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My Favourite Episodes Of All Time!!!


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Old 07-08-2016, 17:12
Abomination
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1 - The Parting of the Ways: even a decade on this feels like the quintessential Who episode. A regeneration, en masse Daleks and the resolution to a series-long arc collectively made this a fun and relentless episode that was pacy and exciting from start to finish. No finale has been quite like this one so far.

2 - Heaven Sent: whilst Hell Bent never lived up to the high hopes promised of Series 9, Heaven Sent was a success on multiple levels. It found a wonderful and satisfying way to progress the Gallifrey story, and it gave Peter Capaldi the time to shine whilst we were given some genuine time to grieve the loss of a companion....even if Hell Bent would undo a lot of the emotional impact that went into this.

3 - A Christmas Carol: there's something about Doctor Who that makes it feel so incredibly at home at Christmas. Of the various festive stories we've had this is the best of the bunch, and better still is a wonderfully decent episode in its own right that wouldn't feel out of place as a regular episode within the main series. Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins were great alongside Matt Smith, and the episode was the first of the Moffat-era that felt like it had some genuine heart to it.

4 - The Doctor's Wife: Neil Gaiman's romanticised steampunk style suited Doctor Who fantastically in this story. The premise bordered on fanfiction gimmick, but Surrane Jones was superbly cast as Idris and made an episode that was otherwise still full of fan-pleasing moments whilst also remembering to do its own thing.

5 - The Witch's Familiar: Whilst the opening episode of the ninth series was a convoluted mess, this far more streamlined conclusion to the Davros-child story had immense fun with the Missy and Clara pairing, it did something brilliant with Davros and ultimately included the Daleks in a way that felt a bit more worthwhile than what we'd seen in a little while. Capaldi, Coleman, Gomez and Julian Bleach carried this episode and made it great.

6 - The Doctor Dances: the conclusion to a stunning story, and the only one that ever genuinely scared me a little (I was a young at the time!), the second half edges ahead of the first purely on the basis of the 'everybody lives' scene! The Matt Smith era would abuse this to an extremity, but there was a real sense of joy at the end of this and the whole thing is full of fun and quirky character moments that fused the best elements of Moffat's writing and RTD's showrunning.

7 - School Reunion: whilst too many episodes of Series 2 were set in contemporary London, this one was there with good reason and was the first to fully embrace the extensive history of the show. It was fun, pacy and nostalgic in a way that satisfied viewers both new and long-term.

8 - The God Complex: there was a terrific premise behind this episode, which was also wonderfully fun and quirky along the way, but what made it extra special was that it dealt with some genuine consequences for once. It ended up being a far more important episode than expected, and Toby Whithouse' terrific writing gave it an edge over some other very decent episodes at the time.

9 - The Family of Blood: a relatively low-key tale that feels absolutely massive in its stakes, there was an irony to Doctor Who around this time that the best received episode of the Tennant-era barely had him in it at all, and just before that one of Tennant's best performances involved him not playing the Doctor at all. The Family of Blood had a historical poignancy to it, and was all the better for having Jessica Hynes involved as well.

10 - The Stolen Earth: it was fanfiction as an episode really, and Journey's End failed to do anything with it all, but in the moment this was adrenaline in television form. It was a testament to the strength of the characters of the show, and the culmination of a lot of elements that had been built up over four years. It was ultimately also the last episode of the Tennant era that didn't feel overdone or overly tired. Had the regeneration at the end been genuine, this may well have been far higher on the list.

