Allons-y!
Iconic science fiction series Doctor Who turns 60 years old today. Having amped up the celebrations in the last few weeks with Doctor Who -themed posts, this is where it culminates - a ranking of the best episodes from the show's modern, post-2005 version. From the Eccleston and Tennant eras, through the Matt Smith golden years all the way to the times of Capaldi and Whittaker, these are the very best hours from BBC's Doctor Who (2005-).
Here are my honorable mentions: Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways (Season 1 Episodes 12-13), A Good Man Goes to War (Season 6 Episode 7), The Angels Take Manhattan (Season 7 Episode 5), The Name of the Doctor (Season 7 Episode 14), Face the Raven (Season 9 Episode 10).
And a spoiler alert is in order!
10. Army of Ghosts / Doomsday (Season 2 Episodes 12-13)
Season 2 of the new series ends with one hell of a two-parter. Everything, from the villains (both Daleks and Cybermen - a real dream come true for longtime Whovians) to the heroes (David Tennant and Billie Piper do some of their best work as the Doctor and Rose), not to mention Murray Gold's dramatic soundtrack, just rocks.
The first part, Army of Ghosts, opens with a cold, no-nonsense flash-forward, bound to leave you shivering and expecting something serious. The rest of the two-episode story doesn't disappoint, as Army of Ghosts ends with a delicious cliffhanger, and Doomsday brings the emotional thunder with the bitter parting of the Doctor and Rose. Their final conversation on the beach gets me every time.
9. World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls (Season 10 Episodes 11-12)
While this two-parter isn't Peter Capaldi's final episode as the Doctor (the touching Twice Upon a Time barely missed out on the list), it is the season finale of his last full season in the role. And what a banger it is - the first part takes us to an eerie and mysterious world, only to hit us with a massive plot twist at the end to set up the second part (the Master - both the John Simm and Michelle Gomez versions). The second part is quite the spectacle, setting up the Twelfth Doctor's upcoming regeneration - only to throw a major curveball into the narrative.
In the very last moments of season 10, the Doctor refuses to regenerate just yet, as he exits the TARDIS into a blistering snowstorm. A figure emerges, and in one of the most jaw-dropping reveals in the show's 60-year run, it's revealed to be the very first incarnation of the Doctor - William Hartnell was long dead by the time this episode aired, but David Bradley plays the role so convincingly that any true fan will instantly recognize the figure. With one Christmas Special of Capaldi's tenure left to go, this ending sets some sky-high stakes for his swan song.
8. Human Nature / The Family of Blood (Season 3 Episodes 8-9)
This two-parter isn't quite the best overall episode from David Tennant's tenure as the Doctor, but it is the finest showcase of my all-time favorite Doctor's acting chops in the role. The Doctor temporarily rids himself of his Time Lord traits and turns into a normal human being in order to hide from the nefarious Family of Blood, and this leads to an emotional journey.
The two-part format allows a delightfully slow pace for a typically exhilarating series, as the plot deals with love, loss, mortality and war in an authentically deep manner. It's a sentimental and borderline profound episode, with Tennant's sledgehammer acting leaving viewers like myself speechless.
7. Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords (Season 3 Episodes 11-13)
The only three-parter in a series otherwise consisting of two-parters and individual episodes, this arch at the end of season 3 is an emotional journey if I ever saw one. The first part, Utopia, prides itself in one of the most specific vibes the show has created - the TARDIS whisks the Doctor and Martha (Freema Agyeman) to the distant and atmospheric world of Malcassairo, further in the future than they've ever been. The inhabitants are working their way towards a fabled world they call 'Utopia', and something cryptic is clearly happening beneath the surface. Overseeing it all is a mysterious old man, played by iconic Shakespeare master Derek Jacobi.
The ending of Utopia is an earth-shattering plot twist, a crazy cliffhanger and a delicious treat for fans of the classic series at the same time: the mysterious character turns out to be none other than The Master, an iconic villain who hadn't yet appeared in the show's modern version, and the reveal is immediately followed by a sequence of events as he steals the TARDIS and travels to the past, leaving the Doctor and Martha stranded in the future.
While the first episode of the trifecta is the most epic and memorable instalment, the two that follow are quite brilliant as well. I especially respect how Murray Gold's masterful composition This Is Gallifrey; Our Childhood, Our Home is used in various key scenes: the track is so dramatic in such an interpretational manner, that it fits into an intense chase sequence in The Sound of Drums as well as it does into the Master's bittersweet 'death' in Last of the Time Lords.
6. Turn Left (Season 4 Episode 11)
The whole premise of this episode is creepy, melancholic and thought-provoking - while visiting a strange planet, Donna (Catherine Tate) is shown a vision of how the past years would've met if she had never met the Doctor. This alternate timeline is a sad reality, and the sci-fi implications of Donna seeing such a world are important build-up for the upcoming season finale.
Speaking of which, the main reason for Turn Left being this high on my list is that it ends in one of my all-time favorite television cliffhangers.
