All Modern Doctor Who Episodes Ranked (Lowest 3rd)

We are squarely in Doctor Who season again (yes, that’s an official season of the year), which has not only focused my interest but focused the interest of others who then foolishly ranked all of the episodes. The problem with their rankings was that they were wrong–wrong in that they were not my rankngs. Yes, sometimes it is that simple. So it seemed necessary for me to rank them. This I have done, from worst to best, in three posts (and I’ve updated this list now many times as new episodes came out). In general, I grouped multipart episodes together.

Naturally, I didn’t go at this as a blank slate since that would make it meaningless. Rather, I have a few positions that greatly determine my rankings. Those are:

• Writing is the most important.
• I’m good with Doctor Who being a family show–not so much with it being a kids show. If things get too silly or are directed only at children, my ratings go down.
• I don’t expect the science to be good, but I do grade down when things completely lose internal consistency or when an episode takes pains to point out something egregiously stupid.
• The season arcs matter. A bad arc hurts more than a good arc helps.
• Yes, I think some Doctors were better than others. This is mainly due to versatility of the actor and versatility of the role, plus charisma.
• Yes, I like some companions better than others. Some never worked (the “Fam”). Some should have worked but never jelled (Martha). Some started poorly but improved (Mickey, Donna). Some started great and fell apart (Clara). Some were perfect (Rose, Amy, Captain Jack). Some were great in so many ways, though scripts or arcs let them down (River). I universally hate all mothers on the show (I think someone had mother-in-law issues).
• I started watching Doctor Who in 1978 and picked up the earlier ones later. I’ve watched every existent episode, many of them multiple times. That makes me an old-time Doctor Who watcher. However, I do not have some of the qualities attributed to those earlier fans. I do not give a pass to horrible FX. I do not give points for the show merely referring to its past. And most importantly, I am not against romance and sexuality. (Original Who was famously asexual. People forget that the  biggest outcry against the 1996 movie was not the half-human line, but rather that The Doctor kissed a woman.)

For the most part, the modern Doctor Who has been very good, though the bottom quarter is skippable and contains a few stinkers. So, let’s start with the one that smells the worst. Luckily, it gets better. (And yes, I might seem a bit harsh here, but it is the bottom 3rd.) This section is ruled by Twelve and Thirteen, who have between treen and four times the eps in it as Ten and Eleven combined (Nine is never in this section).

 

#147 Kill the Moon (S8-E7)

Twelve, Clara
The most ill-prepared and dimwitted astronauts in history head to the moon to blow it up and Twelve, Clara, and one of her students (yes, a student) tag along. The moon is an egg for a giant alien and it is gaining mass (because that makes sense). None of the characters come out of this one looking good, but that doesn’t matter when the central point is this stupid. The only positive is that there is very little Clara and Danny faux-romance. Use this episode to argue over which character, The Doctor, Clara, the teenager, or the dim astronaut is the most annoying. If you watch Doctor Who and ask, “Oh, why can’t there be more pointless arguments?” this is your episode.
Doctor: Annoying. Companion: Annoying. Villain: Missing. Plot: Deeply stupid.

 

#146 Legend of the Sea Devils (Special)

Thirteen, Yaz, Dan
It’s hard to think of anything good to say: The Sea Devils look “better” than they did in their last appearance in the ‘80s and there’s an OK Stephen King joke. That’s it. The rest is junk. The fights are unlikely, the characters ridiculous, the tone is bleak for no reason, the relationship material is annoying, and the ending is a meaningless lightshow. And wow, Chibnall does not understand what the Earth’s magnetic field is.
Additionally, the editing is horrendous with the same shot being used multiple times (sometimes reversed), and establishing and transition shots missing. Apparently this was due to COVID lockdown, which is an explanation, but doesn’t make it better.
Doctor: Lame. Companions: Idiots. Villain: Weak. Plot: Pointlessly complex.

 

#145 In the Forest of the Night (S8-E10)

Twelve, Clara
So who thought it was a good idea to stick a group of school children with the Doctor and have Clara stuck in teacher mode? I suppose it was an attempt to pull in the kid audience, or maybe it was just stupid. The kid-filler was needed as the plot should only have filled about fifteen minutes. It isn’t a bad plot; there just isn’t much to it as there is no adversary or actual problem. So a brief story about intelligent foliage, a fair amount of wasted time, and plenty of bad character development. I didn’t think Danny could be any less interesting. The family ending is saccharine and comes out of nowhere and is just another piece of wrongness.
Doctor: Weak.  Companion: Weaker.  Villain: None.  Plot: OK, but brief.

