The top 3rd feels like two groups. About half would fit comfortably with the last section, while the best of the best here really soar. Maybe I should have split this into 5 or 6 posts.
Ten dominates the list, though if Nine had been in more episodes it would be a close call. Eleven shows up less, Twelve less still, and Thirteen is entirely missing.
Lowest 3rd
Middle 3rd
#49 The Runaway Bride (S3-E0)
Ten, Donna
Donna is always a bit shrill, but here she is truly unpleasant. Her mother is… wow… Doctor Who hates mothers. Donna gets better over time; her mother does not. The story isn’t great and the FX spider is worse. It’s fast-paced, which helps, and funny, which helps more. But it is Ten that makes it all work. He switches from emotional & dramatic to funny to an action hero three times in the same scene and it always works.
Doctor: Very Good. Companion: Annoying. Villain: Weak. Plot: Middling.
#48 Vincent and the Doctor (S5-E10)
Eleven, Amy
A good episode, but it gets far more credit than it deserves. It is not a deep exploration of depression, though it would like to be. There is way too much lightness and silliness for an episode that takes itself so seriously. Plus the music over Van Gogh’s visit to the library belongs in a different type of show–one that I don’t watch.
Eleven definitely isn’t the one for this. Ten would have pulled it off better. Amy, is of course, fantastic, and Vincent is well drawn.
Doctor: Wrong for the ep. Companion: Excellent. Villain: Weak. Plot: OK.
#47 The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky (S4-E4/E5)
Ten, Donna, Martha
The return of the classic villain, the Sontarans—another SF warrior & honor race that is horrible at war. A solid episode, but while the previous one, Planet of the Ood, felt like it was a two-parter, this one felt like a single-part ep when seen from a distance. Not enough happens. The genius kid was unnecessary, as was Donna remembering her previous episodes.
Funny that Martha didn’t come into her own until after she was done with the TARDIS.
Doctor: Shrill. Companions: Good. Villains: Good. Plot: Good.
#46 Partners in Crime (S4-E1)
Ten, Donna
This is a lightweight ep. A good re-introduction to Donna. She is 50% less annoying than as a bride, which still leaves a good deal. Some humor and a desire for adventure counter the annoyance. It leans a bit too far on the juvenile, however, the first meeting between The Doctor and Donna in this ep makes me give a pass to everything else.
Doctor: Excellent. Companion: Good. Villain: OK. Plot: Weak.
#45 Hell Bent (S9-E12)
Twelve, Clara
Twelve goes crazy in an attempt to save Clara. I rather like that he flipped out. I wasn’t so fond of Gallifrey. The great civilization of the Time Lords has never been smaller. They could, and should, have done this ep without the Time Lord politics. It made them tiny and unimportant (well, not the first time that’s happened). Clara, however, got a good sendoff.
Doctor: Very Good. Companion: Very Good. Villain: Vague. Plot: Very Good.
#44 The Doctor’s Daughter (S4-E6)
Ten, Donna, Martha
It gets a couple of points for its meta nature (David Tennant married the actress who played his daughter, who is in real life the daughter of Peter Davison, the 5th Doctor). The fish people are not the greatest creation, but more than made up for by Jenny as well as for the point about what it is to be a soldier. Budget limitations show up. This was an odd ep to bring back Martha as she’s stuck in a side plot that could have been cut.
Doctor: Good. Companions: Good. Villains: OK. Plot: Good.
#43 Gridlock (S3-E3)
Ten, Martha
A surreal episode that works amazingly well for its unreal premise. The people of New New York get on a freeway and just stay on it, forever, moving only yards each day in the dense traffic. It’s also a “save the companion” episode. The many secondary characters are well-drawn and we get the return of a few old ones, giving Whoviens something to dwell on.
Doctor: Excellent. Companion: fair to good. Villain: None. Plot: Good, if slight.
#42 Wild Blue Yonder (60th-Anniversary Special 2)
Fourteen, Donna
It’s amazing what you can do with so little. This is one of the most frightening Who stories, and yet there’s very little story. We don’t know what’s the creatures are or why any of this is happening, but we sure know something is very wrong. Tennant and Tate have tons of chemistry. This episode just pulled me in and didn’t let go. Normally specials go big. This one went small, and it worked.
Doctor: Excellent. Companion: Excellent. Villain: Scary. Plot: Slight.
#41 School Reunion (S2-E3)
Ten, Rose, Mickey, Sarah Jane, K9
This one is all about bringing back Sarah Jane Smith, and to a lesser extent (much, much lesser), K9. The story isn’t much, but the character interaction is first-rate. Acted as a pilot for the young kid’s show, The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Doctor: Excellent. Companions: Excellent. Villains: OK. Plot: OK.
#40 The End of the World (S1-E2)
Nine, Rose
After a first episode that said this show was not going to be like the past, the second episode of modern Who said the opposite. It felt like a kid’s show, a pretty good kid’s show, but a kid’s show. And Rose, who came off as strong and resourceful in the first seems weak, bitchy, and useless here. What’s her problem with aliens? She is the portal character, so who is her attitude supposed to appeal to? However, she does learn, and The Doctor is engaging, the tree woman is a nice addition, there’s a nice mix of humor and tension, there’s plenty of character development, and The Doctor and Rose’s relationship grows.
Doctor: Very Good. Companion: Disappointing. Villain: Comical. Plot: Fair.
#39 The Giggle (60th-Anniversary Special 3)
Fourteen, Fifteen, Donna
Well, that was unexpected. So much seemed just what I thought it would be, and then it would all get twisted. I expected Fifteen to appear, but not when how how he did. And I do like being surprised. I loved how visible the pain and weight was on Fourteen, and how energic and fresh Fifteen was. And who’d have thought I’d be happy seeing Mel. This works nicely as the end of the three special that brought life back to the show.
Doctors: Excellent. Companion: Excellent. Villain: Good. Plot: Good.
#38 Let’s Kill Hitler (S6-E8)
Eleven, Amy, Rory, River
A combination of a lot of fun and a lot of stupid. So, we have time travelers who just go around and torture people for “justice.” Hmmm. Shouldn’t another group of time travelers be The Doctor’s greatest concern? Ah well, why worry about the problems when you’ve got Rory punching Hitler, River’s numerous assassination attempts, River vs Nazis, and everything with Amy. This may not be the smartest Doctor Who episode, but it is one of the most fun.
Doctor: Good. Companions: Excellent. Villains: Hard to say. Plot: Best not think about it.
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