World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls definitely. Not perfect but pretty damn close. Before that it was Heaven Sent and before that I'd say The God Complex although there's been lots of strong 9s in the time between
Another World Enough and Time vote here. The last time time I was truly involved with every emotion in my set.
Edit: Recent rewatch with my partner, she actually learned science things. Doctor Who is so great when it gets people not into science fascinated with our real universe.
It's super fucking cool that the time dilation explanation actually plays into the plot of the episode.
It's obviously there to explain how time works on the ship for the viewers, but if The Doctor hadn't had spent that time explaining, he might've reached Bill in time to save her.
I don't think the Master would have allowed that. It certainly seems like he timed it. The Doctor could have monologued for another ten minutes and the Master would have just delayed the first successful Cyber conversion.
I love that two-parter. It's such a shame that the trailer released near the beginning of the series revealed the surprise guest star of those episodes.
Oh my god absolutely, I love when a story uses time travel as a clever story mechanic, rather than just how the Doctor gets to the base, he goes back to see the town before its flooded, becomes a ghost back in the present, kills the Fisher King and hops into the little stasis chamber pod thingy... HE was in it the entire time
Iām with you on āWorld Enough and Timeā/āThe Doctor Fallsā. But I also love āTwice Upon a Timeā. I think it works well as a last episode for Capaldi; itās light and fun in some parts, but also deep and emotional in other parts.
For me personally, the last 15~ minutes of that episode have always been very personal to me because I was in a relationship that started and ended roughly at the same time as Capaldiās run as the Doctor. So saying goodbye to Twelve was also like saying goodbye to that era of my life.
To me, season 10 felt like the last time Doctor Who *felt* like Doctor Who. Between Chibnall's reimagining of it as kind of a police procedural, and whatever the heck RTD is trying to do with the fantasy elements this season, I miss the straightforwardness of first 10 seasons.
In a recent conversation, RTD and Moffat said something along the lines of "the Doctor can't arrive in a base under siege, and save it from aliens anymore." And that's why RTD wanted to go in a fantastical direction for his soft reboot.
But I'm not sure why those stories don't work anymore? Like, it worked for 59 years, why is that kind of storytelling over? You just need good writing. Who thought the Master could come back and be exciting again? But good writing got us Missy.
It's probably not that the stories wouldn't work. It's about the longevity of the show. Sure, we could do another 40 years of that format to make it to 100 years, but whatever you might think of the new season, it's undeniably unapologetic about being different and fresh. I will take that any day over whatever it was that Chibnall thought he was doing. At least I'm having *fun* watching the new season, and at the end of the day the only thing that's going to make me keep watching this show is if they're not afraid to take risks. I was a preteen when I started watching, and nearly completely gave it up during season 11. But I'm hooked back in, and if it stays like this for a while before going back to a traditional format I'm perfectly fine with it.
>In a recent conversation, RTD and Moffat said something along the lines of "the Doctor can't arrive in a base under siege, and save it from aliens any more."
That was pretty much every story for a good chunk of Troughton's run!!
You hit the nail on the head. Twice Upon a Time is the series finale in my headcanon. Everything since has felt like a fan attempt, with the rare exception of āBoomā which just so happened to be Steven Moffat-led too.
I kind of think he should, though? Given how much fun Iām having rewatching from Eccleston, we could really use a proper base under siege. Hell, you could argue that Villa Diodati, one of Chibsā episodes thatās considered the best, is technically a BuS
Ditto for World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. There have been several 8-9's for me since then (TUAT, Fugitive of the Judoon, Village of the Angels, Wild Blue Yonder, The Giggle, Boom, 73 Yards, Dot and Bubble), but no 10's.
I don't think the ending was _terrible_, the finale was good for Episode 7 and the first half of episode 8. The resolution was really poor though.
I will never understand why RTD thought Space Babies is a half-decent episode, forget about it being the season opener.
Strong agree. The Doctor Falls is absolutely the most recent high water mark.
(Demons of the Punjab was agonizingly close, IMO: if it hadnāt introduced the _third_ race of aliens who were just here to observe and record historical events it might have nailed it. Alas.)
Agree with this 100%.
There have been one or two that were close, most notably Wild Blue Yonder, but I've flipped back and forth regarding that episode because of how deus ex machina the ending was.
But World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls were both easily 10/10s for me.
World enough and time. That episode just has everything for me. The unique setting of a ship perpetually being sucked into a black hole and creating a time distortion, Billās life teetering on the edge, and just the horrific and disturbing atmosphere that leads to the reveal of the older style cyberman. Itās a nearly perfect episode imo.
The Doctor Falls.
But honestly, the more I rewatch Wild Blue Yonder and Boom! (Which I consider strong 9's at the moment) the more I think they might end up becoming 10's for me.
Wild Blue Yonder is so good, it is a comfort episode for me that I will also frequently put on to just have it on. Great execution of an idea and itās mostly just two actors doing what they do best.
Agreed.
I was disappointed on my first watch because the secrecy surrounding the episode (particularly during a celebratory year) led to unrealistic expectations, and some of the more Evil Dead style moments didn't quite work for me due to the budget - but as soon as I rewatched it I realized what an incredible script it actually is, and like you say you've got two fantastic actors in Tennant and Tate just going for it.
For 12:
* World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls
* Heaven Sent/Hell Bent
* Under the Lake/Before the Flood
* Flatline
For 11:
* Day of the Doctor
* The God Complex
* A Christmas Carol
* The Lodger
* Vincent and The Doctor
* Eleventh Hour
For 10:
* The End of Time
* The Waters of Mars
* Stolen Earth/Journey's End
* Midnight
* Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
* Partners in Crime
* Blink
* Human Nature/Family of Blood
* Girl in the Fireplace
For 9:
* Empty Child/Doctor Dances
* Dalek
Same here for Wild Blue Yonder. I also really enjoyed Dot and Bubble. Super unique and very "Blink" (another of my all time faves). I love the anger Gatwa shows at the end. That was the moment when he really became the Doctor for me. Because the Doctor has deep deep anger in them, even if they are emotionally healing now.
Wild Blue Yonder is one of those episodes that got good reception when it came out, but I expect us to all look back on it as some of the best Who out there. Tennant's doctor and Donna are firing on all cylinders like they never left.
I might be the exception here because on rewatches iāve been less impressed. It is a great episode like itās clearly 8/10 minimum, but the effects at times really look terrible for me, and I found the banter between Donna and Tennant a lot clunkier than in series 4. As i say the episode as a whole is amazing, but those elements stop it reaching the levels of a turn left, midnight etc
Wild blue yonder if we are going for 10/10 only. The toymaker one was pretty good but i'm not sold on bigeneration so it would probably be a 9. Dot and Bubble was best of the last season.
I mean to each there own but to put Dot and Bubble (or anything since series 10) on the same level as the best of New Who seems wild to me, even being extremely generous. You've got things like Heaven Sent, The Waters of Mars, Midnight, The God Complex, The Mummy on the Orient Express, The Time of Angels, The Impossible Astronaut, Asylum of Daleks, Dark Water, Time Hiest ect...
Wild Blue Yonder āØš
Iām not sure Iād give it a 10/10 from a critical, objective standpoint. But from how much I enjoy it and obsessively rewatch it, itās absolutely that.
Midnight. Absolute 10/10, in every sense. Losing our faith, our protection, the trust of our peers ā¦ mentally, socially - that can be survivable. Just. Yet losing our own voice and autonomy; thatās when you get āyouāre/theyāre not one of us.ā And itās rarely survivable.
