I struggled to choose between 4 and 5 but ultimately plumped for 5.
4 was fantastic and had some cracking episodes; SITL/FOTD, Midnight and Turn Left being the real stand-outs, and I thought Donna was a fantastic companion. Her ending (until it was ruined by The End of Time, in typical RTD fashion) was also the saddest part of Nu-Who.
However, the two-part finale of series 4 was over-indulgent tripe, and the earlier episodes were a bit hit and miss.
Series 5 had the best opening episode of any series, it introduced my favourite Doctor and after a shaky start (excluding TEH), it grew from strength to strength. Amy's Choice was a delight, Vincent and the Doctor was beautiful and the finale, particularly The Pandorica Opens, was utterly barmy and brilliantly handled.
Therefore, though I loved 4, I had to go with 5 in the end. Either way, those two series are far better than any of the others (with the exception, perhaps, of Series 7 - Part 1 which was superb).
The definitive ranking when appraising each series as a series is as follows (take notes):
5 (the Flesh and Stone revisitation in The Big Bang)
6 (the Flesh Amy shocker/the Teslelecta resolution)
3 (the Chameleon Arc connection)
4 (Turn Left -- enough said)
2 &1 (tied) (RTD's usual name-dropping from the finale)
Mind you, I pose this ranking as a "10 is my Doctor" guy, so I'm bringing an objective authority to this evaluation that plainly crosses the usual RTD/Moffat divide. Cower before the obvious universality my aesthetic claims! You will adhere to my opinion or else cease to call yourself a Whovian!
Farting aliens aside, I feel it the most mature, most tightly-written, and most innovative of "new" Who. Only series four could compete with it, imho. The Bad Wolf arc was amazing, as was Eccleston's regeneration in the finale, and I love how series one could be it's own show if you want it to be. I re-watch it a lot and never stop being awed by it.
I could pick either 1, 3 or 4 and be happy, but usually end up going for series 3.
I think the Saxon 'arc' works well, one of my favourite 'OMG!! moments is in '42' when Martha is plummeting into a Sun and calls her Mum to effectively say goodbye, at the end of the conversation the camera pans to reveal a 'Saxon' henchwoman taping the conversation. Then of course there is probably the greatest run of episodes in , Human Nature/Family of Blood, Blink and Utopia.
Love series one as I think it is the darkest series to date and Ecclestone gets better and better with every re watch.
Series 4 is just about perfect, Tennant delivering a flawless performance throughout and Donna is a genuine caring and compassionate companion beneath the bravado, but there is just something about series 3 that always gets my final vote, never been quite able to put my finger on why exactly.
1) Series 1
2) Series 4
3) Series 2
4) Series 6
5) Series 5
6) Series 7
7) Series 3
SERIES 1: Had a brilliant balance of what made Doctor Who fun and dramatic. Later series in the RTD-era lost a sense of gravitas when Eccleston left. Although the series was almost entirely kept to the confines of Earth, it is tremendous fun to watch and even offers a satisfying finale episode that in my mind, has yet to be beaten.
SERIES 4: Tennant and Tate both refined their characters here, and something just clicked about them that worked. The episodes were diverse and fun, and well directed - the series brilliantly gets darker as it goes whilst offering an array of beautiful, colourful and interesting episodes earlier on. Only one episode was a bit of a let down ('Daughter) and whilst the final episode disappointed compared to the promise it had set up an episode earlier, Tate's performance won me over.
SERIES 2: A series without much love, but with a lot of merit. Though perhaps the Cybermen story dragged itself out, and though the home straight was occupied entirely of contemporary London episodes, and though perhaps Tennant grated compared to Eccleston here, the stories on offer were mostly more ambitious than those of the first series and these alone nearly propel the series to greatness.
SERIES 6: A strong series from Moffat, let down only in hindsight. The story arc is interwoven so heavily throughout the episodes that the series lost its easy accessibility here. Given the disappointment the resolution was for me, it drags the whole series down as one that isn't as clever as it thinks it is. Despite a split, the series still suffered a mid-series lull, though a small selection of very strong episodes from Gaiman, McRae, Whithouse and Moffat make this a series worth watching.
