Guest: This is an alternate universe where nothing post Day of The Doctor is canon.
TW: Yeah.
Gallifrey 22.3: It was a future version of the Siren that knew the number; it's really not a big mystery.
On a street, a man is holding a newspaper, struggling to hold onto it as the wind blows. Nearby, The Doctor is reading a comic book while wearing Amy's reading glasses. He lowers it to look at the man before going back to it. The wind blows a leaf off a branch and it hit the man in the face. He blindly stumbles into the street and is nearly hit by a car before a young woman pulls him to safety.
"Why is Boss watching some random man almost get run down in the street?" Mickey wondered as they watched the screen in bewilderment.
"Knowing The Doctor, this isn't an ordinary man," Jack noted as he watched with interest, wondering what The Doctor was up to.
The man assures the woman he is alright as they stare at each other, clearly taken with each other while The Doctor watches. Sometime later, the man and woman walk through the rain, the woman holding an umbrella. They stop in front of a house and man pulls out the leaf that hit him. The woman is surprised he kept it as the man explains they would never have met if the wind had not blown it off and hit his face, making it the most important leaf in human history. They then share a kiss as The Doctor watches, caught in the rain.
"I know you're not a pervert Spaceman. So why are you watching these two?" Donna wondered as the past viewers were confused by The Doctor's interest in this couple.
"You'll see in a moment," Jane promised as the recording continued.
Sometime later, the woman walks into a nursery to see the man holding a baby. A montage of the couple raising their daughter is seen before the family of three is seen playing football at a playground. The ball hits The Doctor in the head and he falls down.
"Be a little more careful Boss," Mickey said as he and Jack snickered, the tension breaking slightly as Donna and Martha giggled as well.
The Doctor gets up as the woman rushes forward, making sure he's alright. The Doctor assures her he is, minus some embarrassment. The father and girl join them and The Doctor greets the father and the daughter, who the mother introduces as Clara.
"Clara, that's why he's so interested in them," Martha said as the realization hit them.
"He wants to know about Clara's past to understand how she can still be here," Jack noted.
"I don't think you're going to find the answers you're looking for Spaceman," Donna noted, as confused about Clara as The Doctor.
The scene flashes forward to Clara, now a teenager, crying into her book of '101 places to see' as she and her father stand over her mother's grave. The Doctor watches from the distance before heading back into the TARDIS.
"Poor Clara," Wilf said as they all felt sympathy for Clara.
"It's never easy when you lose a parent," Jane said with a sigh, thinking of the day she had lost her father.
"No, it's not," Donna said softly, thinking of her own father.
The Doctor stares at pictures of Clara on the scanner, frustrated at how Clara can't be just a girl.
"You have no idea Boss," Mickey muttered, the past viewers thinking of the Siren that was still inside Clara.
The scene changes to Clara hearing the TARDIS arrive and smiling before The Doctor rings the doorbell. On the TARDIS, Clara asks questions about the TARDIS that The Doctor answers patiently before asking where Clara wants to go. After drawing a blank, Clara says she'd like to see 'something awesome'.
"Doesn't exactly narrow it down," Jack noted.
"Knowing The Doctor, I'm sure he can think of a few places," Martha said with a slight smile, remembering the places The Doctor had taken her.
The Doctor pulls the lever and the TARDIS takes off. After it lands, The Doctor leads Clara out with her eye closed. Clara opens her eyes and stares in wonder as The Doctor welcomes her to The Rings of Akhaten.
"Blimey," Mickey muttered as they all stared in wonder at the sight of it.
"It's amazing," Donna said lowly as she looked at the screen in a bit of awe.
"Really is," Jack said wistfully.
"You ever been there?" Martha asked and Jack shook his head.
"No. Always meant to but never had a chance," Jack said with a sigh.
Clara is amazed and The Doctor tells her there's more, counting down from five and some of the debris moves aside to reveal a piece with a horn of gold. The Doctor explains it's The Pyramid of the Rings of Akhaten, which is a holy site for the Sound Singers of Akhaten. Clara is confused as The Doctor explains what they are.
"Yes Doctor, we know, you're not religious," Donna said in exasperation.
"Well, after everything he's seen, it's hard to blame him for that," Jack shrugged.
Clara asks if all life did originate here and The Doctor says it what they believe. Clara asks if they can see it up close and The Doctor leads her back into the TARDIS. The TARDIS then materializes on the planet and The Doctor leads her out into a flea market.
