Doesn't quite apply to the thread title question in that I enjoyed them enough on first viewing but they became real favourites the more and more I watched them.
For instance Boom Town sort of passed me by on first viewing. Admittedly I watched it while getting ready to go out and didn't give it full attention but it screamed filler while we waited for the big finale. It was only going back and watching again that I appreciated it for what it was and found alot to love. Now one of my favourites and certainly a high point of Ecclestones doctor.
I cant think of any episodes I thought were really poor that I've changed my mind about if I'm honest. If anything the ones I disliked the most only got worse upon rewatching.
I could more easily mention those that I loved to begin with and then fell out of love with on rewatching.
In fact I am gonna make a companion thread to this. Hope Allen Who doesn't mind!
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. A lot of season 2 didn't work for me, and this story was originally a big culprit for that. When I had the chance to see it again, it suddenly clicked for me! I rate this story now second to only The Girl in the Fireplace from that season. I still loathe Fear Her, Love & Monsters, New Earth etc...
The Unicorn and the Wasp for me too. I think I wasn't paying attention much the first time, but subsequent viewings I really enjoyed it.
Another was The Angels Take Manhattan. That is now one of my favourites, considering I'm not too much of a fan of Amy and Rory (or Smith's Doctor who really doesn't click for me), I think it's a great story.
I found most of series 5 to be a dull, soulless mess on first viewing but since giving it another go I have enjoyed it more. I wouldn't go as far to say I loved it though, it's still one of my least favourite (if not my least favourite) series of Nu-Who, but from repeat viewings I have found it's not as bad as I first thought.
I'm gonna go for a real weird choice here and actually say The Twin Dilemma!
To be fair, I don't really love the story, compared to the story that immediately preceded it, well, there is no comparison really!
However, when I first watched this story back in '84, I really did hate it for obvious reasons. Davison had gone, to be replaced by this apparently violent successor and I hated every single minute of it.
When I watched it again many years on video, it still wasn't that great. I still had unhappy memories of Colin Baker at this time and had yet to see him again in later stories.
Now that I have watched the Sixth Doctor's Era right through, there is a lot more to appreciate in the story. You can see in very small segments his eventual interpretation coming through. Maurice Denham is great as Azmael and his death scene is quite touching.
And because there are even worse stories later on, i.e in Season 24, this story isn't as bad as I first thought, and in comparison to those.
Yes there's all the usual faults like the costume, the script, the Doctor's poor behaviour and the dodgy acting skills from the twins. There's nothing there to make me absolutely love it but I always look forward to watching it now. Somehow it's seeing all those faults that makes it watchable!
I didn't rate Boom Town much the first time I saw it, possibly because I saw it after the finale to Series 1, and it struck me as being too uneventful after the wonderful pyrotechnics of the ending - then I saw it again and realised it was a brilliant episode. Quiet, but powerful.
I still don't much like Series 5, but on rewatching I've been very impressed by Amy's Choice - again, a quietly-great episode. Rory's constant dying in the series grated on me, but Arthur Darvill's performance is very moving here. Amy isn't my favourite character, but I feel genuinely upset for her in this episode. And Matt gives one of his best performances here.
Delta And The Bannermen -- The first time I watched it, I didn't know enough about old-time BBC radio to get all the references and in-jokes. But now it's one of my favourite guilty pleasures.
Boom Town - I really liked it the first time, and now I realise I appreciate it even more.
42 - another story I quite liked, and now like even more. In fact the only episode I really like from Chibnall.
The Unicorn and the Wasp - great the first time, now one of my many favourites.
The Beast Below - hated this one the first time. How wrong I was, now one of my favourites from Smith's tenure, oddly enough.
The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood - rewatched recently and nowhere near as bad as I remembered, but still among the weakest on offer from Series 5 onwards. I can't say I like this one much.
The God Complex - wasn't much bothered by this the first time, but it's great. Don't know what I was thinking!
Comments
First time I watched it, I thought it was average (nothing special), but now after rewatching, I think it's great.
The Shakespeare Code
Boom Town
Doesn't quite apply to the thread title question in that I enjoyed them enough on first viewing but they became real favourites the more and more I watched them.
For instance Boom Town sort of passed me by on first viewing. Admittedly I watched it while getting ready to go out and didn't give it full attention but it screamed filler while we waited for the big finale. It was only going back and watching again that I appreciated it for what it was and found alot to love. Now one of my favourites and certainly a high point of Ecclestones doctor.
I cant think of any episodes I thought were really poor that I've changed my mind about if I'm honest. If anything the ones I disliked the most only got worse upon rewatching.
I could more easily mention those that I loved to begin with and then fell out of love with on rewatching.
In fact I am gonna make a companion thread to this. Hope Allen Who doesn't mind!
Another was The Angels Take Manhattan. That is now one of my favourites, considering I'm not too much of a fan of Amy and Rory (or Smith's Doctor who really doesn't click for me), I think it's a great story.
Likewise with the first half of series 6.
To be fair, I don't really love the story, compared to the story that immediately preceded it, well, there is no comparison really!
However, when I first watched this story back in '84, I really did hate it for obvious reasons. Davison had gone, to be replaced by this apparently violent successor and I hated every single minute of it.
When I watched it again many years on video, it still wasn't that great. I still had unhappy memories of Colin Baker at this time and had yet to see him again in later stories.
Now that I have watched the Sixth Doctor's Era right through, there is a lot more to appreciate in the story. You can see in very small segments his eventual interpretation coming through. Maurice Denham is great as Azmael and his death scene is quite touching.
And because there are even worse stories later on, i.e in Season 24, this story isn't as bad as I first thought, and in comparison to those.
Yes there's all the usual faults like the costume, the script, the Doctor's poor behaviour and the dodgy acting skills from the twins. There's nothing there to make me absolutely love it but I always look forward to watching it now. Somehow it's seeing all those faults that makes it watchable!
I didn't rate Boom Town much the first time I saw it, possibly because I saw it after the finale to Series 1, and it struck me as being too uneventful after the wonderful pyrotechnics of the ending - then I saw it again and realised it was a brilliant episode. Quiet, but powerful.
I still don't much like Series 5, but on rewatching I've been very impressed by Amy's Choice - again, a quietly-great episode. Rory's constant dying in the series grated on me, but Arthur Darvill's performance is very moving here. Amy isn't my favourite character, but I feel genuinely upset for her in this episode. And Matt gives one of his best performances here.
The Kings Demons
Caves Of Androzani
The Two Doctors
Delta And The Bannermen
42 - another story I quite liked, and now like even more. In fact the only episode I really like from Chibnall.
The Unicorn and the Wasp - great the first time, now one of my many favourites.
The Beast Below - hated this one the first time. How wrong I was, now one of my favourites from Smith's tenure, oddly enough.
The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood - rewatched recently and nowhere near as bad as I remembered, but still among the weakest on offer from Series 5 onwards. I can't say I like this one much.
The God Complex - wasn't much bothered by this the first time, but it's great. Don't know what I was thinking!