 

#144 The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (S11-E10)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
The problem with big eps that are supposed to prove a point is that sometimes they prove the opposite. This one plays down all the death and pain so as to claim that killing the big bad wasn’t and isn’t the best idea, but it clearly was and still is. And that big bad ends up being strangely wimpy.
Doctor: Weaker. Companions: Eh. Villain: Wimpy. Plot: Underwritten.

 

#143 Revolution of the Daleks (S12-E11)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham, Captian Jack
The return of Captain Jack is wasted, and he’s the only good thing in this episode. The poor plot and poor use of the daleks don’t sink the ep, nor does setting up events and then ignoring them (The Doctor has been in jail for years, and…?), but there’s no getting around the whining. This is the worst appearance by Thirteen, but I hardly noticed how bad she is due to Ryan, Graham, and Yaz sucking the life out of the show. Well, at least two of them are leaving; that’s something.
Doctor: Whiny. Companions: Whiner. Villains: Weak. Plot: Weak.

 

#142 Flux (S13-E1 to E6)

Thirteen, Yaz, Ben
Since two of the six parts of Flux can’t stand on their own, I’m counting it as a single episode, and as that, it doesn’t work. You have to stick the landing, and Flux falls on its face. Too much time is spend on things that don’t matter with the main plot being given far too little time. Characters are undeveloped, motivations are vague or missing, and nothing matters. Yaz finally seems like a character, but she still doesn’t do anything that counts. Major questions are left unanswered and unexplored whereas things of no consequence are explained in detail.
Doctor: OK.  Companions: A bit better.  Villain: Vague.  Plot: Nonsense.

 

#141 It Takes You Away (S11-E9)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
Starts as horror, then switches to a fantasy trip, and ends as an absolutely terrible and offensive statement on grief. The season had some weak elements before, but this is the first time when it actively worked to piss me off. I’d rank it higher if the message wasn’t so obnoxious.
Doctor: Good. Companions: OK. Villains: Twisty. Plot: Reasonable.

 

#140 The Witchfinders (S11-E8)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
Another costume historical, this one with an uneven tone and King James as a ditzy joke who also likes torture. The monster stuff doesn’t fit with the commentary and the whole thing just feels off. It is notable that neither the Doctor nor the companions see any reason to change their outfits to fit into a witch-obsessed village.
Doctor: Good. Companions: OK. Villains: Twisty. Plot: Reasonable.

 

#139 Into the Dalek (S8-E2)

Twelve, Clara
Originality is missing again as we’re given Fantastic Voyage inside a Dalek—yes, the Daleks again. The body adventure is nonsensical and unexciting. The Doctor mind-meld is particularly moan-inducing. Good, evil, and Daleks was done far better in season one’s Dalek.
Doctor: Weak. Companion: Worthless. Villain: Over-used. Plot: Weak.

 

#138 Ascension of the Cybermen / The Timeless Children (S12-E9/10)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
What does Chibnall have against properly lighting a set? It’s hard to get past The Doctor coming in so poorly prepared. What’s that supposed to tell us? She seems to know what cyberdrones can do, but her entire plan seems to be built around her enemy not having weapons. Well, at least this two-parter gives the companions something to do, even if they aren’t very interesting while doing it. Instead of dealing with the Cyberman story, we shift gears to a Master story that should have been disconnected. We’re given a big reveal which we are supposed to find very important but isn’t. Why is The Doctor supposed to be upset? Why is The Master upset? Gosh, Time Lords lie… No kidding. This is disappointing and leaves with a whimper.
Doctor: OK. Companions: OK. Villains: OK. Plot: Weak.

 

#137 Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror (S12-E4)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
Season 12 went all-in on historical characters. Tesla and Edison are reasonably amusing, though it fawns over Tesla while not giving him enough to do. The scorpion monsters are too similar to the past spider people.
Doctor: OK. Companions: Not bad. Villains: Reused. Plot: Weak.