SERIES 5: This is Moffat-territory posing as RTD-territory. Before the pacing all got screwed up, the fifth series showed the signs of promise I'd hoped to see from the showrunner. The episode selection was mostly strong (the Silurian two-parter was a weak inclusion) and the pacing generally sound. A few episodes fell victim to an imposing story arc, but this was a new direction at this stage, and at worst could be described as teething problems. My only real issue was a big one though - whilst Smith and Gillan offered brilliant performances throughout, there was still something overwhelmingly cold about the main characters. The warm bond we'd seen up until now was absent, and it left the series feeling a bit lifeless and lacking in energy.
SERIES 7: A series of two halves, in more ways than one. The mid-series break was overly excessive in Series 7, not aided by the fact that the series also abandoned its two-parters. This all boiled down to the biggest problem I've ever had with Doctor Who - pacing. All but one or two episodes felt rushed or unfinished, others felt like cheap novelties and the manic nature of the whole thing was very off-putting. Episodes and characters seldom showed their true potential, and though some episodes showed huge promise, others were also incredibly underwhelming.
SERIES 3: Doctor Who was hit by "that difficult third" syndrome that is usually pinned to movies. But despite a new companion and a clean slate, the third series spent too long on the rebound since Rose was gone. For some episodes this worked, for others it sent the show into soapland more than ever. Not aided by a spate of almost uninterrupted poor episodes in the first half of the series (i.e. anything before 42 except Gridlock) and it was never able to pick itself up again. Later episodes were very strong, but none enough to spare the series, especially when John Simm showed up.
I voted series 3 - I liked the relationship The Doctor had with Martha and some of the stories were very original. Apart from the Dalek ones I liked them all .
I enjoyed series 4 too, but I preferred Martha as the companion in 3 to Catherine Tate in 4.. Storylines in 4 were great though.
I could pick either 1, 3 or 4 and be happy, but usually end up going for series 3.
I think the Saxon 'arc' works well, one of my favourite 'OMG!! moments is in '42' when Martha is plummeting into a Sun and calls her Mum to effectively say goodbye, at the end of the conversation the camera pans to reveal a 'Saxon' henchwoman taping the conversation. Then of course there is probably the greatest run of episodes in , Human Nature/Family of Blood, Blink and Utopia.
Love series one as I think it is the darkest series to date and Ecclestone gets better and better with every re watch.
Series 4 is just about perfect, Tennant delivering a flawless performance throughout and Donna is a genuine caring and compassionate companion beneath the bravado, but there is just something about series 3 that always gets my final vote, never been quite able to put my finger on why exactly.
Ok, series 3 was awful, as I have said Blink was brilliant and Human Nature/Family of blood were pretty damn good but the rest of the series stank with the Lazarus experiment hit low (but i will give you that the series 2 episode "Fear her" is probably in my opinion the worst nu-who episode ever). I just could not get into 42 at all, it was poorly directed, poorly written and just was crap in my opinion. The Yana/you are not alone clue was awful - I remember groaning, going why did I never guess that and just feeling it was awful. easily the worst executed series on the whole.
Sorry farting aliens, gurning every few scenes and inconsistency of plot lines (I will admit that series 7 part 2 has been very inconsistent but is in general higher quality/had the potential to be of higher quality than series 1) lowers series 1. Sure The Unquiet Dead, Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Fathers Day and the series finale were all good episodes but the reasons given above are why I rate series 4 on wards higher.
Series 4 (loved Donna with the Doctor as they were best mates, nothing less and NOTHING MORE.)
Series 7 (also don't get the negativity, thoroughly enjoying it)
Series 5 (love the cracks and Amelia/Raggedy Man story arc)
Series 1
Series 6 (loved River this season, but the Doctor "dying" and the Silence failed to impress me, as did most of the stand alone episodes)
Series 2
Series 3 (Loved Martha, loved Human Nature/Family of Blood and Blink, but it's all overrided by my absolute HATRED of The Master storyline. I thought it was AWFUL.)
