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 Doctor Who: Ranking the new series episodes, Worst to best, 108 stories... // back for a 2018 update |
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 Apr 24 2017, 12:15 AM
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#1
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 you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,599 User: 13,530                  
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 A few days ago, I read this article from the beginning of December 2016, ranking the episodes from the revived series of Doctor Who. Some of it's spot on but other parts I totally disagreed with, and I thought I'd have a go at making my own list, and I'll be counting down my order in this very thread. First up, some guidelines I've used! I'll be ranking every episode from Rose to The Return of Doctor Mysterio (neither The Pilot nor Smile will feature as they've not had long enough to settle in for me yet). Two or three parters count together, it's very rare that I'd consider separate parts of an episode to be significantly different in quality so makes sense to combine each story. This means that, for example, Aliens of London and World War Three (series 1) count together, as do Utopia, The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords (series 3). I've not considered The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived (series 8) as a two-parter, and Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent will all appear separately. Additionally, I'm only counting full TV episodes, no mini episodes or prequels or any of that sort. Now, a bit about me and my general Doctor Who taste  I started watching in 2006, it was the night School Reunion aired. I was 9 years old at the time and fancied giving it a go. I knew nothing about the show in advance but totally loved it. David Tennant was my first Doctor and remains my favourite to this date, and Martha is my favourite companion overall. It remains my favourite show to date, by quite a considerable margin, although I must admit that I've not ventured into the classic era much  another fun fact is that I own a few hundred action figures from the show :') a nice little picture of the display I currently have (with many more in storage): (my Rachel Stevens CD collection is to the left if anyone's interested in that too  )This will be kicking off shortly, I hope you'll find it an enjoyable read and I'd love to know if you agree or disagree with my placings! |
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Apr 24 2017, 12:19 AM
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#2
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 JanWasRobbed
Joined: 20 February 2009
Posts: 8,229 User: 8,335 
 
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Looking forward to this. I expect these to be at the bottom of your list: Fear Her, Love and Monsters, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, In the Forest of the Night, Sleep No More.
Fun fact: Fear Her was the first episode I ever watched. And it made me a fan. Imagine that. The Girl in the Fireplace to win 
This post has been edited by ♡ Heezus Froot ♡: Apr 24 2017, 12:20 AM |
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Apr 24 2017, 12:43 AM
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#3
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 The Lady Said Go Home!
Pronouns: He/Him
Joined: 20 April 2014 Posts: 22,029 User: 20,835
  
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Excited to see this!
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Apr 24 2017, 11:17 AM
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#4
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FIVE YEARS OF THE TURRET 15-20
Joined: 12 March 2015
Posts: 4,754 User: 21,666
 