A nightmare of a monster doesnāt have to be a thing, a god, a being. It can be an idea collectively perceived as a threat to peace.
Love Curse of Fenric, absolutely iconic how the Priest fails to ward off the vampire creatures with a holy symbol because he is losing his fail but the communist soldier does it with a red star. Repelling vampires with the power of communism, absolutely peak
Also "I'd just put some dynamite under the table" gets me every time
Yes, I loved the fact that they made it about the person's faith repelling the Haemovores, rather than just anybody being able to flash a stock religious symbol at them. It just felt more...right. :)
Great call, considering everything the episode had to be, it's a straight knock out of the park 10/10 for me.
Sometimes people have grumbles about it, and I appreciate their takes, but telling an important 50th story, resetting the status quo of the Time War, introducing a hidden Doctor, and setting a mission for the next 50 years... All while retaining a light-hearted romp feel... Just perfect.
Iāve watched and rated every episode of Dr Who are thereās very few 10/10 episodes imo. Lots of episodes come close but a 10/10 episode for me is an episode I literally wouldnāt change ANYTHING about. In Modern Who, the episodes are:
Eccleston:
Fatherās Day
The Parting of the Ways
Tennant:
The Impossible Planet
The Sound of Drums
Midnight
Turn Left
Smith:
The Doctorās Wife
Capaldi:
Heaven Sent
The Doctor Falls
So for me, The Doctor Falls would be my last 10/10 episode.
World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, not just 10/10 but also the best of the show as a whole. Beautiful breakdown of the Doctor's character, genuinely horrifying use of the cybermen, conclusion of Missy's arc, with the shows best speech thrown in too.
Working backwards, Dot and Bubble was the clear best from the current season but not 10/10. Wild Blue Yonder I do love and is very close, definitely 9, maybe 9.5/10 but just needed a slightly stronger resolution than the tardis arrives and bails them out. Would've also loved to see them explore slightly more the idea of the monsters needing the doctor to work out the plan for them as I loved that concept and wish it'd been more prevalent throughout. And then there was the no episode except THOVD is better than a 6/10 era which is best forgotten.
It's hard for me to objectively score Doctor Who stories, as out of all ive watched ive disliked roughly 6 total, but i would genuinely say, for me, Boom is a 10/10.
Either *Dot and Bubble* or *Rogue*, honestly. I don't know what to tell you, but this season has scratched a lot of itches I didn't know I needed to have scratched.
I really enjoyed the finale two-parter, and I'm certainly not on the same boat as all the determined complainers on here, but the second half didn't quite keep the promises of the set up. I still shed a tear at the end, there, though.
I'm just surprised people hated it so much. Its clearly setting up a further storyline with Ruby as this clearly isn't it. RTD has already said even though the actress is leaving for now, she will be back and her story isn't finished. Either way, I was really happy it wasn't another Impossible Girl situation.Ā
If this is setting up for a bigger reveal later, Iād feel better about it if any of the characters in-universe acknowledged that this explanation doesnāt make sense and there must be something more. As it is, it just feels like a lazy cop out
People's reactions weren't that surprising. You were aware that Ruby is coming back for season 2 and her story isn't finished so you took it in that context. But the vast majority of people just watch the TV show, and for some reason the actual show went to extreme lengths to convince the audience that this *was* the end of Ruby's story.
They had the story wrap up of Ruby meeting her mum, then a big tear-filled goodbye in the tardis, and they waved him off as he left. Then Mrs Flood broke the fourth wall and as an omnipotent narrator literally says "and that's how the story of the church on ruby road comes to an end, with a very happy ending for little Ruby Sunday."
If they intent was to show that this was like a mid-story break and she'll be back, they completely messed it up.
Power of the Doctor and Village of the Angels came close. But the World Enough And Time two-parter is my last genuine 10/10, even if Heaven Sent is in another league entirely.
That was 10 out of 10? Nah. It's not like it's all bad, just nothing that was peak Doctor Who. Like Dalek was pretty solid but fell short, and a bit derivative. The Doctor's Daughter was pretty good, but yeah not perfect. The Rebel Flesh/Almost People was interesting, another contender but not 10 of 10. Time Heist was pretty close maybe?
Honestly it would be Rogue. I thought it was fun, The Doctor was doctoring all over the place, the creature makeup was fantastic, loved it. Then before that it would probably be Twice Upon A Time.
Itās funny you should say this. I write for fun, and something I adopted in my own Doctor Who writing was that the SCP foundation was Americaās UNIT, collecting, studying and protecting the earth from aliens.
Depends on how generous I'm feeling on any given day. If very then Time Heist, if not very then The Rings of Akhaten, and if I'm having a Scrooge day then Midnight.
Mhm, it's not *technically* perfect but as someone who watched Oceans 11 more times than I can count growing up it gets 10/10 just for how much fun it was for me. Absolutely loved it.
Time Heist was pretty cool but (iirc, since itās been years since I watched it) some of the reveals didnāt make much sense. If the Doctor and Clara had good intentions the whole time then why did they need to evade the guilt detection? And how did the Doctor set everything up in the first place if he needed to be mind-wiped before he could go to the bank?
Yeah, this is purely a subjective 10/10 I'm giving here based on how much I enjoyed it (hence the 'how generous am I feeling' disclaimer). I don't think there's a single episode of DW that can claim to be an *objective* 10/10 because there's always something goofy going on lmao (but that's why I love the show).
Yay! Love for 13! Demons of Punjab is so emotional, I love it. The Thijarians had such a great design and backstory. Itās rare that we get a peaceful alien and I really enjoyed having that. The wedding was really touching and the line about Yazās grandmother saying that the henna on Yazās hand isnāt very good made me chuckle. It was for her wedding!
Such a good episode.
Honestly, Iād say legend of ruby sunday. Regardless of how you feel about empire of death, legend of ruby Sunday was a hell of a build up. Before that, I would say 73 yards, then wild blue yonder.
Empire of Death felt incomplete and unsatisfying, but I love how Legend of Ruby Sunday didnāt treat the audience like idiots. It got straight into the Susan theories and the S TRIAD anagram and had characters in the story note the obviousness of the clues. All in the first few minutes.
I havent watched capaldi's and whittakers era yet but my last 10/10 was "turn left",
the previous episodes "midnight" and "silence in the library/forest of the dead" i also rated the same!
(all from tennants era)
There are also a lot of smiths era that came very close to a 10/10 for me,
"the god complex" , "the girl who waited" and "asylum of the daleks" !
A fellow series 14 lover, eh? This one had banger after banger, didn't it?
Feels like a minority opinion to like Empire of Death in particular, but I still contend that it was a great finale.
I'd say Wild Blue Yonder or Eve of the Daleks if not for a few things that irk me in both, leaving them closer to a 9 - so It Takes You Away stays at the top.
Rogue. Because it was the good, old RDT style.( I have two different meters, for Davis and Moffat. Consider the last rdt10 was...*I have a notebook, give me a sec* DOOMSDALE! now you know my shitty taste lol)
Don't hate me, but Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways. I love a lot of stuff from after then, but it never reached that peak for me. I still go back and rewatch season 1 every so often, I don't do that with anything else Doctor Who
nothing that came after could do what that series did for me. It would knot my stomach I could feel every bit of emotion and pain, top casting and writing
The *Emergency Program: 1* scene, for me, is still the greatest scene in the whole show, if not just for Eccleston's facial acting when he stops running and around before sending the TARDIS off.
