If you need DW video ideas, one I had which came about from the recent series reviews is the moment you fell for each Doctor. I know when each doctor won me over but hearing your opinions would be nice
First of all I just wanna say I have discovered the link between the episode “the mummy on the orient express” and the episode “smile”. I suggest going to mummy on orient express and at 12:10 (on bbc IPlayer) and then going to smile at 32:01. Both moments in these episodes there is a queen band poster from the early 2000’s. That is the link that Peter Capaldi mentioned on Twitter 2 years ago that was never solved. I solved this “unsolved mystery” 2 days ago just letting everyone aware. It has more relevance to hidden doctor who lore but I’ve done my job it’s up to DW fans such as you to find out more Second the BBC is an absolute disgusting organisation and I don’t deny there are most likely problems inside the company with transphobia against co-workers however the BBC has no current issues concerning transphobia being broadcasted. We are both on the same side however you are pushing total lies just because you are clearly trans and any accusations against anyone being transphobic you will jump on because you seem to have unsolved personal issues
Oof, i got visceral pain at that Partners in Crime placement. For having the task of reworking Donna from the Christmas pantomime shouter to an actual character, it's really effective. It turned me from dreading her as a companion to being excited within 45 minutes. Great video as always!
Not only do I love The Eleventh Hour for all the reasons you stated but also I love that it's essentially a back to basics situation for the Doctor which I always love. He's got no TARDIS, not Screwdriver and is under a time crunch. He's got nothing but he thinks his way out of it and he not even operating on full capacity but he still manages to solve everything. This episode is the core reason why Smith is my favourite Doctor. Like you i always say "Yes You Are" when he steps forward in his outfit and says "Hello, I'm The Doctor. Basically Run". Instant chills. That was it for me. I was hooked. I wanted more and more of this guy from that exact moment.
“The Pilot” is so underrated IMHO; yet it works so well. One of my weird personal tests for a tv show or a movie’s quality is how enjoyable it is if you only listen to it. Playing this episode on my phone with the screen face down is still immensely entertaining -the chief reason being how well the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole play off each other.
New Earth, I think, is designed to reassure people that this is the same show you loved last year. You have to remember that this was the second season with a completely new lead actor, and whilst we had got to know David Tennant a little bit that was for a special, and he was a very different Doctor to Christopher Eccleston. This was the first regeneration of Nuwho, people were still unsure. Hence, the entire episode is steeped in nostalgia. It opens with a reminder of The End of the World, "you remember that episode, the Earth died, but this is where they are all living now. Remember the Face of Boe? He’s here too! Remember Cassandra, she's back!" It's designed very much for the returning viewer, to be a reassuring comfort blanket, rather than an explosive introduction for new viewers.
I think her biggest issue and what pulled her down was that she was at her strongest away from the Doctor. She spends so much time early on pining for him that it gets annoying but once she starts to develop on her own and goes off at time to do her own thing she becomes so much stronger and that carries over into Torchwood and her return for the end of series 4.
Having already loved Missy in the Magician's Apprentice, getting around to watching a lot of Third Doctor episodes, particularly once Roger Delgado shows up, has been a treat. You can really see where Missy being the Doctor's Best Friend (that is, the Magician's Apprentice status quo for them) comes from. The way Jon Pertwee and Delgado interact is just delightful, old school chums indeed. The number of times The Doctor is able to convince the Master that the aliens the Master is helping will betray him and betray the aliens first. Or how the Doctor is able to play along say that he's through with the BS of the Timelords, and would rather just work with the Master (and the Master always falls for it!). Trying to kill each other is their flirting. The Master never really seems all that interested in sealing the deal--the fun is all in the build up.