Honorary Mentions: Dalek, The Satan Pit, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, Midnight, Turn Left, The Stolen Earth, The Beast Below, The Pandorica Opens, The Girl Who Waited, Asylum of the Daleks, A Town Called Mercy, The Crimson Horror, Mummy on the Orient Express, Last Christmas, The Zygon Invasion, The Zygon Inversion
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Old 07-08-2016, 17:36
Lord Smexy
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10 - The Stolen Earth: it was fanfiction as an episode really, and Journey's End failed to do anything with it all, but in the moment this was adrenaline in television form. It was a testament to the strength of the characters of the show, and the culmination of a lot of elements that had been built up over four years. It was ultimately also the last episode of the Tennant era that didn't feel overdone or overly tired. Had the regeneration at the end been genuine, this may well have been far higher on the list.
I'd actually like to see a regeneration like this someday. No heroic sacrifice, no lengthy goodbye; just the Doctor being caught off guard and taken down, Game of Thrones style. I think the closest we've actually had is Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's regenerations, although they weren't exactly what I had in mind.
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Old 07-08-2016, 17:40
doctor blue box
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It isn't ridiculous at all, and some of us have listed favourite episodes and given some reasons why. There are plenty of favourite story threads, a favourite episode thread is a nice variation. As a good example, The Space Museum is generally regarded as a poor story and comes low in polls, but Episode 1 is fantastic and Episode 4 is one of my favourite episodes purely for, IMO, the best cliff hanger ever. Another example is the New Series 3 last three episodes which are generally regarded as one story. I love Utopia but am not keen on the following two episodes.
Considering the actual Of this thread hasn't complained or backed you up in complaining, then I would guess they don't care. It's hard to police what people put in a thread which is yours, but with this one, you didn't even start it, so telling the majority of people that they have not given there opinion properly isn't even up to you in this instance.

Here's the deal though mate. You may start a topic but you don't own it and once it is 'in the wild' it becomes whatever the people contributing want it to be. If it doesn't go the way you hoped... c'est la vie. You have no special rights as the OP to restrict or control the conversation.

Honestly, in a topic like this you should be thankful for whatever responses you get as it is a very awkward one for the following reason: most people aren't very interested in reading a list of people's favourite {whatever} but are more interested in listing their favourite {whatever}. So that's just what you get. A bunch of lists that people just scroll through quickly with no real interest. The only way to turn it into any kind of conversation is if people discuss each others lists.. and as its something more or less entirely subjective that only ever comes cross as aggressive and rude... just as your comments to Theophile above did (although he handled it with admirable diplomacy and politeness).
He didn't even start the thread.
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Old 07-08-2016, 18:32
Michael_Eve
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Interesting post, Abomination. I share a few that would go onto my C21 list, which I'm finding trickier than I thought. For some reason I found C20 Who list easier! Maybe because I've had a lot longer to think about it post 1989 and current Who is still recent....ish. The God Complex is brilliant IMO so nice to see it mentioned. The "I'm not a hero" scene, with the abstract idea of cutting to little Amelia is a favourite. Beautiful stuff.

Oh, it changes a lot so will just go by today's feelings. in chronological order;

The Empty Child - Had enjoyed the series, but the first to make me go ahhh; nailed it. Beautifully shot and directed with Eccleston really combining the intense and the funny well.

Gridlock - Like my quirky Who. My favourite Tennant performance too.

The Eleventh Hour - What a debut from Smith.

Amy's Choice - Intriguing and a bit weird. Right up my street.

A Christmas Carol - Watch it every Christmas. Best of all 'specials' for me.

The Doctor's Wife - Could've been awful. Some thought it was! One of the few occasions I turned to my fellow watcher as the credits rolled and immediately said "Classic."

The God Complex - See above!

The Girl Who Waited - Gillan's finest 'hour'. Great script, heartfelt, and contains the line "It's not rocket science, Rory. it's astrophysics!"

Mummy on the Orient Express - Hugely enjoyable Hinchciffe- easque stuff, and my favourite Capaldi performance of his debut series. The last scene is beautiful.

Heaven Sent - Made me smile reading the Moffat interview in the last DWM when he was cajoled into naming 3 episodes he was most proud of. This was his third choice which he admitted was the most contentious as "some people probably hated it" or some such. I thought it was a wonderful, intense examination of grief and perseverance and love it to bits.
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Old 08-08-2016, 09:45
Airborae
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Considering the actual Of this thread hasn't complained or backed you up in complaining, then I would guess they don't care. It's hard to police what people put in a thread which is yours, but with this one, you didn't even start it, so telling the majority of people that they have not given there opinion properly isn't even up to you in this instance.
I've been following this thread with a lot of interest since I started it. Interesting to see people with different opinions about where they stand on whether to include a story or episode. I must admit, it is a really difficult ask; to pick a favourite episode. The magazine Doctor Who Monthly back in the 1980s always asked about a Best Episode in their season surveys (god that takes me back).