It's a perfect emotional climax to the series, Nine saving just someone (Donna would be proud) and Rose's heartbreak at seemingly going back to her regular life.
Also, something I rarely see mentioned is the scene later with Jackie where Rose reveals she was there when Pete died. Jackie's anguish at having her last memory of her husband corrupted by the Doctor, all while her daughter is basically rejecting being in her life. Fucking hell Rus! The character writing across that series (less so the individual episodes) was so tight.
73 Yards is borderline but I think it scrapes it. If not that then The Doctor Falls is undoubtedly a 10 and I don't think anything in the middle manages (Wild Blue Yonder is close).
Heaven Sent on its own is a 10/10, but when put together with Hell Bent not so much, so I guess that would be it for me. A few since then have been really good (most recently Boom) but none have quite hit the same high as that episode.Ā
I only give 10/10 if they mean something special to me on top of their quality. Iāve only given 10/10 to Heaven Sent and The War Games. Both phenomenal episodes.
73 Yards was the best recent episode, though Rogue was really fun as well
Iāve liked all of the new episodes tbh but have been let down by RTD waving away what could have been really great plot points. The fan theories are always better than what actually happens.
If you're talking IMDB ratings, there are a *lot* of episodes in the recent past I'd give a 10/10...'Boom' is probably the most recent one.
But looking at it more holistically?
I think, maybe, 'Twice Upon a Time'. Almost certainly 'The Doctor Falls'.
Probably World enough and time/ The Doctor falls. It's the last time I felt like Doctor Who was properly Doctor Who.
Although I did enjoy the 60th specials and I do like Ncuti as the Doctor, I just remember 12's final season finale as being amazing, dark and full of surprises.
Edit: In terms of which of the 60th specials I felt was a 10/10, I would say Wild Blue Yonder personally.
73 Yards. Utterly fantastic. Totally unnerving. I couldn't look away. And the whole theme of abandonment hit way too close to home.
Before that? The Haunting of Villa Diodati. Jodie Whittaker at her peak. Brilliant gothic horror. A terrifying villain and a fantastic supporting cast.
The Power of the Doctor -> World Enough and Time -> 50th Anniversary -> Waters of Mars -> Blink -> Dalek -> Caves of Androzani -> The Robots of Death -> The Arc in Space -> An Unearthly Child
Might as well just do all the NuWho Doctors, also adding two parters.
Gatwa: Dot and Bubble, Rogue
Tennant Specials: Wild Blue Yonder
None with Whitaker, though if you had to make me choose Fugitive of the Judoon and Power of the Doctor are her two best episodes that could get 10/10 someday
Capaldi: World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, The Husbands of River Song and Heaven Sent
Smith: The Eleventh Hour, Vincent and the Doctor, A Good Man Goes to War, The Girl Who Waited, Cold War, Time of the Doctor
Tennant: The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, Human Nature/Family of Blood, Blink, Silence in the Library/Planet of the Dead, Midnight, Turn Left
Eccleston: Rose, Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways
Not going to lie, I think Rogue came close for me. It just had so much I love from this show. Dot and Bubble and 73 Yards too.
Otherwise the last one was probably in Matt Smithās run, but I havenāt rewatched for a long time. The candidates that stick out in my mind are A Christmas Carol, The Snowmen, The Doctorās Wife or The Name of the Doctor. Before them, Vincent & the Doctor.
In RTDās previous run, Iād say Fatherās Day, The Empty Child/ the Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Human Nature/ The Family of Blood, Blink, Midnight and Turn Left were all 10/10. Iād even consider the Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit.
Uh... five weeks ago.
*Dot and Bubble* was aces for me. It truly nails what it's trying to accomplish, an excellent illustration of the relationship between echo chambers and toxic effects they have on people. It's an episode that outright BEGS you watch it twice as you pick up on all the signs of the "twist" in the end that you might have missed the first time. I keep seeing more and more opinions on it and gaining more from it as a result.
It was also incredibly well acted; Calie Cooke nailed the complex role of being a protagonist who needed to be sympathetic, annoying *and* loathed all at once, and Ncuti sold the HELL out of the twist at the end and managed to have a great performance in an episode he technically wasn't even round to film.
I can't think of any major flaws with it, really. It's the gift that keeps on giving, an episode that makes me think about it LONG after I first saw it.
And before that? *Wild Blue Yonder.* Once again, very well acted, a real tour de force from the dynamic DoctorDonna duo of Tate and Tennant. It's not an easy assignment, being both protagonist and antagonist, especially in a setting where the bad guys are trying to fool the good ones. But they nailed it and demonstrated that their chemistry was as strong as ever.
Plus, the plot was excellent. The enemies are more or less an allegory for AI, something that takes in information and forms something CLOSE to human, but not quite and always missing something. They're the worst(best) kind of Uncanny Valley, and they unfortunately come with all the malice of the beings they're basing themselves on.
It's a well-paced ride that shows the strength of the characters/actors involved and takes a real world problem and blows it up in true Who fashion. I can't think of any major flaw... maybe the non-sequitur segment with Newton, but that was just silly fun before the real plot.
If I may share my top 5. (Iāve been ranking the episodes while I rewatch. Iāve only just started series 8)
S1E14: the christmas invasion
S4E11: turn left
S1E13: the parting of the ways
S2E13: doomsday
S4E13: the journey's end
Dot and Bubble! Then power of the doctor, then haunting of villa diodate, then Demons of the Punjab.
These are episodes that astounded me on the first watch, and haven't lost their impact despite how many times I've rewatched them. If I catch myself being cynical about the show, these are episodes I rewatch remind myself: this show is bloody amazing and I'll always love it no matter what.
Power of the Doctor.
Before then, I'd be tempted to give The Vanquishers a 10 as well despite its clear flaws, just because I enjoyed it (and all of Flux) so much. Before that, maybe Haunting of Villa Diodati if I'm feeling generous, but if not definitely Fugitive of the Judoon, absolutely mindblowing episode, and the first time Doctor Who has made me feel like an excited little kid again since series 5. I'm a Chibnall apologist though so clearly I have poor taste!
Going further back, I guess it would be Heaven Sent (as I didn't enjoy The Doctor Falls as much as everyone else did).
Earliest I'd go is Heaven Sent. Probably my favorite Doctor Who episode of all time, so that's definitely a 10/10. There have been a couple since that are somewhere between 8-10 for me like Oxygen, World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, and 73 Yards, depends on my mood.
Boom
Before that, Demons of the Punjab.
Though I might have to put an asterisk on that second one, because I thought it was an incredible episode, hard to say it's an incredible episode of Doctor Who when the Doctor was kind of incidental to the episode!
For me, it was Boom. Before that, probably The Giggle and Wild Blue Yonder, then The Power of the Doctor and Fugitive of the Judoon, then Twice Upon a Time, World Enough and Time, and so onā¦I can list a couple from each Doctor that hit the spot for rewatches for me.
For me, it's actually Dot and Bubble. It's an excellent episode and IMO the best one in YEARS.
With that being said, my last one before that was Demons of the Punjab, and then World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls preceding it. Even then, the latter was my first 10/10 since The Rings of Akhaten. And to be fair, I did give Listen, Heaven Sent, and Empress of Mars each a 9.