My list: 14 - Halloween apocalypse 13 - Space babies 12 - New Earth 11 - Woman who fell to Earth 10 - Spy fall 9 - Asylum of the Daleks 8 - Magicians apprentice 7 - The pilot 6 - Rose 5 - Smith and jones 4 - The impossible astronaut 3 - Eleventh hour 2 - partners in crime 1 - Deep breath
My hot take with Asylum of the Daleks is that it's an awful Dalek story, but would've actually been a pretty good Cyberman Story. My theory is that Steven Moffatt wanted a Cyberman Story written by Neil Gaiman, but wrote a Cyber Story just in case he said no. Ultimately he said yes, so it was turned into a Dalek Story. Just imagine Asylum of the Cybermen, with Amy slowly being turned into a Cyberman instead of whatever the Dalek Eye-Stalk fellas were. Plus the converting of corpses into Cyber Units would later play in to the Season 8 finale.
Idk, I feel like that's looking at it at a surface level. The Cybermen just remove all emotion - removing love and adding hate is much more powerful with the divorce aspect, so I think Daleks work. Cybermen also wouldn't keep an asylum. It's not useful, so why have it? Meanwhile, the Daleks are sort of obsessed with it due to their own mixed interpretation of "beauty"
@@BulbasaurRepresentthey might, but for a different reason I.e. to investigate why the conversion has not worked properly on these units. Yes, there would be a need to adjust certain things to make it more relevant for Cybermen, like they make Amy grow more apathetic as the episode goes on, or have it specifically be something the cybermen were experimenting with in deliberately heightening certain emotions. There are ways to make it work, without completely changing the story. It's less unreasonable than flipping Dalek lore on its head to make it fit.
@@intergalactic92 I feel like it doesn't flip Dalek lore on its head though. We've already seen humans converted to Daleks in Revelation of the Daleks after all. Idk, I just think daleks are much more fit for a divorce story than simply growing apathetic - and cybermen experimenting with heightened emotions feels like it would go way against their deal.
i love the impossible astronaut. it was the first opener to have something REALLY DRAMATIC HAPPEN. for example, you know... the doctor gets shot during regeneration and reappears from different time, amys pregnant, the silents!
The 11th Hour was my first premier I caught from the beginning of a Doctor's run. 9 and 10 were mixed up reruns. I thought for a long time I ranked Smith higher than Eckelsen and Tennent was because of this, but no. I was completely hooked on the Doctor/Amy/Rory triangle in a single episode. I'm still scarred over how it ended.
Smith & Jones was my first episode while series 10 was my first series, but what stood out to me in both episodes were the companions. I was probably 7 when I saw S&J, think it was a rerun on BBCThree before it got taken off the air, seven year old me fell in love with Martha Jones (and freema ageeman in general)that day and she's been placed in my top three companions ever since I watched the revival all the way through during lockdown. The Pilot was what I consider my first impression of doctor who as I watched it as it aired, at the time I remembered the name of the show but nothing about it. Bill Potts is my favourite companion as she feels like rose minus the romance with the doctor which puts her leagues above rose imo(sorry 10rose fans)
For me, it goes: 14). The Magician’s Apprentice (Series 9) 13). Asylum of the Daleks (Series 7) 12). Space Babies (Series 14) 11). Spyfall Pt. 1 (Series 12) 10). The Halloween Apocalypse (Series 13) 9). Deep Breath (Series 8) 8). New Earth (Series 2) 7). The Woman Who Fell to Earth (Series 11) 6). Partners in Crime (Series 4) 5). The Pilot (Series 10) 4). The Impossible Astronaut (Series 6) 3). Rose (Series 1) 2). Smith And Jones (Series 3) 1). The Eleventh Hour (Series 5) I’m sorry for The Magician’s Apprentice is by far one of the most pointless & bad episodes of the entire show! You could condense that episode into 10 minutes! And also, I don’t see how one can love Asylum of the Daleks. That is an EXTREMELY bad episode on all fronts, from the story & ideas & especially how Amy treats Rory. I know Vera explained why the divorce plot-line makes sense, but that does NOT justify Amy slapping Rory!