Seriously, even in a series as full of brilliant cliffhangers as Doctor Who, this one stands out. Knowing that this was the last episode before the two-part finale, everything in the final minutes of this episode is built with perfection. The Doctor finding out (in an epic manner) that Rose is back, realizing the horrific implications of this, and rushing back to the TARDIS only for its inside to be lit with an anxiety-inducing red alarm is some serious escalation - only to be topped by Donna's question ("What is it? What's Bad Wolf?") being answered by the Doctor in the episode's chills-down-your-spine final line: "It's the end of the universe".
5. Listen (Season 8 Episode 4)
Peter Capaldi's acting and Steven Moffat's writing at their best. The story of Listen plays out like a cryptic puzzle box, as we jump through time (and space) while uncovering the mysteries at hand via Capaldi's rambling, unhinged monologues. Listen is a bewildering viewing experience, as its narrative structure is something quite unlike anything else I've seen. I can't really describe it with words - you have to see it in order to believe it.
Also, the ending is a massive emotional payoff, in terms of this specific episode's themes, the larger themes of the Capaldi era, and the lore of the whole series.
4. Heaven Sent (Season 9 Episode 11)
Okay, Capaldi had an even better episode in him - his Doctor Who era was its best in episodes where he got to ramble freely in his chaotic, humorous yet philosophical manner, and in terms of such ruminations, Heaven Sent is Listen x10.
You see, Heaven Sent is a 55-minute one-man play, with Capaldi's Doctor being the only character to appear.
Well, technically, there are a few short cameos, but Capaldi is the only one with lines. An episode with this premise is a massive risk, and one that wouldn't work with most actors - but this man, in this role, was the one guy who could pull it off. The episode is even more entertaining and thrilling than most ensemble episodes, because Capaldi's performance is so damn captivating that the viewer keeps wanting more. Also, as was the case with Listen, this episode also has a massive banger of an ending, making sure that it's not just a crazy one-off episode but also an important part of the larger ("larger" as in "storylines built across multiple decades") story.
3. The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang (Season 5 Episodes 12-13)
I've said it before and I'll say it again - season 5 of modern Doctor Who is the show's best season, and one of the best individual TV seasons I've seen. Having said goodbye to the Tennant era, the show reinvented itself with a fresh new feel - Moffat's work as showrunner, Matt Smith's amazing take on the lead role, Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) as companions, and Murray Gold's masterpiece I Am the Doctor rocking the soundtrack at every turn. Season 5 feels exciting, magical, epic, and like the best possible version of the series. And it culminates in one hell of a finale.
In the first part, The Pandorica Opens, all of the season's well-built narratives start to unfold in a climactic manner, filled to the brim with various cliffhangers and payoffs (my personal favorite moment is the Doctor's energetic speech given to the alien enemies coveting the Pandorica). The second part, The Big Bang, is appropriately titled - the very emotional core of season 5 explodes, in a series of events featuring romance, sacrifice and pure, adrenaline-fueled heart. All of it is made infinitely better by Smith's passionate acting performance, Moffat's well-paced writing and Gold's majestic score.
2. Day of the Doctor (50th Anniversary Special)
In storytelling, a good climax is always difficult to come by. In television, it is by default harder to write a good payoff for a storyline built across multiple seasons, than for a storyline built across a few episodes. So, writing a satisfying climax to a storyline built across fifty years is quite the gargantuan challenge - but Steven Moffat was up for the task.
The Doctor's complex relationship to the Time Lords, the lore around the planet Gallifrey and the conclusion of the Time War are all resolved in an explosive manner here, in a magnificent crossover episode between different versions of the Doctor. The center stage is taken by Matt Smith, David Tennant and War Doctor John Hurt, and atop their amusing interactions, there are many other delicious cameos in the mix.
The atmosphere is epic from the start - the special opening credits, with Murray Gold's Majestic Tale of a Madman in a Box blasting in an epic arrangement while the Doctor hangs from the TARDIS above Trafalgar Square, are quite simply top tier hype. It only gets better from there, culminating in the scene where all thirteen versions of the Doctor (including Peter Capaldi, who hadn't even made his debut yet) come together to save Gallifrey. And, as a tear-jerking cherry on top of this spectacular cake, the cameo of 79-year-old Tom Baker was just the right, touching note to end the episode on.
1. Blink (Season 3 Episode 10)
I'm not quite saying that Blink is the greatest television episode of all time - although it probably makes the top five. I will say, however, that it is the most ingeniously written piece of fiction I have ever encountered. I can't think of any movie, book or play where the storytelling is quite as genius as in this individual Doctor Who episode - the cleverness of the plot is simply off the charts.
Blink also gets massive points for the suspenseful horror atmosphere, the episode's one-off nature, and the brilliant concept of the Weeping Angels (my all-time favorite Doctor Who antagonist, first introduced here). And it goes without saying that Mr. Tennant is as great as always. But the biggest star of the show is Steven Moffat's writing, and the way the time travel concept is utilized for such a mind-blowing, creative story.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate the 30th anniversary of Schindler's List (1993) by ranking Steven Spielberg's top 10 movies.
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