 

#136 The Pyramid at the End of the World / The Lie of the Land (S10-E7/E8)

Twelve, Bill, Nardole
Recalling The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords—and no one should recall those eps—the story of the Monks’ invasion is supposed to be epic, which makes it worse that it is small and meaningless. The multiple Doctor-fake-outs sink it further, and Bill changes her personality randomly from one obnoxious version to another. The ending is just as silly as that of Last of the Time Lords.
Doctor: Weak. Companion: Fatally horrible. Villains: Weak. Plot: Stupid.

 

#135 The Power of the Doctor (Special)

Thirteen, Yaz, Ace, Tegan
It’s not the first time an ep has been jammed with fan service, but usually there is some meaning, emotion, and a reason. Here the overstuffing is pointless. Doctors 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8 all appear and do nothing. Tegan and Ace return and are not only pointless, but have no emotional connection. The Master, Cybermen, and Daleks are all here, and not only is that too much, they really don’t belong together (the Deleks are the problem, as well as the Lone Cyberman). Vinder and Graham also return because… Yet with all that, Dan gets no time and the most pathetic companion exist since Dodo in 1966.
And what the hell was with the unused Chekhov’s gun? Well, The Master is pretty good, but only watch for the regeneration.
Doctor: Weak. Companions: Pointless. Villain: Too many. Plot: A mess.

 

#134 The Caretaker (S8-E6)

Twelve, Clara
One of the “Doctor interacts with regular people” episodes that pop up once a season or so. It is played mainly for comedy, which would be good if it was a little funnier. When not comedic, it is juvenile SF alien stuff or exceptionally unsatisfying relationship mush. It is mild fun when it sticks to humor. The character stuff is horrendous. Danny asks Clara, “Why do you do it?” Really? Is that a question any human would ask? Perhaps, but certainly not a human we want to explore in a TV show.
Doctor: So-so.  Companion: Weak.  Villain: forgettable.  Plot: middling.

 

#133 The Tsuranga Conundrum (S11-E5)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
A space-ship under attack episode—Doctor Who likes those. And there’s some good here. Some. It’s pulled down by several problems: the CGI beast looks silly, very animated, and not frightening, and the story keeps stopping for speeches (wow this season likes those “gosh, you can do it, you are worthwhile” speeches), and the side plot strips away any tension left.
Doctor: Too speechy. Companions: Unnecessary. Villain: Goofy. Plot: Old hat.

 

#132 Arachnids In The U.K. (S11-E4)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
Its real advantage is its placement in the season. Three overly self-serious episodes and then we get this rather silly, horror-action one. There are a few topical Trump references, but like the rest, not to be taken too seriously. And it has a good statement on grief at the end. It’s message on animal rights is not so good. So, shooting a spider to death is wrong, but capturing it and starving it to death is OK. Huh.
Doctor: Good. Companions: Better. Villain: Arch. Plot: Fun.

 

#131 Empress of Mars (S10-E9)

Twelve, Bill
It tries to be an old-school Doctor Who ep from the ‘60s, but lacks the charm while retaining the silliness. At least it should have come off as a decent children’s entry, but it wants to be serious too. Everyone overacts, though Bill still manages to be invisible. The evil British soldier might as well be twirling a mustache while the Empress of Mars sounds like a retread of the Empress of the Racnoss, but less fun. It ends up embarrassing.
Doctor: Weak. Companion: Barely there. Villain: Childish. Plot: Eh.

 

#130 Orphan 55 (S12-E3)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
A fast-moving bugs-in-a-bottle eps that gets by on speed. It’s exciting with just enough emotion. There’s a terrible speech at the end, but so far Thirteen’s run has been filled with only terrible speeches. This one gets a lot of hate due to the old woman crying out for her husband, but that’s the most believable thing in this ep; as someone who has lost a spouse, this rung very true for me.
Doctor: OK. Companions: Not bad. Villains: Generic bugs. Plot: Fair.

 

#129 Rosa (S11-E3)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
It certainly has its heart in the right place, but stories like this need just the right touch, and Chris Chibnall, writing, doesn’t have the touch. It’s too heavy, not knowing when to lean in, when to lecture, and when to sit back and let it flow. Also helps if the main characters are acting reasonably and here they are not. It works best when it’s letting the time travelers carry out their plans without fawning. They set the target higher than usual for the season, which made it easier for them to miss.
Doctor: OK. Companions: Tedious. Villain: Easy to hate. Plot: Had potential.

