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| Doctor Who • The Jodie Whittaker Era: Ranked, Timeless era or flop fam? |
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 15th August 2023, 10:34 PM
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#1
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 nabad
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 13 February 2013 Posts: 28,374 User: 18,316 
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  I've been rewatching episodes from the most recent era of Doctor Who over the past few weeks, and decided to make a definitive ranking of all the episodes we've had since Chris Chibnall took over from Steven Moffat, and Jodie Whittaker fell to earth from the TARDIS having regenerated from Peter Capaldi's twelfth Doctor. Some episodes I hadn't revisited since they were originally broadcast. Some have taken me by surprise and gone up in my estimations, some my opinion has remained unchanged, and some I've fallen out of love with. This is an era that has certainly divided many, so I'm intrigued to hear how you all feel about certain episodes now we've had time to digest them all too. Have episodes/series' from this era aged like a fine wine or have they soured? Will kick things off soon, and I've also colour-coded each series from the Jodie Whittaker era below (and will do in the countdown) to track which series performs best overall when ranking the episodes individually! Which episode is the creme de la creme of this era (according to moi), and what's the absolute pits?  Series 11 The Woman Who Fell to Earth The Ghost Monument Rosa Arachnids in the UK The Tsuranga Conundrum Demons of the Punjab Kerblam! The Witchfinders It Takes You Away The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos Series 12 Spyfall Orphan 55 Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror Fugitive of the Judoon Praxeus Can You Hear Me? The Haunting of Villa Diodati Ascension of the Cybermen / The Timeless Children Series 13: Flux The Halloween Apocalypse War of the Sontarans Once, Upon Time Village of the Angels Survivors of the Flux The Vanquishers Specials Resolution Revolution of the Daleks Eve of the Daleks Legend of the Sea Devils The Power of the Doctor |
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15th August 2023, 10:35 PM
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#2
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 you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,804 User: 13,530 
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omg hype, ready to call out your bad taste xx
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15th August 2023, 10:59 PM
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#3
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 Buffy/Charmed
Joined: 18 April 2013
Posts: 44,107 User: 18,639
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Worst series of tv in DECADES!!!
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16th August 2023, 05:46 PM
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#4
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BuzzJack Legend
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 25 July 2013 Posts: 26,035 User: 19,585
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Arachnids in the UK coming for that #1
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16th August 2023, 06:21 PM
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#5
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❤️❤️➕🟦
Joined: 3 June 2012
Posts: 22,246 User: 17,160
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19th August 2023, 12:29 PM
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#6
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nabad
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 13 February 2013 Posts: 28,374 User: 18,316
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29
The Tsuranga Conundrum Series 11 Written by Chris Chibnall Guest starring Brett Goldstein, Lois Chimimba, Suzanne Packer, Ben Bailey-Smith, David Shields, Jack Shalloo Audience Appreciation Index score: 79 Reviews: Radio Times (1 out of 5 stars), Rotten Tomatoes (6.1 / 79%) Five episodes into the Chris Chibnall era and we're already on the edge of our seats waiting for this episode to end so we can have our first proper feel of what the guest writers can bring to the show; considering the only guest writer to have appeared so far in the first half of Series 11 was Malorie Blackman for the third episode Rosa (and even then that was co-written by Chibnall). I really wanted to love this episode, and at first glance it appeared it could have been a modern classic of a base-under-siege story, however that most certainly was not the case by the time the credits rolled. Even today, this episode just does not hold up at all. The Pting takes centre stage as the main threat of the episode - having been marketed as 'the most deadly creature in the universe' - and despite how ruthless and destructive it is, the whole illusion of it being a deadly world-destroying villain is drowned out completely by the fact it's since become iconic for all the wrong reasons. Pting aside, the episode really doesn't have much else going for it. One of the best guest characters (Brett Goldstein's Astos) is killed early on, and too much of the plot focuses on a pregnant man and the relationship between brother and sister duo Eve and Durkas; neither of which were entertaining to watch. What's more disappointing is what ended up of Suzanne Packer's guest appearance in Doctor Who. Having loved her as Tess in Casualty for so long, and to see her name appear in the long-winded list of guest stars appearing throughout the series at the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth... this was a major let-down. One thing the episode does do well is showcasing Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor's cleverness and ability to think on her feet, but besides that this is one episode from the era I could gladly never return to for a sit-down in full. I'll advocate for Doctor Who returning to 12-13 episode series again at some point, but until we can crack down on filler like this appearing even when the episode count is reduced to 10 maybe that shouldn't be on the horizon for a while. |
