for these three episodes to be individual episodes,) they really are a three part story.

[@brianmillerspeaks]

Capaldi is the GOAT, full stop. I get emotional every time I revisit his tenure. It was perfect.

[@gerryandersonisbest]

TOTAL AGREE! I've been fighting this corner for SO LONG, it's always such a relief to find others who feel the same way! Capaldi and Coleman are two of the finest actors Doctor Who has ever been blessed with and Hell Bent is a testament to that! "Masterpiece" doesn't even begin to cover it IMO. 😊❤️ It's always made complete sense to me that the Doctor would react so strongly to Clara's death given how he reacted to losing Donna, then the Ponds - first he swears off travelling with companions, then he swears off travelling altogether, so now he's just like "right, I've had enough of this!" Also, it's nice to hear somebody on this channel (especially Ellie) actually talking positively about something Clara-related for once. Though I disagree on Name of the Doctor and Death in Heaven - don't know if this is a hot take or not but I actually enjoy those finales too 😅

[@Michelle_Schu-blacka]

Heaven Sent is the greatest episode in the shows history. It was a masterpiece of writing and acting. The moment he realises what's happening is heartbreaking. The realisation that he's going to do what he does and the point where it just shows key events, particularly as he notices how much time has passed and it starts running into the billions (although does that not mean that The Doctor is technically over 4½ billion years old) brought me to tears. To go through that every day for billions of years and at some point, remember each time... It broke me.

[@garywoolton1875]

This may be the best review Who Culture has ever put out. Thoughtful, analytical, and explainatory, an excellent addition. It probably avoids the question of Moffat bottling out on what the hybrid was but in terms of grief and processing, which was the real story behind the trilogy (a lot better than the Monk trilogy) a beautiful rounding up of a beautiful story line

[@mr_vision1984]

Best 3 part finale. Clara + Capaldi are favorite by a landslide and their friendship always gets the best treatment in the finales.

[@IndieFilmmaker82]

Favorite video from this channel yet! More like this, please.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Beautifully put, Ellie. I hate that people knock the final part of the trilogy because it's essential for letting the Dr move on with his life. I think they're all perfectly done.

[@andrewbowman4611]

At the risk of sounding presumptuous, are we to take that the writer of this piece has recently suffered a bereavement? If so, you have my condolences. If not, then I congratulate you on what can only be described as a very thoughtful and considered reading of Hell Bent. It's certainly the reason I find it frustrating that others haven't understood the episode in the proscribed manner. Maybe, in this case, such naivety is both understandable and envy-inducing.

[@willgraham1044]

you have such great vocabulary lol☺

[@sheersternfeld1914]

I understood almost all of these words. What does "bereavement" mean?

[@andrewbowman4611]

@@sheersternfeld1914 It's when you've lost a loved one, and you're grieving for them. It's a fairly common word, I'd have thought. Unless, of course, English isn't your first language.

[@sheersternfeld1914]

@@andrewbowman4611 yeah, I'm not good at English

[@shinycaterpie4443]

​@sheersternfeld1914 I'd say you're pretty good at English. Bereavement is a word that does not get used that often. I imagine most people that are not native speakers would not know it

[@TheJxn38301]

it was heartbreaking how lost and powerless the doctor was in hell bent...heartbreaking and scary. he always finds a way, but this time he really couldn't

[@Which-Craft]

It's the eyebrows.

[@_andrewvia]

Thank you Ellie and your support staff too.

[@michaelmcchesney6645]

Ellie, I think this video was awesome. It was perhaps the best Who Culture video I've ever watched.

[@edrumour]

I've loved so much about Doctor Who since series 9 but I think Face the Raven was probably the last time an episode really shocked me and moved me emotionally. Seeing the Doctor helplessly watch his companion die and watching his reaction to this was such brilliant television and showcased Capaldi's amazing acting talent

[@liamclose8779]

Wow, these episodes were never my favourite. Watching this has made me see them in a whole different way. I'm going to re-watch now. This is why I love this channel!

