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BuzzJack Music Forum _ Television _ Doctor Who: Calum's ranking of every NuWho episode
Posted by: Calum 18th March 2020, 05:46 PM
It's been almost three years since somebody last took on the mammoth task of ordering all of the 21st century episodes of Doctor Who (see Joseph's brilliant thread http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=200399), so having just rewatched Series 12 from start to finish for the first time since broadcast over the last couple of days, I thought I'd try and come up with my own definitive list for my favourite TV programme (and it has not been easy).
It's been interesting browsing Doctor Who forums recently for the first time in a while and gaging the reactions to Series 12, seeing other people's rankings, and how they compare to episodes from the Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat eras. I also kind of surprised myself when I ended up working out which writers' episodes ended up where - but no spoilers. I've decided to include all Series 12 episodes in the countdown, because while there may be scope for some episodes to climb up the ladder in the future, or even fall down with repeated viewings, I doubt it'll be by very much. I've also decided to have both parts of a two-part story count as one story (so we have a top 140 to get through here) despite normally ranking each episode individually when I've previously compiled rankings.
So, while most of us might end up stuck indoors due to the pesky Coronavirus, I hope you all enjoy the countdown and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the episodes and where they land in the countdown! I can't wait to start counting down and revisiting every episode of my absolute favourite TV show! Allons-y!
Posted by: Klaus 18th March 2020, 06:18 PM
yaasssss
here to tell you when you’re opinions are right and when they’re wrong x
omg as if there’s been 165 episodes of nuWho
I’m currently about to start Series 5 of my epic marathon which started with An Unearthly Child over 18 months ago (!!!!)
Posted by: ElectroBoy 18th March 2020, 08:38 PM
QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 18 2020, 06:18 PM) 
I’m currently about to start Series 5 of my epic marathon which started with An Unearthly Child over 18 months ago (!!!!)
I'm Currently on the Pirate Planet of my latest marathon through them
I'm guessing with the lockdown i'll be rattling through them now though
Posted by: Calum 19th March 2020, 08:11 PM
140
The Tsuranga Conundrum
Series 11, Episode 5
Written by: Chris Chibnall
To my own surprise, when I think about some of the episodes that would have normally finished in last place prior to Chibnall taking over as showrunner, it's strange to think that compared to The Tsuranga Conundrum, I now seem to hold them in a much higher regard, despite how unappealing they are compared to episodes they aired alongside in their respective series'. Alas, The Tsuranga Conundrum, the fifth episode of Chibnall's bold new era of Doctor Who finishes dead last. Even with the comical nature of the Pting and it being one of the most iconic, meme-able monsters of this era so far (allegedly being the deadliest creature in the universe, only to be revealed moments later as a cute, CBBC-esque villain that wouldn't have looked out of place in spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures), that couldn't save this episode from doom.
Finding themselves aboard the Tsuranga - a fully-automated ship travelling to a medical space station - the Doctor and her new 'fam' (Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan) explore their surroundings before things take a "sinister" turn when the Pting shows up with a very large appetite for all things non-organic. We're introduced to a pregnant man, Yoss, and a host of other weird and wonderful characters that never really have a moment to shine. Despite this being an episode full of staple British actors including Suzanne Packer, Brett Goldstein (I'm still mad that he was killed instead of Mabli, whose voice started to irritate me a lot throughout despite her being Scottish, because he was certainly good eye candy), Ben Bailey-Smith and Lois Chimimba, even that wasn't enough to save this episode from being a complete damp squib. The relationship between Durkas and Eve never quite manages to capture me in a way that makes me sympathise with either of them, and Eve's sacrifice towards the end of the episode didn't bring out any emotion in me - it simply just happened with little dramatic tension from Chibnall to make this seem like a heroic act by a future classic Doctor Who character.
I don't know if my feelings towards this episode are tainted by the fact it was the fifth episode in a row to have been written/co-written by Chibnall (and certainly not the first average one either), or that it simply did not have any makings of a memorable episode by choosing to focus so much on its supporting cast who, ultimately, contributed nothing to the episode's development and eventual conclusion. At the end of the day though, it's sadly not a great moment for Chibnall so early on in his tenure as showrunner, and not a great moment for Doctor Who itself.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 47/47
Steven Moffat 74/74
Chris Chibnall 18/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 37/37
11 39/39
12 35/35
13 18/19
Series
1 10/10
2 10/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 11/11
9 9/9
10 11/11
11 9/10
12 8/8
Specials 18/18
The Tsuranga Conundrum
Series 11, Episode 5
Written by: Chris Chibnall
To my own surprise, when I think about some of the episodes that would have normally finished in last place prior to Chibnall taking over as showrunner, it's strange to think that compared to The Tsuranga Conundrum, I now seem to hold them in a much higher regard, despite how unappealing they are compared to episodes they aired alongside in their respective series'. Alas, The Tsuranga Conundrum, the fifth episode of Chibnall's bold new era of Doctor Who finishes dead last. Even with the comical nature of the Pting and it being one of the most iconic, meme-able monsters of this era so far (allegedly being the deadliest creature in the universe, only to be revealed moments later as a cute, CBBC-esque villain that wouldn't have looked out of place in spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures), that couldn't save this episode from doom.
Finding themselves aboard the Tsuranga - a fully-automated ship travelling to a medical space station - the Doctor and her new 'fam' (Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair and Yasmin Khan) explore their surroundings before things take a "sinister" turn when the Pting shows up with a very large appetite for all things non-organic. We're introduced to a pregnant man, Yoss, and a host of other weird and wonderful characters that never really have a moment to shine. Despite this being an episode full of staple British actors including Suzanne Packer, Brett Goldstein (I'm still mad that he was killed instead of Mabli, whose voice started to irritate me a lot throughout despite her being Scottish, because he was certainly good eye candy), Ben Bailey-Smith and Lois Chimimba, even that wasn't enough to save this episode from being a complete damp squib. The relationship between Durkas and Eve never quite manages to capture me in a way that makes me sympathise with either of them, and Eve's sacrifice towards the end of the episode didn't bring out any emotion in me - it simply just happened with little dramatic tension from Chibnall to make this seem like a heroic act by a future classic Doctor Who character.
I don't know if my feelings towards this episode are tainted by the fact it was the fifth episode in a row to have been written/co-written by Chibnall (and certainly not the first average one either), or that it simply did not have any makings of a memorable episode by choosing to focus so much on its supporting cast who, ultimately, contributed nothing to the episode's development and eventual conclusion. At the end of the day though, it's sadly not a great moment for Chibnall so early on in his tenure as showrunner, and not a great moment for Doctor Who itself.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 47/47
Steven Moffat 74/74
Chris Chibnall 18/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 37/37
11 39/39
12 35/35
13 18/19
Series
1 10/10
2 10/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 11/11
9 9/9
10 11/11
11 9/10
12 8/8
Specials 18/18
Posted by: STREAMSTUPIDLOVE 19th March 2020, 08:14 PM
I hope that all of Chibnall's entries at the bottom fo your list! He is absolute TRASH.
Posted by: JosephInSpace 19th March 2020, 08:24 PM
omg u stole my idea!!11!1 
Tsuranga isn't THAT bad for me, it's dull at worst really.
Posted by: Klaus 19th March 2020, 08:46 PM
erm
Posted by: ElectroBoy 19th March 2020, 08:48 PM
I don't mind Tsuranga mainly as its so bloody stupid. Its not dull (as a lot of the Whittaker stories) which is the worst thing Who can be. Bur with pregnant men and the Ptang its just batsh!t crazy
Dependent on how long the lock down goes; maybe i'll do a Mighty 299 of Classic and New Who
Posted by: Calum 20th March 2020, 09:16 PM
139
Sleep No More
Series 9, Episode 9
Written by: Mark Gatiss
Where to start? Mark Gatiss' Doctor Who scripts are iffy at the best of times (there are a number of other episodes that come under this bracket that I'll go into more detail about later), but Sleep No More really takes the biscuit. Adding the layer of found-footage to what could otherwise be a typical base under seige story should make the episode a lot more gripping, with the potential to add in a lot of twists and turns along the way. The whole thing, however, unfortunately falls flat and doesn't really grip me at all. In typical Moffat style (something that's present in a lot of episodes throughout his era), we're presented with a monster/villain/threat that takes something so ordinary that we wouldn't even think about in our everyday lives and, in this case, 'tries' to make it scary. The monsters of the episode - the Sandmen - are formed from the sleep in the corner of our eyes. Probably a terrifying concept to younger viewers, and nobody else. They could have been utilised far better than they were too, potentially if told from a different perspective as opposed to found-footage.
Granted, the episode has a lot going for it in other aspects. It had a shining moment in history by casting a transgender actor which was a big talking point at its time of broadcast, but it failed to utilise its guest cast in a way that left us feeling any sort of sympathy for them whatsoever. Although a persistent problem in Chibnall's era of Doctor Who, it's something that rarely happened in Russell T Davies and Moffat's era. Thinking back to the lost episodes we now know about, I think Gatiss' idea of a Dalek story - The Suicide Exhibition - would have been a far better option than what we ended up with here. To me, in a series filled with mostly two-part stories or intertwined and connected episodes, this just stands out like a sore thumb, considering it followed an incredible Zygon two-part story and was immediately followed by Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 47/47
Steven Moffat 73/74
Chris Chibnall 18/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 37/37
11 39/39
12 34/35
13 18/19
Series
1 10/10
2 10/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 11/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 9/10
12 8/8
Specials 18/18
Sleep No More
Series 9, Episode 9
Written by: Mark Gatiss
Where to start? Mark Gatiss' Doctor Who scripts are iffy at the best of times (there are a number of other episodes that come under this bracket that I'll go into more detail about later), but Sleep No More really takes the biscuit. Adding the layer of found-footage to what could otherwise be a typical base under seige story should make the episode a lot more gripping, with the potential to add in a lot of twists and turns along the way. The whole thing, however, unfortunately falls flat and doesn't really grip me at all. In typical Moffat style (something that's present in a lot of episodes throughout his era), we're presented with a monster/villain/threat that takes something so ordinary that we wouldn't even think about in our everyday lives and, in this case, 'tries' to make it scary. The monsters of the episode - the Sandmen - are formed from the sleep in the corner of our eyes. Probably a terrifying concept to younger viewers, and nobody else. They could have been utilised far better than they were too, potentially if told from a different perspective as opposed to found-footage.
Granted, the episode has a lot going for it in other aspects. It had a shining moment in history by casting a transgender actor which was a big talking point at its time of broadcast, but it failed to utilise its guest cast in a way that left us feeling any sort of sympathy for them whatsoever. Although a persistent problem in Chibnall's era of Doctor Who, it's something that rarely happened in Russell T Davies and Moffat's era. Thinking back to the lost episodes we now know about, I think Gatiss' idea of a Dalek story - The Suicide Exhibition - would have been a far better option than what we ended up with here. To me, in a series filled with mostly two-part stories or intertwined and connected episodes, this just stands out like a sore thumb, considering it followed an incredible Zygon two-part story and was immediately followed by Face the Raven, Heaven Sent and Hell Bent.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 47/47
Steven Moffat 73/74
Chris Chibnall 18/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 37/37
11 39/39
12 34/35
13 18/19
Series
1 10/10
2 10/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 11/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 9/10
12 8/8
Specials 18/18
Posted by: Calum 20th March 2020, 10:55 PM
138
Fear Her
Series 2, Episode 11
Written by: Matthew Graham
Honestly, if you remove Fear Her and a certain other episode, Series 2 could have been near perfection. Alas it wasn't meant to be though, and we ended up with an episode that, on paper, sounds like a brilliant idea. Taking a trip forward in time to 2012 where London is hosting the Olympic Games, and where a girl's scribbles and drawings come to life and attack you from inside a garage in a suburban London neighbourhood. Rose being attacked by a CGI scribble will forever remain one of the most iconic moments ever. Of all the things that could have happened, they decided that a giant scribble would have been terrifying / entertaining enough on the low budget they surely had for this episode. Despite its flaws, Fear Her has managed to provide us with so many meme-able moments, from the Doctor and Rose to Kel. On the other hand, it's a shame that from the entirety of NuWho it'll likely always be one that's not so fondly remembered.
I don't really have much else to say about the episode, because even the guest cast aren't at all likeable and don't make the episode any more enjoyable. Chloe Webber and her mother Trish just... weren't the best casting choices I don't think. The finest moments of the episode come towards the end when we're wrapping things up and we start to pay more attention to the Olympic Games themselves, where the Doctor ends up carrying the Olympic flame through a stadium that wasn't anything like what the real London 2012 ended up looking like. Some of the best moments also come in the more comedic moments too, with the Doctor's social awareness (or rather lack of) giving us a laugh. Randomly turning up in a stranger's home and eating jam out the jar with your fingers is just what you do, isn't it?
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies • 46/47
Steven Moffat • 73/74
Chris Chibnall • 18/19
Doctor
9 • 10/10
10 • 36/37
11 • 39/39
12 • 34/35
13 • 18/19
Series
1 • 10/10
2 • 9/10
3 • 10/10
4 • 10/10
5 • 10/10
6 • 11/11
7 • 13/13
8 • 11/11
9 • 8/9
10 • 11/11
11 • 9/10
12 • 8/8
Specials • 18/18
Fear Her
Series 2, Episode 11
Written by: Matthew Graham
Honestly, if you remove Fear Her and a certain other episode, Series 2 could have been near perfection. Alas it wasn't meant to be though, and we ended up with an episode that, on paper, sounds like a brilliant idea. Taking a trip forward in time to 2012 where London is hosting the Olympic Games, and where a girl's scribbles and drawings come to life and attack you from inside a garage in a suburban London neighbourhood. Rose being attacked by a CGI scribble will forever remain one of the most iconic moments ever. Of all the things that could have happened, they decided that a giant scribble would have been terrifying / entertaining enough on the low budget they surely had for this episode. Despite its flaws, Fear Her has managed to provide us with so many meme-able moments, from the Doctor and Rose to Kel. On the other hand, it's a shame that from the entirety of NuWho it'll likely always be one that's not so fondly remembered.
I don't really have much else to say about the episode, because even the guest cast aren't at all likeable and don't make the episode any more enjoyable. Chloe Webber and her mother Trish just... weren't the best casting choices I don't think. The finest moments of the episode come towards the end when we're wrapping things up and we start to pay more attention to the Olympic Games themselves, where the Doctor ends up carrying the Olympic flame through a stadium that wasn't anything like what the real London 2012 ended up looking like. Some of the best moments also come in the more comedic moments too, with the Doctor's social awareness (or rather lack of) giving us a laugh. Randomly turning up in a stranger's home and eating jam out the jar with your fingers is just what you do, isn't it?
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies • 46/47
Steven Moffat • 73/74
Chris Chibnall • 18/19
Doctor
9 • 10/10
10 • 36/37
11 • 39/39
12 • 34/35
13 • 18/19
Series
1 • 10/10
2 • 9/10
3 • 10/10
4 • 10/10
5 • 10/10
6 • 11/11
7 • 13/13
8 • 11/11
9 • 8/9
10 • 11/11
11 • 9/10
12 • 8/8
Specials • 18/18
Posted by: Klaus 21st March 2020, 09:09 AM
I actually really like Sleep No More and its amongst my favourite 12th Doctor episodes. Its the same with Kill the Moon - both largely hated but I actually love them both oops!
What I like the least about Fear Her is the clear lack of budget that means theres about 5 minutes of the Dad going Chloe, Im coming No, really Im really coming anytime soon Im coming whilst all we see is red lighting because they clearly couldnt afford to show him. Also the Council guy :)
Posted by: Slick 21st March 2020, 10:46 AM
The three episodes so far are rightly near the bottom. I'll be tuning in to this. Hoping for lots of Series 4 and Series 6 near the top.
Posted by: Calum 21st March 2020, 02:51 PM
QUOTE(STREAMSTUPIDLOVE @ Mar 19 2020, 08:14 PM)
I hope that all of Chibnall's entries at the bottom fo your list! He is absolute TRASH.
You'll just have to wait and see.
QUOTE(JosephInSpace @ Mar 19 2020, 08:24 PM)
omg u stole my idea!!11!1
Tsuranga isn't THAT bad for me, it's dull at worst really.
Tsuranga isn't THAT bad for me, it's dull at worst really.
inspirational king tho!!1!
It's dull, but it's also awful in its execution of so many things.
QUOTE(ElectroBoy @ Mar 19 2020, 08:48 PM)
I don't mind Tsuranga mainly as its so bloody stupid. Its not dull (as a lot of the Whittaker stories) which is the worst thing Who can be. Bur with pregnant men and the Ptang its just batsh!t crazy
Dependent on how long the lock down goes; maybe i'll do a Mighty 299 of Classic and New Who
Dependent on how long the lock down goes; maybe i'll do a Mighty 299 of Classic and New Who
Oooh I'd look forward to that if you were to do that, would love to see how closely (or far apart) our tastes are!!
QUOTE(Klaus @ Mar 21 2020, 09:09 AM)
I actually really like Sleep No More and its amongst my favourite 12th Doctor episodes. Its the same with Kill the Moon - both largely hated but I actually love them both oops!
What I like the least about Fear Her is the clear lack of budget that means theres about 5 minutes of the Dad going Chloe, Im coming No, really Im really coming anytime soon Im coming whilst all we see is red lighting because they clearly couldnt afford to show him. Also the Council guy :)
What I like the least about Fear Her is the clear lack of budget that means theres about 5 minutes of the Dad going Chloe, Im coming No, really Im really coming anytime soon Im coming whilst all we see is red lighting because they clearly couldnt afford to show him. Also the Council guy :)
It's such an interesting concept, but I think I'd probably have liked it a lot more had it been written by anyone other than Gatiss, oops. Kill the Moon is a lot better, though.
QUOTE(Slick @ Mar 21 2020, 10:46 AM)
The three episodes so far are rightly near the bottom. I'll be tuning in to this. Hoping for lots of Series 4 and Series 6 near the top.
Thanks Slick, hope you enjoy!! *.*
Posted by: Calum 21st March 2020, 07:26 PM
137
The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe
Christmas Special, 2011
Written by: Steven Moffat
It's Christmas 2011, and following on from 2010's A Christmas Carol it's time for Moffat's second Christmas special as showrunner. We get another adaptation, this time of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, albeit far less entertaining and with a lot less going for it. For all that happens in it, it has all the makings of being a great Christmas special, but it all falls a bit flat in the end. The opening scenes with the Doctor falling through space and crash-landing for Madge Arwell to find him are funny, and get things off to a promising start. After that though, when we're introduced to Madge's family and the tragedy they've encountered, it crumbles. There is of course the mystery of what could possibly be inside the massive Christmas present waiting for Lily and Cyril. It ends up being a portal to a snow-covered forest where most of the episode's events take place.
We get a happy festive ending when Reg, Madge's presumed-dead husband who had disappeared over the English Channel just days earlier, follows Madge as she brings everybody to safety and they're all one big happy family again for Christmas. But the fact that so much time was spent focusing on this when really I couldn't care less for the characters was disappointing. Not only that, but when we eventually find out what 'monsters' are hiding in the forest, it's one of the biggest anti-climaxes. A wooden king and queen (not too dissimilar to another Moffat-era 'monster' in Knock Knock) trying to escape the forest by finding an interface that they deem 'strong'. It's not surprising that the episode wasn't/still isn't well-received by many, because it sticks out like a sore thumb when you consider the festive specials both before and after. A good way to pass an hour on Christmas Day and to get your Doctor Who fix, but certainly not a classic episode by any means.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies • 46/47
Steven Moffat • 72/74
Chris Chibnall • 18/19
Doctor
9 • 10/10
10 • 36/37
11 • 38/39
12 • 34/35
13 • 18/19
Series
1 • 10/10
2 • 9/10
3 • 10/10
4 • 10/10
5 • 10/10
6 • 11/11
7 • 13/13
8 • 11/11
9 • 8/9
10 • 11/11
11 • 9/10
12 • 8/8
Specials • 17/18
The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe
Christmas Special, 2011
Written by: Steven Moffat
It's Christmas 2011, and following on from 2010's A Christmas Carol it's time for Moffat's second Christmas special as showrunner. We get another adaptation, this time of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, albeit far less entertaining and with a lot less going for it. For all that happens in it, it has all the makings of being a great Christmas special, but it all falls a bit flat in the end. The opening scenes with the Doctor falling through space and crash-landing for Madge Arwell to find him are funny, and get things off to a promising start. After that though, when we're introduced to Madge's family and the tragedy they've encountered, it crumbles. There is of course the mystery of what could possibly be inside the massive Christmas present waiting for Lily and Cyril. It ends up being a portal to a snow-covered forest where most of the episode's events take place.
We get a happy festive ending when Reg, Madge's presumed-dead husband who had disappeared over the English Channel just days earlier, follows Madge as she brings everybody to safety and they're all one big happy family again for Christmas. But the fact that so much time was spent focusing on this when really I couldn't care less for the characters was disappointing. Not only that, but when we eventually find out what 'monsters' are hiding in the forest, it's one of the biggest anti-climaxes. A wooden king and queen (not too dissimilar to another Moffat-era 'monster' in Knock Knock) trying to escape the forest by finding an interface that they deem 'strong'. It's not surprising that the episode wasn't/still isn't well-received by many, because it sticks out like a sore thumb when you consider the festive specials both before and after. A good way to pass an hour on Christmas Day and to get your Doctor Who fix, but certainly not a classic episode by any means.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies • 46/47
Steven Moffat • 72/74
Chris Chibnall • 18/19
Doctor
9 • 10/10
10 • 36/37
11 • 38/39
12 • 34/35
13 • 18/19
Series
1 • 10/10
2 • 9/10
3 • 10/10
4 • 10/10
5 • 10/10
6 • 11/11
7 • 13/13
8 • 11/11
9 • 8/9
10 • 11/11
11 • 9/10
12 • 8/8
Specials • 17/18
Posted by: Calum 22nd March 2020, 12:33 AM
136
In the Forest of the Night
Series 8, Episode 10
Written by: Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Frank Cottrell-Boyce's first outing in the world of Doctor Who wasn't exactly a classic Doctor Who moment, nor did it warrant him returning just two series' later for a second episode, despite that being a lot better than this. Although the episode in general is one of the most lacking in the entirety of NuWho, it does have some fine moments scattered throughout. Notably, it's the 12th Doctor's sense of humour and comedy that carries the episode most. His interactions with all of the school children that Danny and Clara are supposed to be looking after are hilarious, as well as the continuity of him always referring to Danny as 'the PE teacher' - the line where he says 'Mr. Pink was looking after you? Well that explains why you're lost.' is probably one of the most iconic, ever. For any flaws that people could identify with either Series 8 or Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, there's no denying that his characterisation was absolutely spot on throughout this series, and shaped him into a memorable and incredible Doctor. Even the guest writers knew how to land the jokes.
There isn't much really I can say about this story itself. Besides making us try to care for a young schoolgirl Maeve and all her family troubles, we're introduced to an overgrown forest that has spread over the whole of London overnight, covering it in shrubbery and green. Admittedly they did a good job making it look as realistic as possible, but even with all of that it's hard to believe that we're watching an episode of Doctor Who were it not for the fact we had our regular characters there for the ride. Remove them and we're watching an episode of Countryfile following a school field trip. Clara has a few moments to shine in this episode, and her relationship with the 12th Doctor is put to the test again which is a very regular occurrence throughout this series, but they both come out unscathed in the end and live to fight another day. Overall, not an episode worth shouting about or paying much attention to while rewatching.
Aside: The 9th Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, becomes the only Doctor not to have lost an episode to the pit of the bottom five.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 46/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 18/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 36/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 18/19
Series
1 10/10
2 9/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 9/10
12 8/8
Specials 17/18
In the Forest of the Night
Series 8, Episode 10
Written by: Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Frank Cottrell-Boyce's first outing in the world of Doctor Who wasn't exactly a classic Doctor Who moment, nor did it warrant him returning just two series' later for a second episode, despite that being a lot better than this. Although the episode in general is one of the most lacking in the entirety of NuWho, it does have some fine moments scattered throughout. Notably, it's the 12th Doctor's sense of humour and comedy that carries the episode most. His interactions with all of the school children that Danny and Clara are supposed to be looking after are hilarious, as well as the continuity of him always referring to Danny as 'the PE teacher' - the line where he says 'Mr. Pink was looking after you? Well that explains why you're lost.' is probably one of the most iconic, ever. For any flaws that people could identify with either Series 8 or Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, there's no denying that his characterisation was absolutely spot on throughout this series, and shaped him into a memorable and incredible Doctor. Even the guest writers knew how to land the jokes.
There isn't much really I can say about this story itself. Besides making us try to care for a young schoolgirl Maeve and all her family troubles, we're introduced to an overgrown forest that has spread over the whole of London overnight, covering it in shrubbery and green. Admittedly they did a good job making it look as realistic as possible, but even with all of that it's hard to believe that we're watching an episode of Doctor Who were it not for the fact we had our regular characters there for the ride. Remove them and we're watching an episode of Countryfile following a school field trip. Clara has a few moments to shine in this episode, and her relationship with the 12th Doctor is put to the test again which is a very regular occurrence throughout this series, but they both come out unscathed in the end and live to fight another day. Overall, not an episode worth shouting about or paying much attention to while rewatching.
Aside: The 9th Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, becomes the only Doctor not to have lost an episode to the pit of the bottom five.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 46/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 18/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 36/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 18/19
Series
1 10/10
2 9/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 9/10
12 8/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: JosephStyles 22nd March 2020, 01:11 AM
I don't MIND Fear Her, it's no classic but I don't find it as bad as most!
Sleep No More and Forest are two massive stains on Capaldi's era
Posted by: Klaus 22nd March 2020, 12:11 PM
I think Id give In the Forest of the Night the prize of my least favourite episode. So pointless.
I think both that and The Doctor, The Widow... show that dull is the worst that Doctor Who could be. Its why I dont overly dislike Orphan 55 because too much going on is better than nothing going on. It got too lost in the magical Christmas aspect and forgot the plot along the way.
Posted by: Calum 23rd March 2020, 06:19 PM
135
It Takes You Away
Series 11, Episode 9
Written by: Ed Hime
Prior to broadcast, It Takes You Away seemed like it was going to be one of the best episodes from Jodie Whittaker's debut series as the Doctor. However, the episode aired and what we got was something quite different. Although it had all the elements of a properly scary episode, there were parts as well that came together to make it a lot less-so. The episode begins with the TARDIS team landing in present-day Norway, near to an isolated cabin where it appears that only a blind teenage girl Hanne is living. She moved there with her father Erik after the death of her mother Trine, and since then her father has gone missing. After the episode spends a lot of time building atmosphere and tension, it's not until the second half of the episode where things start to fall apart. As the Doctor realises there's a portal to another dimension upstairs, we find ourselves in a more typical sci-fi setting. We're introduced to Ribbons, a 'monster' that guides the Doctor and co. through this 'Antizone', only to be killed moments later by flesh-eating moths.
While there's so much going on with the episode, trying to piece together the mystery of why Erik and Trine can be on the other side of this portal together, and if the version of Graham's dead wife Grace popping up is indeed the true version, but not only that also having to take a step back for a moment and wonder who thought it was a good idea to have a FROG ON A CHAIR as the Solitract. Not only that, but it also took on Grace's voice, so that made matters even more silly. The episode does have a couple of nice nods in it - it manages to build on Graham and Ryan's fractured relationship, with Ryan finally finding it within himself to call Graham 'granddad' at the end of the episode, but honestly this episode was one major disappointment. It starts off well with an interesting premise, but by the end I'm left wondering why I bothered wasting 50 minutes of my time with it. It's a shame, and a confusing one too, because some fans do seem to think it's one of the better episodes of Jodie's era thus far, but there are other episodes that have done so much better with much less convolution, I reckon.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 46/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 17/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 36/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 17/19
Series
1 10/10
2 9/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 8/8
Specials 17/18
It Takes You Away
Series 11, Episode 9
Written by: Ed Hime
Prior to broadcast, It Takes You Away seemed like it was going to be one of the best episodes from Jodie Whittaker's debut series as the Doctor. However, the episode aired and what we got was something quite different. Although it had all the elements of a properly scary episode, there were parts as well that came together to make it a lot less-so. The episode begins with the TARDIS team landing in present-day Norway, near to an isolated cabin where it appears that only a blind teenage girl Hanne is living. She moved there with her father Erik after the death of her mother Trine, and since then her father has gone missing. After the episode spends a lot of time building atmosphere and tension, it's not until the second half of the episode where things start to fall apart. As the Doctor realises there's a portal to another dimension upstairs, we find ourselves in a more typical sci-fi setting. We're introduced to Ribbons, a 'monster' that guides the Doctor and co. through this 'Antizone', only to be killed moments later by flesh-eating moths.
While there's so much going on with the episode, trying to piece together the mystery of why Erik and Trine can be on the other side of this portal together, and if the version of Graham's dead wife Grace popping up is indeed the true version, but not only that also having to take a step back for a moment and wonder who thought it was a good idea to have a FROG ON A CHAIR as the Solitract. Not only that, but it also took on Grace's voice, so that made matters even more silly. The episode does have a couple of nice nods in it - it manages to build on Graham and Ryan's fractured relationship, with Ryan finally finding it within himself to call Graham 'granddad' at the end of the episode, but honestly this episode was one major disappointment. It starts off well with an interesting premise, but by the end I'm left wondering why I bothered wasting 50 minutes of my time with it. It's a shame, and a confusing one too, because some fans do seem to think it's one of the better episodes of Jodie's era thus far, but there are other episodes that have done so much better with much less convolution, I reckon.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 46/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 17/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 36/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 17/19
Series
1 10/10
2 9/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 8/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Queefantine 23rd March 2020, 06:51 PM
God they really have ruined Doctor Who
Posted by: Klaus 23rd March 2020, 07:06 PM
I find the Antizone pointless and I always forget it even exists when I think of the episode. Then you have the frog on the chair.
I've grown to like some ideas of it and I love that the other universe is mirror-flipped, a really nice touch and it nicely plays on the issue of grief but it's just all a bit dull overall.
Posted by: Calum 23rd March 2020, 08:02 PM
134
Praxeus
Series 12, Episode 6
Written by: Pete McTighe & Chris Chibnall
Another episode with so much promise, only to fall completely flat barely ten minutes in. Pete McTighe's second outing for Doctor Who after his warmly-received debut in Series 11 with Kerblam!, Praxeus didn't quite manage to live up to expectations. I don't know if any of this is down to the fact that the episode came directly after the biggest moment of the series - Fugitive of the Judoon - too. Given the episode made no reference to the events of the previous episode, didn't explore how the Doctor now feels as a result, or anything else along those lines, it's not difficult to see why fans were a little annoyed. The episode itself though has an interesting premise. People are dropping like flies with the spread of an unknown infection - Praxeus - until a group of scientists are able to provide some more concrete answers within the last 10/15 minutes of the episode.
I think one of the biggest flaws with the episode is that it has so many ideas jam-packed into it, that none of them are really explored as fully as they could be, and it results in a messy episode with no time to resolve the main plot. We're left with a less-than-adequate explanation for everything that's happened, plot-holes galore, and a 'villain' that's not worth mentioning in the end. Even with some of its characters, it's difficult to establish just what their relationships are with one another. Until they acted in a romantic way (or even up until they kissed), I wasn't 100% sure if Jake and Adam were indeed a couple. Putting the frustrations aside though, it was good to have some LGBTQ+ representation in Doctor Who once again, and from two actors that I'd have least expected. Overall, with a truly terrifying infection that could have been brilliant had it been explored better and explained better in the end, as well as some great guest characters that should have been utilised better, this episode fails to meet the high standards set by the episode that came before it. Pete McTighe has a lot of work to do to get back to the brilliance of Kerblam! if he's returning for Series 13.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 46/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 16/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 36/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 16/19
Series
1 10/10
2 9/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
Praxeus
Series 12, Episode 6
Written by: Pete McTighe & Chris Chibnall
Another episode with so much promise, only to fall completely flat barely ten minutes in. Pete McTighe's second outing for Doctor Who after his warmly-received debut in Series 11 with Kerblam!, Praxeus didn't quite manage to live up to expectations. I don't know if any of this is down to the fact that the episode came directly after the biggest moment of the series - Fugitive of the Judoon - too. Given the episode made no reference to the events of the previous episode, didn't explore how the Doctor now feels as a result, or anything else along those lines, it's not difficult to see why fans were a little annoyed. The episode itself though has an interesting premise. People are dropping like flies with the spread of an unknown infection - Praxeus - until a group of scientists are able to provide some more concrete answers within the last 10/15 minutes of the episode.
I think one of the biggest flaws with the episode is that it has so many ideas jam-packed into it, that none of them are really explored as fully as they could be, and it results in a messy episode with no time to resolve the main plot. We're left with a less-than-adequate explanation for everything that's happened, plot-holes galore, and a 'villain' that's not worth mentioning in the end. Even with some of its characters, it's difficult to establish just what their relationships are with one another. Until they acted in a romantic way (or even up until they kissed), I wasn't 100% sure if Jake and Adam were indeed a couple. Putting the frustrations aside though, it was good to have some LGBTQ+ representation in Doctor Who once again, and from two actors that I'd have least expected. Overall, with a truly terrifying infection that could have been brilliant had it been explored better and explained better in the end, as well as some great guest characters that should have been utilised better, this episode fails to meet the high standards set by the episode that came before it. Pete McTighe has a lot of work to do to get back to the brilliance of Kerblam! if he's returning for Series 13.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 46/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 16/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 36/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 16/19
Series
1 10/10
2 9/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Calum 24th March 2020, 07:58 PM
133
Love & Monsters
Series 2, Episode 10
Written by: Russell T Davies
The fact that this episode hasn't finished in the bottom five speaks some volume about the quality of some episodes we've been treated to since the last time I tried to form any sort of list. Love & Monsters is generally received as one of the weakest links of not just Series 2, but NuWho in its entirety. With its focus on a group of people who call themselves L.I.N.D.A, led by Victor Kennedy, hunting down the Doctor and his associate (in this case, Rose), the story ends up following Elton Pope for the most part and his journey through Rose's life. He involves himself in Jackie Tyler's life by becoming romantically involved with her to some extent, which makes for some comedic viewing. The opening sequence of the episode though, is quite probably one of the funniest in the show. We follow the Doctor and Rose being chased and chasing a Hoix. Elton looks on in disbelief, and the whole thing is just so well done, but sets the tone for a filler episode like this perfectly. The silliness only increases as the episode goes by though, with the enemy - Peter Kay's Victor Kennedy - turning out to be the Abzorbaloff - a monster, that when it touches you, absorbs you into its body and leaves your face peeking out of whatever part of its body.
I guess we shouldn't have been expecting too much with the Abzorbaloff, considering the whole idea for it was conceived by the winner of a Blue Peter competition, tasked with designing a new monster that would feature in Doctor Who. I'd probably be proud myself if my creation ended up in the show, but maybe less-so seeing it being slated left, right and centre by Doctor Who fans all over the world in an episode that has come to mean so little in the history of the show. Jackie is one of the reasons that the episode doesn't completely fall to pieces - her back-to-Earth personality giving us some of the relatability that we look for when we come back to the companions' home turf. But, one of the biggest reasons the episode misses the mark completely is in its final moments when it's revealed that Ursula, Elton's love interest, survived being absorbed by the Abzorbaloff, and is now a permanent fixture in a slab from the ground. They even take things one step further and announce to an unsuspecting audience that they have a sex life, and they manage to make things work. We did not need to know ANY of that... Some things are better left unsaid. Overall, while the episode does manage to create some great moments, and still manages to make itself standard Doctor Who trope, there are far too many elements where it falters and strays too far from being the Doctor Who we've come to know and love.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 16/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 16/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
Love & Monsters
Series 2, Episode 10
Written by: Russell T Davies
The fact that this episode hasn't finished in the bottom five speaks some volume about the quality of some episodes we've been treated to since the last time I tried to form any sort of list. Love & Monsters is generally received as one of the weakest links of not just Series 2, but NuWho in its entirety. With its focus on a group of people who call themselves L.I.N.D.A, led by Victor Kennedy, hunting down the Doctor and his associate (in this case, Rose), the story ends up following Elton Pope for the most part and his journey through Rose's life. He involves himself in Jackie Tyler's life by becoming romantically involved with her to some extent, which makes for some comedic viewing. The opening sequence of the episode though, is quite probably one of the funniest in the show. We follow the Doctor and Rose being chased and chasing a Hoix. Elton looks on in disbelief, and the whole thing is just so well done, but sets the tone for a filler episode like this perfectly. The silliness only increases as the episode goes by though, with the enemy - Peter Kay's Victor Kennedy - turning out to be the Abzorbaloff - a monster, that when it touches you, absorbs you into its body and leaves your face peeking out of whatever part of its body.
I guess we shouldn't have been expecting too much with the Abzorbaloff, considering the whole idea for it was conceived by the winner of a Blue Peter competition, tasked with designing a new monster that would feature in Doctor Who. I'd probably be proud myself if my creation ended up in the show, but maybe less-so seeing it being slated left, right and centre by Doctor Who fans all over the world in an episode that has come to mean so little in the history of the show. Jackie is one of the reasons that the episode doesn't completely fall to pieces - her back-to-Earth personality giving us some of the relatability that we look for when we come back to the companions' home turf. But, one of the biggest reasons the episode misses the mark completely is in its final moments when it's revealed that Ursula, Elton's love interest, survived being absorbed by the Abzorbaloff, and is now a permanent fixture in a slab from the ground. They even take things one step further and announce to an unsuspecting audience that they have a sex life, and they manage to make things work. We did not need to know ANY of that... Some things are better left unsaid. Overall, while the episode does manage to create some great moments, and still manages to make itself standard Doctor Who trope, there are far too many elements where it falters and strays too far from being the Doctor Who we've come to know and love.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 71/74
Chris Chibnall 16/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 33/35
13 16/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 8/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Toilet Rollo 26th March 2020, 08:06 PM
No mention of ELO? For fans of ELO like myself,'Love And Monsters' stands out as featuring not one,not two,but three songs by them.
Posted by: JosephStyles 26th March 2020, 08:08 PM
It Takes You Away is cute and is WAY too low!!
Posted by: ElectroBoy 26th March 2020, 08:33 PM
I know It Takes You Away was quite well praised when it was shown... I just found it so dull! especially the bits in the interzone bit(Or whatever it was called).
My biggest issue with the current Who is the high rate of dull stories, poorly paced or with just mass loads of exposition
Posted by: Calum 26th March 2020, 08:36 PM
QUOTE(ElectroBoy @ Mar 26 2020, 08:33 PM)
I know It Takes You Away was quite well praised when it was shown... I just found it so dull! especially the bits in the interzone bit(Or whatever it was called).
My biggest issue with the current Who is the high rate of dull stories, poorly paced or with just mass loads of exposition
My biggest issue with the current Who is the high rate of dull stories, poorly paced or with just mass loads of exposition
Completely agree re. It Takes You Away. On repeated viewings it just isn't great
Poor pacing and exposition is definitely a greater issue in the Chibnall era so far than in RTD and Moffat's eras - purely because they were able to counter what made the quality of episodes suffer with pure entertainment and other things that Doctor Who fans want to see. Chibnall just doesn't seem to be able to grasp that.
Posted by: ElectroBoy 26th March 2020, 08:37 PM
QUOTE(Calum @ Mar 26 2020, 08:36 PM)
Completely agree re. It Takes You Away. On repeated viewings it just isn't great
Poor pacing and exposition is definitely a greater issue in the Chibnall era so far than in RTD and Moffat's eras - purely because they were able to counter what made the quality of episodes suffer with pure entertainment and other things that Doctor Who fans want to see. Chibnall just doesn't seem to be able to grasp that.
Poor pacing and exposition is definitely a greater issue in the Chibnall era so far than in RTD and Moffat's eras - purely because they were able to counter what made the quality of episodes suffer with pure entertainment and other things that Doctor Who fans want to see. Chibnall just doesn't seem to be able to grasp that.
Yeah its a weird situation for the show to be in really - its seems to have lost its fun factor (for me at least).
Posted by: ElectroBoy 26th March 2020, 08:39 PM
QUOTE(Calum @ Mar 21 2020, 02:51 PM)
Oooh I'd look forward to that if you were to do that, would love to see how closely (or far apart) our tastes are!!
Well i'm up to Warriors' Gate now - but I think if I did do it, it would probably a while off as there are alot of Doctors to go... saying that I've broken the camel's back of 6 parters etc - so maybe in a few months
Will give me time to re-appraise the awful final of the last season
Posted by: Calum 26th March 2020, 08:56 PM
132
The Woman Who Lived
Series 9, Episode 6
Written by: Catherine Tregenna
If ever there was no need for a continuation of a story to make up the episode count in a series, it's here. The Woman Who Lived builds on the story of Ashildr, the young girl from the previous episode The Girl Who Died whom the Doctor made immortal in order to save her, and the pain she's endured in the many, many years she's lived since becoming the titular 'woman who lived'. Despite continuing Ashildr's story in a unique way, and allowing the audience an insight into just how painful and destructive being immortal could be - the episode fails to give us many entertaining moments, and at the same time also fails to pack a classic, or even bog-standard, Doctor Who punch. Certainly for the first half of series 9, we're given the impression that each set of two episodes are linked in some way. It worked in the traditional two-part story sense for The Magician's Apprentice and The Witch's Familiar, and Toby Whithouse succeeded with Under the Lake and Before the Flood with the latter acting as a prequel of sorts. Here, however, the story becomes muddled and with little sense of direction. I'm left wondering after it all whether we could have had a special mini episode, or even a 5-minute prequel, to let us see more of Ashildr and what happened to her after the Doctor left her to live her life.
I guess exploring the consequences of the Doctor's actions, and how him thinking that he's giving someone the greatest gift they could ever ask for, is the complete opposite to what Ashildr believes is an interesting concept for the show, but the former Torchwood writer Catherine Tregenna doesn't quite hit the nail on the head here. The 'monster of the week' here is so poor too, ending up being a mere puppet and sidekick that Ashildr has to tame once in a while, until it turns into an all-out war between lion-kind and humans for all of ten seconds towards the end of the episode. There are a lot of simple and interesting ideas throughout the episode, but the script just doesn't elevate things and make them entertaining for the viewer. There are some pretty dark moments in the episode too that I don't feel we really needed to touch on either (see: when we find out how many children Ashildr has had, and the bleak scenes that follow). Overall, this is an episode that could have worked but didn't really pack the emotional punch that made me warm to Ashildr as a character any more, or care for her in the way that Moffat clearly intended given she also returned for Series 9's final few episodes too.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 70/74
Chris Chibnall 16/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 32/35
13 16/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
The Woman Who Lived
Series 9, Episode 6
Written by: Catherine Tregenna
If ever there was no need for a continuation of a story to make up the episode count in a series, it's here. The Woman Who Lived builds on the story of Ashildr, the young girl from the previous episode The Girl Who Died whom the Doctor made immortal in order to save her, and the pain she's endured in the many, many years she's lived since becoming the titular 'woman who lived'. Despite continuing Ashildr's story in a unique way, and allowing the audience an insight into just how painful and destructive being immortal could be - the episode fails to give us many entertaining moments, and at the same time also fails to pack a classic, or even bog-standard, Doctor Who punch. Certainly for the first half of series 9, we're given the impression that each set of two episodes are linked in some way. It worked in the traditional two-part story sense for The Magician's Apprentice and The Witch's Familiar, and Toby Whithouse succeeded with Under the Lake and Before the Flood with the latter acting as a prequel of sorts. Here, however, the story becomes muddled and with little sense of direction. I'm left wondering after it all whether we could have had a special mini episode, or even a 5-minute prequel, to let us see more of Ashildr and what happened to her after the Doctor left her to live her life.
I guess exploring the consequences of the Doctor's actions, and how him thinking that he's giving someone the greatest gift they could ever ask for, is the complete opposite to what Ashildr believes is an interesting concept for the show, but the former Torchwood writer Catherine Tregenna doesn't quite hit the nail on the head here. The 'monster of the week' here is so poor too, ending up being a mere puppet and sidekick that Ashildr has to tame once in a while, until it turns into an all-out war between lion-kind and humans for all of ten seconds towards the end of the episode. There are a lot of simple and interesting ideas throughout the episode, but the script just doesn't elevate things and make them entertaining for the viewer. There are some pretty dark moments in the episode too that I don't feel we really needed to touch on either (see: when we find out how many children Ashildr has had, and the bleak scenes that follow). Overall, this is an episode that could have worked but didn't really pack the emotional punch that made me warm to Ashildr as a character any more, or care for her in the way that Moffat clearly intended given she also returned for Series 9's final few episodes too.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 70/74
Chris Chibnall 16/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 32/35
13 16/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 8/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: ElectroBoy 26th March 2020, 08:59 PM
My feelings of Ashildr have mellowed quite alot over the years. I really enjoy the Girl Who Died now. The Woman Who Lived isn't quite as good, but I think there is some good stuff in there.
There's certainly some duffers which should've gone before it 
Posted by: Klaus 26th March 2020, 09:04 PM
The Woman Who Lived is so dull! It could have worked really well had it have been a character you actually cared about. Whilst Ashildr was great in The Girl Who Died, it was a bit odd to suddenly focus an episode on her. Also, I guess The Girl Who Waited had sort of already touched on some of the issues raised in that one, although on a different level.
Posted by: JosephStyles 26th March 2020, 09:21 PM
I agree, The Woman Who Lived is reaaaaaaaaaally dull. So little happens in it. Not a fave. I feel like most of the topics it covered could have been covered in one conversation in Face the Raven instead????
Posted by: Calum 26th March 2020, 09:22 PM
131
Arachnids in the UK
Series 11, Episode 4
Written by: Chris Chibnall
Unrelated: starting to realise that most pictures I'm able to source on Google from the 13th Doctor's era are of her and all three companions looking up at something in fear / hope - there's never any promo pics that can adequately sum up an episode in a picture; something that's so great about the RTD and Moffat eras. Anyway, on Arachnids in the UK - this episode was great for a lot of reasons, but it also had a lot of reasons to finish as low as it has here. Let's start with the positives: Yaz and her family. The episode finally began to gave us some insight into Yaz, what made her tick, who she was, who her family were. Chibnall tried to deliver it all in an RTD-type way, having a completely ordinary family with ordinary lives and ordinary jobs, living in a block of flats, etc. Tried and tested should work, but honestly after this episode it feels like we still don't know a great deal about the family, and we don't exactly get many more episodes like this to keep drip-feeding us. Despite that, it's great to finally have some back-story to the crowded team of companions. As well as that, the monsters in this episode actually genuinely terrified me. The spiders were very well done, and their initial appearance in the hotel and their eventual outbreak into wider-Sheffield was great. The bathtub scene in the hotel was incredible, as was the scene where the Doctor and co. nipped round to check on someone that hadn't turned up to work (of course the two are related, right!?).
Moving onto the negative aspects of this episode... A lot of it was too on the nose. Jack Robertson - Chibnall's attempt at creating a character mirroring Donald Trump - didn't go down very well. Fans didn't like it. I didn't like it. Chris Noth is a great actor, but you've got to wonder whether some actors are so desperate to appear in Doctor Who to be able to say they've done it that they won't turn their nose up at seriously sub-par characters and scripts. The pollution message is something Chibnall has been driving seriously hard in several episodes throughout his era now, and Arachnids in the UK was no exception. Making us believe that large corporations polluting large areas of land with trash will lead to an outbreak of deadly spiders, while scary, is just... a bit too naff. Then we have the moment where the solution to the episode's worries are found. In order to stop the spiders in their tracks, we have to contain them in a small space. While inventive, the best way to do that is to make them dance to the beat of Stormzy. While a comical episode in the sense that it's something you could imagine RTD doing too, it just adds to the silly nature of the episode and doesn't really seem like a great way to make us think 'wow, this brand new Doctor has so many tricks up her sleeve, how smart of her'.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 70/74
Chris Chibnall 15/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 32/35
13 15/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
Arachnids in the UK
Series 11, Episode 4
Written by: Chris Chibnall
Unrelated: starting to realise that most pictures I'm able to source on Google from the 13th Doctor's era are of her and all three companions looking up at something in fear / hope - there's never any promo pics that can adequately sum up an episode in a picture; something that's so great about the RTD and Moffat eras. Anyway, on Arachnids in the UK - this episode was great for a lot of reasons, but it also had a lot of reasons to finish as low as it has here. Let's start with the positives: Yaz and her family. The episode finally began to gave us some insight into Yaz, what made her tick, who she was, who her family were. Chibnall tried to deliver it all in an RTD-type way, having a completely ordinary family with ordinary lives and ordinary jobs, living in a block of flats, etc. Tried and tested should work, but honestly after this episode it feels like we still don't know a great deal about the family, and we don't exactly get many more episodes like this to keep drip-feeding us. Despite that, it's great to finally have some back-story to the crowded team of companions. As well as that, the monsters in this episode actually genuinely terrified me. The spiders were very well done, and their initial appearance in the hotel and their eventual outbreak into wider-Sheffield was great. The bathtub scene in the hotel was incredible, as was the scene where the Doctor and co. nipped round to check on someone that hadn't turned up to work (of course the two are related, right!?).
Moving onto the negative aspects of this episode... A lot of it was too on the nose. Jack Robertson - Chibnall's attempt at creating a character mirroring Donald Trump - didn't go down very well. Fans didn't like it. I didn't like it. Chris Noth is a great actor, but you've got to wonder whether some actors are so desperate to appear in Doctor Who to be able to say they've done it that they won't turn their nose up at seriously sub-par characters and scripts. The pollution message is something Chibnall has been driving seriously hard in several episodes throughout his era now, and Arachnids in the UK was no exception. Making us believe that large corporations polluting large areas of land with trash will lead to an outbreak of deadly spiders, while scary, is just... a bit too naff. Then we have the moment where the solution to the episode's worries are found. In order to stop the spiders in their tracks, we have to contain them in a small space. While inventive, the best way to do that is to make them dance to the beat of Stormzy. While a comical episode in the sense that it's something you could imagine RTD doing too, it just adds to the silly nature of the episode and doesn't really seem like a great way to make us think 'wow, this brand new Doctor has so many tricks up her sleeve, how smart of her'.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 70/74
Chris Chibnall 15/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 32/35
13 15/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 7/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: JosephStyles 26th March 2020, 09:25 PM
I enjoyed Arachnids on first watch, but god, the plotholes only get bigger the more you think about it. WHAT ABOUT THE SPIDERS OUTSIDE THE HOTEL?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!?
Posted by: ElectroBoy 26th March 2020, 09:27 PM
Arachnids - dull, dull, dull
Posted by: Klaus 26th March 2020, 09:27 PM
omg yes, the lack of actual promo pics for each episode for 13s era makes me sad. All we have are screen grabs
Posted by: Calum 26th March 2020, 10:02 PM
130
Orphan 55
Series 12, Episode 3
Written by: Ed Hime
Although Orphan 55 hasn't exactly finished high up on the list, I really don't think it's as bad as most fans will say it is. The premise it presents to us on the surface and in all synopses - of the Doctor and fam going on an all-inclusive holiday - is rather cheap, but when we get down to business and find out where the episode is actually set, and the plot moves forward a bit, it's honestly a, still very basic, but enjoyable episode of Doctor Who. It is very on the nose with its message in that it really hams the fact that we have a responsibility now to make positive changes to Earth, or this is one of the potential futures we face. I honestly don't mind it though. Yes, there are subtler ways to go about bringing a subject like this into Doctor Who, but I thought it was entertaining enough and Ed Hime did a decent job at scripting a whole episode around it so it wasn't the driving force behind the whole thing; more a really sharp bookend. Obviously the episode isn't without flaw. There are a few things that happen (or rather don't happen) that take away from the episode's high points.
We end up with a very crowded guest cast in this episode (something that's becoming a major problem in Chibnall's era considering we already have three companions fighting for air-time), and not all of them are given time to shine. We have some cute moments with Ryan when he befriends a terrorist who just wants some motherly loving, we have Hyph3n who could quite easily have been lifted straight from an RTD episode, and we also have the iconic and meme-able Vilma who spends almost all of the episode pining after her missing husband BENNI (only for him to be killed the moment we start to hear the end of her oxygen-wasting panting). Personally, the reveal that Orphan 55 was in fact Earth came as a surprise to me and did deliver that halfway twist where things kicked up a gear. Part of me doesn't see how people could have come to that conclusion before the reveal, unless they'd read spoilers. Either that or I just wasn't paying enough attention to any clues scattered throughout. All in all, this is an average episode that's not nearly as bad as some will have you believe, and while the Dregs aren't exactly the highest-budget monsters we've had in the show, I thought their presence was really quite creepy and commanding... until we stepped outside and saw them in full. My hopes and dreams were shattered in this episode when it hit me that we weren't going to be seeing the return of the Hoix from Love & Monsters, lmao!
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 70/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 32/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Orphan 55
Series 12, Episode 3
Written by: Ed Hime
Although Orphan 55 hasn't exactly finished high up on the list, I really don't think it's as bad as most fans will say it is. The premise it presents to us on the surface and in all synopses - of the Doctor and fam going on an all-inclusive holiday - is rather cheap, but when we get down to business and find out where the episode is actually set, and the plot moves forward a bit, it's honestly a, still very basic, but enjoyable episode of Doctor Who. It is very on the nose with its message in that it really hams the fact that we have a responsibility now to make positive changes to Earth, or this is one of the potential futures we face. I honestly don't mind it though. Yes, there are subtler ways to go about bringing a subject like this into Doctor Who, but I thought it was entertaining enough and Ed Hime did a decent job at scripting a whole episode around it so it wasn't the driving force behind the whole thing; more a really sharp bookend. Obviously the episode isn't without flaw. There are a few things that happen (or rather don't happen) that take away from the episode's high points.
We end up with a very crowded guest cast in this episode (something that's becoming a major problem in Chibnall's era considering we already have three companions fighting for air-time), and not all of them are given time to shine. We have some cute moments with Ryan when he befriends a terrorist who just wants some motherly loving, we have Hyph3n who could quite easily have been lifted straight from an RTD episode, and we also have the iconic and meme-able Vilma who spends almost all of the episode pining after her missing husband BENNI (only for him to be killed the moment we start to hear the end of her oxygen-wasting panting). Personally, the reveal that Orphan 55 was in fact Earth came as a surprise to me and did deliver that halfway twist where things kicked up a gear. Part of me doesn't see how people could have come to that conclusion before the reveal, unless they'd read spoilers. Either that or I just wasn't paying enough attention to any clues scattered throughout. All in all, this is an average episode that's not nearly as bad as some will have you believe, and while the Dregs aren't exactly the highest-budget monsters we've had in the show, I thought their presence was really quite creepy and commanding... until we stepped outside and saw them in full. My hopes and dreams were shattered in this episode when it hit me that we weren't going to be seeing the return of the Hoix from Love & Monsters, lmao!
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 70/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 38/39
12 32/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 13/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Klaus 26th March 2020, 10:04 PM
Benni? BENNI? BEENNNNIIIII
Posted by: Chez Wombat 26th March 2020, 10:12 PM
I feel even that's too high for Orphan-55. I don't normally go with the hyperbole directed at this era, but I can definitely see why some are calling that the worst ever episode. It just gets everything wrong, too rushed, too preachy, too crowded, BENNI, the list goes on! The monsters looked OK I guess.
Can't say I like anything much so far so good start! (It's stunning what a non-entity Maisie Williams' character turned out to be (to the point, I can't remember her name off the top of my head even though it's been posted in this very thread), I remember NOTHING about that whole plotline/her whole significance :'))
Posted by: Klaus 26th March 2020, 10:15 PM
omg its Me
Posted by: Chez Wombat 26th March 2020, 10:19 PM
case in point of her non-impact that I forgot a name as simple as that tbh
Posted by: Calum 26th March 2020, 11:09 PM
she was just so ANNOYING too. Face the Raven was bad enough, but then showing up again in Hell Bent... 
Posted by: Calum 26th March 2020, 11:23 PM
129
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Series 7, Episode 2
Written by: Chris Chibnall
There we go, a lovely promo poster that the marketing team no longer treat us to. *cries* Despite the title of this episode literally telling us that you'd think the plot will primarily focus on dinosaurs... on a spaceship, we end up with a story that has them taking a back seat to all the other action that's going on. Not only do we have Amy and Rory finally deciding that they're back on board with the Doctor for some more adventures, we also have the introduction of Rory's dad. On top of that, we have a large supporting cast that really don't get the time to shine that they deserve - mostly in the form of Queen Nefertiti (more on her in a moment). We also have a villain that isn't the dinosaurs, some henchmen in the form of guest appearances from David Mitchell and Robert Webb, as well as a nice callback to the Silurians. All of that seems like so much to digest in one episode, but actually... if it's your first time watching the episode you'd be surprised at just how simplistic and basic it all ends up seeming (albeit with some major downfalls).
This is another episode that probably would've ended up a lot further down had we not been scarred by some of the more recent outings in Chibnall's era of Doctor Who, but alas this has managed a slight ascent in my affections. It's still not the greatest episode we've ever seen, but it's hardly the worst. It has some brilliant ideas in it, but not all of them are executed well. Going back to Queen Nefertiti; this is a supporting character that I'd DIE to see more of. She was cruelly underused in the episode despite having a moment to shine when the villain of the episode - Solomon - discovered how valuable she could be to him, and she's just screaming out for a return in an Egyptian-themed episode (something I've personally been holding out for modern Who to crack, but nothing's ever come to fruition yet and I don't think I want it to at the helm of Chibnall right now either lol). Most of the rest of the supporting cast (including Rory's dad) are pretty nondescript and the episode wouldn't have been any better or worse without their presence. Overall, it's a fun romp and truly followed the style Moffat was going for with Series 7 of a 'blockbuster movie-style episode a week', but it's not a Who classic and certainly not one that you're just bursting at the seems to rewatch over and over.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 69/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 37/39
12 32/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 12/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Series 7, Episode 2
Written by: Chris Chibnall
There we go, a lovely promo poster that the marketing team no longer treat us to. *cries* Despite the title of this episode literally telling us that you'd think the plot will primarily focus on dinosaurs... on a spaceship, we end up with a story that has them taking a back seat to all the other action that's going on. Not only do we have Amy and Rory finally deciding that they're back on board with the Doctor for some more adventures, we also have the introduction of Rory's dad. On top of that, we have a large supporting cast that really don't get the time to shine that they deserve - mostly in the form of Queen Nefertiti (more on her in a moment). We also have a villain that isn't the dinosaurs, some henchmen in the form of guest appearances from David Mitchell and Robert Webb, as well as a nice callback to the Silurians. All of that seems like so much to digest in one episode, but actually... if it's your first time watching the episode you'd be surprised at just how simplistic and basic it all ends up seeming (albeit with some major downfalls).
This is another episode that probably would've ended up a lot further down had we not been scarred by some of the more recent outings in Chibnall's era of Doctor Who, but alas this has managed a slight ascent in my affections. It's still not the greatest episode we've ever seen, but it's hardly the worst. It has some brilliant ideas in it, but not all of them are executed well. Going back to Queen Nefertiti; this is a supporting character that I'd DIE to see more of. She was cruelly underused in the episode despite having a moment to shine when the villain of the episode - Solomon - discovered how valuable she could be to him, and she's just screaming out for a return in an Egyptian-themed episode (something I've personally been holding out for modern Who to crack, but nothing's ever come to fruition yet and I don't think I want it to at the helm of Chibnall right now either lol). Most of the rest of the supporting cast (including Rory's dad) are pretty nondescript and the episode wouldn't have been any better or worse without their presence. Overall, it's a fun romp and truly followed the style Moffat was going for with Series 7 of a 'blockbuster movie-style episode a week', but it's not a Who classic and certainly not one that you're just bursting at the seems to rewatch over and over.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 69/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 37/39
12 32/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 12/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Queefantine 26th March 2020, 11:35 PM
The Woman Who Lived is embarrassing. "I care now!" Oh LORS! And a chip making ONE PERSON immortal and no one else who had ever used it?? Reaaaaallllllly?
Posted by: Chez Wombat 26th March 2020, 11:35 PM
I have a major disliking for Dinosaurs on a Spaceship not just cos it's silly and rushed with an overly kid-friendly story as there's plenty of episodes like that but the Doctor actually leaving the villain to die in cold blood, NO, I have NEVER seen The Doctor do that to even the meanest aliens unless they have absolutely no choice. Crucial part of the Doctor completely missed there (Hell, I still point to this as the key thing that makes Chibnall not fully understand the character, even though some would certainly say more recent episodes show this more).
Posted by: Calum 28th March 2020, 07:12 PM
128
Hide
Series 7, Episode 9
Written by: Neil Cross
Hide is one of those episodes (much like It Takes You Away) that includes a scene that's hyped up a fair bit in the series' trailer, making you think it's going to be from an incredible finale, only for it to end up being a lot more throwaway in a sub-standard episode that doesn't end up having any significance whatsoever (more on that soon). Neil Cross' second Doctor Who episode, following The Rings of Akhaten in the very same Series 7, sets off on the right foot with all the typical horror haunted house tropes, but it soon turns into a less-than-amazing run of the mill sci-fi story. Doctor Who has, very recently with The Haunting of Villa Diodati, proven that with the right story and all the right elements put together, it can do the haunted house story excellently, but this one isn't as satisfying as it could be. We have a very small guest cast in this episode, so that at least makes up for some of the mistakes other episodes make. Here, we're introduced to Alec Palmer and Emma Grayling. Alec owns the mansion where the story is set, while Emma is his assistant and is able to communicate and connect with the ghost that is 'haunting' them.
As the episode progresses though, we find out that the 'ghost' is actually a time traveller from the future who has been trapped in a pocket universe. The Doctor ends up going to the pocket universe where the second half of the story primarily takes place. The aforementioned scene that was built up in the trailer ends with the Doctor in a game of hide and seek with the real 'monster' of the episode. It's not until the very end of the episode either that we find out the monster in the pocket universe was just as trapped as Hila (the time traveller) - searching for its mate. There's lots to enjoy in this episode despite some of its flaws - I love that Clara's arc continues in some subtle ways. The Doctor makes an enquiry with Emma about Clara, asking if she could sense anything unusual about her that would help solve the Doctor's ongoing puzzle. That's a dead-end though. We also have the hilarious scenes between Clara and the TARDIS, with the TARDIS throwing a bit of a tantrum when Clara asks it to help save the Doctor. That's something I wish was explored some more before and after we finally learned who Clara was and what her significance to the Doctor's life was, but alas it wasn't meant to be. Overall, this is a fairly standard haunted house episode that doesn't quite manage to make it to the end without messing it up, but there are moments of brilliance scattered throughout.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 68/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 36/39
12 32/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 11/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Hide
Series 7, Episode 9
Written by: Neil Cross
Hide is one of those episodes (much like It Takes You Away) that includes a scene that's hyped up a fair bit in the series' trailer, making you think it's going to be from an incredible finale, only for it to end up being a lot more throwaway in a sub-standard episode that doesn't end up having any significance whatsoever (more on that soon). Neil Cross' second Doctor Who episode, following The Rings of Akhaten in the very same Series 7, sets off on the right foot with all the typical horror haunted house tropes, but it soon turns into a less-than-amazing run of the mill sci-fi story. Doctor Who has, very recently with The Haunting of Villa Diodati, proven that with the right story and all the right elements put together, it can do the haunted house story excellently, but this one isn't as satisfying as it could be. We have a very small guest cast in this episode, so that at least makes up for some of the mistakes other episodes make. Here, we're introduced to Alec Palmer and Emma Grayling. Alec owns the mansion where the story is set, while Emma is his assistant and is able to communicate and connect with the ghost that is 'haunting' them.
As the episode progresses though, we find out that the 'ghost' is actually a time traveller from the future who has been trapped in a pocket universe. The Doctor ends up going to the pocket universe where the second half of the story primarily takes place. The aforementioned scene that was built up in the trailer ends with the Doctor in a game of hide and seek with the real 'monster' of the episode. It's not until the very end of the episode either that we find out the monster in the pocket universe was just as trapped as Hila (the time traveller) - searching for its mate. There's lots to enjoy in this episode despite some of its flaws - I love that Clara's arc continues in some subtle ways. The Doctor makes an enquiry with Emma about Clara, asking if she could sense anything unusual about her that would help solve the Doctor's ongoing puzzle. That's a dead-end though. We also have the hilarious scenes between Clara and the TARDIS, with the TARDIS throwing a bit of a tantrum when Clara asks it to help save the Doctor. That's something I wish was explored some more before and after we finally learned who Clara was and what her significance to the Doctor's life was, but alas it wasn't meant to be. Overall, this is a fairly standard haunted house episode that doesn't quite manage to make it to the end without messing it up, but there are moments of brilliance scattered throughout.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 68/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 36/39
12 32/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 11/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 11/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Calum 28th March 2020, 07:55 PM
127
Knock Knock
Series 10, Episode 4
Written by: Mike Bartlett
Quite honestly, despite having watched this episode more than once (and one of those times being not too long ago), it's not one I ever remember a great deal about in terms of the plot, what actually happens, etc. I'll attempt a decent commentary though. I guess one of the best things about this episode is that after three episodes of travelling to different ends of the universe with the Doctor, we finally get to take a step back, come back to Earth and learn more about Bill. Most of the episode centres around her and five other students moving in to a large mansion at a very cheap price thanks to the Landlord, played by the wonderful David Suchet. Throughout the episode he's presented as a mysterious man, obviously harbouring a secret. When the Doctor gets involved in helping Bill and co. move into the mansion though, that's when things take a turn as the Doctor realises there's something wrong with the house, what with all the creaking and strange noises.
As well as meeting people involved in Bill's home life, we also learn more about Bill's family life in a touching scene where her mother's mentioned, but that's something we rarely see brought up again unless the episodes allow the breathing space like this one does. The episode has some pretty creepy concepts within it - the way in which some of the students 'die' is great (without sounding like I love seeing people die in Doctor Who) - it looks fantastic and the CGI is pretty decent, until it all comes crumbling down when we meet Eliza, the so-called villain of the episode. I think what really brings this episode down is when we start to learn more about the Landlord and Eliza, their relationship, and how all of what is happening now has come to be. It's a recurring problem in some Doctor Who episodes... we have a brilliant, mysterious set-up but then when we actually have everything put out in front of us and explained, it's not exactly the most entertaining or thrilling conclusion (despite managing to make sense at the same time). Some of the best parts of the episode are the little nuggets of continuity when we get references to the Time Lords, Harriet Jones, and of course the series' arc of the Vault is also mentioned once again.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 67/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 36/39
12 31/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 11/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Knock Knock
Series 10, Episode 4
Written by: Mike Bartlett
Quite honestly, despite having watched this episode more than once (and one of those times being not too long ago), it's not one I ever remember a great deal about in terms of the plot, what actually happens, etc. I'll attempt a decent commentary though. I guess one of the best things about this episode is that after three episodes of travelling to different ends of the universe with the Doctor, we finally get to take a step back, come back to Earth and learn more about Bill. Most of the episode centres around her and five other students moving in to a large mansion at a very cheap price thanks to the Landlord, played by the wonderful David Suchet. Throughout the episode he's presented as a mysterious man, obviously harbouring a secret. When the Doctor gets involved in helping Bill and co. move into the mansion though, that's when things take a turn as the Doctor realises there's something wrong with the house, what with all the creaking and strange noises.
As well as meeting people involved in Bill's home life, we also learn more about Bill's family life in a touching scene where her mother's mentioned, but that's something we rarely see brought up again unless the episodes allow the breathing space like this one does. The episode has some pretty creepy concepts within it - the way in which some of the students 'die' is great (without sounding like I love seeing people die in Doctor Who) - it looks fantastic and the CGI is pretty decent, until it all comes crumbling down when we meet Eliza, the so-called villain of the episode. I think what really brings this episode down is when we start to learn more about the Landlord and Eliza, their relationship, and how all of what is happening now has come to be. It's a recurring problem in some Doctor Who episodes... we have a brilliant, mysterious set-up but then when we actually have everything put out in front of us and explained, it's not exactly the most entertaining or thrilling conclusion (despite managing to make sense at the same time). Some of the best parts of the episode are the little nuggets of continuity when we get references to the Time Lords, Harriet Jones, and of course the series' arc of the Vault is also mentioned once again.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 67/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 36/39
12 31/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 11/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Queefantine 28th March 2020, 07:55 PM
QUOTE(Chez Wombat @ Mar 26 2020, 11:35 PM)
I have a major disliking for Dinosaurs on a Spaceship not just cos it's silly and rushed with an overly kid-friendly story as there's plenty of episodes like that but the Doctor actually leaving the villain to die in cold blood, NO, I have NEVER seen The Doctor do that to even the meanest aliens unless they have absolutely no choice. Crucial part of the Doctor completely missed there (Hell, I still point to this as the key thing that makes Chibnall not fully understand the character, even though some would certainly say more recent episodes show this more).
It was Chibnall behind that utter TURD of an episode!? And the Doctor would have neeeever eeeever done that. Chibnall needs to go. He doesn't understand Who. And that's ok. He can go back to Broadchurch. We can say these last two seasons except for Rosa aren't canon.
Posted by: Queefantine 28th March 2020, 07:57 PM
QUOTE(JosephStyles @ Mar 26 2020, 09:25 PM)
I enjoyed Arachnids on first watch, but god, the plotholes only get bigger the more you think about it. WHAT ABOUT THE SPIDERS OUTSIDE THE HOTEL?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!?
And the spiders next door to Jaz's house! The ones that had just killed someone!
Posted by: Calum 28th March 2020, 09:04 PM
126
Nightmare in Silver
Series 7, Episode 12
Written by: Neil Gaiman
No matter how many times Neil Gaiman will try and tell us that his original script for this episode (which was also titled The Last Cyberman at one point) was rewritten so many times to a point of no return, I don't think he can just palm off the responsibility for what's largely considered a weak story onto Steven Moffat at the drop of a hat. After wowing fans with his first script, The Doctor's Wife, Neil Gaiman came back for a second episode, and this time to bring the Cybermen back, 'deadlier' and 'scarier' than ever. The episode starts off bringing the children Clara nannies - Angie and Artie - to another planet, and basically everything that happens from there is a mish-mash of all things CBBC. We're taken to an abandoned theme park (see: The Sarah Jane Adventures; episodes where the story actually ended up being genuinely pretty scary with this premise), introduced to one Cyberman that sits at a chess-board, seemingly defeated and deactivated. It's not until later that we discover the Cybermen have been hiding beneath the theme park, rebuilding themselves and their army to conquer once more. With this, we get a brand new Cyberman design that basically makes them invincible - they can do just about anything. Despite their striking new design, we're given little time to see them in action and being as ruthless as they can be given the childish nature of the episode.
Some of the better parts of the episode include Clara taking charge of the platoon that are in control of the theme park. The Doctor warns her not to let them destroy the planet while he goes off to try and find Angie and Artie, and she does a good job of reminding everybody that she's the boss. As well as this, the Cybermen also have a real moment to shine when one scene properly replicates their awakening in Tomb of the Cybermen. We see their tombs, we see them emerging from them, brand new and shiny, and it's such a brilliant moment. For all that's good about the episode though, something else that really makes me bored throughout the whole thing is the large portion of focus on the battle between the Doctor and the Cybermen for control of the Doctor's body. With a game of chess, some really long, drawn-out dialogue that goes on much longer than it needs to, and some iffy CGI, this makes for one of the worst parts of the episode. Through it all though, Matt Smith still delivers a great performance and it's times like this where the 11th Doctor really shines. We sometimes may have to put up with some mediocre scripts, but Matt Smith still gives it his all. This is an episode that, with its premise and ambition, attempts to outdo Neil Gaiman's first outing in a massive way, but manages to fail, spectacularly, on almost all of those fronts.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 66/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 35/39
12 31/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Nightmare in Silver
Series 7, Episode 12
Written by: Neil Gaiman
No matter how many times Neil Gaiman will try and tell us that his original script for this episode (which was also titled The Last Cyberman at one point) was rewritten so many times to a point of no return, I don't think he can just palm off the responsibility for what's largely considered a weak story onto Steven Moffat at the drop of a hat. After wowing fans with his first script, The Doctor's Wife, Neil Gaiman came back for a second episode, and this time to bring the Cybermen back, 'deadlier' and 'scarier' than ever. The episode starts off bringing the children Clara nannies - Angie and Artie - to another planet, and basically everything that happens from there is a mish-mash of all things CBBC. We're taken to an abandoned theme park (see: The Sarah Jane Adventures; episodes where the story actually ended up being genuinely pretty scary with this premise), introduced to one Cyberman that sits at a chess-board, seemingly defeated and deactivated. It's not until later that we discover the Cybermen have been hiding beneath the theme park, rebuilding themselves and their army to conquer once more. With this, we get a brand new Cyberman design that basically makes them invincible - they can do just about anything. Despite their striking new design, we're given little time to see them in action and being as ruthless as they can be given the childish nature of the episode.
Some of the better parts of the episode include Clara taking charge of the platoon that are in control of the theme park. The Doctor warns her not to let them destroy the planet while he goes off to try and find Angie and Artie, and she does a good job of reminding everybody that she's the boss. As well as this, the Cybermen also have a real moment to shine when one scene properly replicates their awakening in Tomb of the Cybermen. We see their tombs, we see them emerging from them, brand new and shiny, and it's such a brilliant moment. For all that's good about the episode though, something else that really makes me bored throughout the whole thing is the large portion of focus on the battle between the Doctor and the Cybermen for control of the Doctor's body. With a game of chess, some really long, drawn-out dialogue that goes on much longer than it needs to, and some iffy CGI, this makes for one of the worst parts of the episode. Through it all though, Matt Smith still delivers a great performance and it's times like this where the 11th Doctor really shines. We sometimes may have to put up with some mediocre scripts, but Matt Smith still gives it his all. This is an episode that, with its premise and ambition, attempts to outdo Neil Gaiman's first outing in a massive way, but manages to fail, spectacularly, on almost all of those fronts.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 66/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 35/39
12 31/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 17/18
Posted by: Calum 29th March 2020, 02:11 PM
125
The Return of Doctor Mysterio
Christmas Special, 2016
Written by: Steven Moffat
Peter Capaldi's third Christmas Special ends up being the second of all eighteen special episodes to fall out of the countdown this early on. This is another episode that, no matter how many times I watch it, I'll probably never remember that much about it. It's an enjoyable enough romp and makes for perfect background noise on Christmas Day when everybody's in high spirits, but it's not one of the most memorable specials Steven Moffat managed to create over the years. Funnily enough too, it's one of the least Christmassy festive specials too, what with its greater focus on the superhero element that he incorporated into the episode, as well as everything else that was going on. The whole thing just felt a bit too American. Obviously that's an odd comment to be making considering the story is literally set in America and the guest cast are all American, but Doctor Who being a quintessentially British television show should still retain all of that British-ness, even when we take a trip across the Atlantic ocean. The only thing I will say to commend Moffat is that at least he gave us an episode, the only one to be broadcast in 2016, in a desperate fight to retain Doctor Who's Christmas Day slot (only for Chibnall to then come along a couple of years later and say 'f*** you' to that and change the festive special to New Year's Day).
The episode basically follows the Doctor visiting a young boy named Grant on Christmas Eve in 1992, Grant mistakenly swallowing a wish-granting gemstone (thus giving him superhero abilities), then the Doctor returning (hence the title, The Return of Doctor Mysterio) many years later in 2016 to investigate a corporation named Harmony Shoals. In typical Doctor Who style (and what seems like a nice little nod to Sarah Jane Smith too), they meet Lucy Fletcher who is an undercover reporter there investigating the same thing the Doctor and Nardole are. The episode then follows the typical Christmas Special set-up with a lot of chasing going on, a villain that's never really going to stand out among Doctor Who's greatest (but is still a decent enough one to make you think you're definitely watching an episode of your favourite TV show) in the form of brains with eyes, and of course we also have some nice little nods with UNIT coming to save the day when Harmony Shoals is shut down by the Doctor when he foils the villains' plans. One of the best things about this episode is the Doctor and Nardole's chemistry - seeing them alone together as a pairing without another companion in the mix is great, and despite Nardole not being the best companion ever, having this episode to bridge the gap between the Doctor's final encounter with River Song and Bill Potts joining the TARDIS was really nice. Overall, not the best example of Moffat's capabilities as a writer, but still a solid effort in an attempt to keep Doctor Who going strong for however many more years over the Christmas period.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 65/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 35/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
The Return of Doctor Mysterio
Christmas Special, 2016
Written by: Steven Moffat
Peter Capaldi's third Christmas Special ends up being the second of all eighteen special episodes to fall out of the countdown this early on. This is another episode that, no matter how many times I watch it, I'll probably never remember that much about it. It's an enjoyable enough romp and makes for perfect background noise on Christmas Day when everybody's in high spirits, but it's not one of the most memorable specials Steven Moffat managed to create over the years. Funnily enough too, it's one of the least Christmassy festive specials too, what with its greater focus on the superhero element that he incorporated into the episode, as well as everything else that was going on. The whole thing just felt a bit too American. Obviously that's an odd comment to be making considering the story is literally set in America and the guest cast are all American, but Doctor Who being a quintessentially British television show should still retain all of that British-ness, even when we take a trip across the Atlantic ocean. The only thing I will say to commend Moffat is that at least he gave us an episode, the only one to be broadcast in 2016, in a desperate fight to retain Doctor Who's Christmas Day slot (only for Chibnall to then come along a couple of years later and say 'f*** you' to that and change the festive special to New Year's Day).
The episode basically follows the Doctor visiting a young boy named Grant on Christmas Eve in 1992, Grant mistakenly swallowing a wish-granting gemstone (thus giving him superhero abilities), then the Doctor returning (hence the title, The Return of Doctor Mysterio) many years later in 2016 to investigate a corporation named Harmony Shoals. In typical Doctor Who style (and what seems like a nice little nod to Sarah Jane Smith too), they meet Lucy Fletcher who is an undercover reporter there investigating the same thing the Doctor and Nardole are. The episode then follows the typical Christmas Special set-up with a lot of chasing going on, a villain that's never really going to stand out among Doctor Who's greatest (but is still a decent enough one to make you think you're definitely watching an episode of your favourite TV show) in the form of brains with eyes, and of course we also have some nice little nods with UNIT coming to save the day when Harmony Shoals is shut down by the Doctor when he foils the villains' plans. One of the best things about this episode is the Doctor and Nardole's chemistry - seeing them alone together as a pairing without another companion in the mix is great, and despite Nardole not being the best companion ever, having this episode to bridge the gap between the Doctor's final encounter with River Song and Bill Potts joining the TARDIS was really nice. Overall, not the best example of Moffat's capabilities as a writer, but still a solid effort in an attempt to keep Doctor Who going strong for however many more years over the Christmas period.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 65/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 35/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 10/10
6 11/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
Posted by: Queefantine 29th March 2020, 03:26 PM
I fell asleep during Mysterio the first time right at the beginning and this happened a further three times I tried 
Finally I wqtched it this year and it wasn't that basd!
Posted by: JosephStyles 29th March 2020, 09:31 PM
Mysterio's got some charm in it that I really quite like. A cute Christmas episode if not much else.
Hide is SO FORGETTABLE. I've seen it many times and still barely remember a thing about it???
Posted by: Calum 3rd April 2020, 10:10 PM
124
Victory of the Daleks
Series 5, Episode 3
Written by: Mark Gatiss
The lowest Dalek story in the countdown is the first of the Moffat era. Written by Mark Gatiss, we were introduced to two different types of Dalek - the first being a slight variant of the bronze Daleks we'd already seen a number of times throughout NuWho, named the Ironside Daleks, and the second being the multi-coloured Paradigm Daleks (one white, one yellow, one orange, one blue and one red). I must admit that while these Daleks make for excellent additions to a Doctor Who fan's figure collection and it was so exciting when they were all released in the shops or as part of exclusive sets, when you reflect back and look at how silly the idea was, it's insane. The Paradigm was a direct result of Moffat and Gatiss coming together and trying to conceive a brilliant new Dalek design, but it didn't go down well with fans at all. One must assume they got a bit too carried away. Paradigm design aside, the Ironside Daleks were a great version of the already menacing Daleks, and seeming innocent at first under the 'control' of Winston Churchill in wartime London was a great way to reintroduce them. However, while the Daleks and the whole concept of the episode are well thought-out, the episode does have its flaws and is far from perfect.
Just when we're getting down to business and we're learning that the Daleks aren't as innocent as they're pretending to be (obviously it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when and how), and the new Paradigm is about to come into play, we're plunged into another typical Gatiss character story that ends up being far too overbearing, and about a character that the audience (well, me anyway) just doesn't care about at all. We have Bracewell, a scientific aide of Churchill's, who has an unstable wormhole planted in him by the Daleks that when triggered could cause the consumption of Earth. What ensues is then a fight to remind Bracewell that he is more human than machine, and we learn his entire backstory over a scene that feels like it lasts a lifetime, only for it to work and then the Daleks come undone in a rather hap-dash conclusion to an episode that had a really brilliant set-up with its main guest cast, its setting, etc. Flaws put to one side for a moment though, in this episode we get a glimpse of just how brilliant Matt Smith can (and goes on to be) be as the Doctor, with his speech on the Dalek's ship being one of the best parts of the episode. He asserts his genius flawlessly in Tennant-style and proves to the audience that when it matters he'll be able to give us the speeches we've come to expect of the Doctor in times of crisis. As well as that, for her first trip back in time, Amy has some meaty material and at this point you're more or less in love with the Eleventh Doctor / Amy Pond duo and can't wait to see more from them, albeit in an episode written by somebody other than Mark Gatiss.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 64/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 34/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 9/10
6 11/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
Victory of the Daleks
Series 5, Episode 3
Written by: Mark Gatiss
The lowest Dalek story in the countdown is the first of the Moffat era. Written by Mark Gatiss, we were introduced to two different types of Dalek - the first being a slight variant of the bronze Daleks we'd already seen a number of times throughout NuWho, named the Ironside Daleks, and the second being the multi-coloured Paradigm Daleks (one white, one yellow, one orange, one blue and one red). I must admit that while these Daleks make for excellent additions to a Doctor Who fan's figure collection and it was so exciting when they were all released in the shops or as part of exclusive sets, when you reflect back and look at how silly the idea was, it's insane. The Paradigm was a direct result of Moffat and Gatiss coming together and trying to conceive a brilliant new Dalek design, but it didn't go down well with fans at all. One must assume they got a bit too carried away. Paradigm design aside, the Ironside Daleks were a great version of the already menacing Daleks, and seeming innocent at first under the 'control' of Winston Churchill in wartime London was a great way to reintroduce them. However, while the Daleks and the whole concept of the episode are well thought-out, the episode does have its flaws and is far from perfect.