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Looking forward to this!
My favourites: Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday Heaven Sent The Magician's Apprentice Dark Water/Dead In Heaven The Pilot The End Of The World Rise Of The Cybermen Mummy On The Orient Express The Husbands Of River Song I've only seen Series 1 (Episodes 1+2), Series 2, Series 8-10 Need to see more of the pre-Series 8 episodes. |
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Apr 24 2017, 01:08 PM
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#5
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,599 User: 13,530
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 108 Love and Monsters Series 2, Episode 10 Doctor: Tenth Companion: Rose Tyler Also starring: Jackie Tyler Coming in last place is the first "Doctor-lite" episode. What that means is that this episode was filmed at the same time as another (in this case, The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit), and it meant that David Tennant and Billie Piper weren't available to appear in much of this episode, so they barely feature at all. Instead it follows the story of Elton Pope, who met the Doctor briefly as a kid on the night his mother died. He meets up with other people who have been tracking the Doctor and they form a group called LINDA (London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency) to help trace him, although it becomes more of a social gathering. When a man called Victor Kennedy joins the group, the dynamic shifts and one by one, people stop coming to the meetings (which become a lot more like classes). It later transpires that Victor is a monster called an Abzorbaloff and has consumed team members Bliss, Bridget and Mr Skinner, before Elton's love interest Ursula is absorbed in front of his own eyes. Eventually the Doctor appears, and the Abzorbaloff is absorbed itself into the ground, but not before the Doctor does one final good deed for Elton, saving Ursula but... as a face on a slab of pavement :') I actually don't hate the concept of the Abzorbaloff, it's kinda interesting and the idea of the group members disappearing one by one is good, but the portrayal is what lets it down. Peter Kay is a good actor but I don't think he worked as the Abzorbaloff, and the fact it was created by a CBBC viewer makes the whole thing feel amateurish. Also, I just don't particularly care for any of the supporting cast. Elton narrates the episode so we see things from his perspective, but I can't say I particularly cared about him or any of the team. The episode is padded a lot with scenes of LINDA socialising, so the actual monster action takes a while to start (despite the cameo appearance of the Hoix at the start). Ultimately I remember finding this just quite dull to watch, and for a while it was the only Doctor Who episode I actually didn't like. It's still a chore to watch these days I find, and I've given it many more chances over the years. Plus I won't even go there with the suggestion that Elton and the slab of pavement that is now Ursula have a sex life 
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Apr 24 2017, 01:35 PM
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#6
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Radical Pink Troll
Joined: 11 March 2006
Posts: 26,599 User: 177
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I liked that episode pretty much up to Peter Kay being revealed as Absorbaloff. It was quite interesting until then and then it seemed really tacky.
This post has been edited by T Boy in Weeyals: Apr 24 2017, 01:36 PM |
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Apr 24 2017, 02:14 PM
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#7
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 🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,539 User: 11,746
      
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that episode was terrible. appears at the bottom of most of these lists and rightfully so.
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Apr 24 2017, 02:15 PM
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#8
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 I Drink Wine
Joined: 12 April 2015
Posts: 10,484 User: 21,753
 
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Love and Monsters was pretty bad but I don't think it's the worst they've had. It would certainly down there in the bottom 10 though for me. Just a lame premise and that came across in the execution of the idea.
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Apr 24 2017, 02:23 PM
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#9
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,599 User: 13,530
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 107 The Crimson Horror Series 7, Episode 11 Doctor: Eleventh Companion: Clara Oswald Also starring: Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, Strax Just avoiding the bottom of the pile is this story from Matt Smith's final series as the Doctor. The Crimson Horror is an odd one, because it's told mainly from the point of view of the Paternoster gang of Vastra, Jenny and Strax as they investigate "the crimson horror", a cause of death where victims are dumped in a river with red skin. The victims' retinas retained the last image they had seen, and one victim had seen the Doctor just before death. Jenny infiltrates Sweetville, ran by Mrs Gillyflower and Mr Sweet, the latter of whom is never seen. Jenny finds the Doctor tied up, with red skin himself, although the process is reversible for him, as opposed to being fatal for humans. He was being kept as a pet by Mrs Gillyflower's blind daughter Ada, who called him her "monster". They later discover that Mr Sweet is a prehistoric red leech, from Vastra's time, that had employed Mrs Gillyflower as its host. The Doctor also finds out that Mrs Gillyflower had experimented on her daughter to find the right formula for "preserving" people from the "apocalypse", aka. a rocket that she'd set off that would poison the air and kill everyone except those who got preserved. After a chase sequence, Mrs Gillyflower is shot by Strax, and Mr Sweet is sqaushed by Ada's walking stick. I'll be honest, I've not really rewatched this one too much, it's just not an episode I find all that interesting. It feels like a filler episode ultimately. The plot is all over the place and the concept isn't all that great either for me. Interestingly I feel like this one doesn't seem to be particularly hated among Doctor Who fans, not to the extent of some others anyway! On the positive side, I always enjoy the Paternoster gang, and Ada's story feels incredibly tragic, but aside from these, there's not a lot I can find to praise in this episode. |
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Apr 24 2017, 02:30 PM
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#10
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🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,539 User: 11,746
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I don't even remember that episode so it can't have been that great.
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Apr 24 2017, 02:36 PM
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#11
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❤️❤️➕🟦
Joined: 3 June 2012
Posts: 22,246 User: 17,160
    