[@matts8715]

Loved Hell Bent since the first time I watched it. Never got the hate for it.

[@Enigmanaut]

I agree with what you said except for the swipe at "The Name of the Doctor" towards the beginning.

[@swazzlebock]

This is a great reading of how those final three episodes work together. Nicely done!

[@labelle10]

Totally agree! I find this 3-parter so special and well written, including hell bent

[@UltraRao]

Thank you Ellie. Those are my favorite episodes of Dr Who and most of us couldn't describe or do a better analysis. I can say this is also my favorite episode from Who Culture. Thank you for this masterpiece. You and the team did a great job!

[@keithmitchell7001]

This was exactly what I thought at the time! Amazing analysis,

[@DrGamingPlays]

The highs of the Capaldi era are some of the best episodes in the history of the series, and this trilogy of episodes are among them. Thank you for the thoughtful analysis.

[@Aynshtaynn]

I love Series 9 finale, yet I didn't see how the final part of Hell Bent where Doctor's saying his last words before forgetting Clara was a part of acceptance. This video gave me brilliant new perspectives to keep in mind, thank you.

[@JCaprioli]

This is a brilliant analysis. Thank you! And thank you for commemorating the twelfth Doctor, why is my favorite! But yes, I also agree that that series 9 finale trilogy is probably the best in the history of the show. Capaldi's portrayal of a Doctor off-the-rails was brilliant and fitting for the events surrounding it. Characters need to leave their comfort zone now and then in order to grow, just like people do.

[@bishopsteiner7134]

I full on agree. I maybe biased, with Clara being my favorite companion (never understood the hate pointed at her), and Capaldi being my second favorite Doctor, but only he had the gravitas to carry something like this and make it work.. and it did.

[@jjthompson3269]

Peter Capaldi just hits the spot I grew up throughout new who and I was obsessed with David Tennant (though I do also really hate Chris’ departure as he burnt ties with RTD and JG) as the 10th but the 11th Doctor disappointed me but grown to love Matt in the role too. I didn’t mind the casting of Peter but as I remember when watching it I wasn’t really taking so much in but as I rewatched his run while being older he just fits the doctor so well and Moffat knew exactly what he was doing with him

[@lexruptor]

He didn't burn ties, they did ngl

[@ecoizer2613]

I absolutely love Capaldi as both an individual and a doctor. He plays the role stunningly and really shows what the doctor is like when he’s cold to the emotional touch and what he can both be and do when angered weighed by the saddens of loss. He in character changed how we, the community, saw the doctor as a whole giving light to someone I personally only thought of as regretful and self absorbed in his superior intellect. I think we need more episodes now a days exactly like this to others he’s lost and ends up losing along his travels.

[@duncangibson6277]

Fantastic analysis of the grieving process Ellie. When I first watched Face the Raven, I wasn't sold on the first part, but the emotions of Clara and the Doctor once we knew that her fate was sealed were played brilliantly, and that carried the episode. The solo episode of the Doctor reliving the same stressful day over and over in the confession dial fortress was extraordinary, and the emotion that came into Clara's face -- those eyes, how do you do that -- in the Cloister when she discovered how long his penance had been, both were moments worthy of a BAFTA award at the very least for Peter Capaldi's and Jenna Coleman's performances. Plus, I

[@-Badwolf999]

Hell bent is one of the most underrated episodes ever

[@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914]

i don't know WTF they are thinking making this video in 2024... in 2023 it would have been debatable... in 2024?Most divisive finale? it is the Ncuti Gatwa season 1 finale... in what world are THEY living ????? This shoot past CApaldi's endings in a second the day the Sutekh vs Ruby's mom plot became apparant

[@elizabethhatesyoutube]

@@througtonsheirs_doctorwhol5914 i don't know that the series 14 finale counts as divisive when most people seem to agree it was middling. hell bent always had defenders.

