There have been some wonderful episodes this series. I couldn't choose between The God Complex, The Girl Who Waited, A Good Man, The Wedding, The Impossible Astronaut, The Day of the Moon; all amazing.
But luckily I don't have to choose because there's The Doctor's Wife - in a class of it's own. A Masterpiece.
This is tricky. The heart says to vote for The Doctor's Wife, but both A Good Man and The Wedding were utterly superb. I loved The God Complex too, and The Rebel Flesh. Gah! Must think...
and yet more people have voted for Impossible Astronaut than Day of the Moon...;)
If I had to choose between those two, I'd choose Day of the Moon only because of the epic 5 minutes which saw the downfall of the Silence and the music which accompanied it.
Minus those 5 minutes, both the episodes were equally as epic.
One vote for the Rebel Flesh! Unsettling,creepy, linear old style Who. Shame Almost People didn't quit match up to it..Best 2 parter would be the opener.
1. Day of The Moon
2. The Doctor's Wife
3. A Good Man Goes to War
4. The Impossible Astronaught
5. A Christmas Carol
6. Let's Kill Hitler
7. The Wedding of River Song
8. The Girl Who Waited
9. Closing Time
10. Night Terrors
11. The God Complex
12/13. The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People
14. The Curse of the Black Spot
Actually, considering how difficult that was, ignore it Not a very accurate representation of how I feel about each episode. I actually enjoyed Black Spot, just not as much as A Good Man goes to War, for example.
I thought this was going to be tricky as I have a fondness for all the episodes but actually, choosing the Top Three was easier than I thought it was going to be..
I'll go in reverse order:-
No. 3 - The Day of the Moon
Fast pace, action packed, intelligently written episode. All the main cast (and also Mark Shepperd) acted their socks off. You could see that they were thoroughly enjoying theirselves too.
River and the Doctor vs. The Silents? Just perfect.
However.. just when you thought it was all over, the cut to the scene in the New York alleyway for the biggest gamechanger in Who history since we saw the first Timelord one - the Human Timelord Melody's regeneration. I still catch my breath when I watch the scene now.
(I still harbour a suspicion we will see the regeneration of the other Human Timelord (i.e. Donna's) in another episode but I'll save that for another thread another day).
No.2 - The Girl Who Waited
There isn't much else I can add to the already glowing comments about Tom MacRae's classic episode (and to me, it is going to be a noted classic in years to come).
The episode was very reminiscent of my other favourite TV staple, 'The Prisoner'... except it is Amy's personal hell and bleak battle for survival in a beautiful, yet sinister world instead of No. 6. (I still feel Patrick McGoohan would have been a superbly dark Doctor but that's for another thread another day).
The scene of poor Rory looking up from inside the TARDIS as Old Amy's hand touches the window outside... by that point I was - Rory's dilemma was painful to behold. However, Rory also learned that the Doctor had to face such dilemmas almost every single day of his long life too.
In terms of acting, Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan are all superb.
With regard to Karen Gillan though...
...I remember the late Patrick McGoohan, when discussing acting as a profession, stating that 'Youth should play age' (I understand he played King Lear in a production when he was 19?) in the context that depicting someone many years the actor's senior could only help develop the actor in a beneficial way.
My God, he was right. I am so glad that Karen insisted upon playing the role of Old Amy and if she had any critics lambasting her performance prior to this episode, they are going to be hard-pressed to find any fault with her now.
A great actor enables you to forget that they are an actor playing a role. I was so absorbed by Karen's performance, I completely forgot she was only 23-24yrs old. I hope she is, at least, nominated for a BAFTA for this performance. She has earned it
When I'm an old woman reminiscing about Doctor Who, I'll certainly be saying to myself that this episode is one of the classics of Who - up there with The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Caves of Androzani, Genesis of the Daleks, The War Games and Blink.
Neil Gaiman knows his Who and left no stone unturned. He was unafraid to throw a couple of gamechangers into the already beautiful mix - who knew that the TARDIS deliberately left her doors unlocked and knew that the Doctor would 'steal' her and that, in her mind, she stole him? Think about it though, it all makes sense.
The TARDIS found her voice for seemingly the first time and she is a very witty, wise, intelligent sentient being. Woe betide anyone who tries to come between her and her Doctor. I feel she will be as staunchly protective of her new daughter, River Song and feel that was acknowledged by Idris' dying words to Rory ('the only water in the forest is the River). That's for another thread for another day too
I say she seemingly found her voice for the first time because I still feel she first spoke through Rose/Bad Wolf - namely BW's assertion that she had to keep her Doctor safe from false gods. The similarities in tone between Idris in her dying moments and Rose/Bad Wolf at that particular moment surely weren't coincidental.
Although all the actors turned in stunning performances, both Suranne Jones and Arthur Darvill's performances just leapt from the screen.