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Hyped for this!!
I hated Love and Monsters on first watch but have warmed to it slightly over the years. Definitely belongs near the bottom of any countdown though! Shocked to see The Crimson Horror so low. By no means among the best but it was probably my favourite episode out of quite a poor Series 7B. The first half is a lot stronger than the second half though, I really enjoyed following the story through the Paternoster gang's eyes. |
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Apr 24 2017, 02:42 PM
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#12
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,599 User: 13,530
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 106 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship Series 7, Episode 2 Doctor: Eleventh Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams Also starring: Brian Williams Once you've had an opening story with "every Dalek ever", how can you possibly top that? Dinosaurs, on a spaceship, apparently. I mean, this episode is exactly what it says on the tin, so that's one upside I guess. We see Rory's dad Brian for the first time, alongside guest companions Queen Nefertiti (!) and John Riddell. Together, they arrive on a spaceship that's a few hours away from crashing into Earth, and the Indian Space Agency (ISA) in the year 2367 threaten to launch missiles at it if the Doctor cannot stop it. When they arrive on the ship, they see dinosaurs are roaming around the ship. The Doctor, Rory and Brian go in search for the engine room, which seems to be a beach inhabited by pterodactyls, using the waves as hydro-power. Amy, Riddell and Nefertiti discover that the ship was designed by the Silurians, to escape the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, but there weren't any Silurians on board. The Doctor discovers there is one human on board, a man called Solomon, with two robots voiced by Mitchell and Webb. Solomon revealed that he intended to steal the dinosaurs for the black market, and when he discovers who Nefertiti is, he tried to kidnap her and leave in his own ship. After rescuing Nefertiti, The Doctor tricks the ISA into firing missiles at Solomon's ship instead, and Rory and Brian steer the ship away from Earth. I think my main criticism of this is the fact it feels very overcrowded. There's no need for Riddell in the cast and Nefertiti isn't essential either I don't think. I wasn't totally sold on Brian at first (I warmed to him much more in The Power of Three, more on that later), although it doesn't help that there's a LOT of ideas crammed into this episode and there's not much time to focus on developing Brian's character. The dinosaurs ultimately feel a bit useless too, they're little more than a reason as to why Solomon was there in the first place. It's easily the weakpoint of series 7A, which otherwise I find pretty strong! |
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Apr 24 2017, 02:44 PM
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#13
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,599 User: 13,530
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Thanks for all the comments so far guys, glad you're enjoying
 Perfect chance for me to geek out about my favourite show! QUOTE(DalekTurret32 @ Apr 24 2017, 12:17 PM)  Looking forward to this! My favourites: Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday Heaven Sent The Magician's Apprentice Dark Water/Dead In Heaven The Pilot The End Of The World Rise Of The Cybermen Mummy On The Orient Express The Husbands Of River Song I've only seen Series 1 (Episodes 1+2), Series 2, Series 8-10 Need to see more of the pre-Series 8 episodes. Ooh I would highly recommend filling in the gaps  series 1-5 in particular are fantastic, and you'll find in this countdown that episodes from those series will likely be dominating
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Apr 24 2017, 03:11 PM
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#14
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,599 User: 13,530
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 105 Sleep No More Series 9, Episode 9 Doctor: Twelfth Companion: Clara Oswald Now here's one I'm a bit conflicted on. Sleep No More is Doctor Who's attempt at a found footage episode. It's narrated by Rassmussen, lead researcher from the Le Verrier Space Station, who warns the viewer not to watch the video, before explaining that he's put together footage from the past few hours to explain recent events. A rescue ship arrives at the space station, and there's no sign of the crew. The rescue team bump into the Doctor and Clara, before they are chased by what Clara nicknames as "Sandmen". When they take shelter, Clara is pulled into a coffin-like pod, which is later identified as a Morpheus sleep pod, used by all but one of the rescue crew (Chopra refuses to use it). The creator of the pods, Rassmussen, is found hiding in one of the other pods, and the Sandmen appeared as they were testing the next generation of pods. The Doctor then figures out that the Sandmen are formed from the sleep dust in the corner of your eye. After escaping the Sandmen once again, and losing a couple of crew members, the Doctor realises that video signals have been transmitted from their points of view, but there are no cameras to have taken them. When he sees there is no camera from Chopra's point of view, the Doctor knows they are a result of Morpheus. They return to the escape pod and see Rassmussen there, despite apparently being killed earlier on. He claims to have the first Morpheus patient in a pod, but eventually the Doctor, Clara and the remaining crew escape, because the events feel too choreographed to be a real thread, and he disables the gravity, causing the Sandmen to disintegrate. The final shot sees Rassmussen talking to the camera, revealing he was a Sandman the entire time and that anyone who watched the video will now be infected, just before he disintegrates. I must say, I don't feel like the found footage element worked for the most part. I'd have preferred it to just be told from a regular point of view. The Sandmen were an interesting idea but ultimately weren't particularly exciting or scary, and I don't think the story ever felt much more than a filler episode between the Zygon two-parter and the start of the finale in Face the Raven, just a relatively basic "base under siege" episode where the crew members are picked off one at a time. The ending is.... strange, and for a moment when I first watched I had to check it wasn't a two-parter because it's very open-ended, with the threat ultimately just being, well, left as it is. The final shot is incredibly creepy though, and I do admire them for trying something different with an episode, even if I don't think it really ended up as good as it could've been. |
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Apr 24 2017, 03:18 PM
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#15
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 3 January 2017
Posts: 10,138 User: 23,961
 