"This is like something out of Star Wars now," Mickey noted as they noticed all the different aliens in the flea market.
"It's like the Mos Eisley," Donna agreed as they all watched with interest.
Clara looks around in amazement at all the different aliens as The Doctor explains they're from the local systems, introducing the various species, even performing a secret handshake with one. The Doctor reminisces about being here before with his granddaughter, surprising Clara.
"Looks like that's one rumor confirmed," Jack noted as the past viewers looked interested at this.
"So she must have died in the Time War to," Martha said sadly.
"No, she's on Earth," Jane said, surprising all of them. "Dad stops by to visit her from time to time. I met her once, she was cool."
"Blimey. Aren't you just full of surprises Boss," Mickey muttered as the past viewers processed this new information.
The Doctor and Clara sample some fruit and The Doctor explains it's time for The Festival of Offerings, which is a big event for the locals. Clara has a brief encounter with an alien who barks but The Doctor jumps in, explaining the alien, who is named Dor'een is merely asking if Clara would like a Moped. Clara follows The Doctor's cue and barks back, asking how much the Moped is. The Doctor explains that the currency here is something of sentimental value.
"Oi! That's what they use as money?" Donna asked aghast.
"Suddenly a lot less eager to visit there," Martha muttered.
"You'd be surprised how often this kind of thing is done. And its honestly one of the more humane forms of currency throughout the universe," Jack said with a shrug.
"Speak for yourself mate," Mickey grumbled, unable to imagine parting with something that meant so much to him.
Clara calls this horrible and they briefly bicker before Clara challenges The Doctor to pay for it. Clara turns her back and The Doctor briefly pulls out his screwdriver before placing it back in his pocket.
"Of course he would never part with his precious screwdriver," Donna said, laughing.
"He'd probably cut off his own arm, again, before doing that," Jack said with a barking laugh.
Snickers all broke out across the room, all of them imagining The Doctor's reaction to being forced to part with his screwdriver.
The Doctor walks off and Clara turns back to see him gone. She tries to follow after him but runs into a girl in a red robe that seems frightened. Clara asks if she's okay but the girl runs off without answering. Two men in similar robes then walk up to Clara, asking if she's seen the Queen of Years. Clara is confused and the men walk off.
"And of course there's trouble here," Martha muttered, the laughter stopping as they all watched the screen with interest.
"The Spaceman always has to find trouble, somehow," Donna said with a sigh, watching the screen wearily as she wondered what mess The Doctor was going to find himself in this time.
Clara follows the direction the girl went in and finds herself in a messy room. Clara looks around before hearing a noise and sees the girl behind her. The girl runs off again and Clara follows her. Clara finds the girl behind a vent and the two startle each other. The two laugh briefly and Clara asks what the girl is doing. The girl says hiding, surprised that Clara doesn't know her. Clara says she followed her because the girl looked lost but the girl doesn't believe her. Clara assures her that she's never been to this planet before and the girl says she needs to hide. Three figures in black suits and masks over their mouths appear in a black mist. "Where are you Merry?"
"Well isn't that creepy?" Mickey muttered as the past viewers eyed the screen uncomfortably.
"The girl must be Merry," Wilf realized.
"Why are they after her?" Jack wondered as he narrowed his eyes, wondering what was going on.
"Have a feeling we're going to find out Gramps," Donna muttered.
Clara begins leading Merry away, promising she knows the perfect box to hide in. The three figures roam the room, calling out to Merry as Clara leads her out into the street. Clara leads Merry over to the TARDIS but is unable to open it. "I don't think it likes me," Clara says.
"Atta girl," Jack said with a laugh.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew about the Siren," Martha realized, looking around the room but the TARDIS remained silent.
"I can't say how much the TARDIS knew about the Siren, but she definitely knew there was something off about Clara. I doubt she knew the extent though," Jane said with a sigh as the room was filled with silence, sadness filling each of them for a moment.
Clara begins beating on the doors as Merry climbs behind the TARDIS, hiding. Clara climbs back there, Merry introducing herself. Clara sits down and asks if someone is trying to hurt Merry but she says she's merely scared of 'getting it wrong'. Merry explains she is the Queen of Years, chosen as a baby when the last one died. She knows every chronicle of her people's history and must now sing a special song to a god.
"I see now. So it's some kind of tradition," Jack mused.