Loving your videos. Another thing is Partners in Crime doesn’t set the tone for s4 AT ALL. S4 is all about the doctor dealing with loss and despair, but partners in crime is the tonal opposite??? Fires of Pompeii feels like the true opener
I'd have Eleventh Hour as no. 1 as well, followed by Rose and Partners In Crime. Eleventh Hour was a success considering it was a new doctor, companion and show runner. Rose of course was the first episode in sixteen years and yes it was great on first viewing seeing what the show could now accomplish going forward. The long tracking shot with Eccleston and Piper walking through the estate was marvellous.
Predictions: - Eleventh Hour will be #1 (was spoiled by a member comment) - Halloween Apocalypse will be in the bottom 3 but not quite last - Uhhhh why did I make this a list those are my only predictions
14: The Halloween Apocalypse 13: Space Babies 12: New Earth 11: Spyfall, Part 1 10: The Woman Who Fell to Earth 9: Asylum of the Daleks 8: The Magician’s Apprentice 7: Deep Breath 6: Rose 5: The Impossible Astronaut 4: Smith and Jones 3: The Pilot 2: Partners in Crime 1: The 11th Hour
I do kinda agree and disagree with Asylum. I do agree it would be a much more enjoyable watch to see Amy and Rory happy together, but I think that the issue I have is that we start with them seemingly hating each other and, within one episode, immediately resolving the conflict they endured since Demon's Run. I think ultimately, it would've been best to either leave that residual trauma to being something that they both decide together they want to work through at home as an incentive to leave the TARDIS, or at least had them shown at their lowest in _this_ episode with moments of hope (like the "I always loved you more" argument), leading to them rekindling their relationship over the course of the next 5 episodes - possibly still leaving of their own accord, or just showing the growth in Power of Three and solidifying Amy committing to Rory above all else in Angels Take Manhattan). The rest of the story is great, really enjoy it and just find it frustrating to watch because of the several issues I have with series 7)
A genuine experience I had watching this: "I'm gonna be cancelled for this one" bet it'll be partners in crime "Partners in crime" YES I FUCKING KNEW IT I CALLED IT YESSS
Rose and Eleventh hour are my favorite starters. I don't mind the bad humor in early new who that much so Nine and Rose just get to be great, probably also nostalgia as Rose was the first doctor who I watched. Eleventh hour is just fun and again Eleven and Amy are great.
I was hooked on the Halloween Apocalypse from the moment they showed Joseph Williamson. I felt the Chibnall era was trying to be more inclusive by giving northern cities (Sheffield and Liverpool) more exposure, rather than just London, Bristol and Cardiff. Focussing on the historical mystery of the tunnels felt like a very organic and intrinsically Dr Who'ish way of implementing this inclusive ambition. Of course this was a slightly esoteric approach, as many people would have no idea who Williamson was (the only reason I knew was I once ended up in Liverpool by mistake, and made the most of it by seeing as much as possible that day).
Flux is great, Halloween Apocalypse is great, the main plot with them hunting down Karvanista is a lot of fun while all these other ominous things creep in around the edges. By the end of episode they've set up both the Flux & the Ravagers as big threats, & it's clear that all the other loose ends are related to those (with the possible exception of the woman from the future who's running from a weeping angel, which doesn't seem to connect yet but is a hell of a hook on its own). It also advances the ongoing "Doctor won't open up about her problems" subplot, which isn't my favourite part of 13's run but it's there. Dan & Vinder are instantly likable. A lot of the jokes are genuinely funny, as opposed to like, "kids show funny". I feel like Swarm & Azure could have both been in the prison or both in the house, that's the only part I'd really say is overcomplicated. I could go on, there's a lot to discuss in this episode & it's kind of a shame to see it get glanced over all the time. But I mean ultimately you like it or you don't, right?
