Love and Monsters, there could have been a better story to be told maybe a focus on LINDA and why the doctor has impacted their lives (think Black Mirror ep structure "Black Museum" or just a solo focus on Jackie and how her being left behind and missing her daughter has made her feel. But I do find things in this that I like (baiscally until Victor Kennedy shows up and then I loose interest a bit)

Other than the obvious , L&M biggest problem is it takes too long to get going, there was also too many side characters for each one disappearing to have an impact, the Ursula as a paving slab was weird and wrong especially considering the indications of extracurricular activities 😬

158 The Woman Who Lived

Series 9 Episode 6

Doctor: 12th

Companion: Clara Oswald

Also featuring: Ashildr

First aired: 24th October 2015

Writer: Catherine Tregenna

Series 9 introduced recurring character Ashildr, aka "Me", played by Maisie Williams. Introduced in the previous episode The Girl Who Died, this episode picks up many years down the line when the Doctor runs into Ashildr again, almost unrecognisable in her attitude after learning to live with the consequences of immortality. A chunk of the episode is pretty much a two-hander between the Doctor and Ashildr, and while there's some nice character moments, and there's plenty of breathing space, it ultimately ends up feeling pretty dull. There's little in the way of action, and the action we do get involves Leandro, an alien lion-type creature which feels more like a last minute add-on for the sake of having an actual threat in the episode. Rufus Hound guest stars as Sam Swift, who provides a little bit of light relief, but otherwise this episode is just a bit too slow and I think it goes a long way in killing the momentum of the series, too, given Clara barely features in it.

What i dont get with TWTL was what happened to Sam swift , was it left ambiguous so he could return at a later point, or is he just another one of those mystery characters that the writers forget about, was it a copy out to get rid of the second mire chip

Anyway. The double hander parts between the Doctor and "me" were good in it was a stark contracts to captain Jacks reaction to being burden with immortality, other than that there really wasn't a lot going on so can understand it being so low

13 minutes ago, 777666jason said:

What i dont get with TWTL was what happened to Sam swift , was it left ambiguous so he could return at a later point, or is he just another one of those mystery characters that the writers forget about, was it a copy out to get rid of the second mire chip

Anyway. The double hander parts between the Doctor and "me" were good in it was a stark contracts to captain Jacks reaction to being burden with immortality, other than that there really wasn't a lot going on so can understand it being so low

Sam Swift does feel like an open question still - I suppose the immortality chip didn't stop them being killed entirely, he felt like the type to have got himself killed in the stupidest way

I'd have preferred some 12/Ashildr time as part of perhaps a 2-part extended Face the Raven episode? As opposed to an effectively standalone episode where the only purpose was to "catch up" with Ashildr.

2 minutes ago, JosephBoone said:

Sam Swift does feel like an open question still - I suppose the immortality chip didn't stop them being killed entirely, he felt like the type to have got himself killed in the stupidest way

I'd have preferred some 12/Ashildr time as part of perhaps a 2-part extended Face the Raven episode? As opposed to an effectively standalone episode where the only purpose was to "catch up" with Ashildr.

Like if he died in a stupid way at least have Ashildr mention it casually 😅

Yeah that would of made more sense too and that way potentially making Clara's sacrifice for Rigsy a bit more meaningful, we had plenty of one off characters that could of been sacrificed for so flesh out his story make it more meaningful 😅

the only word I can give The Woman To Live is forgettable opps I can't really remember much on thinking back to it!

157 Victory of the Daleks

Series 5 Episode 3

Doctor: 11th

Companion: Amy Pond

First aired: 17th April 2010

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Series 5 is so close to being a dud-free series in my books. Sadly, its only stumbling block came in episode 3, which was Amy's first trip back in time, to meet Winston Churchill during Word War II. Already a potentially interesting concept, it also threw in the Daleks' first appearance of the Moffat era. There's a really good concept on paper here but unfortunately it just didn't come together properly for me. I liked the design of the Ironside Daleks and "would you care for some tea?" is a Dalek quote for the ages, but the new Paradigm designs didn't ever cut it for me. I think the colours were far too bright and garish, and it took away some of the menace from them, in my view. Even away from the design, the episode basically serves as a vehicle to set the Paradigm Daleks up, and then they get away scot free. Their only plan being defeated by spitfires in space requires more of a suspension of disbelief than usual in Doctor Who, and then they just... leave. It leaves the episode feeling like it hasn't actually concluded, with no real consequences anywhere. More time is spent on Bracewell, who was the less interesting story strand of the episode in my view. It was nice to see a soft side to Amy, but much of the rest of the episode doesn't come together so well and it's not an episode that has much rewatchability to me.

VOTD im probably in the minority that actually likes the rainbow Daleks 😅 Did feel like it was the start of a much bigger Dalek arc though but im guessing fan backlash probably hindered that

Danny boy in space really didnt make sense too , I probably would of ranked it a little bit higher though

Yeah I like Victory too… but then I’m a big fan of the Smith era in general :D

I’ve only watched 2005-2009 so will comment when that era pops up! I wouldn’t put Love and Monsters as my least favourite but nothing comes to mind as what that would be - I enjoy them all! This was a fun episode, I enjoyed the different perspective and I absolutely love Jackie/Camille; she can make you cry and make you laugh in equal measure and this was her moment to shine.