"But knowing these recordings, I don't think it's going to be that simple," Martha muttered.
"Nothing with him ever is," Donna muttered as she eyed the screen warily, wondering what trouble The Doctor would be bringing this time.
Clara assures her everyone is scared when you're little, telling Merry a story about getting lost at a beach as a child, which was her worst nightmare as a kid. Clara tells Merry her mother had found her and taken her home, remembering her mother tucking her into bed that night, promising her she'd always find Clara.
No one said a word, merely looking at the screen sadly. It was clear that Clara had loved her mother very much and in some ways was still mourning her death. It was something they could all relate to.
Clara then tells Merry she was scared lots of times after that before asking what Merry is scared of about the song. Merry confesses she's scared of getting the song wrong and making 'Grandfather' angry. Clara assures Merry she'll get the song right and Merry hugs her happily. Clara then leads Merry out into the streets and she walks up to the men in robes. A necklace is placed around Merry's necklace before she is led away. Clara watches as The Doctor walks up behind her, eating a fruit as he asks what she's been doing. Clara says she was exploring and The Doctor shrugs.
"That's one word for it," Mickey said with a slight smile.
In the temple, a man in robes is singing. Another man in robes walks up behind him and they trade places, the other man singing now. It's revealed they're singing to a creature in a glass case.
"What is that?" Martha asked as the past viewers began to get a bad feeling.
"I don't know, but I think we're about to find out," Jack said grimly, knowing something was about to happen.
Merry is led into the center of a stadium and she walks up to a podium overlooking the temple. The Doctor and Clara rush into the stadium and quickly find some seats. The Doctor shushes Clara when she tries to speak. Merry looks at Clara once again before she starts to sing. At the Pyramid, a door opens and the man singing walks out, singing a duet with Merry. In the crowd, The Doctor explains they're singing to the creature, called Old God or Grandfather and that they're singing The Long Song, a lullaby to keep the mummy asleep, which is a multigenerational tradition.
"What is this, The Mummy?" Mickey asked in disbelief.
"You have no idea how right you are Mickey," Jane said with a grimace.
Some members of the crowd begin holding out objects and The Doctor explains these are offers to the Old God. As the offers begin to vanish into gold dust, the crowd begins to join in on the song, The Doctor trying to as well.
The past viewers all chuckled at The Doctor's antics, the tension in the room breaking slightly.
Something seems to happen and the man stops singing. The temple begins to shake and everyone stops singing. Merry turns back to the crowd as the man begins singing, kneeling down again while Merry is surrounded by golden energy and lifted into the air.
"No!" Donna exclaimed, watching the screen in horror.
"Merry," Wilf said horrified as the past viewers looked on in horror.
"What's happening?!" Martha demanded but no one had an answer, only able to look on in horror.
As Clara asks if someone is going to help Merry, Merry begins to get dragged towards the Pyramid. The Doctor jumps up and runs out of the stadium and Clara follows after him. As she follows him into the street, Clara says they can't walk away, as she talked Merry into doing this. The Doctor tells Clara she needs to know one thing about traveling with him. "You don't walk away."
"If there's one thing we know about The Doctor, he can't ever turn his back on people in need," Jack noted, remembering how The Doctor had first saved him during their first encounter.
"Never," Donna agreed.
"Which is why Merry'll be fine," Mickey said, repeating it in his mind silently as if to reassure himself.
"Don't jinx us Mickey," Martha muttered as they watched the screen uneasily.
The Doctor walks up to Doreen, the two barking at each other before The Doctor tells Clara he needs something of sentimental value and he only has his screwdriver on him. Clara looks down at a ring on her finger, saying it's her mother's before pulls it off and hands it to Dor'een, who then gestures over to the Moped.
"Doesn't he have Amy's glasses on him? He could've used those," Wilf noted.
"It was the last piece of Amy and Rory he had left. Even charmed by the Space Siren, he couldn't let them go," Jane said, grimacing at a memory. "One time, the Siren tried to make him. It didn't go so well."
"He was still trying to fight it off, he just couldn't," Jack realized sadly and Jane nodded as the room was once more filled with sadness at The Doctor's fate.
As Merry is being sucked towards the Pyramid, The Doctor and Clara ride over on the Moped, which flies. Clara grabs Merry's hand but Merry loses her grip and is sucked into the Pyramid. Clara then holds onto The Doctor as he lands the Moped. They get off the Moped and The Doctor scans the door, determining the lock changes multiple times a second. As The Doctor attempts to find a way in, Merry wakes up inside.
