One of the most hotly anticipated episodes of Doctor Who‘s ninth season finally aired Saturday night. Titled “The Girl Who Died,” the casting Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams excited Whovians and non-Whovians alike. When the second trailer for this season came out in August, its closing scene sparked rumors that Williams would be playing one of two “daughters” the Doctor once had — either the classic series’ Susan, who was left on Earth in the 22nd century, or Jenny from the new series’ fourth season. Showrunner Stephen Moffat shot these rumors down back in July, describing Williams’ character as “a brand new character, not someone from The Doctor’s past, unless I’m lying.”
Unfortunately, enthusiasm for Williams’ Game of Thrones character may have stilted what could have been a great role. That’s because her character, the young Viking girl Ashildr, looks and acts a little too much like Arya. Maybe next week’s concluding episode of this two-parter, “The Woman Who Lived” will change this, but I’m not so sure they will.
Here Ashildr’s village is besieged by an alien posing as the Norse god Odin. When the faux-Odin and his soldiers, who are Mire alien warriors, raid the village and “harvest” its strongest male warriors, they also take Ashildr and Clara (Jenna Coleman). The two eventually escape, but only because the young Viking brashly challenges the space-traveling warriors to combat the next day. The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) initially decides against interfering in the matter, making another one of this season’s references to the “rules” of time travel. “I’m not actually the police,” he tells Clara at the beginning. “It’s just what it says on the box.” Despite his objections to causing “tidal waves” instead of “ripples,” however, the Doctor predictably decides to stay and help the Vikings prepare for combat with the Mire.
So where does Ashildr fit in? The first time we see her, she greets the returning Viking warriors who captured the Doctor and Clara at the beginning of the episode. The contrast between her and the warriors is obvious — she’s female, smaller, younger, and discusses dreamy things like dreams and stories. Yet before we see her preparing for battle 20 minutes later, we already know that she’s not just another fair Viking maiden. Turns out Ashildr is a local farmer’s daughter, but why the hell is she hanging out with the warriors upon their return? It’s like… she prefers their ways to the rest of the village. Sure, she is nowhere near half the roguish tomboy that Arya is in Game of Thrones, but Doctor Who frames the character in a similar light.
An especially telling analog is the importance of sight to both characters. Game of Thrones fans know all too well how precious a commodity the ability to see is for Arya following the fifth season’s finale. And so it goes for Ashildr, whose ability to craft stories with visual detail becomes one of the greatest assets during the Mire’s second attack on the village. Using the alien warriors’ own technology against them, the Doctor is able to give her the capacity to put images in the attackers’ heads. When the deed is done, she, too, loses her sight (albeit in a different manner).
So far, it all feels a bit too familiar. Hopefully “The Woman Who Lived” will prove these concerns wrong when it airs next Saturday on BBC America at 9 p.m. ET.