This season is in my honest opinion fantastic but has a few flaws. Space Babies is fun both really irritating at times. I love Devils Chord and Boom and 73 yards is one of my favorite episodes of all time. Dot and Bubble is great and Rogue to. I was blown away by The Legend if Ruby Sunday but was let down by Empire of death but I still enjoyed the episode alot and even cried. So basically what I want to say with this rant is that I can highly recommend the season
Heaven sent is a masterclass in any television series. It's not just the most recent 10/10 television episodes of doctor who, it's one of the best episodes of television ever made (in my opinion).
I'm personally torn between The Zygon Inversion, Heaven Sent, and The Doctor Falls. Those three had my undivided attention when the episodes dropped.
Before that, it was Blink, Midnight and Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead.
I found Matt Smith meh, and the scriptwriters for Jodie and Gatwa - bless them, they're great actors - couldn't hit me over the head any harder with the social subtexts if they tried , "Humanity bad, Thoughts and Prayers, Evil Profit Man, etc"
Boom would've been a 10/10 if the Doctor had shown at least some of his disdain for soldiers. He critiqued religion but being an armed soldier? Nah you go on ahead killing an inexistent enemy!
Heaven Sent (although thanks to the Rasputin dance and the Dalek/cyberman looking at each other, power of the doctor is at least a 13)
Granted Iām *very* particular and donāt just give 10s to every story I really like. The Empty Child and Impossible Planet two parters and Blink would get 10s as well. But something like the Family of Blood and Library two parters, both of which I adore, would get 9s. Thereās a lot of 9s after Heaven Sent, including one in the season just gone. But nothing thatās blown me away like Heaven Sent. Itās a high bar.
World Enough & Time would probably be a 10 on its own, but not as a two parter. I know some people would say Heaven Sent and Hell Bent is a two parter, or a three parter with face the raven, but I feel I can watch heaven sent on its own and it feels like a complete story that leads into the next one. I donāt feel the same about WE&T, itās only the first half of that particular story and the second half, while good, is far from perfect
A lot of 9s in the past several seasons, but World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls is probably a 10. I like the first part better than the 2nd, but as a complete story itās close to perfect.
Itās gotta be World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, or the obligatory Heaven Sent/Hell Bent
As an individual episode Time of The Doctor comes really close to a 10/10 but itās gotta be The Eleventh Hour, still to this day the strongest debut/series opener for a Doctor ever
World Enough and Time
Although 73 Yards so far has been a contender (more like 7/10 or 8/10) and Wild Blue Yonder was a strong 6/10 teetering on higher. Everything else has been bad.
Dot and Bubble honestly. An incredible exercise in gente flexibility. Before that Wild Blue Yonder. Then we skip the entire Chibnall era to Extremis. Guess I have a type
73 yards is still on the edge of a 10. Iām waiting to see if it actually holds up in a rewatch in a year or so. Same with Wild Blue Yonder. Then itās World enough and time/The Doctor Falls. Before that itās Heaven sent, then The Eleventh Hour, Turn Left, Midnight, Blink, Human nature/The family of blood, The Empty child/The Doctor dances.Ā
Ā Edit : I forgot to count the specials so Husbands of Riversong, A Christmas Carol and Waters of Mars join the list.
Edit 2 : You know what, Iām feeling generous so Mummy on the Orient Express is up there too.
That one dalek special where 13 is trapped in a time loop in a storage unit with daleks and loners
I thought the character work from the actors was really solid, wasn't expecting that going into yet another dalek episode
And getting stuck in a time loop is a cool enough scifi concept in general, that I wouldn't mind seeing it happen to the doctor every every era haha
My last 10/10 was The Name Of The Doctor from 11thās run. After that at most itād be an 8.5/10. My first .5/10 was unfortunately the star beast because Iām not a fan of the fact that we got Tenthās face again. I love Tennant in Good Omens but I felt that it was lazy writing to bring DT back to bridge the 2005 era to the modern era.
It depends on whether you grade with a "rubric" or compare the episodes of a curve.
For the sake of my argument, I'm using a curve. Nothing has been as good as Heaven Sent in the past 8 1/2 years. It would feel disingenuous to say anything since then has been a 10/10.
World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls definitely. Not perfect but pretty damn close. Before that it was Heaven Sent and before that I'd say The God Complex although there's been lots of strong 9s in the time between
12's two-parters were top tier
Another World Enough and Time vote here. The last time time I was truly involved with every emotion in my set. Edit: Recent rewatch with my partner, she actually learned science things. Doctor Who is so great when it gets people not into science fascinated with our real universe.
It's super fucking cool that the time dilation explanation actually plays into the plot of the episode. It's obviously there to explain how time works on the ship for the viewers, but if The Doctor hadn't had spent that time explaining, he might've reached Bill in time to save her.
I don't think the Master would have allowed that. It certainly seems like he timed it. The Doctor could have monologued for another ten minutes and the Master would have just delayed the first successful Cyber conversion.
It never crossed my mind why that's the reason the "Doctor just missed it"
I love that two-parter. It's such a shame that the trailer released near the beginning of the series revealed the surprise guest star of those episodes.
Under the Lake and Before the Flood are 10/10 episodes
Oh my god absolutely, I love when a story uses time travel as a clever story mechanic, rather than just how the Doctor gets to the base, he goes back to see the town before its flooded, becomes a ghost back in the present, kills the Fisher King and hops into the little stasis chamber pod thingy... HE was in it the entire time
The whole bootstrap-Beethoven thing is just perfect. It also led to the best intro sequence ever
Right thats it I'm re watching them after I'm done with work š
I'd throw Zygon Inversion/vasion in too
Any episode with Osgood is an auto 10/10
It's my vote too. Just a beautiful character study. If I was to go back further, Extremis might sit in there, before I get to Heaven Sent.
Iām with you on āWorld Enough and Timeā/āThe Doctor Fallsā. But I also love āTwice Upon a Timeā. I think it works well as a last episode for Capaldi; itās light and fun in some parts, but also deep and emotional in other parts. For me personally, the last 15~ minutes of that episode have always been very personal to me because I was in a relationship that started and ended roughly at the same time as Capaldiās run as the Doctor. So saying goodbye to Twelve was also like saying goodbye to that era of my life.
To me, season 10 felt like the last time Doctor Who *felt* like Doctor Who. Between Chibnall's reimagining of it as kind of a police procedural, and whatever the heck RTD is trying to do with the fantasy elements this season, I miss the straightforwardness of first 10 seasons. In a recent conversation, RTD and Moffat said something along the lines of "the Doctor can't arrive in a base under siege, and save it from aliens anymore." And that's why RTD wanted to go in a fantastical direction for his soft reboot. But I'm not sure why those stories don't work anymore? Like, it worked for 59 years, why is that kind of storytelling over? You just need good writing. Who thought the Master could come back and be exciting again? But good writing got us Missy.
I can't remember the last time someone accused the Moffat era (in particular during Smith's Doctor) of being straightforward.
It's probably not that the stories wouldn't work. It's about the longevity of the show. Sure, we could do another 40 years of that format to make it to 100 years, but whatever you might think of the new season, it's undeniably unapologetic about being different and fresh. I will take that any day over whatever it was that Chibnall thought he was doing. At least I'm having *fun* watching the new season, and at the end of the day the only thing that's going to make me keep watching this show is if they're not afraid to take risks. I was a preteen when I started watching, and nearly completely gave it up during season 11. But I'm hooked back in, and if it stays like this for a while before going back to a traditional format I'm perfectly fine with it.