"Hurry Spaceman," Donna whispered softly as they all watched the screen tense, worried for Merry.
Clara is horrified the people just let Merry be taken and The Doctor explains its sacred ground, as they consider Grandfather a god. Merry sees the man is still singing as she walks over to Grandfather. She looks to the man terrified, not knowing what to do next. Grandfather's eyes glow red and Merry screams.
"Bloody Hell," Mickey whispered as they all watched in horror.
"This is barbaric," Martha said horrified. "She's just a child."
"Sometimes people do things because they feel they have no other choice," Jack said, thinking of Steven once more. "It doesn't make it right, but it's hard to blame them sometimes."
"Speak for yourself Immortal Man. I would never give up my son to this," Donna snapped and Jack smiled tightly.
Donna would say that now, but you never really knew what you were capable of sacrificing until the moment came.
Hearing Merry's scream, The Doctor frantically scans the door as Clara assures Merry they're coming. The screwdriver locks onto the lock and The Doctor uses it to open the door. Merry turns towards them as The Doctor introduces himself, telling him to leave or they'll wake Grandfather.
"They're not just going to leave you die," Martha said softly.
"But can Boss really fight a god?" Mickey wondered uneasily.
"Something that's allegedly a god," Jack pointed out, not altogether convinced Grandfather was a god.
As The Doctor falls to his knees, trying to keep the door open, Clara rushes inside, trying to convince Merry to leave with them. But Merry refuses, blaming Clara for convincing her to sing and telling her to go before Grandfather eats them. Clara looks at Grandfather, saying he's not big enough. Merry clarifies she meant their souls as Clara is pulled against the glass, unable to move.
"And of course that would happen," Donna grumbled as she and Martha groaned while the others watched the screen tense, waiting to see what The Doctor would do next.
Merry urges her to leave, saying he wants her, not Clara. The Doctor asks if Merry wants them to leave and never come back and she says she does. "Absolutely never gonna happen," The Doctor says before rolling inside, the door closing behind them. Clara asks if he just locked them in and he says yes.
"You dumbo," Donna said in exasperation.
"Not one of your better plans Boss," Mickey noted as the past viewers watched uneasily, hoping The Doctor had some kind of plan.
Clara asks if he has a way out and The Doctor says there usually seems to be before looking at the man, who is still singing. The Doctor explains he's trying to put Grandfather back to sleep but warns him that he's waking up. The man stops singing, standing up and introducing himself before saying the Long Song ended with him. He presses a button on a bracelet and vanishes. The Doctor then whirls around, using his screwdriver on Grandfather as he snarls.
"Well there goes that plan," Donna muttered.
"Coward," Mickey snarled angrily at the man. "Just left them to die."
"In situations like this, cowards reveal themselves," Jack said grimly as they all watched, waiting to see what would happen now.
The Doctor explains Grandfather is not waking up because Merry got the song wrong, he's waking because it's his time to feed. Merry is a sacrifice to satisfy it. It's not a god; it's a vampire who will feed on her story.
"Bloody Hell. It's all a lie," Mickey said in disbelief.
"Grandfather makes them worship him as a god so they'll willingly sacrifice one of their own to him. It's sadly not a practice that's uncommon throughout the universe," Jack said darkly as the past viewers stared at the screen in horror and disgust.
"Oi. That's…" Donna trailed off, at a loss for words.
"You're telling me," Martha muttered.
The Doctor and Clara bicker briefly before The Doctor tells Merry a story about the elements in her body, which were determined millions of years ago in the heart of a star that exploded and died. He explains to her everything that formed from this explosion. "You are unique in this universe. There is only one Merry Galel. And there will never be another," The Doctor says as they stare at Grandfather's snarling face. "Getting rid of that existence isn't a sacrifice, it is a waste." The Doctor assures Merry if she doesn't sacrifice herself, everyone else will be fine, promising that there is always a way. She takes his hand and Clara is released.
"Thank the Lord," Wilf said as he, Donna and Martha all breathed a sigh of relief.
"I don't think it's going to be that easy though," Jack said, eying the screen wearily.
"It never is," Mickey muttered in agreement as they watched tense, waiting to see what would happen now.