[@michaelentwistle5933]

I honestly believe that capaldis era doctor is a beautiful character piece. It's a a Shakespearean tragedy in a time machine. Beautiful acted and insanely underrated

[@Colin4763]

I am going to have a rewatch of these 3 and series 10

[@word90]

12 is probably my fav doc

[@duncandavenport7007]

Absolutely agree with this assessment. It's absolutely brilliantly rich and deep in so many ways as it explores the depths to which grief can plunge us...and what can happen when/if we finally emerge on the other side. Truly a tour de force in writing and acting!

[@SimonPayne-je3hi]

I agree. The Doctor finally has enough of continued loss.

[@CyanicusTwice]

More videos like this please.

[@jesseszymcik3026]

There is no right way or wrong way to grieve. The five stages of grief, as put forth by Elizebeth Kubler-Ross are not mandatory. It is okay to grieve your own cycle.

[@LapsedLawyer]

Saw Hell bent as a mirror image of the opening of Dark Water, where Clara tries to hijack the tardis to prevent Danny Pink's death, really showing off how entwined spiritually the Doctor and Clara had become over the course of their travels together, the whole three story arc of Face the Raven, Heaven Sent, and Hell Bent demonstrating and revealing their closeness. Take Clara's last line about returning to Gallifrey to return her to her time-line (and death) "the long way 'round"; very Doctor-like. (I say that wondering if there's any fanfic or audio adventures of Ashildr and Clara in the Tardis Diner)

[@willgraham1044]

Agreed. The lines where Clara finds out how long the doctor spent in the time dial and "hope is a terrible thing on the scaffold" have always stuck with me. Clara's song is beautiful too and the scene with 'Me' is the only scene she isn't insufferable in haha, great episode and finale imo

[@chris-hz2wd]

“Hope is a terrible thing on the scaffold” and “I had a duty of care” hit me like a ton of bricks. It wasn’t appreciated at the time just how damn good the writing is in Hell Bent

[@farview13]

Hell Bent is one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who. Being such a Clara fan probably helps me think this because, in my mind, anytime we get more Clara is a bonus. Love the arc of Clara and watching the Doctor go too far. It made such an impression on me, I had a print of Clara's aging portrait made to hang on my wall.

[@PaulPhillips]

The Name of the Doctor is one of my favourites! That intro with Gallifrey and Murray Gold's insane score! I loved the storyline. I didn't even know people didn't like it!

[@katecoldwind]

Interesting video and a convincing analysis, thank you. These were powerful episodes. I do think it's important to mention that the 'Stages of Grief' as pop culture has taught us to them aren't entirely reliable as a guide to the process. This is a problem because, since they're so well known, people who are in grief can come to believe that there's a sort of fixed path that they should be following, and that if things aren't occurring according to the Stages, there's something wrong with them. This is not the case. Grief is different for everyone. Firstly it's important to know that the 'Stages of Grief' are based specifically on people who had found themselves facing a terminal diagnosis. While they can be applicable to grief at the loss of others - and even the grief we don't think of in those terms, such as grief at the loss of a relationship or of a job, or even at retirement, or any of the countless other losses life hits us with - the Stages specifically sought to identify different ways of coping with what we might call 'pre-grief': grief at one's own mortality now given a time scale. It's also important to note that the Stages aren't really stages. It's not, as pop culture often suggests, a case of working through them in order until you're over it. They're more states that grief can push us into in any order and any number of times. This is all legitimate: like I say, we each feel grief in our own way, and each of us has a legitimate right to work through it and process it in whatever way we need to. It's also important to acknowledge that grief may never go away. We may never fully 'get over it'. And that's all right. We can learn to live with it - but the Stages of Grief idea can lead people to believe that if they're still feeling the pain of a loss after years, they've not done it right. But there is no 'right' to this. There's nothing wrong with your analysis here. It seems pretty clear that you've detailed the stages of the Doctor's grief process as the showrunners intended to express it. Whether or not THEY expressed the actual real-world process of grief well is open to question. They certainly made it feel powerful, and they made us think about these things, and maybe that was all they needed or wanted to do. Just don't use Doctor Who as a template for how you should handle grief.