The 4 Specials (self indulgent poop. The end of Series 4 tied up the RTD era perfectly. These episodes were unnecessary.)
I think in the RTD era Series 4 was the best one....it had a great teasy arc, the chemistry between Tennant and Tate was the finest on the era too even when stories were lacking, their rpesence lit up the screen! It had a vibe of colour and fun across the first 7 episodes and the final 6 episodes really took us to darker teritory....the trilogy finale was ingenius of RTD even if the final part was a bit ropey and easily resolved it didnt really matter in terms of the vibe presented...it was a typical RTD era final i feel.
BUT, my favourite series EVER of Nu-Who will have to be series 6 for me. I loved that Moff took everything that was so strong about series 5 (my second favourite series of Who) and pushed it into a more macabre atmosphere....we had a significantly great arc...if TPO/TBB was the fienst finale to Who then TIA/DOTM was the finest opening episode Who has ever had IMO....we had some classics early on...the opening episode, Doctors Wife, the mid series final and openers, the girl who waited, god complex and a really mad twisty finale that you get caught up in and provides enough questions for the future.
I loved that it relied more on new monsters/creations/concepts than Daleks/Cybermen etc....but also alluded to the past with its epic cliffhanger vibes and its stunning pre-credits sequences across the majority of the episodes. So yeah...i very much adore series 6!
How i would rank them
series 6
series 5
series 4
series 1
series 3
series 2
and i think the way series 7 has gone it may sandwich between 5 and 4 most likely.
1) Series 2 (This was when I fell in love with the show, I love this series so much:D)
2) Series 1 (Really like this series, Chris and Billie were great on-screen together)
3) Series 4 (Liked this series because it was nice to have a companion who wasn't in love with The Doctor)
4) Series 5 (Really enjoyed this series especially the series finale)
5) Series 3 (I found Martha really annoying and The Doctor going on about how much he missed Rose was annoying too:mad:)
6) Series 7 (I haven't really enjoyed many episodes this series tb)
7) Series 6 (I hated this series I felt like it became "The Pond Show" I hated the River arc and was glad when it was over:yawn:)
My favourite series in order of best to worst:
1. Series 1
2. Series 4
3. Series 3
4. Series 2
5. Series 5
6. Series 7
7. Series 6
I really didn't enjoy series 6, which is why I ranked series 7 higher. For me, series 7a was also disappointing and I got bored of the whole Amy/Rory/River storyline. 7b, however has redeemed it with episodes such as Journey and the Crimson Horror. Nothing can beat series 1 though!
Comments
4 was fantastic and had some cracking episodes; SITL/FOTD, Midnight and Turn Left being the real stand-outs, and I thought Donna was a fantastic companion. Her ending (until it was ruined by The End of Time, in typical RTD fashion) was also the saddest part of Nu-Who.
However, the two-part finale of series 4 was over-indulgent tripe, and the earlier episodes were a bit hit and miss.
Series 5 had the best opening episode of any series, it introduced my favourite Doctor and after a shaky start (excluding TEH), it grew from strength to strength. Amy's Choice was a delight, Vincent and the Doctor was beautiful and the finale, particularly The Pandorica Opens, was utterly barmy and brilliantly handled.
Therefore, though I loved 4, I had to go with 5 in the end. Either way, those two series are far better than any of the others (with the exception, perhaps, of Series 7 - Part 1 which was superb).
5 (the Flesh and Stone revisitation in The Big Bang)
6 (the Flesh Amy shocker/the Teslelecta resolution)
3 (the Chameleon Arc connection)
4 (Turn Left -- enough said)
2 &1 (tied) (RTD's usual name-dropping from the finale)
Mind you, I pose this ranking as a "10 is my Doctor" guy, so I'm bringing an objective authority to this evaluation that plainly crosses the usual RTD/Moffat divide. Cower before the obvious universality my aesthetic claims! You will adhere to my opinion or else cease to call yourself a Whovian!