The 11th doctor is my favorite. Matt Smith as the whimsical alien god is so intense and funny to watch. It’s funny that even with Cappaldi being her favorite doctor she places the 11th so prominently in the list. He’s just that good
Asylum of the Daleks is hard for me to wrap my head around. How do all those different Daleks who weren’t crazy gathered in one place? We saw Daleks in this one episode that were from every season. As if The Doctor didn’t kill each version
Lore wise it just doesn’t make sense. The Daleks were supposed to all be dead, the only ones left being the paradigm Daleks introduced in Victory of the Daleks, having been introduced in that one as the new Daleks (definitely much better and not at all overhyped), destroying the old in the process. Yet in this one we are back with the bronze ones, in a structure we've never seen before, and the paradigm ones are nowhere to be seen, oh and a bunch of pre-time war Daleks are also alive and kicking somehow. It was at this point it becomes really obvious Moffat had given up on making an effort to adhere to any established lore.
I would actually legitimately like to see a finale ranking that arbitrarily includes Season 16 (The Key to Time) and Season 23 (The Trial of a Timelord) just because they kind of fit, even though they’d definitely be near the bottom of the list Also I guess season 1 maybe kinda sorta counts because Susan is reading about the French Revolution in the first episode and they go there in the final serial
My jaw dropped at Partners in Crime, but I'm 200% agree with Eleventh Hour. It's a huge part of the reason why 5th season is my favorite out of the entire show. Golden standard. Wish there were more episodes like that.
Thank you for the video, Vera! I will agree that a good premiere of Doctor Who usually must try to introduce the main storyline of the season. However, I will give a pass to a filler episode if it is the first adventure of a new Doctor and it is very good.
Rose is not only the best season premier, but the best premier of all New Who. Having it be from the Companions perspective instead of assuming everyone knows who the doctor is was the best and already caring about him was the best choice they could’ve made
Maybe I'm just morbid or macabre, but, on the face of it, I think Grace's death was the best thing in TWWFTE, and one of the most compelling things to happen in Doctor Who for a while at the time. When she died, I really FELT it. The episode had been so careful setting her up in such a way that I felt like I understood her, I felt for her. Frankly, she was my easily my favourite character in the episode (maybe even the era). Having the hubris, then, to kill her off, and so senselessly too, was such a powerful move. It reminded me of (*KINGSMAN SPOILERS*) Harry's death in Kingsman. You have to be so damned confident in the remainder of your cast to carry the rest of your film/episode/series when you choose to kill off the character you just spent the best part of your runtime building up to be a fan-favourite and I can't NOT respect that. That coupled with the guy who wasn't just 'killed' or 'absorbed' or 'vapourised', but flat-out had his jaw busted open and teeth ripped out hinted to me that we were about to get a really gritty, dark, and grounded era of Doctor Who from an ex-Torchwood showrunner... and then... Then we got the following 31 episodes... 😅
It's a shame Williamson (the weird tunnelling guy from The Halloween Apocalypse) was wasted because he was such an interesting character in real life, the reasons he had the tunnels dug, how they were lost and rediscovered. Couldn't agree more on the top 3. Seasons 5 and 10 were my favourite seasons overall and I think that's partly because they nailed it from the off. One thing about The Eleventh Hour was how high the stakes were. The show restablishing itself after a year of specials and the loss of Tennant, there was a lot of skepticism about Matt Smith being able to step into those shoes.
The Asylum of the Daleks divorce drama still doesn’t quite ring true for me. They’re quite clearly happy with river in the finale; (even the line in let’s kill hiker ‘it all worked out in the end; you got to raise me after all’ is like him telling the audience they’d be okay). They’re happy to sit down for a Christmas dinner later in TDTWATW. Even in Pond Life, which many didn’t see at the time - it was all happy days goofy and whacky adventures until the last moment. There’s no hints to their fall out until that very cursory piece of expanded media where it just happens out of the blue, where they’re shown as perfectly happy after series 6 still. Then it takes one conversation for them to get back together, crying about their kid? Are we suggesting they wouldn’t have had this understanding at some point already? It just seems really contrived. Even if they still had this plot line emerge as of asylum, I think it would’ve been more endearing to see them realise their love again over their half series - maybe do a solo adventure with the doctor and Amy, doctor and Rory (maybe Brian too) and then the power of three is slightly rewritten to where they do come back to love each other, which is then the weight of her choice in their finale episode when the angels take Rory.