[@thesagebrushkid1]

I loved this and I’m off to watch the whole three parter off the back of it. More deep-dive videos please!

[@TheUnpeeledRottenBanana]

I literally watched hell bent 4 hours before this video released.😭

12 is my Doctor. I'm afraid that there will be no other Doctor able to surpass him, ever.

[@AstroSandee]

Certainly has given me a new perspective to continue. Well laid out. Definitely going to re-watch.

[@BereniceCarpio-w4e]

Capaldi and Clara are one of my favourite duos and it comes down to this, their arc as Doctor and Companion is by far the richest.

[@kevinsalina7634]

This is why Capaldi is my favorite. Tennant brought me back to this world, Smith played a young hero but Capaldi’s arc really stood out to me

[@RoryLittle-y5i]

Magnificent critique!

[@magnumserpentine6444]

In the first few moments of this, er, video you named most of my Top 10 Doctor Who episodes of all time.

[@StalxD]

Such type of episodes are my fav Thats why 76 yards is my fav from the new season

[@sabrinatirabassi3529]

73

[@judithstrachan9399]

I “got” 73 Yards immediately, thought it made perfect sense. Not that I could ever explain it or make someone else see it. I’m so glad I’m not the only one.

[@markbiddlecombe2221]

Three of the best episodes of New Who - I think the reason people thro so much shade on Hell Bent is Heaven Sent is such a masterpiece - acting, writing and FX all nailed. It’s a hard act for Hell Bent to follow if you take it in isolation. But taken as part 3 of a brilliant trilogy - as you have ably demonstrated - it works perfectly.

[@chris-hz2wd]

Nice one Ellie! I’ve been a hell bent defender for years I couldn’t fathom why the fan base hated it so much it was good and not just that but it was the perfect story to follow Raven and Heaven. Raven, Heaven, Hell a masterstroke in story telling I don’t think Doctor Who will ever better if I’m honest

[@dwarfwhite7296]

absolutely agree, thankx, Ellie, for that you finally described why I so kove this finale

[@Kayjee17]

Those of us who have experienced the loss of someone who was that totally enmeshed in our lives understand each stage of grief the Doctor suffered through in all 3 episodes, and we understand why Hell Bent was the perfect ending instead of Heaven Sent.

[@ManxFoe]

100% agree with your analysis.

[@timeferret6179]

I have always enjoyed these three episodes, I normally say all of them when asked who my favourite Doctor is, however, Peter Capaldi just knocked it out of the park for me, it would take so much to beat him in my eyes. Peter Capaldi IS the Doctor (superb actor)

[@MrR2d2c3po10]

In a way I feel like this can be moffett's direct answer to people asking why 11 didn't go back and save Amy and Rory. Yeah, he made up a whole bunch of bogus rules of why that year in New York City was no good, but no matter what he wrote, the fans would not have been happy with that answer. So he decided to make a complete Arc about it about what happens when you just can't let go

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

I love this interpretation!

[@elliotbutler9691]

Capaldi was such a fantastic Doctor, as much as I love Clara series 10 was just fantastic & honestly such an underrated Doctor

[@K0nstantlyTragic]

7:23 beautifully said 👌

[@WiccanRai]

I see your points about the Doctor's grief arc, and I mostly do enjoy Hell Bent. My only niggle with it is that Clara gets to fly off in her own Tardis and with her own companion in Ashildr/Me. If both he and Clara had come to terms with her death then she should have been taken back to that moment in time. In Face the Raven, Clara paid the ultimate price for becoming too like the Doctor, in which she seems to have accepted her fate. Only to then be rewarded with her own Tardis indefinitely until she chooses to go back, in Hell Bent. It's this that cheapens Clara's poignant ending. And it was Clara who reversed the polarity of that device, leaving her with her memories and the freedom to just fly away. Yes, she will eventually have to go back, but there's no time limit & she can delay facing those consequences for as long as she likes. The Doctor came to terms with her death finally, but Clara gets to swan off and avoid it, even though she'd already accepted it. It just felt off.