 

#128 Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (S7-E10)

Eleven, Clara
The modern Who could use a good trip deep into the TARDIS. This isn’t it. The despicable brothers are just that—not interesting, not excitingly evil—just despicable. And it all gets undone at the end.
Doctor: Weak.  Companion: Weak.  Villain: Weak.  Plot: Undone.

 

#127 Praxeus (S12-E6)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
It starts really well, with a solid mystery and environmental horror, but it disappoints. That’s where it really fails: it suggests it will be so much more than it is. The theme is hammered too hard, the relationship commentary is too simple, and Yaz is too stupid. It doesn’t help that the Doctor keeps ignoring dying people. It sputters to an unemotional and hard to accept “climax.”
Doctor: OK. Companions: Dim. Villain: Not really existing. Plot: OK.

 

#126 The Lazarus Experiment (S3-E6)

Ten, Martha
It’s the old “man must not play god” story, which has not gotten fresher with time. And they play it straight. No jokes, just sermonizing, running, and yelling. Both The Doctor and Martha are in self-righteous mode. They’d come off as pretty unpleasant people if every other individual in the ep isn’t far worse in one way or another (well, Martha’s brother is OK). Mark Gatiss makes for a nicely smarmy antagonist, but the giant scorpion should have been given a miss. As for Martha’s mother, Russell T. Davies must have some major mother-in-law issues.
Doctor: Weak. Companion: Weak. Villain: Yes/No. Plot: Cliché.

 

#125 Smile (S10-E2)

Twelve, Bill
A retread of past episodes. It starts as The End of the World and then tacks on pieces of Silence in the Library, and The Beast Below, but is dumber than the previous versions. Yeah, this is the one with robots who speak with emojis. It’s dim and overly familiar, and then it gets much worse.
Doctor: OK. Companion: Underwhelming. Villain: Stupid. Plot: Rehash.

 

#124 Kerblam! (S11-E7)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
A mildly entertaining episode that even gives the companions something to do. The mystery ends up where I thought it would, but has enough turns and red herrings before then to make it a fun journey. The theme of this ep is…odd. Hey, oppressing workers is fine. Huh. Did Jeff Bezos sponsor this? I can’t say with certainty that this is the most regressive and morally corrupt episode of the entire nearly 50 years of the show, but it is in the running.
Doctor: Good. Companions: Acceptable. Villains: Twisty. Plot: Reasonable.

 

#123 Sleep No More (S9-E9)

Twelve, Clara
“It was all a dream” is never a good idea, no matter the form; this one takes the form of the story that we see is just a distraction from a story we never see. Nothing in this episode matters. Nothing happens, nothing counts. That makes it hard to care. It is a passable SF-horror, bug hunt, but in no way memorable, until the end, when it becomes much less.
The found-footage look does the story no favors. Even if the ending was repaired, the look of the ep would keep it on the low side of all Doctor Who.
Doctor: Good.  Companion: Good.  Villain: Weak.  Plot: Weaker.

 

#122 A Town Called Mercy (S7-E3)

Eleven, Amy, Rory
Too light for its heavy moral tale. Too heavy for any fun. It misses every way it tries. This is the kind of story you need to do with subtlety and taste. It has neither. Hell, even Amy isn’t much fun, and that takes effort.
Doctor: Weak. Companions: OK. Villains: Best forgotten. Plot: Weak.

 

#121 The Ghost Monument (S11-E2)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
The second episode of the new era looks a little better but still has that juvenile edge while being too self-serious. The sidekicks do nothing but hang about so the Doctor has someone to bounce statements off of. The story isn’t bad but is undercooked. There’s potential for a rollicking adventure but it peters out. The guest characters are particularly hollow.
Doctor: Good.  Companions: Bland.  Villain: none.  Plot: SF survival.

 

#120 The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood (S5-E8/E9)

Eleven, Amy, Rory
It should work better. It should be horror and action, but it is far too slow. This is Doctor Who drama. Too many speeches. And as we’ve learned from Star Wars, negotiations are not that interesting. The creature make-up is excellent, for what that is worth.
Doctor: So-so.  Companions: Too often missing.  Villains: Good.  Plot: Dull.