So I'm not on anybody's side. But grateful that this thread is attracting a lot of debate.

Carry on everybody!
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Old 24-08-2016, 08:57
Airborae
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It's a long wait for the Christmas special...so...

10 - Terror of the Autons Part 2. One of the most talked about scenes involving a deadly doll strangling its victim was debated in the House Of Lords. The Met Police also complained with the end of the episode when the Doctor ripped off a face mask to reveal a killer Auton. Frightening to watch for a first timer.

09 - The Waters Of Mars. Fantastically claustrophobic scenes with the Doctor realising where he was and who the crew were. His mind wrestling with leaving and yet wanting answers about why there was a catastrophic nuclear explosion on Mars was brilliantly portrayed by David Tennant who gives perhaps his best ever performance of the Doctor. The moments when the crew became infected by the water towards the end echoing through the Doctor's head as he tried to leave them behind was one of the most powerful moments in Doctor Who's history.

08 - The Tomb Of The Cybermen Part 1. The sheer claustrophobia of the Doctor, his companions and the archaeologists wandering through a series of rooms like the uncovery of Tutankamen's tomnb had me on edge. Where were the Cybermen? And then one finally appeared at the end. A scientist dies and we are left with the blank look of the Cybermen. Creepy.

07 - Earthshock Part 4. The Cybermen have invaded the space station and lock it on course to explode on the surface of Earth. The Doctor and Tegan are escorted back to the Tardis, but without his other companion, Adric who begs them to go. This decision would haunt the Doctor throughout the rest of his regeneration. Trying to save the Earth, not realising that the events were already written and having lost his escape route, Adric is given a tragic death, holding his dead brother's rope. The emotion and intensity of this episode has rarely been in the show since.

06 - The Caves of Androzani Part 4. One of the best episodes of the show which showed a powerhouse performance from Peter Davison as he holds back his impending regeneration to save Peri. The subplots of Morgus and Sharez Jek's revenge hang heavy across the whole story, but comes to its fore here when they fight to the death. The Doctor's struggle through the caves to get the life saving milk for Peri and carrying her out to get back to the Tardis were both brilliantly executed. The Doctor 'died' a hero in possibly the best regeneration story of the show's history.

05 - The Stolen Earth. Another divisive episode, but which has so much going on over the course of the story. The Dalek menace, Davros' first appearance which referenced Genesis, the humour - Wilfred Mott especially, the consequences of defying the enemy (remember an entire family was killed when they defied the daleks), the Doctor racing to greet his companion Rose and of course the regeneration moment that had a whole nation talking about for a week. One of the best cliffhangers the show has ever had.

04 - The Deadly Assassin - Part 3. A divisive episode, however the Doctor is on his own in his nightmare trip to the Matrix. Encountering a sinister clown in a mirror, the scene of a masked World War 1 soldier and horse, the illusion of an operation and the deadly fight at the end with him and his opponent. Tom Baker gives his all in an episode which has very little dialogue and David Maloney's direction is one of the best I've ever seen on any television programme.

03 - Midnight - At first the Doctor is on a trip exploring the planet with his other passengers when the shuttle stops working. A light hearted banter turns into deadly danger as an unseen presence threatens their sanity and moral code. The possession of Sky is one of the most chilling I've seen since The Exorcist. For me, it's the most scariest episode of the reboot. Proving what you don't see is more frightening.

02 - Genesis of the Daleks - Part 1. A scary and threatening world is where the travellers land. Images of brutal warfare akin to World War 1, the homeless mutants stalking them, the callousness of Nyder and of course the first appearance of Davros, shrouded in a dark mist directing a secret experiment. Definitely one of the creepiest episodes ever made.

01 - An Unearthly Child - the most mysterious episode in the show's history. No idea who the Doctor was or Susan and the two teachers stumbling into a blue police box to find another 'world'. Has to be the no. 1 episode for me.


A difficult choice with so many other episodes that could have made the top 10 list.

What are yours?
Anybody else want to have a stab, whilst waiting for new spoilers/info?
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Old 02-09-2016, 14:49
TorchwoodBoy
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The Doctor's Wife has been my favourite episode for years. Don't think anything could change it honestly, it's just purely beautiful and gut wrenching.
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