18 hours ago, JosephBoone said:

159 Love & Monsters

Series 2 Episode 10

Doctor: 10th

Companion: Rose Tyler

Also featuring: Jackie Tyler

First aired: 17th June 2006

Writer: Russell T Davies

156 Hide

Series 7 Episode 9

Doctor: 11th

Companion: Clara Oswald

First aired: 20th April 2013

Writer: Neil Cross

Another 7B casualty, and this time it's ghost story Hide that departs the countdown. The Doctor and Clara visit a haunted mansion and meet Professor Alec Palmer and his assistant Emma Grayling, the latter of whom is an empath. What begins as an intriguing ghost story quickly loses its way for me and becomes quite possibly the most forgettable Doctor Who episode, even though I've seen it a good handful of times. There's nothing outright bad in this episode, but there's also very little of interest happening too, and even the more action-packed sequences fail to ignite my interest. The "Crooked Man" has an interesting design but honestly it's barely utilised, which makes the episode feel rather uneventful, and the revelation of there being two creatures, one in the mansion and one in the pocket universe, comes and goes so quickly at the end of the episode that it messes with the pacing a little too. Nothing terrible about this one but a pretty dull watch for me.

Quite ironic you say its most forgettable as have no recollection of it and I did a rewatch of the whole series a few months ago 😅 guessing it was that uneventful Hide

155 Praxeus

Series 12 Episode 6

Doctor: 13th

Companion: Yasmin Khan, Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair

First aired: 2nd February 2020

Writer: Pete McTighe & Chris Chibnall

From one deeply forgettable episode to another...! Series 12 was in many ways a step up from series 11 in my books, but some duds still crept through, and in the middle of the run, we were served up Praxeus. What started off as an interesting concept, with the TARDIS team split up, giving the companions a chance to prove themselves individually... or so you'd think, because in each location we met more members of the supporting cast, each connected to the core storyline in different ways, giving the main cast little room to breathe. Much like Hide, though, there's nothing I found outright terrible in this episode, I just don't find it that interesting or memorable! It's at least a little less heavy-handed in its message than Orphan 55, but those two episodes coming three weeks apart did feel like overkill when they share a similar message.

It definitely felt that the companions were more side characters in Praxeus, maybe it would of been more meaningful if Ryan did the heroic "almost sacrifice" that Jake (the doctor was saving anyway) at least it would of given his character something, he really was just there for the 2 whole seasons want he

2 minutes ago, 777666jason said:

It definitely felt that the companions were more side characters in Praxeus, maybe it would of been more meaningful if Ryan did the heroic "almost sacrifice" that Jake (the doctor was saving anyway) at least it would of given his character something, he really was just there for the 2 whole seasons want he

This was the biggest issue I had with Chibnall's era - so many companions, but still a heap of side characters every episode so the companions had little room to grow and develop! (not to mention the dialogue was basically one companion divided between three half the time lol)

2 minutes ago, JosephBoone said:

This was the biggest issue I had with Chibnall's era - so many companions, but still a heap of side characters every episode so the companions had little room to grow and develop! (not to mention the dialogue was basically one companion divided between three half the time lol)

Like i get 3 companions simultaneously worked during the Moffat era but it was Amy, RoRy and River every episode, and Amy had time to develop before Rory got added to the mix

Here as you said was seemed 1 companion split between the 3 and of the 3 Graham was the one that seemed to have the most growth (Yaz didnt really get a lot of depth until Ryan and Graham left but she still had more than Ryan)

1 minute ago, 777666jason said:

Like i get 3 companions simultaneously worked during the Moffat era but it was Amy, RoRy and River every episode, and Amy had time to develop before Rory got added to the mix

Here as you said was seemed 1 companion split between the 3 and of the 3 Graham was the one that seemed to have the most growth (Yaz didnt really get a lot of depth until Ryan and Graham left but she still had more than Ryan)

Nail on the head! Introducing companions at different stages works better, but three new companions and a new Doctor is a lot to develop when you've also got your guest stars of the week.

154 The Lie of the Land

Series 10 Episode 8

Doctor: 12th

Companion: Bill Potts, Nardole

Also featuring: Missy

First aired: 3rd June 2017

Writer: Toby Whithouse

This episode is one that really frustrates me. The Monk trilogy is inconsistent and a little all-over-the-place plotwise, and that's never more blatant than in this episode. The closing episode of the trilogy began in a world where the Monks were in charge, with propaganda reigning supreme. It starts off really interestingly, as Bill and Nardole reunite to track down the Doctor, who's seemingly working for the Monks. The interesting premise quickly divebombs when Bill gets to the Doctor, and he provokes her into shooting him before he fakes a regeneration as part of a ploy to prove Bill is on their side. It feels hugely out of character for the Twelfth Doctor and it's one of the most frustrating scenes of modern Who, as much as I think Pearl Mackie expertly displays the frustration Bill would have been feeling. After this, the episode doesn't really recover, in my view. The downfall of the Monks lying with Bill, and the memories of her mum, felt like an anticlimax, and none of the potentially good ideas that could come from such a story ever feel realised. That said, I do enjoy the scenes with Missy in the vault, and it's just one example of how great Michelle Gomez is at playing a more nuanced version of Missy, who is genuinely trying to get better.

Was him provoking Bill to shoot him out of character though, half a season before he basically killed (ok they regenerated) a fellow Timelord to pull clara out of her time a millisecond before her death. That said I do think the monks were a bit too easily defeated after being set up as a huge threat so do agree with TLOTL low placing even if it did do well to further Missys redemption arc