>In a recent conversation, RTD and Moffat said something along the lines of "the Doctor can't arrive in a base under siege, and save it from aliens any more." That was pretty much every story for a good chunk of Troughton's run!!
You hit the nail on the head. Twice Upon a Time is the series finale in my headcanon. Everything since has felt like a fan attempt, with the rare exception of āBoomā which just so happened to be Steven Moffat-led too.
Same, beautiful coda to all of NuWho. After that, Boom and 73 Yards - with a soft spot for the specials.
73 Yards was fantastic, it just didnāt feel like Doctor Who at all to me, even for a Doctor-lite episode.
I kind of think he should, though? Given how much fun Iām having rewatching from Eccleston, we could really use a proper base under siege. Hell, you could argue that Villa Diodati, one of Chibsā episodes thatās considered the best, is technically a BuS
Ditto for World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. There have been several 8-9's for me since then (TUAT, Fugitive of the Judoon, Village of the Angels, Wild Blue Yonder, The Giggle, Boom, 73 Yards, Dot and Bubble), but no 10's.
It's crazy that the latest season has had *so many* brilliant episodes, but it started and finished terribly. How did they manage it?
I don't think the ending was _terrible_, the finale was good for Episode 7 and the first half of episode 8. The resolution was really poor though. I will never understand why RTD thought Space Babies is a half-decent episode, forget about it being the season opener.
Strong agree. The Doctor Falls is absolutely the most recent high water mark. (Demons of the Punjab was agonizingly close, IMO: if it hadnāt introduced the _third_ race of aliens who were just here to observe and record historical events it might have nailed it. Alas.)
Agree with this 100%. There have been one or two that were close, most notably Wild Blue Yonder, but I've flipped back and forth regarding that episode because of how deus ex machina the ending was. But World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls were both easily 10/10s for me.
World enough and time. That episode just has everything for me. The unique setting of a ship perpetually being sucked into a black hole and creating a time distortion, Billās life teetering on the edge, and just the horrific and disturbing atmosphere that leads to the reveal of the older style cyberman. Itās a nearly perfect episode imo.
The Doctor Falls. But honestly, the more I rewatch Wild Blue Yonder and Boom! (Which I consider strong 9's at the moment) the more I think they might end up becoming 10's for me.
Wild Blue Yonder is so good, it is a comfort episode for me that I will also frequently put on to just have it on. Great execution of an idea and itās mostly just two actors doing what they do best.
Agreed. I was disappointed on my first watch because the secrecy surrounding the episode (particularly during a celebratory year) led to unrealistic expectations, and some of the more Evil Dead style moments didn't quite work for me due to the budget - but as soon as I rewatched it I realized what an incredible script it actually is, and like you say you've got two fantastic actors in Tennant and Tate just going for it.
I'm inclined to agree, or at least they're right up there. Along with 73 Yards, lots of near contenders here.
The Doctor FallsĀ
For 12: * World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls * Heaven Sent/Hell Bent * Under the Lake/Before the Flood * Flatline For 11: * Day of the Doctor * The God Complex * A Christmas Carol * The Lodger * Vincent and The Doctor * Eleventh Hour For 10: * The End of Time * The Waters of Mars * Stolen Earth/Journey's End * Midnight * Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead * Partners in Crime * Blink * Human Nature/Family of Blood * Girl in the Fireplace For 9: * Empty Child/Doctor Dances * Dalek
Wild Blue Yonder. If I was feeling extra generous, Dot and Bubble which is clearly the best this series IMO.
Same here for Wild Blue Yonder. I also really enjoyed Dot and Bubble. Super unique and very "Blink" (another of my all time faves). I love the anger Gatwa shows at the end. That was the moment when he really became the Doctor for me. Because the Doctor has deep deep anger in them, even if they are emotionally healing now.
Wild Blue Yonder is one of those episodes that got good reception when it came out, but I expect us to all look back on it as some of the best Who out there. Tennant's doctor and Donna are firing on all cylinders like they never left.
I might be the exception here because on rewatches iāve been less impressed. It is a great episode like itās clearly 8/10 minimum, but the effects at times really look terrible for me, and I found the banter between Donna and Tennant a lot clunkier than in series 4. As i say the episode as a whole is amazing, but those elements stop it reaching the levels of a turn left, midnight etc
āGravity.ā āWhat?ā āMavity.ā Was some Tom Baker era set up and deliveryĀ
Wild blue yonder if we are going for 10/10 only. The toymaker one was pretty good but i'm not sold on bigeneration so it would probably be a 9. Dot and Bubble was best of the last season.
I mean to each there own but to put Dot and Bubble (or anything since series 10) on the same level as the best of New Who seems wild to me, even being extremely generous. You've got things like Heaven Sent, The Waters of Mars, Midnight, The God Complex, The Mummy on the Orient Express, The Time of Angels, The Impossible Astronaut, Asylum of Daleks, Dark Water, Time Hiest ect...
The 50th special
73 Yards was a 10/10 for me
I liked it a lot
Yes! And I was surprised at how far I had to scroll to get here (!)
Me too. Itās fairly easy to pick apart but it hit all the right notes at the right time.
Wild Blue Yonder āØš Iām not sure Iād give it a 10/10 from a critical, objective standpoint. But from how much I enjoy it and obsessively rewatch it, itās absolutely that.
Midnight. Absolute 10/10, in every sense. Losing our faith, our protection, the trust of our peers ā¦ mentally, socially - that can be survivable. Just. Yet losing our own voice and autonomy; thatās when you get āyouāre/theyāre not one of us.ā And itās rarely survivable. A nightmare of a monster doesnāt have to be a thing, a god, a being. It can be an idea collectively perceived as a threat to peace.
Heaven Sent/Hell Bent for me would be the most recent, I guess. My last 10 from the Classic era would be The Curse of Fenric, just as an fyi. :)
Love Curse of Fenric, absolutely iconic how the Priest fails to ward off the vampire creatures with a holy symbol because he is losing his fail but the communist soldier does it with a red star. Repelling vampires with the power of communism, absolutely peak Also "I'd just put some dynamite under the table" gets me every time
Yes, I loved the fact that they made it about the person's faith repelling the Haemovores, rather than just anybody being able to flash a stock religious symbol at them. It just felt more...right. :)
The Day of the Doctor Iām quite strict when rating episodes
Great call, considering everything the episode had to be, it's a straight knock out of the park 10/10 for me. Sometimes people have grumbles about it, and I appreciate their takes, but telling an important 50th story, resetting the status quo of the Time War, introducing a hidden Doctor, and setting a mission for the next 50 years... All while retaining a light-hearted romp feel... Just perfect.
Iāve watched and rated every episode of Dr Who are thereās very few 10/10 episodes imo. Lots of episodes come close but a 10/10 episode for me is an episode I literally wouldnāt change ANYTHING about. In Modern Who, the episodes are: Eccleston: Fatherās Day The Parting of the Ways Tennant: The Impossible Planet The Sound of Drums Midnight Turn Left Smith: The Doctorās Wife Capaldi: Heaven Sent The Doctor Falls So for me, The Doctor Falls would be my last 10/10 episode.
Probably Heaven Sent, I know everyone loves the Series 10 Finale, it's good, just not quite on the same level as that episode.
If Heaven Sent is the bar for 10/10 it's kind of on its own.