[@venomz7682]

Actually might be in my top 3 finales. Made me love Capaldis doctor more, making him my favourite for definite. Never understood the hate of this one ngl

[@StorySuz]

Hellbent is one of the best episodes. I wrote about a page of why, but then made myself cry & needed to go listen to the score.

[@EterPuralis]

Wow, you actually understood it

[@robynroper598]

Yes i was completely shocked, moved and saddened by Clara’s ending and the doctor’s unrelenting despair. Great episodes❤ that stick in my mind more so than other poignant episodes. ❤ thankyou🙏

[@ArchieKane24]

Whenever he says he’ll bring the Daleks and the Cybermen to destroy the village - you know he isn’t thinking right.

[@JSP_1147]

Im sorry 0:44, Death in Heaven is the best episode of all time

[@Shiny_Hunter_Rob]

This BetterHelp ad is really quite something. They even managed to add in Doctor Who references. :D Just kidding, guys. Great video, and I'd love more of this content.

[@mUbase]

Ah Peter Capaldi is Brilliant in this trilogy. Heaven sent is a masterpiece. Quite Brilliantly incredible x

[@johnwang9914]

The Tardis that Clara and Me appropriated and got stuck as a diner reminds me of the salvaged type 12 model 1 Tardis of Professor Chronitis in the unfinished episode Strada written by Douglas Adams which we saw recreated un Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency where the disappearing office/apartment resulted in a sofa being stuck on a landing at an University. Douglas Adams wanted the controls of the office/apartment flat to be an abacus that somehow caused the phone not to work and should a repairman repair the phone, the abacus would not work. The controls wound up being wall mounted hidden behind book shelves as the office portion was also a library but the phone was said to ne non-functional. I guess someone insisted on blinking lights, buttons, gauges, display and levers... I believe there has been several alternate versions of Strada made since thrn in novels, graphic novels and one with another Doctor but they finally padded out the live action onsite shots taken for the episode with animations for the unshot studio scenes but with the actual actors doing the voice acting.

[@markriggs5441]

I enjoyed this framing (or whatever the word I actually mean that keeps hiding behind random blocks in my brain). I never had a problem with Hell Bent, but I'm usually pretty fine with going wherever the ride takes me. I like this a lot, though!

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

This is what I've been saying since the three-parter aired.

[@DCOneFourSeven]

Wonderfully well put together look into one of my favourite DW trilogies. Great work by WhoCulture again!

[@LiamDalley-jd1kc]

I actually rewatched this episode today (which i didn’t expect considering I’ve been doing an marathon of all of Doctor Who) and while i feel indifferent to Hell Bent but this is an great essay

[@synch8408]

Amazing video, I always loved that trilogy but could never really quite articulate why, till now.

[@penbucket]

I think it would have taken the same amount of time to PUNCH through diamond. It was not necessary to make it “harder than”. lol Wonderful video! Really enjoyed the single topic essay. It was a nice format change.

[@sheersternfeld1914]

What if they calculated? I mean, it's not likely, but it could be possible

[@judithstrachan9399]

It might have knocked off half a billion years!

[@elliotmarks06]

While I do wish that Clara stayed dead in order to give it more impact, I still love Hell Bent. Honestly I feel like Face the Raven, Heaven Sent & Hell Bent are all one long episode to be watched together, and while Heaven Sent is definitely the high point, the whole thing is simply amazing. I absolutely love S9 as a whole, and it just gets better on every rewatch!

[@marcelfersen4160]

Really nice analysis of the last three episodes of season nine. I love the whole season and especially the last three episodes. I still don`t know, why "Hell Bent" is always called a divided episode by you. It still runs with an quite 8.6 on imdb. In my opinion the story tells the best story between Doctor and Companion...pure love...going to absolutely extremes...and that without romantic tendencies. And most important: Maybe for you guys the Clara-Chapter is closed, because the Doctor finished his grief. But this is only his side. Clara tells Ashildr to go "the long way round". River also had basically a perfect ending in "the Husbands of River Song". What I want to say is: Ellie maybe crying for a comeback of River Song but I am crying for a comeback of Clara Oswald! :D

[@sheersternfeld1914]

You know how 12 got that face as a reminder to save whoever he can? I am praying for either the Doctor or some other Time Lord to choose Clara's face, as a reminder to never go too far.