As the glass cracks slight, The Doctor leads Merry and Clara towards the exit before the temple rocks. Merry realizes it's The Vigil, explaining its there to feed the Queen of Years to Grandfather if she refuses to sacrifice herself. The three figures from earlier then appear in a black mist.
"Sometimes I really hate being right," Jack muttered as Mickey and Martha groaned while Donna and Wilf looked on in dismay.
"Get her out of there Spaceman," Donna pleaded softly.
"And yourself," Wilf added.
They approach and The Doctor pulls out his screwdriver, aiming it at them. One shouts, unleashing a shockwave that knocks the screwdriver out of his hand. The Vigil then use shockwaves on The Doctor and Clara, sending them crashing into the walls hard enough to be knocked out. Merry is then grabbed and led towards Grandfather.
"No no no!" Donna cried as they all watched in horror.
"Doctor, you have to do something," Martha pleaded, the mother in her worrying more than usual because a child was involved.
The Doctor and Clara come around as Merry reaches Grandfather. The Doctor tells Clara to get his screwdriver and she does, tossing it to him. The vigil tries to unleash the shockwaves at him but The Doctor uses his screwdriver to hold them at bay. Merry rushes back to Clara as The Doctor struggles against The Vigil. Clara asks if Merry knows another way out and Merry remembers a story of a secret door than could be opened with a secret song. Clara asks if Merry knows it and Merry begins to sing it. The door opens and The Doctor urges Clara and Merry to go. While he holds off the Vigil, Clara leads Merry out the door.
"Come on, get her out of there," Jack muttered as they all watched with baited breath.
Clara leads Merry over to the Moped before running back, seeing The Doctor has trapped The Vigil in a bubble of energy. She urges him on and The Doctor runs out the door. Grandfather snarls, bashing the class and shattering it. A beam shoots out of Grandfather and into the planet above. The Vigil then vanishes, to Clara and Merry's confusion.
"What just happened?" Mickey asked as the past viewers looked as confused as Merry and Clara.
"Grandfather did his job," Jane said simply, smiling tightly at their confused looks. "Dad explains."
The Doctor explains The Vigil is of no use since Grandfather is awake. Clara notes he's not very happy about it and The Doctor reveals he made a mistake: the creature wasn't Grandfather, rather Grandfather's alarm clock. Clara is in disbelief that there is an Old God as they look up at the planet above.
"What. The. Bloody. Hell?" Mickey said as they past viewers stared at the screen in disbelief.
"So Grandfather-" Martha stared.
"Is the planet," Jane confirmed with a nod.
"Blimey," Donna said in disbelief.
"Now I really have seen everything. This is like something out of a comic book," Jack said incredulously.
"Tell me about it," Jane said with a sigh.
Clara is in disbelief as The Doctor asks if anyone has any ideas. Merry reminds him he promised and he admits he did. Merry begins panicking as The Doctor and Clara talk about where to go next. But Clara knows The Doctor is going to stay and fight it. The Doctor and Clara argue about her staying and Clara reminds him of what he said earlier. The Doctor says they run when holding onto something precious, looking at Merry pointedly. "We run and we don't stop running until we are out from under the shadow," The Doctor says. "Now, off you pop."
"You need to get Merry to safety. The Doctor'll be fine…I hope," Martha added as an afterthought.
"He's The Doctor. Although what he plans to do now, I really don't know," Jack said as they all watched the screen uneasily.
The Doctor tells Clara to take the Moped before heading back inside the temple. He comes face to face with the planet, which now has a face in it.
"Doctor," Donna said softly, filled with worry as they all watched, the room filled with tension as they worried about their friend.
Clara flies the Moped with Merry and lands in the stadium. As The Doctor prepares to face the Old One, Merry asks Clara if The Doctor is frightened. Clara says he is and the two agree they want to help him. Merry gets back on the podium and begins to sing. Hearing Merry singing, The Doctor smiles, deciding he'll tell the Old One a story. As the locals begin to sing along with Merry, The Doctor talks to the Old one. "Can you hear them? All these people who lived in terror of you and you your judgment, all these people whose ancestors devoted themselves, sacrificed themselves to you. Can you hear them singing?" The Doctor asks as they continue to sing. "Oh, you like to think you're a god. But you're not a god. You're just a parasite; eat now with jealousy and envy and longing for the lives of others, you feed on them. On the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow, so…so, come on then. Take mine. Take my memories."
"Oi! What?!" Donna exclaimed as the past viewers stared at the screen in shock.