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19th August 2023, 12:49 PM
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#7
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,804 User: 13,530
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Tsuranga has some good ingredients, it's just not very interesting. Pregnant man was terrible. Pting was iconic tho x |
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19th August 2023, 01:07 PM
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#8
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nabad
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 13 February 2013 Posts: 28,374 User: 18,316
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Praxeus Series 12 Written by Pete McTighe & Chris Chibnall Guest starring Warren Brown, Matthew McNulty, Joana Borja, Molly Harris Audience Appreciation Index score: 78 Reviews: Radio Times (2 out of 5 stars), Rotten Tomatoes (6.3 / 71%) For returning guest writer Pete McTighe, Praxeus had the difficulty of following up his very successful script for Series 11 - Kerblam! - and sadly, it did not deliver in the same way. There are many great ideas scattered throughout Praxeus, but ultimately it all ends up a little messy, and at its core with a very on-the-nose and not very well executed message. From the trailer, and even the trailer for Series 12 as a whole prior to broadcast, what ended up being in this episode could have been so much more. The glimpses of the men in biohazard suits could have made for interesting villains if utilised in... quite literally a completely different way. Alas, it wasn't meant to be and this was instead a story about two races desperately searching for a cure to the titular virus. There were some really lovely character moments in the story, namely in terms of the LGBTQ+ representation in the form of Jake and Adam, but besides that and much like The Tsuranga Conundrum this is another episode that I just don't find myself wanting to go back to to try and enjoy more on repeated viewing. There are still a lot of very big problems present here, not necessarily to do with this episode itself, but more Series 11 and 12 as a whole where Yaz, Graham and Ryan are given things to do, but are still not utilised in a way that makes us remotely interested in what it is they're doing away from the Doctor. And there's the issue of Tosin Cole still being extremely wooden even when given some chunky scenes of his own with guest characters, etc. Overall, a valiant attempt that maybe could have turned out quite differently were it not a Chris Chibnall co-write considering how strong Pete McTighe's first outing in the world of Doctor Who was? That, we will never know I guess unless this gets the Target novelisation treatment at some point down the line. All things considered, Pete is definitely a guest writer I'd be happy to see return to the show in some capacity because we know he is a good writer (see: Wentworth, A Discovery of Witches, Nowhere Boys). |
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19th August 2023, 01:15 PM
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#9
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❤️❤️➕🟦
Joined: 3 June 2012
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 HOW COULD YOU along should ensure it is not last!! Especially when you have the s11 finale!! |
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19th August 2023, 01:29 PM
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#10
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Buffy/Charmed
Joined: 18 April 2013
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The series is so so bad, a creature as iconic as should guarantee that crap episode a top 5 spot!! 29 episodes!! My GOD! How did we survive all THAT?!
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19th August 2023, 01:45 PM
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#11
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,804 User: 13,530
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I didn't MIND Praxeus but I can't say I really remember it, a firmly average episode. A little lower than I'd place it but no loss either.
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19th August 2023, 02:09 PM
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#12
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 26 February 2007
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I think Praxeus comes in from a bit of unfair criticism. Sure the message is extremely heavy handed at the end (also see Orphan 55 - how is that still in the running?). But there are some good elements in Praxeus, it just doesn't hang together that well come the end.
However i'd take Praxeus over Orphan 55, Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (surely one the dullest episodes made), It Takes You Away, Legend of the Sea Devils plus a couple of the Flux 'Chapters' too. This post has been edited by ElectroBoy: 19th August 2023, 02:12 PM |
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19th August 2023, 02:10 PM
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#13
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Buffy/Charmed
Joined: 18 April 2013
Posts: 44,107 User: 18,639
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I also don't remember the episode at all
 Praxeus must have been boring af. Well, tjat goes without saying tbh!