I always envisaged that the TARDIS would have the personality of the eccentric family aunt - an aunt who is very much the dark horse but in a good way. Suranne enjoyed the role and you could see in her performance that she was proud to be the TARDIS.
We learned that the TARDIS considers Rory 'the pretty one'. Rory nursing and cradling the dying Idris was beautifully performed by both actors.
The aged, forgotten Rory in Amy's House-induced hallucinations terrified the life out of me. Just as it should have done
And the heartbreaking scene when the TARDIS acknowledges she is alive and is just so glad to have the opportunity to say hello to her Doctor before she loses that voice again (for the moment, I'm going to say, given that the TARDIS now has a Voice Interface she can use in the future, albeit via hologram images of old companions) - oh it was (OH, where's the Kleenex?').
The Doctor's heartbreak was achingly apparent in a very understated manner. Well done to Matt Smith for getting that scene just right.
The other gamechanger? That timelords can change gender during regeneration. I always had a feeling they could but it was good to have the matter clarified once and for all - helps to keep things fresh.
An episode I could watch again and again and again.
1. Day of The Moon
2. The Doctor's Wife
3. The Wedding of River Song
4. The Impossible Astronaut
5. Closing Time
6. The Girl Who Waited
7. Let's Kill Hitler
8. A Good Man Goes to War
9. The God Complex
10. Night Terrors
11. A Christmas Carol
12. The Almost People
13. The Rebel Flesh
14. The Curse of the Black Spot
The excellent
The Doctor's Wife. Head and shoulders above everything else. Maybe slightly let down by the Amy and Rory chase around the Tardis, akin to the modern version of leaving K9 because he would get in the way of the real story, so that part tends to be fast forwarded. But wondrous performances from the leads and two fully fleshed out scene stealing side characters in Uncle and Auntie.
Beautifully lit, lovely sets.. neigh on perfection. Another one added to the 'classics'
The average. Nothing wrong with being an average/everyday episode of Who, sometimes they are just the ticket, the bread and butter. For me the series drastically picked up from rock bottom during this 4 episode run.
The God Complex. - Cool and quirky. References Hitchcock and Kubric in the opening shots so hats off.
The Girl Who Waited
Night Terrors
Closing Time
The bad.
The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People
The Curse of the Black Spot
The Impossible Astronaut/Day of The Moon
The Fug Ugly
I know these next three episodes have many many fans but I was just opened mouthed in sheer bewilderment at how vacuous, shallow and truly terrible they were IMO. When did Moffat turn into a internet fan fic writing 13 year old boy. No disrespect (genuinely) to anyone here but they were like those tell a story sentence by sentence threads.
The Wedding of River Song
A Good Man Goes to War
Let's Kill Hitler
If Fear Her was in this series it would be above those three episodes, give me the Twin Dilemma over those three episodes. Even typing this I'm still amazed at how awful they were, I'm gobsmaked that those three episodes will be at the bottom of my all time least liked Who list, 3 Moffat episodes:eek: Parallel world or what.
THE GOD COMPLEX
THE GIRL WHO WAITED
THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT
DAY OF THE MOON
THE REBEL FLESH
THE ALMOST HUMANS
THE WEDDING OF RIVER SONG
LET'S KILL HITLER
A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR
THE DOCTOR'S WIFE
CLOSING TIME
THE CURSE OF THE BLACK SPOT
NIGHT TERRORS
A truly wonderful series, with only the bottom 4 not being exceptional. I do think THE DOCTOR'S WIFE is just about the most overrated story of NuWho, not that it was a bad episode at all, but really not as good as is given credit for. Even NIGHT TERRORS at the bottom had it's moments - the dolls were fabulous, but some truly excruciating acting really made this one that didn't work for me.
Hard to pick between the top half dozen and they could easilly be in reverse order if I chose to rate them again in 6 months. But I just think the maturity and intensity of THE GOD COMPLEX just puts it above its peers.
THE GOD COMPLEX
THE GIRL WHO WAITED
THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT
DAY OF THE MOON
THE REBEL FLESH
THE ALMOST HUMANS
THE WEDDING OF RIVER SONG
LET'S KILL HITLER
A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR
THE DOCTOR'S WIFE
CLOSING TIME
THE CURSE OF THE BLACK SPOT
NIGHT TERRORS
A truly wonderful series, with only the bottom 4 not being exceptional. I do think THE DOCTOR'S WIFE is just about the most overrated story of NuWho, not that it was a bad episode at all, but really not as good as is given credit for. Even NIGHT TERRORS at the bottom had it's moments - the dolls were fabulous, but some truly excruciating acting really made this one that didn't work for me.