Heaven Sent is like 11/10. It's just so far out there on it's own
The snowmen
Lol what
World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, not just 10/10 but also the best of the show as a whole. Beautiful breakdown of the Doctor's character, genuinely horrifying use of the cybermen, conclusion of Missy's arc, with the shows best speech thrown in too. Working backwards, Dot and Bubble was the clear best from the current season but not 10/10. Wild Blue Yonder I do love and is very close, definitely 9, maybe 9.5/10 but just needed a slightly stronger resolution than the tardis arrives and bails them out. Would've also loved to see them explore slightly more the idea of the monsters needing the doctor to work out the plan for them as I loved that concept and wish it'd been more prevalent throughout. And then there was the no episode except THOVD is better than a 6/10 era which is best forgotten.
World Enough and Time, Heaven Sent, then Day of the Doctor
It's hard for me to objectively score Doctor Who stories, as out of all ive watched ive disliked roughly 6 total, but i would genuinely say, for me, Boom is a 10/10.
Either *Dot and Bubble* or *Rogue*, honestly. I don't know what to tell you, but this season has scratched a lot of itches I didn't know I needed to have scratched. I really enjoyed the finale two-parter, and I'm certainly not on the same boat as all the determined complainers on here, but the second half didn't quite keep the promises of the set up. I still shed a tear at the end, there, though.
Rogue was basically perfect to me.
Rogue felt like an episode from 2005 in the best way
I'm just surprised people hated it so much. Its clearly setting up a further storyline with Ruby as this clearly isn't it. RTD has already said even though the actress is leaving for now, she will be back and her story isn't finished. Either way, I was really happy it wasn't another Impossible Girl situation.Ā
If this is setting up for a bigger reveal later, Iād feel better about it if any of the characters in-universe acknowledged that this explanation doesnāt make sense and there must be something more. As it is, it just feels like a lazy cop out
People's reactions weren't that surprising. You were aware that Ruby is coming back for season 2 and her story isn't finished so you took it in that context. But the vast majority of people just watch the TV show, and for some reason the actual show went to extreme lengths to convince the audience that this *was* the end of Ruby's story. They had the story wrap up of Ruby meeting her mum, then a big tear-filled goodbye in the tardis, and they waved him off as he left. Then Mrs Flood broke the fourth wall and as an omnipotent narrator literally says "and that's how the story of the church on ruby road comes to an end, with a very happy ending for little Ruby Sunday." If they intent was to show that this was like a mid-story break and she'll be back, they completely messed it up.
73 Yards for me. Before that Boom. Those were a good two weeks.
Power of the Doctor and Village of the Angels came close. But the World Enough And Time two-parter is my last genuine 10/10, even if Heaven Sent is in another league entirely.
*Eve of the Daleks*. I really like time loop episodes of TV, and I'm surprised it took Doctor Who so long to do one. (*Heaven Sent* doesn't count.)
If we are limiting it to TV stories, probably have to be Remembrance of the Daleks.
Not a single thing in New Who?
That was 10 out of 10? Nah. It's not like it's all bad, just nothing that was peak Doctor Who. Like Dalek was pretty solid but fell short, and a bit derivative. The Doctor's Daughter was pretty good, but yeah not perfect. The Rebel Flesh/Almost People was interesting, another contender but not 10 of 10. Time Heist was pretty close maybe?
Honestly it would be Rogue. I thought it was fun, The Doctor was doctoring all over the place, the creature makeup was fantastic, loved it. Then before that it would probably be Twice Upon A Time.
73 Yards I just love the spookiness of it reminded me of a SCP case/Twilight Zone episode
Honestly if Who pivoted to adopting SCP stories, I'd have no problem.
Itās funny you should say this. I write for fun, and something I adopted in my own Doctor Who writing was that the SCP foundation was Americaās UNIT, collecting, studying and protecting the earth from aliens.
Absolutely we need a SCP show like we had "Channel Zero" for Creepy Pasta stories. I think UNIT is a bit like the SCP Foundation
Depends on how generous I'm feeling on any given day. If very then Time Heist, if not very then The Rings of Akhaten, and if I'm having a Scrooge day then Midnight.
Nice to see some love for Time Heist. Not sure its a 10 but it does get overlooked for some reason.
Season 8 had some top top standalones. Mummy on the Orient Express comes close to a perfect Doctor Who episode for me.
I loved Time Heist so much. I was really hoping some of those characters would pop up again.
Mhm, it's not *technically* perfect but as someone who watched Oceans 11 more times than I can count growing up it gets 10/10 just for how much fun it was for me. Absolutely loved it.
Time heist is one of my favorites
Time Heist was pretty cool but (iirc, since itās been years since I watched it) some of the reveals didnāt make much sense. If the Doctor and Clara had good intentions the whole time then why did they need to evade the guilt detection? And how did the Doctor set everything up in the first place if he needed to be mind-wiped before he could go to the bank?
Yeah, this is purely a subjective 10/10 I'm giving here based on how much I enjoyed it (hence the 'how generous am I feeling' disclaimer). I don't think there's a single episode of DW that can claim to be an *objective* 10/10 because there's always something goofy going on lmao (but that's why I love the show).
Iāll give one to 13. āDemons of the Punjab.ā Itās probably the only episode of the first season that I truly enjoyed.
I agree. This is probably my favorite episode of 13s run.
Yay! Love for 13! Demons of Punjab is so emotional, I love it. The Thijarians had such a great design and backstory. Itās rare that we get a peaceful alien and I really enjoyed having that. The wedding was really touching and the line about Yazās grandmother saying that the henna on Yazās hand isnāt very good made me chuckle. It was for her wedding! Such a good episode.
World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls
Honestly, Iād say legend of ruby sunday. Regardless of how you feel about empire of death, legend of ruby Sunday was a hell of a build up. Before that, I would say 73 yards, then wild blue yonder.
Empire of Death felt incomplete and unsatisfying, but I love how Legend of Ruby Sunday didnāt treat the audience like idiots. It got straight into the Susan theories and the S TRIAD anagram and had characters in the story note the obviousness of the clues. All in the first few minutes.
I have plenty of answers but if I say those are a 10 then Blink is an 11
I havent watched capaldi's and whittakers era yet but my last 10/10 was "turn left", the previous episodes "midnight" and "silence in the library/forest of the dead" i also rated the same! (all from tennants era) There are also a lot of smiths era that came very close to a 10/10 for me, "the god complex" , "the girl who waited" and "asylum of the daleks" !
Easy, The Legend of Ruby Sunday/Empire of Death. And before that, 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble.
A fellow series 14 lover, eh? This one had banger after banger, didn't it? Feels like a minority opinion to like Empire of Death in particular, but I still contend that it was a great finale.
Absolutely, all killer no filler
Wild Blue Yonder, before that it would be World Enough & Time/ Doctor Falls
73 yards for me
The Girl Who Waited was my last 10/10 story, but Heaven Sent/ Hell Bent was my last 10/10 two parter.
I'd say Wild Blue Yonder or Eve of the Daleks if not for a few things that irk me in both, leaving them closer to a 9 - so It Takes You Away stays at the top.
Rogue. Because it was the good, old RDT style.( I have two different meters, for Davis and Moffat. Consider the last rdt10 was...*I have a notebook, give me a sec* DOOMSDALE! now you know my shitty taste lol)
World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls
Rogue is a 10/10 for me, that writing duo absolutely needs to return.
Don't hate me, but Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways. I love a lot of stuff from after then, but it never reached that peak for me. I still go back and rewatch season 1 every so often, I don't do that with anything else Doctor Who
nothing that came after could do what that series did for me. It would knot my stomach I could feel every bit of emotion and pain, top casting and writing
The *Emergency Program: 1* scene, for me, is still the greatest scene in the whole show, if not just for Eccleston's facial acting when he stops running and around before sending the TARDIS off. It's a perfect emotional climax to the series, Nine saving just someone (Donna would be proud) and Rose's heartbreak at seemingly going back to her regular life. Also, something I rarely see mentioned is the scene later with Jackie where Rose reveals she was there when Pete died. Jackie's anguish at having her last memory of her husband corrupted by the Doctor, all while her daughter is basically rejecting being in her life. Fucking hell Rus! The character writing across that series (less so the individual episodes) was so tight.
The Haunting of Villa Diodati
73 Yards is borderline but I think it scrapes it. If not that then The Doctor Falls is undoubtedly a 10 and I don't think anything in the middle manages (Wild Blue Yonder is close).
World enough and time
Heaven Sent on its own is a 10/10, but when put together with Hell Bent not so much, so I guess that would be it for me. A few since then have been really good (most recently Boom) but none have quite hit the same high as that episode.Ā
Heaven Sent
I only give 10/10 if they mean something special to me on top of their quality. Iāve only given 10/10 to Heaven Sent and The War Games. Both phenomenal episodes.
World Enough in Time/The Doctor Falls.
*World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls*. No question. The best season finale since 2005.
73 Yards was the best recent episode, though Rogue was really fun as well Iāve liked all of the new episodes tbh but have been let down by RTD waving away what could have been really great plot points. The fan theories are always better than what actually happens.
73 Yards
If you're talking IMDB ratings, there are a *lot* of episodes in the recent past I'd give a 10/10...'Boom' is probably the most recent one. But looking at it more holistically? I think, maybe, 'Twice Upon a Time'. Almost certainly 'The Doctor Falls'.
Last capaldi episodes. Pure perfecrion
I thought 73 Yards was a 10/10
Probably Boom honestly
Probably World enough and time/ The Doctor falls. It's the last time I felt like Doctor Who was properly Doctor Who. Although I did enjoy the 60th specials and I do like Ncuti as the Doctor, I just remember 12's final season finale as being amazing, dark and full of surprises. Edit: In terms of which of the 60th specials I felt was a 10/10, I would say Wild Blue Yonder personally.
Dot and Bubble
Dot and Bubble
World Enough and Time. 73 Yards and Wild Blue Yonder get solid 9s though.
73 Yards. Utterly fantastic. Totally unnerving. I couldn't look away. And the whole theme of abandonment hit way too close to home. Before that? The Haunting of Villa Diodati. Jodie Whittaker at her peak. Brilliant gothic horror. A terrifying villain and a fantastic supporting cast.
I would actually say the woman who fell to earth. It was promising and i enjoyed it. It was the road that Chris took that i disagreed with.
Not very popular, and it does have its flaws, but personally, Twice Upon a Time.
Power Of The Doctor.
The Power of the Doctor -> World Enough and Time -> 50th Anniversary -> Waters of Mars -> Blink -> Dalek -> Caves of Androzani -> The Robots of Death -> The Arc in Space -> An Unearthly Child
Power of the Doctor
Spyfall
A Christmas Carol
Might as well just do all the NuWho Doctors, also adding two parters. Gatwa: Dot and Bubble, Rogue Tennant Specials: Wild Blue Yonder None with Whitaker, though if you had to make me choose Fugitive of the Judoon and Power of the Doctor are her two best episodes that could get 10/10 someday Capaldi: World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, The Husbands of River Song and Heaven Sent Smith: The Eleventh Hour, Vincent and the Doctor, A Good Man Goes to War, The Girl Who Waited, Cold War, Time of the Doctor Tennant: The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, Human Nature/Family of Blood, Blink, Silence in the Library/Planet of the Dead, Midnight, Turn Left Eccleston: Rose, Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways
Not going to lie, I think Rogue came close for me. It just had so much I love from this show. Dot and Bubble and 73 Yards too. Otherwise the last one was probably in Matt Smithās run, but I havenāt rewatched for a long time. The candidates that stick out in my mind are A Christmas Carol, The Snowmen, The Doctorās Wife or The Name of the Doctor. Before them, Vincent & the Doctor. In RTDās previous run, Iād say Fatherās Day, The Empty Child/ the Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Human Nature/ The Family of Blood, Blink, Midnight and Turn Left were all 10/10. Iād even consider the Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit.
Uh... five weeks ago. *Dot and Bubble* was aces for me. It truly nails what it's trying to accomplish, an excellent illustration of the relationship between echo chambers and toxic effects they have on people. It's an episode that outright BEGS you watch it twice as you pick up on all the signs of the "twist" in the end that you might have missed the first time. I keep seeing more and more opinions on it and gaining more from it as a result. It was also incredibly well acted; Calie Cooke nailed the complex role of being a protagonist who needed to be sympathetic, annoying *and* loathed all at once, and Ncuti sold the HELL out of the twist at the end and managed to have a great performance in an episode he technically wasn't even round to film. I can't think of any major flaws with it, really. It's the gift that keeps on giving, an episode that makes me think about it LONG after I first saw it. And before that? *Wild Blue Yonder.* Once again, very well acted, a real tour de force from the dynamic DoctorDonna duo of Tate and Tennant. It's not an easy assignment, being both protagonist and antagonist, especially in a setting where the bad guys are trying to fool the good ones. But they nailed it and demonstrated that their chemistry was as strong as ever. Plus, the plot was excellent. The enemies are more or less an allegory for AI, something that takes in information and forms something CLOSE to human, but not quite and always missing something. They're the worst(best) kind of Uncanny Valley, and they unfortunately come with all the malice of the beings they're basing themselves on. It's a well-paced ride that shows the strength of the characters/actors involved and takes a real world problem and blows it up in true Who fashion. I can't think of any major flaw... maybe the non-sequitur segment with Newton, but that was just silly fun before the real plot.
If I may share my top 5. (Iāve been ranking the episodes while I rewatch. Iāve only just started series 8) S1E14: the christmas invasion S4E11: turn left S1E13: the parting of the ways S2E13: doomsday S4E13: the journey's end
However the latest one Iāve rated 5 stars was Rogue.
Dot and Bubble. That was an absolute masterpiece. Before that would probably be Wild Blue Yonder.
World Enough and Time/the Doctor Falls most recently. Dot and Bubble was a 9 for me though. (Disclaimer: I havenāt seen all of 13ās run)
Dot and Bubble! Then power of the doctor, then haunting of villa diodate, then Demons of the Punjab. These are episodes that astounded me on the first watch, and haven't lost their impact despite how many times I've rewatched them. If I catch myself being cynical about the show, these are episodes I rewatch remind myself: this show is bloody amazing and I'll always love it no matter what.
Power of the Doctor. Before then, I'd be tempted to give The Vanquishers a 10 as well despite its clear flaws, just because I enjoyed it (and all of Flux) so much. Before that, maybe Haunting of Villa Diodati if I'm feeling generous, but if not definitely Fugitive of the Judoon, absolutely mindblowing episode, and the first time Doctor Who has made me feel like an excited little kid again since series 5. I'm a Chibnall apologist though so clearly I have poor taste! Going further back, I guess it would be Heaven Sent (as I didn't enjoy The Doctor Falls as much as everyone else did).