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Great thread idea. I first started watching Dr Who in 1973 which was Jon Pertwee's third season out of 5. It quickly became my favourite TV programme and I have watched pretty much every episode since. I caught up on the stories from 1963-72 when they were shown on UK Gold in the 90s (the ones that haven't been lost,anyway).
As for 'Love And Monsters',that one wouldn't be bottom of my list because it featured a soundtrack of songs by my favourite group,ELO. Looking forward to following this thread. |
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Apr 24 2017, 03:44 PM
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#16
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Radical Pink Troll
Joined: 11 March 2006
Posts: 26,599 User: 177
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Crimson Horror was on I actually thought was good for a bad series. Dinosaurs was pretty lame and Sleep No More I think would be bottom of the pile for me. It was so BORING.
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Apr 24 2017, 04:12 PM
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#17
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Buffy/Charmed
Joined: 18 April 2013
Posts: 44,034 User: 18,639
    
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I can't remember that red episode ha.
And oh god that Love and Monsters was terrible. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship too. Doctor Who NEVER kills. |
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Apr 24 2017, 04:24 PM
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#18
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The Lady Said Go Home!
Pronouns: He/Him
Joined: 20 April 2014 Posts: 22,029 User: 20,835
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I have a soft spot for Love and Monsters I mean its not the BEST episode at all but its okay
The one I hate of the list so far is Dinosaurs On A Spaceship was just awful I have not seen the found footage episode so cant comment and the Crimson Horror was alright |
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Apr 24 2017, 04:28 PM
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#19
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🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,539 User: 11,746
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the found footage one had the potential to be good but the Sandmen really let it down (I really don't buy that the sleep dust from your eyes somehow becomes a monster when you speed up the sleep process). The Matt Smith and Clara era is my least favourite too because of episodes like these.
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Apr 24 2017, 04:40 PM
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#20
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🔥🚀🔥
Joined: 30 August 2010
Posts: 74,539 User: 11,746
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oh come on this thread is asking for it so let's get it out of the way
Rose > Donna > Martha > Amy > Clara (yes I rank Matt/Amy above Capaldi/Clara, though I prefer Capaldi as the Doctor, Clara and the writing let it down) |
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