I like you.
Farting aliens aside, I feel it the most mature, most tightly-written, and most innovative of "new" Who. Only series four could compete with it, imho. The Bad Wolf arc was amazing, as was Eccleston's regeneration in the finale, and I love how series one could be it's own show if you want it to be. I re-watch it a lot and never stop being awed by it.
I think the Saxon 'arc' works well, one of my favourite 'OMG!! moments is in '42' when Martha is plummeting into a Sun and calls her Mum to effectively say goodbye, at the end of the conversation the camera pans to reveal a 'Saxon' henchwoman taping the conversation. Then of course there is probably the greatest run of episodes in , Human Nature/Family of Blood, Blink and Utopia.
Love series one as I think it is the darkest series to date and Ecclestone gets better and better with every re watch.
Series 4 is just about perfect, Tennant delivering a flawless performance throughout and Donna is a genuine caring and compassionate companion beneath the bravado, but there is just something about series 3 that always gets my final vote, never been quite able to put my finger on why exactly.
4 (followed by the specials)
2
7
5
3
1
6
2) Series 4
3) Series 2
4) Series 6
5) Series 5
6) Series 7
7) Series 3
SERIES 1: Had a brilliant balance of what made Doctor Who fun and dramatic. Later series in the RTD-era lost a sense of gravitas when Eccleston left. Although the series was almost entirely kept to the confines of Earth, it is tremendous fun to watch and even offers a satisfying finale episode that in my mind, has yet to be beaten.
SERIES 4: Tennant and Tate both refined their characters here, and something just clicked about them that worked. The episodes were diverse and fun, and well directed - the series brilliantly gets darker as it goes whilst offering an array of beautiful, colourful and interesting episodes earlier on. Only one episode was a bit of a let down ('Daughter) and whilst the final episode disappointed compared to the promise it had set up an episode earlier, Tate's performance won me over.
SERIES 2: A series without much love, but with a lot of merit. Though perhaps the Cybermen story dragged itself out, and though the home straight was occupied entirely of contemporary London episodes, and though perhaps Tennant grated compared to Eccleston here, the stories on offer were mostly more ambitious than those of the first series and these alone nearly propel the series to greatness.
SERIES 6: A strong series from Moffat, let down only in hindsight. The story arc is interwoven so heavily throughout the episodes that the series lost its easy accessibility here. Given the disappointment the resolution was for me, it drags the whole series down as one that isn't as clever as it thinks it is. Despite a split, the series still suffered a mid-series lull, though a small selection of very strong episodes from Gaiman, McRae, Whithouse and Moffat make this a series worth watching.
SERIES 5: This is Moffat-territory posing as RTD-territory. Before the pacing all got screwed up, the fifth series showed the signs of promise I'd hoped to see from the showrunner. The episode selection was mostly strong (the Silurian two-parter was a weak inclusion) and the pacing generally sound. A few episodes fell victim to an imposing story arc, but this was a new direction at this stage, and at worst could be described as teething problems. My only real issue was a big one though - whilst Smith and Gillan offered brilliant performances throughout, there was still something overwhelmingly cold about the main characters. The warm bond we'd seen up until now was absent, and it left the series feeling a bit lifeless and lacking in energy.
SERIES 7: A series of two halves, in more ways than one. The mid-series break was overly excessive in Series 7, not aided by the fact that the series also abandoned its two-parters. This all boiled down to the biggest problem I've ever had with Doctor Who - pacing. All but one or two episodes felt rushed or unfinished, others felt like cheap novelties and the manic nature of the whole thing was very off-putting. Episodes and characters seldom showed their true potential, and though some episodes showed huge promise, others were also incredibly underwhelming.
SERIES 3: Doctor Who was hit by "that difficult third" syndrome that is usually pinned to movies. But despite a new companion and a clean slate, the third series spent too long on the rebound since Rose was gone. For some episodes this worked, for others it sent the show into soapland more than ever. Not aided by a spate of almost uninterrupted poor episodes in the first half of the series (i.e. anything before 42 except Gridlock) and it was never able to pick itself up again. Later episodes were very strong, but none enough to spare the series, especially when John Simm showed up.