Hard to pick between the top half dozen and they could easilly be in reverse order if I chose to rate them again in 6 months. But I just think the maturity and intensity of THE GOD COMPLEX just puts it above its peers.
unny because i actually think the same of Blink! I feel the two parter with the Angels last year was absolutely chilling to the bone! Loved it but Blink....not so much!
However with Doctors Wife....I feel it justifies the acclaim....it is that instant classic feel about it. But really my least fave i love here so... :cool:
Comments
But luckily I don't have to choose because there's The Doctor's Wife - in a class of it's own. A Masterpiece.
Poor Rebel Flesh...:(
It wasn't that bad, IMO...but I suppose a lot of the other episodes were fantastic.
I remember when this poll was done midway through series 6 it was Curse that didn't get a vote for a long time...:D
As it was the first of two-parter, that's hardly surprising.
The Rebel Flesh was my second favourite episodes but I naturally preferred the concluding part more.
If it had been asked "What was your favourite story?" I would have said The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People.
and yet more people have voted for Impossible Astronaut than Day of the Moon...;)
If I had to choose between those two, I'd choose Day of the Moon only because of the epic 5 minutes which saw the downfall of the Silence and the music which accompanied it.
Minus those 5 minutes, both the episodes were equally as epic.
Muttley always manages to say things much better than I can. Completely agree with all of this (I voted for Day of the Moon too).
"Ee Ba Ba GUM"
"I thought I was going to die" "welcome to my world"
I can sleep easy now....;)
1. Day of The Moon
2. The Doctor's Wife
3. A Good Man Goes to War
4. The Impossible Astronaught
5. A Christmas Carol
6. Let's Kill Hitler
7. The Wedding of River Song
8. The Girl Who Waited
9. Closing Time
10. Night Terrors
11. The God Complex
12/13. The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People
14. The Curse of the Black Spot
Actually, considering how difficult that was, ignore it
Yeah, that was hard, which is a good thing
I thought this was going to be tricky as I have a fondness for all the episodes but actually, choosing the Top Three was easier than I thought it was going to be..
I'll go in reverse order:-
No. 3 - The Day of the Moon
Fast pace, action packed, intelligently written episode. All the main cast (and also Mark Shepperd) acted their socks off. You could see that they were thoroughly enjoying theirselves too.
River and the Doctor vs. The Silents? Just perfect.
However.. just when you thought it was all over, the cut to the scene in the New York alleyway for the biggest gamechanger in Who history since we saw the first Timelord one - the Human Timelord Melody's regeneration. I still catch my breath when I watch the scene now.
(I still harbour a suspicion we will see the regeneration of the other Human Timelord (i.e. Donna's) in another episode but I'll save that for another thread another day).
No.2 - The Girl Who Waited
There isn't much else I can add to the already glowing comments about Tom MacRae's classic episode (and to me, it is going to be a noted classic in years to come).
The episode was very reminiscent of my other favourite TV staple, 'The Prisoner'... except it is Amy's personal hell and bleak battle for survival in a beautiful, yet sinister world instead of No. 6. (I still feel Patrick McGoohan would have been a superbly dark Doctor but that's for another thread another day).
The scene of poor Rory looking up from inside the TARDIS as Old Amy's hand touches the window outside... by that point I was
In terms of acting, Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan are all superb.
With regard to Karen Gillan though...
...I remember the late Patrick McGoohan, when discussing acting as a profession, stating that 'Youth should play age' (I understand he played King Lear in a production when he was 19?) in the context that depicting someone many years the actor's senior could only help develop the actor in a beneficial way.
My God, he was right. I am so glad that Karen insisted upon playing the role of Old Amy and if she had any critics lambasting her performance prior to this episode, they are going to be hard-pressed to find any fault with her now.
A great actor enables you to forget that they are an actor playing a role. I was so absorbed by Karen's performance, I completely forgot she was only 23-24yrs old. I hope she is, at least, nominated for a BAFTA for this performance. She has earned it
Finally - No. 1 - The Doctor's Wife
Sheer poetic perfection.
When I'm an old woman reminiscing about Doctor Who, I'll certainly be saying to myself that this episode is one of the classics of Who - up there with The Talons of Weng-Chiang, The Caves of Androzani, Genesis of the Daleks, The War Games and Blink.
Neil Gaiman knows his Who and left no stone unturned. He was unafraid to throw a couple of gamechangers into the already beautiful mix - who knew that the TARDIS deliberately left her doors unlocked and knew that the Doctor would 'steal' her and that, in her mind, she stole him? Think about it though, it all makes sense.
The TARDIS found her voice for seemingly the first time and she is a very witty, wise, intelligent sentient being. Woe betide anyone who tries to come between her and her Doctor. I feel she will be as staunchly protective of her new daughter, River Song and feel that was acknowledged by Idris' dying words to Rory ('the only water in the forest is the River). That's for another thread for another day too
I say she seemingly found her voice for the first time because I still feel she first spoke through Rose/Bad Wolf - namely BW's assertion that she had to keep her Doctor safe from false gods. The similarities in tone between Idris in her dying moments and Rose/Bad Wolf at that particular moment surely weren't coincidental.