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19th August 2023, 02:17 PM
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#14
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nabad
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 13 February 2013 Posts: 28,374 User: 18,316
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Legend of the Sea Devils Specials Written by Ella Road & Chris Chibnall Guest starring Marlowe Chan-Reeves, Crystal Yu, Arthur Lee, Craige Els, David K. S. Tse Audience Appreciation Index score: 76 Reviews: Radio Times (3 out of 5 stars), Rotten Tomatoes (4.9 / 50%) I will never forget the total shock on my face at the end of Eve of the Daleks when the trailer for Legend of the Sea Devils started playing. We still had no idea what the second of the three 2022 specials was going to be about, besides the fact it was 'pirate-themed', and then the word 'Legend' appeared on the screen... okay, this looks and sounds cool. And then 'of the' appeared - what?! Then as the final two words appeared alongside a blurred shot of a Sea Devil approaching, coming into frame revealing 'Legend of the Sea Devils'... my god I gasped. Chibnall was taking on one of the big classic monsters and bringing them into play for one of Jodie's final episodes as the Doctor. My oh my was it one of the big disappointments of the era, though. Given the amount of time they had between specials to make sure that everything was up to scratch, it amazes me that there were still SO many problems with this episode. Besides the clunky plot and things seeming like they'd been cut left, right and centre to get it down to a respectable run-time not exceeding its sixty-minute slot, there were also major CGI issues that weren't a problem for this era of Doctor Who up until this point. The Chibnall era, if nothing else, always appeared cinematically beautiful; but not this. The scenes aboard Madame Ching's ship were dreadful, and some of the directing was questionable. All of this, alongside a storyline that didn't really serve much purpose besides searching for treasure... this "triumphant" return for the Sea Devils and their introduction to a modern audience seriously missed the mark. We can only hope if RTD has any plans to bring them back during his second era as showrunner that they can be given a really good plot, or a two part story to really expand them further. The best thing about the episode (albeit one of the most hotly-debated plot points of the Chibnall era's end) is the conversation between the Doctor and Yaz on the beach. Dan had already confronted Yaz about her feelings for the Doctor during Eve of the Daleks (and informed the Doctor that this was the case, too), and now it was time for them both to sit down and talk about it, nothing spared. It was a bittersweet and beautiful moment between them, but we all knew that it was going to come crashing down just one episode later when the Thirteenth Doctor met her demise in The Power of the Doctor, so why leave it until now to address? There's far more I can say about the development (or lack of) of this relationship, but for now I'll leave it at appreciating this scene for what it was. All in all, this episode had some good moments, and a decent guest cast, and of course Dan had his great moments (more on Dan to follow later), but not a classic by any means. |
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19th August 2023, 02:21 PM
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#15
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you never forget your first time...
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 19 April 2011 Posts: 121,804 User: 13,530
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I think I'd actually rank Sea Devils last. It was a shoddy plotline made even worse by the most haphazard editing in any modern Who episode. It stinks of a 60 minute episode that had to be cut down to 45 minutes and it just doesn't work as a result. The Sea Devils don't come across as interesting villains either. Nothing worked, apart from Jodie and Mandip delivering their scenes together perfectly.
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19th August 2023, 02:26 PM
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#16
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Radical Pink Troll
Joined: 11 March 2006
Posts: 26,606 User: 177
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I commend you for rewatching these. I rewatch Doctor Who every now and then but I’ve never been able to watch a Jodie Whittaker series more than once. It’s a shame that it’s the only era of DW with a female Doctor because it’s easily the most dreadful era of DW for so many other reasons.