Just when we're getting down to business and we're learning that the Daleks aren't as innocent as they're pretending to be (obviously it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when and how), and the new Paradigm is about to come into play, we're plunged into another typical Gatiss character story that ends up being far too overbearing, and about a character that the audience (well, me anyway) just doesn't care about at all. We have Bracewell, a scientific aide of Churchill's, who has an unstable wormhole planted in him by the Daleks that when triggered could cause the consumption of Earth. What ensues is then a fight to remind Bracewell that he is more human than machine, and we learn his entire backstory over a scene that feels like it lasts a lifetime, only for it to work and then the Daleks come undone in a rather hap-dash conclusion to an episode that had a really brilliant set-up with its main guest cast, its setting, etc. Flaws put to one side for a moment though, in this episode we get a glimpse of just how brilliant Matt Smith can (and goes on to be) be as the Doctor, with his speech on the Dalek's ship being one of the best parts of the episode. He asserts his genius flawlessly in Tennant-style and proves to the audience that when it matters he'll be able to give us the speeches we've come to expect of the Doctor in times of crisis. As well as that, for her first trip back in time, Amy has some meaty material and at this point you're more or less in love with the Eleventh Doctor / Amy Pond duo and can't wait to see more from them, albeit in an episode written by somebody other than Mark Gatiss.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 64/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 34/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 9/10
6 11/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
Posted by: Calum 4th April 2020, 09:37 PM
123
The Curse of the Black Spot
Series 6, Episode 3
Written by: Stephen Thompson
The Curse of the Black Spot starts off by giving us some merry, jolly light relief following the arc-heavy opening two-part story of Series 6 in the form of The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon. The Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves aboard a pirate ship and are soon plunged into all of the pirate-type escapades you'd expect - including a scene with the Doctor being forced to walk the plank, and Amy yielding a sword before swinging from the ropes to save the day. With all of that going on, though, there's a greater 'threat' to this ship - there's a Siren that is haunting all of the pirates. If any of the crew (or even the Doctor, Amy or Rory) are injured, no matter how minor, then a black spot automatically appears on the palm of their hand and the Siren will come calling, leading them to their apparent death by disintegration. Of course, later in the episode we find out this isn't the case and instead the Siren is actually a virtual doctor taking all of the 'patients' to safety and trying to heal them in an invisible spaceship, located in the exact same place as the pirate ship. I think my main problem with all of this is that we're led to believe the episode is going to be about one thing, and turns out to be something completely different. Doctor Who has gotten very good at setting up a decent premise, only for it to completely fall in on itself and go in the opposite direction halfway through. A lot of episodes like this need to take note from Rosa, where elements of Doctor Who are cleverly woven through the episode, but not overriding the setting, time period, etc.
One of the biggest shocks in this episode is, of course, when Rory falls into the ocean and the Siren takes him to the ship. Unfortunately, even though the Siren agrees to release Rory into Amy's care towards the end of the episode, we almost lose Rory because he can't survive when taken off the Siren's life-support system. The Doctor and Amy take him back to the TARDIS and Amy tries her hardest to resuscitate him, and for a few seconds we're left thinking that Rory's actually dead (would it really have been such a bad thing?) - but then he gasps for breath and comes back to life, much to the relief of Amy, but to the dismay of people fed up seeing him doing absolutely nothing on board the TARDIS besides third-wheeling the incredible Doctor-Amy duo. I guess, all things considered, a swash-buckling pirate adventure is something that serves well in Doctor Who, and most of the story lands well, but there are parts that leave you scratching your head by the time the credits roll (like just what on EARTH happened to Boatswain - a plot hole that fans have long been angered by). It's not exactly the worst episode in history though, and it's a good way to pass 45 minutes being part of one of my favourite series' of Doctor Who.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 63/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 33/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 9/10
6 10/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
The Curse of the Black Spot
Series 6, Episode 3
Written by: Stephen Thompson
The Curse of the Black Spot starts off by giving us some merry, jolly light relief following the arc-heavy opening two-part story of Series 6 in the form of The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon. The Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves aboard a pirate ship and are soon plunged into all of the pirate-type escapades you'd expect - including a scene with the Doctor being forced to walk the plank, and Amy yielding a sword before swinging from the ropes to save the day. With all of that going on, though, there's a greater 'threat' to this ship - there's a Siren that is haunting all of the pirates. If any of the crew (or even the Doctor, Amy or Rory) are injured, no matter how minor, then a black spot automatically appears on the palm of their hand and the Siren will come calling, leading them to their apparent death by disintegration. Of course, later in the episode we find out this isn't the case and instead the Siren is actually a virtual doctor taking all of the 'patients' to safety and trying to heal them in an invisible spaceship, located in the exact same place as the pirate ship. I think my main problem with all of this is that we're led to believe the episode is going to be about one thing, and turns out to be something completely different. Doctor Who has gotten very good at setting up a decent premise, only for it to completely fall in on itself and go in the opposite direction halfway through. A lot of episodes like this need to take note from Rosa, where elements of Doctor Who are cleverly woven through the episode, but not overriding the setting, time period, etc.
One of the biggest shocks in this episode is, of course, when Rory falls into the ocean and the Siren takes him to the ship. Unfortunately, even though the Siren agrees to release Rory into Amy's care towards the end of the episode, we almost lose Rory because he can't survive when taken off the Siren's life-support system. The Doctor and Amy take him back to the TARDIS and Amy tries her hardest to resuscitate him, and for a few seconds we're left thinking that Rory's actually dead (would it really have been such a bad thing?) - but then he gasps for breath and comes back to life, much to the relief of Amy, but to the dismay of people fed up seeing him doing absolutely nothing on board the TARDIS besides third-wheeling the incredible Doctor-Amy duo. I guess, all things considered, a swash-buckling pirate adventure is something that serves well in Doctor Who, and most of the story lands well, but there are parts that leave you scratching your head by the time the credits roll (like just what on EARTH happened to Boatswain - a plot hole that fans have long been angered by). It's not exactly the worst episode in history though, and it's a good way to pass 45 minutes being part of one of my favourite series' of Doctor Who.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 63/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 33/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 9/10
6 10/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
Posted by: Chez Wombat 6th April 2020, 10:41 PM
It's a good thing S10 and S12 actually made the Cybermen intimidating again, because before that, they were generally pretty mediocre for who was meant to be the Doctor's second biggest threat and Nightmare in Silver shows that the best, they weren't even the main threat, the characters were laughing as they took them down!
Saying that, Victory of the Daleks is pretty much the Daleks' *ahem* darkest hour too. Those 50s car design Daleks I can't.
Posted by: JosephStyles* 8th April 2020, 01:11 AM
Victory was a showcase episode for a shitty design. Nothing more to it really. By FAR the lowpoint of series 5.
Black Spot is a solid episode! No classic but no stinker either, just solid, enjoyable Doctor Who.
Posted by: Calum 🐠 10th April 2020, 10:21 PM
122
Night Terrors
Series 6, Episode 9
Written by: Mark Gatiss
Another episode written by Mark Gatiss drops out only two places later and this time it's his contribution to Series 6 - Night Terrors. Although this is probably one of Gatiss' better episodes, it says a lot that it's still this far from the top in the countdown, as well as also being one of the weakest episodes of the series it belongs to. For a long time, Series 6 was generally my favourite series of NuWho, and I've always held it in such a high regard, but this is one of the episodes that just... didn't really do it for me in the same way the others do. It's very different for Mark Gatiss, maybe because it's in a modern-day setting, and that's not such a regular occurrence for him. We're used to seeing him taking us somewhere in the past for a not-so-enjoyable historical. I guess one of the better criticisms about this episode is, although it did follow on directly from Let's Kill Hitler, and was then followed by The Girl Who Waited (two heavyweights of the series), it did give us light relief away from the series' main arc.
For all that I say about Gatiss and the number of times I'll openly criticise him, he did manage to make a genuinely scary episode out of this (at points). The scenes with Amy and Rory in the lift add some tension to proceedings, and the transformation from human to Peg Doll is honestly so chilling. My only wish that would have made this episode better is that the Peg Dolls should have been utilised far more than they were, as opposed to spending so much time studying George and his fear of literally everything in the world. Episodes of Doctor Who that centre around children tend not to be among my favourites because they can be so incredibly cheesy and can make what could have been an otherwise fantastically terrifying episode redundant of all of that in one fail swoop; this is certainly no exception. The Doctor's interactions with George are great, however George himself and his constant repetition of 'please save me from the monsters' got annoying quickly. More about what's good in this episode though: Amy and Rory's journey through the doll house, Amy's eventual transformation into a Peg Doll herself, and the absolute random hilarity that came with the scenes involving the landlord :') Oh, and also, the references to Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday, The Three Little Sontarans, and The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes are chuckle-worthy.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 62/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 32/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 9/10
6 9/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
Night Terrors
Series 6, Episode 9
Written by: Mark Gatiss
Another episode written by Mark Gatiss drops out only two places later and this time it's his contribution to Series 6 - Night Terrors. Although this is probably one of Gatiss' better episodes, it says a lot that it's still this far from the top in the countdown, as well as also being one of the weakest episodes of the series it belongs to. For a long time, Series 6 was generally my favourite series of NuWho, and I've always held it in such a high regard, but this is one of the episodes that just... didn't really do it for me in the same way the others do. It's very different for Mark Gatiss, maybe because it's in a modern-day setting, and that's not such a regular occurrence for him. We're used to seeing him taking us somewhere in the past for a not-so-enjoyable historical. I guess one of the better criticisms about this episode is, although it did follow on directly from Let's Kill Hitler, and was then followed by The Girl Who Waited (two heavyweights of the series), it did give us light relief away from the series' main arc.
For all that I say about Gatiss and the number of times I'll openly criticise him, he did manage to make a genuinely scary episode out of this (at points). The scenes with Amy and Rory in the lift add some tension to proceedings, and the transformation from human to Peg Doll is honestly so chilling. My only wish that would have made this episode better is that the Peg Dolls should have been utilised far more than they were, as opposed to spending so much time studying George and his fear of literally everything in the world. Episodes of Doctor Who that centre around children tend not to be among my favourites because they can be so incredibly cheesy and can make what could have been an otherwise fantastically terrifying episode redundant of all of that in one fail swoop; this is certainly no exception. The Doctor's interactions with George are great, however George himself and his constant repetition of 'please save me from the monsters' got annoying quickly. More about what's good in this episode though: Amy and Rory's journey through the doll house, Amy's eventual transformation into a Peg Doll herself, and the absolute random hilarity that came with the scenes involving the landlord :') Oh, and also, the references to Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday, The Three Little Sontarans, and The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes are chuckle-worthy.
STATISTICS
Episodes remaining by:
Era
Russell T Davies 45/47
Steven Moffat 62/74
Chris Chibnall 14/19
Doctor
9 10/10
10 35/37
11 32/39
12 30/35
13 14/19
Series
1 10/10
2 8/10
3 10/10
4 10/10
5 9/10
6 9/11
7 10/13
8 10/11
9 7/9
10 10/11
11 7/10
12 6/8
Specials 16/18
Posted by: Karen 🥂 12th April 2020, 11:03 AM
omg i need to catch up on so much but The Return of Doctor Mysterio competes with In the Forest of the Night as my least favourite episode ever. It really doesn't work for me, so dull and uneventful! It feels like its set in a completely different world to Doctor Who where there's more to explore re Harmony Shoal and the villains as nothings ever addressed again!
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship forshadowing Chibnall's era tho with all those guest characters and country-wide hopping for no reason 
Knock Knock and Hide both feel like episodes that could've been so much more but fell flat in the plot. Some good elements to start with but they don't work too well.
Nightmare in Silver is a real mess. It tries to do so much at once but ends up doing nothing at all - feels like it should belong in the Chibnall era with that huge guest cast too It's a good setting and I'd been waiting for a good Cyberman story for 11 but it just fell flat. Also, i recently saw that The Doctor's Wife was also heavily rewritten to the point it's essentially Moffat's episode oops
I watched The Curse of the Black Spot last weekend due to where I'm up to for my whole rewatch and I appreciated it a lot more than I've ever done before. I think it's dwarfed by the episode either side of it though and obvs that continuity error. I don't enjoy Rory dying for the 10th either, it tries to make you believe it's for real but there's actually no jeopardy there
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