Although all the actors turned in stunning performances, both Suranne Jones and Arthur Darvill's performances just leapt from the screen.
I always envisaged that the TARDIS would have the personality of the eccentric family aunt - an aunt who is very much the dark horse but in a good way. Suranne enjoyed the role and you could see in her performance that she was proud to be the TARDIS.
We learned that the TARDIS considers Rory 'the pretty one'. Rory nursing and cradling the dying Idris was beautifully performed by both actors.
The aged, forgotten Rory in Amy's House-induced hallucinations terrified the life out of me. Just as it should have done
And the heartbreaking scene when the TARDIS acknowledges she is alive and is just so glad to have the opportunity to say hello to her Doctor before she loses that voice again (for the moment, I'm going to say, given that the TARDIS now has a Voice Interface she can use in the future, albeit via hologram images of old companions) - oh it was
The Doctor's heartbreak was achingly apparent in a very understated manner. Well done to Matt Smith for getting that scene just right.
The other gamechanger? That timelords can change gender during regeneration. I always had a feeling they could but it was good to have the matter clarified once and for all - helps to keep things fresh.
An episode I could watch again and again and again.
Sheer poetic perfection
'I just wanted to say...hello. Hello Doctor. Its so very nice to meet you.'
Moment of the entire series. Amazing.
Hmm i'll have a crack at that:
1. Day of The Moon
2. The Doctor's Wife
3. The Wedding of River Song
4. The Impossible Astronaut
5. Closing Time
6. The Girl Who Waited
7. Let's Kill Hitler
8. A Good Man Goes to War
9. The God Complex
10. Night Terrors
11. A Christmas Carol
12. The Almost People
13. The Rebel Flesh
14. The Curse of the Black Spot
Got to agree with that, although "but I always took you where you needed to go" is a close second for me!
The Doctor's Wife. Head and shoulders above everything else. Maybe slightly let down by the Amy and Rory chase around the Tardis, akin to the modern version of leaving K9 because he would get in the way of the real story, so that part tends to be fast forwarded. But wondrous performances from the leads and two fully fleshed out scene stealing side characters in Uncle and Auntie.
Beautifully lit, lovely sets.. neigh on perfection. Another one added to the 'classics'
The average. Nothing wrong with being an average/everyday episode of Who, sometimes they are just the ticket, the bread and butter. For me the series drastically picked up from rock bottom during this 4 episode run.
The God Complex. - Cool and quirky. References Hitchcock and Kubric in the opening shots so hats off.
The Girl Who Waited
Night Terrors
Closing Time
The bad.
The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People
The Curse of the Black Spot
The Impossible Astronaut/Day of The Moon
The Fug Ugly
I know these next three episodes have many many fans but I was just opened mouthed in sheer bewilderment at how vacuous, shallow and truly terrible they were IMO. When did Moffat turn into a internet fan fic writing 13 year old boy. No disrespect (genuinely) to anyone here but they were like those tell a story sentence by sentence threads.
The Wedding of River Song
A Good Man Goes to War
Let's Kill Hitler
If Fear Her was in this series it would be above those three episodes, give me the Twin Dilemma over those three episodes. Even typing this I'm still amazed at how awful they were, I'm gobsmaked that those three episodes will be at the bottom of my all time least liked Who list, 3 Moffat episodes:eek: Parallel world or what.
THE GIRL WHO WAITED
THE IMPOSSIBLE ASTRONAUT
DAY OF THE MOON
THE REBEL FLESH
THE ALMOST HUMANS
THE WEDDING OF RIVER SONG
LET'S KILL HITLER
A GOOD MAN GOES TO WAR
THE DOCTOR'S WIFE
CLOSING TIME
THE CURSE OF THE BLACK SPOT
NIGHT TERRORS
A truly wonderful series, with only the bottom 4 not being exceptional. I do think THE DOCTOR'S WIFE is just about the most overrated story of NuWho, not that it was a bad episode at all, but really not as good as is given credit for. Even NIGHT TERRORS at the bottom had it's moments - the dolls were fabulous, but some truly excruciating acting really made this one that didn't work for me.
Hard to pick between the top half dozen and they could easilly be in reverse order if I chose to rate them again in 6 months. But I just think the maturity and intensity of THE GOD COMPLEX just puts it above its peers.
unny because i actually think the same of Blink! I feel the two parter with the Angels last year was absolutely chilling to the bone! Loved it but Blink....not so much!
However with Doctors Wife....I feel it justifies the acclaim....it is that instant classic feel about it. But really my least fave i love here so... :cool: