Fandom, as a wise man noted, loves lists. I do not love lists, so here is one. It's in no particular order either.
- note: 2005 onwards, any multipart story counts as one choice!
Edge of Destruction
- an intense two parter, in which the nascent Tardis crew almost fall apart (and stab each other). It's full of 60s dramatic acting, but extremely effective and still compelling, and it contains a turning point for the character of The Doctor - in which Barbara Wright proves herself to be perhaps the most important companion The Doctor has ever listened to, and in which she sets up a situation which Russell T Davies will use again later.
Thinking about it, some current fans might think of Barbara as a sort of proto-Rose. But in fact, Rose is a Neo-Barbara.
The Wargames
- one of the few Troughton stories I've seen without recourse to recons, it's surprising how brave this is and how it manages to keep the attention over 10 episodes. It's worth the effort for the presence of the iconic Troughton era team: Zoe, Jamie, The Doctor plus assorted interesting
supporting characters and the introduction of The Time Lords themselves. This beats out Tomb because of the range of ideas and the performances.
Ghost Light
- an episode shorter than it should have been and occasionally quite baffling, but it's also a tour de force for Sylvester and Sophie, it's atmospheric and creepy, it's strange and it could only have been made as a Doctor Who story.
And don't worry, according to the DVD extras, most of the cast (and the director) didn't understand it either.
Silurians
- one of the best Who stories ever. It's a brilliant dilemma, it showcases The Doctor as a scientist and the Brigadier as a soldier. We get germ warfare, a tense race to find a cure and the unexpected deaths of quite a few civilians which really does raise the profile of the Silurians. After that, you have to wonder whether The Doctor's stance on the reptiles is quite the right one to take.
Spearhead from Space
- a genuinely frightening Doctor Who story, doing what the show does so very well: taking the mundane and making it uncanny. It's interesting to see The Doctor out of action for a comparatively long time, so we get to spend a while with the supporting cast and UNIT, which is important considering how large a part they will play in the coming years.
It's also got a genuinely creepy villain and while the Nestene intelligence is a not particularly good special effect (although the plastic thing in the tank is rather nice and understated), so much of the story is grounded in something approaching reality that you get a sense of The Doctor being a part of the Real World.
Three Doctors
- for me, this is the only multi-Doctor story that has ever worked. The Two Doctors comes close, because watching the contrast between Colin Baker and Pat Troughton brings to mind this initial outing with Pertwee, Troughton and Hartnell. It's not that good a story, really, but the
performances lift it from being an oddity to being something rather special.
Horror of Fang Rock
- this is the first time I realised that the endings of Doctor Who stories are not necessarily connected to the plot resolution. This is as much about the Doctor and Leela as it is about a trapped Rutan. It is chock full of atmosphere and a creeping dread, the supporting cast are fun, the resolution is exceptionally dodgy science, but it's such a Hinchcliffe/Holmes era story (and stands in for all of the stories that I couldn't put here, because it turns out I am a Hinchcliffe/Holmes Fanboy - and proud of it) that it's hard not to like.
State of Decay
- more Gothic horror, but one that features three awesome things. One is Tom Baker really getting into the feel of the story. One is Lalla Ward, and the chemistry she creates alongside Tom. And the third is the only good performance Matthew Waterhouse got out of Adric. Or do I have that backwards?
It's also got camp vampires, who nevertheless contrive to be a great deal more vampiric than Edward Cullen, and while there's very little in the way of scares, there's menace. Oh, and a wodge of Time Lord prehistory to keep the inner fanboy going squee into the night.
Logopolis
- Tom's swansong, and he plays it perfectly. I think it's the strongest performance from Baker, T. we get in at least the last two seasons; you can feel the loathing he has for the Master, the sense of doom he feels once he spots The Watcher and the fact that this is once more The Doctor as a hero: he does what he does knowing that he'll die, and does it anyway.
As exits go, I think this was the right way for the 4th Doctor to go out. Tom Baker was My Doctor, and Logopolis - even with the associated oddness that surrounds the story - underscored that I was going to miss him terribly. I did, too.
Black Orchid
- a BBC specialty and a thing of quiet and unassuming joy; it's the 1920s, the Doctor gets to play cricket, there are no monsters in it and we get to see two lots of Sarah Sutton - one half of which is not Nyssa. Hurrah!
Doctor Who does not need monsters. There are some stories where you can tell that the monster is integral and there are others where it's just been tacked on to fulfill the "hiding behind the sofa" criteria. Here, the monsters are people and vice versa. I find this rather satisfying.
Caves of Androzani
- A case in point. Ignore the stupid mud lava beast thingy, which definitely doesn't belong to any kind of ecosystem and has no place except to go "Raaah!" and claw at things, and concentrate instead on The Doctor and Peri in a great example of the thing only Doctor Who can do: a regeneration story.
It's interesting that the last 5th Doctor story is, in a way, the one that best defines him. Ignoring the supporting characters and subplots, we see The Doctor give up everything to save the life of a friend, and then draw on all of his friends for support as he dies.
Revelation of the Daleks
- Colin Baker really suffered during his tenure, but even in two seasons of very uneven stories there are gems and this is the brightest of them. If you ignore the Daleks, and you put the inevitable Davros appearance to once side there's the friendship between Peri and the 6th Doctor to watch. There's an...interesting...role for Alexi Sayle. There's the plotting and scheming among the staff of Tranquil Repose, which frankly does make all the shenanigans with Daleks worth while, and there's the redemption story for Orsini and his squire. The whole thing jumps and crackles with character and dialog that more or less render the presence of the Daleks pointless.
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
- It has the scariest monster of the new run, the introduction of Captain Jack Harkness, some wonderful lines for all of the cast, The Doctor being extremely Doctorish, and possibly my favourite performance from Christopher Eccelston. Plus, everybody lives. It's a winner. If you flick through the number of cool moments, or fun lines, or interesting character moments, you can see why it had to be a two parter.
Boomtown
- It's very cool, this story. The concept of a defeated enemy sitting down face to face with The Doctor and asking him to justify his actions, is interesting. Where does The Doctor, who has been judge and jury for so many, get his right to condemn others? We don't want that question answered, so this becomes a classical Greek play with a deus ex machina at the end to sort things out. Alongside that, there's the tale of Mickey and Rose. Potentially this is the start of Mickey Smith's rise to greatness, so it's good to see him confront Rose about how her decisions have affected him. In a very short space of time, we learn a great deal about our two central characters, and we're reminded - not for the first time since The Edge of Destruction, and not for the last this series - that the TARDIS has some character of it's own.
Dalek
- There was a time, back in the days of William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, when the Daleks were badass. They got slightly watered down in the Pertwee years, saddled with Davros during Tom's run and stayed Davros's pet goons down the years that followed. Even with a brief return to being badass in Remembrance, it's pretty much All Davros All The Time. When the 7th Doctor blows up Skaro, it's almost a mercy killing.
This story puts the Daleks back where they belong: intelligent, scary, ruthlessly efficient. Evil.
Some people have commented that the dubious flirtation with Rose Tyler emotions was a bit "Exterminate! Exterminate! What! Is! Love?" but they ignore the fact that the Dalek is not at all happy with the situation and finds itself repellent. It latches on to Rose because it is a Dalek and it needs orders, not because it feels anything for her. Right up to the end, the Dalek is manipulative and determined. It also manages to pwn The Doctor, which isn't bad at all for a lone pepperpot.
Love & Monsters
- People have described this as RTD's letter to fandom. I think of it as a mirror. Fandom has always been something that people come together over, something that gives people common ground and something to tussle over. Fandom is very much L.I'n'D.A. and although we meet them but briefly we can see elements of fans we have known in those characters. And together, via their various conventions and oddities, they actually become something more than just fans. RTD enjoys fandom just as much as we do, and just as we do sees that it also has flaws.
The story works, too. As does the Monster, and particularly well because it was designed by a Blue Peter viewer (something which has to have been the cause of a few sleepless nights for the production team). But inspiration comes in strange places, because the critter turns out to be a rather useful allegory for either superfans or internet fandom. It's perhaps the quintessential RTD story because it's working away on a number of levels, and because RTD can't resist throwing in a few laughs and a sly comment on The Doctor's character. It also develops Jackie Tyler in interesting directions, all of which is unusual and new for the show. There had never been a story like Love & Monsters - at least in Who's canon - and quite apart from introducing us to Doctor Lite stories it does something else equally important: it gives the fans something else to argue over.
Tooth & Claw
- Scottish werewolves! Scottish Kung Fu Monks! Queen Victoria, armed and dangerous! Every fanboy button I own - and note that I am not a particular fan of Scotland, Kung Fu Monks or werewolves by themselves - pushed in very short order. So how could I not include it?
The Shakespeare Code
- I am a sucker for Shakespeare. I am also a sucker for the likes of Shakespeare In Love, so I was always going to enjoy this. Plus, Martha Jones in Shakespeare's London, a bit of location work at the Globe, some local temporal colour and the Carrionites, whom I rather enjoyed - add up to a fun story. Plus, of course, there's the subtle hint to the kids watching: William Shakespeare was the JK Rowling of his day. Interesting approach.
The other thing is, since The Unquiet Dead, it's become obvious that The Doctor likes writers. Dickens, Shakespeare, Agatha Christie...
Of course, being meta about it one realises that this is writers trying to pimp their craft. And long may they do so! Bloody good idea! As long as he never meets L Ron Hubbard, we're good.
Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords
- If I wanted to be grumpy about it, this is technically not a three parter. But sod that, it's my list. I enjoy everything about this trilogy. The presence of Derek Jacobi is a treat, the arrival of John Sim is another, the presence of Captain Jack (and the resumption of various running gags about Jack) is a third. We get The Master back, we get cannibal hordes, a stolen TARDIS, the Master wins by becoming Prime Minister, marries, conquers The Earth, kills millions of people, beats The Doctor (griefly) AND does a song and dance number on the way past. There's almost too much to cover, too many reasons why this trilogy leads the others for sheer spectacle and awe.
Oh. For the record. Floaty Jesus Doctor? Totally based on scientific study (if not actual results) so, you know, all y'all and the horse you rode in on if you don't like it.
Partners in Crime
- It's a romp. It's fun, slightly silly, so sit back and watch the cast. It works, it's a great way to remind us who Donna is and why we should like her. Catherine Tate is ace, and a good match for David Tennant. Donna, over the course of this story, is almost in SJS territory and that's instantly endearing.
Plus, I just like the lighter touch.
Midnight
- A Donna Light story. Cramped, unnerving, RTD firing on all cylinders, excellent work from the cast in a Night of the Living Dead situation...
It's a relief when it's over. But you can't take your eyes off it when it's on.
Turn Left
- Way, way back in The Edge of Destruction we see an important moment in The Doctor's character development: his decision that his companions are worth trusting. After that, we sort of forget how important they are to him.
This is the story of what happens if The Doctor doesn't have a companion for one dark moment. Oh, we've seen it before (Rose in "Dalek", Sarah Jane in "School Reunion") but this takes us to a pivotal moment and shows us what would have happened if the Doctor and Donna had never met.
What's most interesting is that, in the end, Donna does the typically Doctor Who thing: she redeems herself totally with an act of self sacrifice. It's a powerful and quite moving story, very human, as we rattle through the last couple of years listening as familiar characters fall (we hear the end of Torchwood, the fall of Sarah Jane Smith and the death of Martha Jones in passing) and events take place which would otherwise have not, and we're left with the understanding that Donna's a lot more important than she thinks.
Of course, this is rather undercut by the reappearance of Rose Tyler. Bah.
Remebrance of the Daleks
Back to the start in so many ways: the Doctor vs the Daleks. But this is the 7th Doctor embarking on what is occasionally referred to as the "unfinished business" arc or the equally portentous "Cartmel Masterplan".
I like it because new companion Ace takes center stage and her relationship with a darker, slightly more dangerous Doctor appears. There's a lot to like in this story, particularly the Doctor's cafe chat and the gleeful demolition of a Dalek by Ace wielding a baseball bat.
The ending is weak - The Doctor Kirks a Dalek - and it's got Davros in it, but that's OK for the rant the Doctor goes off on. It's also nice to see the Daleks making an attempt to get back on form.
The Robots of Death
I had to toss a coin between this and Talons of Weng Chiang, and Robots won.
It's a base under siege story, with the twist that the base has already been infiltrated. The 4th Doctor and Leela feature, with some interesting character points from both, but my attention is largely on the crew of the sandminer - who begin to crack up almost before the killings start - and the robots themselves.
There's even a good reason for the villain to be a nutter - and he is, a quality nutter - which helps round out the whole story.
The "D'you want to come with me?" trailer
Listen, it's my list and I can have this in it if I want.
It's the full pre-season trailer with Eccleston and our first look at the Tardis, and that litany of what was to come. It's the single best trailer I have ever seen, for anything, ever, and it sent - and still sends- chills down my spine. It gives me goosebumps. It causes me to say "now what have we here?" and feel like a tiny child on Xmas eve.
It's pure, distilled many times, Doctor Who. If I was ever in a position to give Who writers advice (ha!) then I would point them at that trailer and say "write like it's going to be ushered in by that trailer".
So, technically, not an episode as such but oh lor, what a trailer!
Read more...