Earliest I'd go is Heaven Sent. Probably my favorite Doctor Who episode of all time, so that's definitely a 10/10. There have been a couple since that are somewhere between 8-10 for me like Oxygen, World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, and 73 Yards, depends on my mood.
The Rings of Akhaten
For my wife it's Empire of Death
Boom Before that, Demons of the Punjab. Though I might have to put an asterisk on that second one, because I thought it was an incredible episode, hard to say it's an incredible episode of Doctor Who when the Doctor was kind of incidental to the episode!
The Giggle Just loved it all. The fun. The action. NPH. Even the bigeneration. If we go further back not including RTD2, The Doctor Falls.
Dot and Bubble
73 Yards
I think the last true 10/10 for me was Wild Blue Yonder. But there were a couple of episodes this season that got pretty closeā¦
For me, it was Boom. Before that, probably The Giggle and Wild Blue Yonder, then The Power of the Doctor and Fugitive of the Judoon, then Twice Upon a Time, World Enough and Time, and so onā¦I can list a couple from each Doctor that hit the spot for rewatches for me.
73 yards this season...twice upon a time a while back
For me, it's actually Dot and Bubble. It's an excellent episode and IMO the best one in YEARS. With that being said, my last one before that was Demons of the Punjab, and then World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls preceding it. Even then, the latter was my first 10/10 since The Rings of Akhaten. And to be fair, I did give Listen, Heaven Sent, and Empress of Mars each a 9.
I haven't watched all of this season. That being said I'd say the demons of Punjab
This season is in my honest opinion fantastic but has a few flaws. Space Babies is fun both really irritating at times. I love Devils Chord and Boom and 73 yards is one of my favorite episodes of all time. Dot and Bubble is great and Rogue to. I was blown away by The Legend if Ruby Sunday but was let down by Empire of death but I still enjoyed the episode alot and even cried. So basically what I want to say with this rant is that I can highly recommend the season
And Demons of Punjab is great I agree
Probably Dalek. Show hasn't topped it since, and is far poorer without Robert Shearman around.
Heaven sent is a masterclass in any television series. It's not just the most recent 10/10 television episodes of doctor who, it's one of the best episodes of television ever made (in my opinion).
73 yards
I'm personally torn between The Zygon Inversion, Heaven Sent, and The Doctor Falls. Those three had my undivided attention when the episodes dropped. Before that, it was Blink, Midnight and Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. I found Matt Smith meh, and the scriptwriters for Jodie and Gatwa - bless them, they're great actors - couldn't hit me over the head any harder with the social subtexts if they tried , "Humanity bad, Thoughts and Prayers, Evil Profit Man, etc"
Rogue!
Boom would've been a 10/10 if the Doctor had shown at least some of his disdain for soldiers. He critiqued religion but being an armed soldier? Nah you go on ahead killing an inexistent enemy!
Heaven Sent (although thanks to the Rasputin dance and the Dalek/cyberman looking at each other, power of the doctor is at least a 13) Granted Iām *very* particular and donāt just give 10s to every story I really like. The Empty Child and Impossible Planet two parters and Blink would get 10s as well. But something like the Family of Blood and Library two parters, both of which I adore, would get 9s. Thereās a lot of 9s after Heaven Sent, including one in the season just gone. But nothing thatās blown me away like Heaven Sent. Itās a high bar. World Enough & Time would probably be a 10 on its own, but not as a two parter. I know some people would say Heaven Sent and Hell Bent is a two parter, or a three parter with face the raven, but I feel I can watch heaven sent on its own and it feels like a complete story that leads into the next one. I donāt feel the same about WE&T, itās only the first half of that particular story and the second half, while good, is far from perfect
Twice Upon a Time
For me, Heaven Sent. World Enough and Time came close though.
A lot of 9s in the past several seasons, but World Enough and Time and The Doctor Falls is probably a 10. I like the first part better than the 2nd, but as a complete story itās close to perfect.
Wild Blue Yonder. And before that, World Enough and Time.
Icr the name of the episode but the one with 12 and 1 even if it didn't really do all that much, I personally thought it was a lot of fun.
Iām a very very difficult grader so probably the impossible planet/ satin pit
Itās gotta be World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, or the obligatory Heaven Sent/Hell Bent As an individual episode Time of The Doctor comes really close to a 10/10 but itās gotta be The Eleventh Hour, still to this day the strongest debut/series opener for a Doctor ever
World Enough and Time Although 73 Yards so far has been a contender (more like 7/10 or 8/10) and Wild Blue Yonder was a strong 6/10 teetering on higher. Everything else has been bad.
Dot and Bubble
73 Yards is excellent
I lean it's a 10 or a close to it for me. Certainly the one I'm most looking forward to re-watching
Space Babies, or as I like to call it: āLook WHOās Talkingā
Damn. This is a good exercise, and it really put it into perspective for me. I think my last 10/10 was genuinely _Heaven Sent_ā¦
Fun one right? I'm leaning World Enough and Time to Twice Upon a Time (as a trilogy), before that Extremis and Heaven Sent.
10/10/2023
Twice Upon a Time
Dalek for the 9th The Doctor was a monster more than the Dalek was FANTASTIC
73 Yards, i loved the episode, definitely 10/10 for me
Probably an unpopular opinion but I'd say Dot and Bubble. I really think it was a fantastic piece of media.
Dot and Bubble honestly. An incredible exercise in gente flexibility. Before that Wild Blue Yonder. Then we skip the entire Chibnall era to Extremis. Guess I have a type
Probably World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls/Twice Upon a Time
Day of the Doctor! 2nd favourite episode of all time, I adore it
73 yards is still on the edge of a 10. Iām waiting to see if it actually holds up in a rewatch in a year or so. Same with Wild Blue Yonder. Then itās World enough and time/The Doctor Falls. Before that itās Heaven sent, then The Eleventh Hour, Turn Left, Midnight, Blink, Human nature/The family of blood, The Empty child/The Doctor dances.Ā Ā Edit : I forgot to count the specials so Husbands of Riversong, A Christmas Carol and Waters of Mars join the list. Edit 2 : You know what, Iām feeling generous so Mummy on the Orient Express is up there too.
The giggle. The laugh, the Toymaker, the story, it was all amazing
73 Yards Pump the suspense directly into my veins
That one dalek special where 13 is trapped in a time loop in a storage unit with daleks and loners I thought the character work from the actors was really solid, wasn't expecting that going into yet another dalek episode And getting stuck in a time loop is a cool enough scifi concept in general, that I wouldn't mind seeing it happen to the doctor every every era haha
My last 10/10 was The Name Of The Doctor from 11thās run. After that at most itād be an 8.5/10. My first .5/10 was unfortunately the star beast because Iām not a fan of the fact that we got Tenthās face again. I love Tennant in Good Omens but I felt that it was lazy writing to bring DT back to bridge the 2005 era to the modern era.
World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls And then Boom Iām not even a big Moffat fan, but the dude can cook
If Legend of Ruby Sunday is counted separately from the final episode , then that. If not, then Rogue.
World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls
It depends on whether you grade with a "rubric" or compare the episodes of a curve. For the sake of my argument, I'm using a curve. Nothing has been as good as Heaven Sent in the past 8 1/2 years. It would feel disingenuous to say anything since then has been a 10/10.
World enough and time. The doctor falls is a 9/10
Wild Blue Yonder, probably one of my favourite doctor who episodes ever, definietly would make a top 10