 

#119 Resolution (S11-E11)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
A special, but most often attached to season 11. I wasn’t looking for a return of the Daleks, and this ep would have worked using any alien with the power to possess, but the A-story works pretty well, with a real feeling of danger and malice. The B-story of Ryan and his father works much less well, presenting overly simplistic answers to real problems. It also displays the fundamental mistake of the season: We’re given relationship material between a companion and his family, but we’ve never gotten any connection between the companions and the Doctor. That’s the relationship(s) that the show needs. One-timers Lin and Mitch show potential and I’d have happily traded the three current companions for those two.
Doctor: Good.  Companions: Replaceable.  Villains: Good enough.  Plot: Fair.

 

#118 Thin Ice (S10-E3)

Twelve, Bill
Bill throws a tantrum which is supposed to be character development, but if so, it makes it clear I don’t want to follow her. The story isn’t great. The themes are good but ham-fisted. The problem is Twelve and Bill’s interaction. If the two are speaking to each other it is a guarantee I don’t want to hear it.
Doctor: OK.  Companion: Annoying.  Villain: Weak.  Plot: Not bad.

 

#117 The Woman Who Fell To Earth (S11-E11)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
A good introduction to a new Doctor, and little else. The three new companions are all drab and weak (really, Yaz needs to have taken some action as a law officer). New showrunner Chibnall puts his stamp on the program, and not in a good way. The production is muddy. It’s hard to clearly see anything and the contrast is way off. The ep is both more gritty while also being more juvenile, with lots of simplistic statements about being the best you can be. It’s left to Jody Whittaker to carry it all, and with her charm and frenetic nature, she almost does.
Doctor: Good.  Companions: Bland.  Villain: Generic.  Plot: Also generic.

 

#116 The God Complex (S6-E11)

Eleven, Amy, Rory
Seems someone is frightened of a guy in a really bad gorilla costume. It’s horror in a hotel as our team and random extras must avoid their fears. It’s one of those horror tropes that pop up because it is easy to film. Unfortunately, it is rarely interesting and isn’t here. How the monster is defeated is cringe-worthy.
Doctor: OK.  Companions: Good.  Villain: OK.  Plot: Old.

 

#115 Eve of the Daleks (New Year’s Special)

Thirteen, Yaz, Dan
They did Groundhog Day, without understanding why you do Groundhog Day. The Doctor has no epiphany and they uncover no mystery. Resetting time wasn’t even necessary for the plot. It’s just our heroes running around in a confined space and getting up after they’re shot. It’s fine, but should have been more. The Daleks are weak enemies, but that is nothing new. I don’t recall if they’ve been this bad at aiming before. What elevates it above most of Thirteen’s episodes is Dan, who supplies much needed charisma.
Doctor: Fair.  Companions: Good.  Villain: Overused.  Plot: Overused.

 

#114 The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords (S3-E12/E13)

Ten, Martha, Captain Jack
What were they thinking? The Doctor turned into a little troll and is saved by everyone believing really, really hard? Martha’s horrible family being horrible? Painful philosophizing? The Master acting wacky (not funny, just wacky)? The big reveal which is neither surprising nor interesting? Wizard powers? Undoing it all? This is a mess. The Sound of Drums is by far the better part of this two-parter, but endings matter. For years Last of the Time Lords was my goto episode when discussing what’s wrong with Doctor Who. Well, considering how many eps I now rank lower, that’s changed, and it isn’t that my feelings on that ep have improved.
Doctor: Bad CGI.  Companions: Weak.  Villain: Painful.  Plot: Horrible.

 

#113 Knock Knock (S10-E4)

Twelve, Bill
So we get another of the unlikely “the companion runs into strange phenomena eps” and Bill continues to be the weakest companion of the modern age (before The Fam) and one written to be both rude and stupid. Why? There are a few humorous lines from The Doctor which doesn’t make up for the dim behavior of Bill’s friends. A few red shirts get taken, and it all ends in a reset.
Doctor: OK.  Companion: Weak.  Villain: OK.  Plot: Dull.