Many extras that get killed off to establish the monster is a genuine threat first get a nice cosy scene where they establish that they have a family/lover just before they get brutally killed….. I don’t see it as a problem myself but she finds the humanising set up to be cruel when they are only there to die.
@@intergalactic92 Ah, of course, Ensign Ricky. Just married his high school sweetheart and their first baby is on the way. He sure is nervous about being a dad. It's his first deployment. He just wants to make his Grandpa Joe proud. It'll be 20 years this June since Grandma Mae died. Yeah. Ensign Ricky is not making it five minutes past his introduction. Love to see her take on this. I'll try throwing 'casual cruelty' into the search bar. Cheers. 🤗
For me, even season premier two parters feel like single entities. May be its just me but after a two parter I simply stop thinking about it outside the possibilities for the 2nd episode where as after the 3nd episode I think about it vs what the rest of the season yet to come.
Moffat didn't really miss on his series openers. I could never choose anything but the Eleventh Hour which brought me into this fantastic show. Magical then and magical now.
I'm normally with you on not being a big fan of cringe, but I absolutely do not find the scene of the Doctor and Donna miming at each other as cringe! That is one of my favorite Doctor-Donna scenes of the whole series. I do agree that the overall story of Partners in Crime is not that great.
I should really rewatch The Eleventh Hour, because there is CLEARLY something that I am just not seeing. Maybe it was my utter disdain over Matt Smith as a doctor for a while, but I've always found The Eleventh Hour a chore to sit through.
To be honest, I'm very surprised to see it as everyone's #1 here as well. I have very little memory of that episode; it did not leave me with any lasting impression at all. Granted, I also do not vibe with Eleven much, and while I vibed with kid Amelia a lot, I do very little with adult Amy... So that clearly doesn't help. But I'm with you on the "something I'm just not seeing" !
Good ranking! The Eleventh Hour is so good, I agree it is the Gold Standard. Appreciate the love for Smith and Jones, love series 3 and The Pilot so good, absolutely love Bill! I appreciate Series 7 one, that was cool. I understand about Series 4. Good thoughts on your ranking.
Okay so my list seems kinda whacky but here goes… 14: Halloween Apocalypse 13: Deep Breath 12: The Woman Who Fell to Earth 11: Asylum of the Daleks 10: The Pilot 9: Magicians Apprentice 8: Space Babies 7: Smith and Jones 6: Impossible Astronaut 5: Spyfall 4: New Earth 3: Partners in Crime 2: Rose 1: Eleventh Hour Based on what I would rather watch, in order of elimination. “If I couldn’t watch Eleventh hour, which of the remaining episodes would I choose to watch”, again and so on until I have my least favourite. Not necessarily based on the quality, stories, actors or characters within the episodes.
Capaldi in the tank with guitar and sunglasses was cringy in the same way you complain about the humor in the Tate and Tennant episode. At the time it was a clear backtrack from all the criticism about 12 being too dark, just Moffat trying to make Capaldi into 11 lite and failing.
