Clara first met the Doctor as a child, although neither party realised it at the time [The Bells of Saint John Prequel]. This shows that the pair were also destined to meet- indeed the Eleventh Doctor had already met two version of her previously that had died [Asylum of the Daleks/ The Snowmen].
The Doctor finally met Clara properly when she rang the TARDIS, believing it to be an IT helpline (the number given to her by an undercover Missy) [The Bells of Saint John]. At the time she was nanny for the Maitland children and unlike many companions she didn’t simply run away from her life to board the TARDIS. Her adventures were occasional, the Doctor turning up for a quick trip here and there. I suppose this shows that she was a strong character who had a real life that was important to her too.
Her travels with the Doctor did put pressure on her real life at times. The Maitland children found out she travelled in time and space and ended up accompanying her to an abandoned theme park and getting kidnapped by cybermen [Nightmare in Silver]. She used the Doctor as a ‘boyfriend’ at a family Christmas dinner only for him to turn up naked [The Time of the Doctor]. Then her relationship with Danny Pink was severely put in jeopardy by the Doctor’s regular appearances [Listen, Time Heist, The Caretaker].
For the Doctor, Clara was at times a troublesome companion. She fell out with him after he left her on the Moon with Courtney to make a difficult decision [Kill the Moon]. She even betrayed him completely in an attempt to bring back the deceased Danny Pink [Dark Water].
The Doctor desperately needed Clara though. She did more for him than perhaps any other companion. She dived into the Doctor’s timeline to fix problems caused by the Great Intelligence. Versions of her saved the Doctor throughout his life [The Name of the Doctor]. Then it was Clara who convinced three versions of the Doctor not to use the Moment to end the Time War, saving Gallifrey and removing the Doctor’s guilt [The Day of the Doctor]. She refused to let the Eleventh Doctor die alone [The Time of the Doctor] and supported the newly-regenerated Twelfth Doctor [Deep Breath].
As Clara continued to travel with the Doctor she became more and more like him, much to the Doctor’s concern. This eventually led to her death when she took on Rigsy’s execution to save him [Face the Raven]. Her life was extended somewhat thanks to the Doctor and she eventually became even more like him by stealing a TARDIS and travelling the universe [Hell Bent].
Most companions become better people after spending time with the Doctor but Clara was already amazing before that happened. She saved the Doctor throughout his life and changed it forever. Without Clara the Doctor, particularly in his Twelfth incarnation, would have been a very different man.
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