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19th August 2023, 02:51 PM
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#17
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nabad
Pronouns: he/him
Joined: 13 February 2013 Posts: 28,374 User: 18,316
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26
Orphan 55 Series 12 Written by Ed Hime Guest starring Laura Fraser, James Buckley, Julia Foster, Will Austin, Amy Booth-Steel, Spencer Wilding Audience Appreciation Index score: 77 Reviews: Radio Times (3 out of 5 stars), Rotten Tomatoes (5.8 / 47%) Climate change and humanity's ability to impact this for the better has been a recurring message to appear throughout the Chibnall era (see also: Arachnids in the UK, Praxeus, etc), and they've all been driven home with a gigantic sledgehammer and not at all vague, so it's no wonder people didn't take kindly to this episode either, no matter your stance. And this is another example of a guest writer returning to Doctor Who just a series later and failing to live up to their somewhat successful previous episode (although whether that is the case for Ed Hime in this countdown remains to be seen). His previous script It Takes You Away is vastly different to Orphan 55, and sadly this falls in the bottom pile of the Jodie Whittaker era. On the surface and from promotional materials, it seemed like this episode could have been another in the same vein as the likes of New Earth, Midnight, etc, taking a location like a spa retreat and turning it into something sinister. Something sinister it was indeed, but not delivered in the way that either of the aforementioned were. There's some good stuff in Orphan 55, and I'm not as much of a hater of it as some people are, but I can definitely understand why it rubs people the wrong way. With an oversized guest cast - a constant, major problem with the Chibnall era - that had little time to shine, and a twist that everybody saw coming from the very beginning and having next to no impact or ability to change our perspective as events continued to unfold, this just wasn't going to be up there with any classic episodes. In fact, looking back now most will probably say that it's one of the least good episodes of the entire revival. Ed Hime takes a stab at trying to make Ryan seem more of a human and less like a plank of wood by having him interact with guest character Bella for the majority of the episode, however it does nothing for me in terms of making him more likeable or seem like he could have a social or love life beyond the TARDIS. A lot of people will say that Tosin Cole was let down by the scripts during his time in Doctor Who, but personally I just think he's one of the weakest actors to have been cast in the role of a companion (if not the weakest). Besides the main cast, it was good to see James Buckley from The Inbetweeners appearing in Doctor Who, but maybe in an episode that would be more well-regarded by fans could have paid dividends. All in all, this episode has its moments and manages to make an alternate future of humanity seem like a frightening concept, but there are so many errors that make the whole thing seem hammed up to 100 like a very poor, comedic slasher film. |
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19th August 2023, 02:51 PM
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#18
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 26 February 2007
Posts: 14,305 User: 3,002
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QUOTE(T Boy @ Aug 19 2023, 03:26 PM)  I commend you for rewatching these. I rewatch Doctor Who every now and then but I’ve never been able to watch a Jodie Whittaker series more than once. It’s a shame that it’s the only era of DW with a female Doctor because it’s easily the most dreadful era of DW for so many other reasons. I think there are some good episodes, but overall there are a lot of things which don't ultimately work. I also find the characterisation of the 13th Doctor grates at times and some of the stories/ her interactions are tonally wrong. Graeme and the Doctor's conversation on cancer in Can You Hear Me? stands out. Also some of the messaging feels extremely heavy handed; I know Doctor Who has always been socially aware and a reflection of the time - the Pertwee era in particular with stories like The Curse of Peladon (going into the EU) and The Green Death (pollution) - so having stories like Orphan 55 and Praxeus aren't exactly light years away from similar pollution/ green messages. But its just so heavy handed in the script and comes across as preachy at the end of both. Chibs never seemed to be able to find the right balance. Eve of the Daleks is probably one the stand out episodes for me, also The Witchfinders and Fugitive of the Judoon. The Timeless Child stuff though leaves me cold - especially as nothing really is ever done with it properly and in the end the Doctor just puts the memories to one side as she doesn't want to know. Flux i've watched a couple of times and I think improved on the first time I saw it. Its overly complicated though and I doesn't hang together that well. Also as I said in the end after everything she basically tosses away her memories so it feels a bit meh. |
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19th August 2023, 02:53 PM
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#19
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BuzzJack Platinum Member
Joined: 26 February 2007
Posts: 14,305 User: 3,002
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QUOTE(Calum @ Aug 19 2023, 03:51 PM) 26 Orphan 55 You didn't mention 'BENNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' |
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19th August 2023, 03:09 PM
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#20
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Buffy/Charmed
Joined: 18 April 2013
Posts: 44,107 User: 18,639
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Wait, you rewatched these?! Ypu need a hero od thd month nomination for that! Omg!!!
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