 

#112 Listen (S8-E4)

Twelve, Clara
The relationship to Blink is a bit too noticeable, but I suppose you could also take that as a positive. Instead of making sure we see the monster, now we must make sure not to see it. The concept of the episode probably works better for someone who has had the dream that The Doctor claims everyone has had. I’ve never had a monster under the bed dream. On the other hand, in at least one case, the answer to what the dream presents is a bit of character development Whovians will love. And that view of The Doctor’s childhood is why so many geeks overrate this ep. Geek I may be, but it just wasn’t special. Clara and the kid-Doctor is the best part of the ep, but it doesn’t make up for all the rest.
Listen also is the big relationship development episode, which would be great, if the two actors had any chemistry, and the two characters had any reason to be together. If they want to snog, fine, but the ep requires we actually care about their relationship and I did not. I cared about them not having a relationship, to the extent that I care at all about Danny and Clara, two unlikable characters. And doesn’t the end of the season erase this episode? It is hard for Danny Pink to have a descendent following Death in Heaven.
Doctor: Mediocre. Companions: Weak. Villain: Interesting. Plot: Middling.

 

#111 Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks (S3-E4/E5)

Ten, Martha
The Daleks are back, and weaker, sillier, and with a dumber plan than ever before. That’s OK, since they are living in a racially-equal, depression-era New York filled with really interesting American accents. And pig people. Yes, the Daleks made pig people, because when you need slaves, your first move is to merge humans and pigs. Tennant is forced to believe that these bad jokes are very serious indeed. All he can do is yell. The pace is slow, which is pretty much the final sin. No, leave the final sin for the Dalek/human crossbreed. Well, I like the song.
Doctor: Fair. Companion: Fair. Villain: Pitiful. Plot: Ridiculous.

 

#110 Extremis (S10-E6)

Twelve, Bill, Nardole
The first of the Monk trilogy, but enough different that I rank it on its own. It’s a reasonably pleasant watch, but what should be a solid episode fails on three counts:
1 – The Doctor’s Blindness. It’s a cute device, but it requires me to accept that in all of space and time, nowhere can he get his eyes repaired/replaced. Hell, he got a whole new body for Nardole, but he can’t find anyplace in the universe to fix his eyes.
2 – Been there, done that. If you’ve seen a movie in the last 40 years, it isn’t interesting, and the characters are primitive with their philosophy of existence. And why is Bill so stupid about this? Guessing she never watched The Matrix.
3 – Its connection. While I grade this separately, it does matter what the monks become, and they become very silly in the next two parts.
Doctor: OK. Companion: OK. Villain: Weak. Plot: Empty.

 

#109 Cold War (S7-E8)

Eleven, Clara
Sort of like season 1’s Dalek, but without all the good bits. The return of the Ice Warriors and a pair of good guest stars in Liam Cunningham and David Warner is not enough. The Doctor talks a lot but it doesn’t lead anywhere. Clara is a step up, but not strong enough to be a plus to a mundane story. If you are looking for insight into the US/Soviet Cold War, look elsewhere. The end is a cheat.
Doctor: OK.  Companion: OK.  Villain: Good.  Plot: OK.

 

#108 Last Christmas (S9-E0)

Twelve, Clara
The least of the Christmas specials. Nothing original in sight. We’re given Inception‘s dream within a dream without a touch of irony, delivered via Alien‘s facehuggers. Since we know from the beginning that everything is a dream, nothing matters. It doesn’t help that the ep is dealing with the huge mistake that was the Clara/Danny relationship nor the rubbish split of The Doctor and Clara (to be fair the actress had quit and then changed her mind). However, it’s an acceptable diversion.
Doctor: OK.  Companion: OK.  Villain: Weak.  Plot: Weak.

 

#107 The Eaters of Light (S10-E5)

Twelve, Bill, Nardole
Was this episode broadcast out of order? Based on Bill and how Nardole and Twelve are acting, this had to be meant as the 3rd ep. It’s pretty standard, with The Doctor meeting some primitives and the companion meeting their opponents and everyone must get together after a speech to defeat the bigger bad. It is clear how it is going to work out, but the ending isn’t bad. Bill’s incessant talking is not a plus.
Doctor: Pretty Good. Companion: Pretty Good. Villain: OK. Plot: Good.

 

#106 Spyfall: Part One/Two (S12-E1/2)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
The Doctor sends two companions alone into danger… Huh. The spy stuff is fun but leaves a lot of plot holes. It picks up with the big reveal and a return that sucked me in. Part 2 presents yet another possible companion better than the ones they are using: Ada Lovelace. Give me a season of Ada and The Doctor. This ep is all over the place, stuffed with enough for 4 eps, and leaving much unfinished, and much is weak, but enough is strong.
Doctor: Too Unfocused.  Companions: Better.  Villains: Very Good.  Plot: Unfinished.