"Have to admit, wasn't expecting that," Mickey admitted.
"I guess it takes sense. The Doctor's lived for a thousand plus years. If anything can put it back to sleep, it would be The Doctor's story," Jack mused.
"But what would that mean for The Doctor?" Wilf asked worriedly.
"Dad'll be pretty tired, but he'll be fine," Jane promised.
"I hope you've got a big appetite. Because I've lived a long life, and I have seen a few things." The Doctor said, grunting as the Old One wraps him in its web, beginning to take The Doctor's memories while people continue to sing. "I walked away from the last great Time War. I marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment, until nothing remained. No time, no space. Just me! I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman. And I have watched as universes freeze and creations burn. I have seen things you wouldn't believe! I have lost things you will never understand! And I know things! Secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken. Knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze! So come on then! Take it! Take it all, baby! Have it! You have it all!" The people finished the song as The Doctor falls to his knees once The Old One has finished. They all watch in horror as the Old One still remains.
"It wasn't enough," Donna said as they all stared in shock, dismay and disbelief.
"So what do they do now?" Wilf asked uneasily but no one had an answer.
Clara once again remembers her mother before getting on the Moped and riding out to the Pyramid. She finds The Doctor on his knees before looking towards The Old One, declaring she brought something for it. Clara holds out the leaf that hit her father, explaining it's full of stories and histories and a future that never got lived. The leaf begins to disintegrate as Clara declares these were the days that her mother never got to live. The Doctor gets up, noting there is a different between what was and what should have been as the Old One begins to get full. The leaf disintegrates as the planet goes back to sleep and the face vanishes.
"Please tell me I'm hallucinating," Mickey almost pleaded as the past viewers stared in disbelief.
"We all must be. Because there is no way a leaf is worth more than The Doctor's entire life," Jack muttered, sure a cruel joke was being played.1
"It was the Siren," Jane explained and they all looked over at her. "Dad's memories worked enough that the Siren, acting through Clara, was able to lull it back to sleep."
"I guess that makes sense," Donna muttered.
"As much as any of this does," Martha agreed.
"If The Siren is the one that lulled it to sleep, does that mean Merry…" Wilf trailed off as they realized what might happen once they got back home.
"I don't have all the answers. Some of this you need to figure out for yourself," Jane said apologetically with a shrug.
"You are so bloody helpful," Donna grumbled annoyed.
Later, the TARDIS materializes outside Clara's. Clara opens the door, noting it looks different but The Doctor assures it's the same, right down to the same day they left. Clara then remembers seeing The Doctor watching her by her mother's grave.
"Well this should be interesting," Mickey noted as they all watched, wondering how Clara would react to this.
The Doctor says he was just making sure and Clara demands to know of what. The Doctor says she reminds him of someone who died. Clara assures him she's her and tells him she's not going to be a stand in for someone else, which The Doctor agrees with. The Doctor then hands Clara her mother's ring, saying everyone had wanted her to have it. Clara takes the ring and then heads out of the TARDIS. The Doctor walks over to the door, watching her grimly before closing the door as the screen goes black.
"As you said Mickey, it was interesting," Wilf noted.
"That's one word for it," Martha muttered.
"So now what?" Donna asked and Jane checked her watch.
"Now, it's been a long day. So let's have dinner and turn in for the night. I think we can finish up the rest of these tomorrow," Jane said.
The past viewers exchanged a glance but no one really had a problem with this. They also realized just how tired they all were. So they got up and headed for the door, allowing Jane to lead them towards the dining room once again.
A pretty bland episode, especially once you realize this is basically just a rip off of Fires of Pompeii with the difference that The Doctor does manage to save everyone. Although I will say that The Doctor's speech is one of The Doctor's better speeches.
1: And Clara's Mary-Sueness continues. In what world does it make sense that a life never lived – an ordinary, human life – is somehow worth more than The Doctor's 1,000 plus years of saving the universe? It makes no sense whatsoever and was just more of Moffat needing to have Clara save the day so she can show how awesome she is. At this point, it became clear to me that Clara was no different from Felicity Smoak, Lana Lang or any other character that the writers will make save the day because those characters are their little pet project.
And I'm not someone who nitpicks about this kind of thing, but the more the show goes on, the more of a Mary-Sue Clara becomes to the point that The Doctor even gets nerfed in order to make her so. It actually surprised me how much the show gave me to work with for the Siren angle.