[@marcelfersen4160]

That would be a very interesting approach. But somehow I think, we won't see Jenna Coleman again in Doctor Who. But in the end I think, that Coleman shouldn't play any other role as Clara in the show. Capaldi only played a small role as Caecilius before he became the Doctor.

[@sheersternfeld1914]

@@marcelfersen4160 yeah, you're probably right

[@DrWhoFanJ]

This video mentions no episodes of Season 9.

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

I've been arguing this case for Hell Bent from about ten minutes after it originally aired on tv. I'm glad people are increasingly appreciating how magnificent it is - oh other than Ashielda (what a dull character she was). I am strongly hoping this video post is a sign of Whoculture finally growing up beyond tedious top ten lists of the worst and best of etc... There are so many times in DW history that can be drawn upon for deep and sincere analysis and appreciation. Australia aired a lightweight DW spinoff and whilst many fans seemed to like it, those with a more adult look found it to be utter drivel. If DW is an awesome show in the mind of an individual surely unless that individual is a child, he/she/they should want to explore the real Whoineverse in video posts like this one. Time to move up to and maintain this standard. You might lose some subscribers, but you'll gain some too as well as a probably more loyal and faithful fans. Additionally, I believe there is a greater chance of WC airing for a much longer time on KZbin, including through the good and the bad. My fingers are crossed this is a sign of what is to come. P.S. Clara, the best DW companion ever! Or even with Amy.

[@julienschmitt4647]

Fully agree here. To be fair, the only part of Hell Bent that I don't like is the part with Rassilon and the infamous line "get off his planet" that always felt like a bad fanfiction. But all the rest, oh boy ! I also love the cameo of Clara in Twice upon a time. To be fair I do think Moffat is better at seasons finales than RTD or Chibnall, even with his moffatisms

[@R.senals_Arsenal]

The only thing I have a tiny issue with is letting Clara fly off. I wish at the end of the episode she went back to the moment of her death to preserve reality. Everything up to then was Pure Gold for all 3 parts. IMO.

[@judithstrachan9399]

She was planning to go back there. Sometime. When she’d seen enough. ……….

[@EterPuralis]

It's not like she wanted to die, if she didn't take the opportunity to cheat a bit, she wouldn't be herself.

[@NS_first]

Brilliant. I need a video like this to show the epic-ness of Doctor Who to other people I think should watch it… Though I disagree about certain episodes being bad, I will agree that Love & Monsters is best not spoken about…😅

[@knitcrochettiger361]

THANK YOU, ELLIE, thank you.....i am a whovian since i was 4 years old in 1979.....i started watching Doctor Who when Romana 1 was played by the gorgeous Mary Thames.....the Ribos Operations what my first episode......when Hell Bent aired, i thought this episode was the most beautiful, non-River Song, episode ever...........a lot of people were upset about Clara's death being retconned.....but not me.....i saw the beauty in the arc of the 3 episodes......thank you.....Ellie, you have shown me that i was not wrong in loving Hell Bent.....so many people would give anything to get their lost loved ones back.....my boyfriend passed away in October 2020 from drug abuse.....i miss him so much even to this day.....but i had to go through the grieving process and if i had a Tardis, i'd go back and save him.....unfortunately that's not how life works.....Clara was the 12th doctor's best friend.....all the episodes with her, from 11 to 12, you can see he thought of her like a daughter.....the things we would promise the universe if we could just have 5 more minutes

[@grahamdavid007]

totes agree ! - PC is defo up there - top 3 :-) thank you

[@CalvinLimuel]

I loved Hell Bent for the exact same reason laid out here. I don't understand why people were hating on it.

[@charleslord2433]

I agree - that is how I saw it.

[@Cyklopz007]

I agree 💯