 

#105 The Woman Who Lived (S9-E6)

Twelve, Clara
While the second part of a two-parter, each part is a separate story, connected only by a shared character, so I rank them separately.

The Doctor just happens to run into Ashildr, who happens to have run into an alien, and they all happen to want the same thing. The coincidences are slightly less of a problem than Twelve’s lack of sympathy—considering recently the show’s gone to some length to humanize him. With both Twelve and Ashildr acting both unheroic and annoying, it is hard to cheer for either of them. The ending, as is common in season 9, drags it down. Would have been a much better episode without the lion-man and with the Doctor showing up on purpose to check on her.
Doctor: A disappointment. Companion: A disappointment. Villain: Forgettable. Plot: Not much of one.

 

#104 Closing Time (S6-E12)

Eleven, Craig
A sequel to The Lodger, Eleven once again runs into Craig, this time with some random cybermen. The jokes are mainly either “guys are helpless” or “being mistaken for being gay is hilarious.” Those haven’t aged well and weren’t funny at the time. Once again, love wins the day, which says something very bad about all those millions of people that have been converted to cybermen in the past.
Doctor: Good. Companion: OK. Villain: Sigh. Plot: Is there one?

 

#103 World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls (S10-E11/E12)

Twelve, Bill, Nardole
The setup is great: a ship where time runs at different speeds on different decks due to a black hole. I would have thought this would be a great time for Time Lords to be able to do something special and us to be given something new. Oh well. Still, it goes pretty well for a while. But endings count, and this pair brings new meaning to disappointment. The arc ended in more than a whimper as Missy (and The Master) were mangled. Why have her in the series if this was all that you were going to do with her? Bill’s end is a disappointment, and then even that gets retconned for one of the show’s biggest copouts. Doctor Twelve gets his own anticlimactic end.
Doctor: Sad. Companion: Sad. Villain: Who cares. Plot: Anticlimactic.

 

#102 Midnight (S4-E10)

Ten, Donna
Season four’s low-budget episode: one room, a bunch of squabbling people, and pounding on the walls. Even for a group of idiots with control issues, these people are really paranoid. Things progress only due to people being astoundingly stupid. Nor does the ending make much sense (the creature was fine outside before, and got in with no trouble). The theme has been presented many times before, and usually better. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street did it in 20 minutes. This needed at least another half hour of building for the characters to seem close to human.
Doctor: Good.  Companion: Away.  Villain: Inexpensive.  Plot: Based on cost.

 

#101 Face the Raven (S9-E10)

Twelve, Clara
A murder mystery, aliens playing at being Harry Potter hidden in London, two returning characters, and Twelve and Clara both in top form—it ought to be great, but it isn’t. The problem is that the mystery doesn’t matter, yet we spend most of 40 minutes focusing on it. The real story is Me and the cost of her actions on our heroes, but very little time is spent on that. Me’s character is so lightly developed that there’s no way to know if she’s supposed to be noble or a villain. The ep could have explored an interesting hidden society, but that was also left underdeveloped. And in general, stories where there is no justice are unsatisfying, so need to be written with great skill, and there’s just not enough skill on hand.
Doctor: Reasonable. Companion: Good. Villain: Uncertain. Plot: Not what it should be.

 

#100 Can You Hear Me? (S12-E7)

Thirteen, Ryan, Yaz, Graham
Gods, werewolves, and travel to ancient Syria. Well, this one is active. The personal problems of the companions are just plopped down and lay there. And the ending is both underwhelming and contains too many speeches, but it’s engaging while it is running at full speed, which is most of the time.
Doctor: Good. Companions: Active. Villains: Good. Plot: Fun.

 

#99 The Girl Who Died (S9-E5)

Twelve, Clara
They had a story to tell and didn’t care about sense and character. So, the doctor comes up with an unlikely plan to lead a bunch of villages to defeat an alien invading warrior race. The plan wouldn’t have worked so well if a single alien actually fired his weapon. Or if they bombed the village from space after. But they didn’t for no reason. And villagers will run from overwhelming force, even if they are Vikings. A bit more thought into the script would have done wonders. Maisie Williams was a nice guest star, even if the season ended up doing far less with her than they implied they would.
Doctor: Good.  Companion: Dim.  Villain: Really dim.  Plot: OK if unlikely.

 

That’s it for the Lowest 3rd.

On to The Middle 3rd.
And The Top Third.