That's one way of looking at it. Another is, aside from series 4, all the other RTD series are in the bottom four.
Or another way . . . the RTD vote is split between 4 seasons, where as the Moffat vote is split between just 3 (currently).
I enjoyed series 4 too, but I preferred Martha as the companion in 3 to Catherine Tate in 4.. Storylines in 4 were great though.
Ok, series 3 was awful, as I have said Blink was brilliant and Human Nature/Family of blood were pretty damn good but the rest of the series stank with the Lazarus experiment hit low (but i will give you that the series 2 episode "Fear her" is probably in my opinion the worst nu-who episode ever). I just could not get into 42 at all, it was poorly directed, poorly written and just was crap in my opinion. The Yana/you are not alone clue was awful - I remember groaning, going why did I never guess that and just feeling it was awful. easily the worst executed series on the whole.
Sorry farting aliens, gurning every few scenes and inconsistency of plot lines (I will admit that series 7 part 2 has been very inconsistent but is in general higher quality/had the potential to be of higher quality than series 1) lowers series 1. Sure The Unquiet Dead, Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Fathers Day and the series finale were all good episodes but the reasons given above are why I rate series 4 on wards higher.
If we're ranking, I'd rank like this:
1) Series 1
2) Series 4
3) Series 5
4) Series 2
5) Series 3
6) Series 6
7) Series 7
Sort of similar to your own ranking. I think I'll appreciate season seven more once we've solved the Clara mystery.
Oh Donna. Donna, Donna Donna.
*sniff*
Series 4 (loved Donna with the Doctor as they were best mates, nothing less and NOTHING MORE.)
Series 7 (also don't get the negativity, thoroughly enjoying it)
Series 5 (love the cracks and Amelia/Raggedy Man story arc)
Series 1
Series 6 (loved River this season, but the Doctor "dying" and the Silence failed to impress me, as did most of the stand alone episodes)
Series 2
Series 3 (Loved Martha, loved Human Nature/Family of Blood and Blink, but it's all overrided by my absolute HATRED of The Master storyline. I thought it was AWFUL.)
The 4 Specials (self indulgent poop. The end of Series 4 tied up the RTD era perfectly. These episodes were unnecessary.)
In order:
4
2
1
7
3
6
5
I thought 5 was abysmal, and 6 only marginally better. But it wouldn't do for us all to be the same.
Favourite to least favourite:
4 and specials
3
1
5
2
6
7
4
1
3
5
2
6
7
I actually love a lot of series 2 and think there's some really great work there, but there are also some real clangers that bring it down a lot.
I think almost exactly this.
6 all the way.
2) Series 1 (Really like this series, Chris and Billie were great on-screen together)
3) Series 4 (Liked this series because it was nice to have a companion who wasn't in love with The Doctor)
4) Series 5 (Really enjoyed this series especially the series finale)
5) Series 3 (I found Martha really annoying and The Doctor going on about how much he missed Rose was annoying too:mad:)
6) Series 7 (I haven't really enjoyed many episodes this series tb)
7) Series 6 (I hated this series I felt like it became "The Pond Show" I hated the River arc and was glad when it was over:yawn:)
2) S7
3) S4
4) S5
5) S1
6) S3
7) 2009 specials
8) S2
1. Series 1
2. Series 4
3. Series 3
4. Series 2
5. Series 5
6. Series 7
7. Series 6
I really didn't enjoy series 6, which is why I ranked series 7 higher. For me, series 7a was also disappointing and I got bored of the whole Amy/Rory/River storyline. 7b, however has redeemed it with episodes such as Journey and the Crimson Horror. Nothing can beat series 1 though!
2) Series 4
3) Series 1
4) Series 7 (so far - though unlikely to shift with finale)
5) Series 3
6) Series 6
7) Series 2
Bonus 8) 2009 Specials.