Having gone through the comments a bit, I feel like my hot take is that I LOVE Asylum of the Daleks. And the reason for that is another MAJOR hot take on my end, split in two parts : 1) as much as it pains me to say that about a character played by Karen freaking Gillan, Amy is my least favorite companion, 2) I actively spent my entire time watching seasons 5 to 7a wishing for Rory to just NOT BE THERE. GO AWAY. LEAVE. VANISH. DIE. OR EVEN JUST NEVER BE MENTIONED AGAIN FOR SOME REASON THAT IS NEVER EXPLAINED. I DO NOT CARE. JUST GET OFF MY SCREEN. 😭 [I know the actor from Legends of Tomorrow, and I CANNOT STAND his character in it (he's literally the reason I stayed far away from the show for its first two and a half seasons, because I saw about two scenes with him in it and it was enough for me to already DESPISE that goddamn character, so thanks but no thanks I'm not inflicting that on myself - Legends eventually became one of my favorite shows of all time, I just had to get to the part where HE'S NOT THERE ANYMORE (and yes, that's also incidentally when it gets REALLY good)). Well, by the time I finally binged Doctor Who, I had kiiiiind of forgotten that he is in it (yes, I had learned that in passing at some point), and... sigh, oh yeah. But it's a different character, so hopefully it'll be fine ! ... Yeah, no, I don't like Rory either. (AT LEAST he's better than Rip in Legends, small mercies.) Apparently, I just don't like the way Arthur plays his characters, period. Which... sucks.] So, by the time the S7 premiere rolls around, I've been stuck for TWO WHOLE SEASONS with my least favorite companion, a character I actively dislike, and my least favorite Doctor (hot take #3, here we go). Amy and Rory have split up ? I COULD NOT CARE LESS. All I know is that Oswin (whose face I recognized, I'd seen her here and there) won me over within the first minute of showing up on my screen, and it felt like I'd taken my first deep breath for the first time in two seasons. SHE'S INCREDIBLE. SHE MAKES ME HAPPY TO CONTINUE WATCHING THE SHOW INSTEAD OF "okay, let's get through this" FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AGES. SHE BANTERS WITH THE DOCTOR AND IT'S /FUN/. The entire concept is interesting. Oswin actually being a Dalek is a GREAT reveal (and immediately made me google when the hell we'd meet her again because DEAR LORD LET ME BE RID OF THE PONDS). It's just... GOOD. Sooooo yeah, I definitely agree with your high placement of the episode in your ranking \o/
Great top 2, mine would be different primarily with how much I like partners in crime, but The Eleventh Hour is my favorite episode of any TV show of all time, I agree so much with that placement, it was the starting point to one of my rewatches. Martha and Bill are both such underrated companions, I like Bill more, she's one of my favorites (slight bias bc I'm a lesbian) and my only real issue with Martha is the romantic attraction to the doctor, which to be fair, is a problem for a lot of companions in modern who, I have that problem with Rose, Amy, Clara and Yaz to an extent.
My ranking would be (from best to least, and counting two parters as a whole): 1. The Eleventh Hour 2. Smith and Jones 3. The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar 4. Asylum of the Daleks 5. Spyfall 6. The Pilot 7. Deep Breath 8. The Woman Who Fell to Earth 9. Partners in Crime 10. The Halloween Apocalypse 11. Rose 12. New Earth 13. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon 14. Space Babies
At this point, I don't think there's a better season opener for nuWho than The Eleventh Hour. It really does serve as a perfect entry point for Doctor Who, and holds up well. If I think back through introductory episodes from Classic, the closest to The Eleventh Hour is Spearhead from Space, Pertwee's first story. That one also serves as a good jumping on point if you don't know the series, because it's the start of the color and UNIT eras. Though I still maintain that anyone can start with any episode and figure it out as they go. I am surprised you don't have Partners in Crime higher, given your love of Donna. For me, it's up in the top 5, along with Eleventh Hour, and all 3 Capaldi openers. Might be tied with The Woman Who Fell to Earth, because that one still hits me hard in the feels. Rose is also near the top for nostalgia reasons, though THANK YOU for recognizing the ridiculousness that was New Earth as a series opener. I think I'd put Space Babies higher, but I know I'm in a minority on that one.
Rose deserves to be high for the fact it wasn’t just a brand new season it was a brand new show. It had a much harder job than any other episode, and it pulled it off.
Yeah, this list seems pretty great to me. Eleventh Hour is an easy pick for #1 for me. I was quite close to dropping off the show in the run-up to S5 after some very disappointing finales (S3, 4 and End of Time) that had me questioning whether I wanted to continue watching the show. Eleventh Hour immediately got me re-invested in the show in the first ten minutes. Favourite opener, favourite season. My list would look very similar - in fact, the only differences for mine that stand out would be that Space Babies would be dead last (closest I've ever come to switching off mid-episode) and I think Deep Breath would be a little higher. Also, I couldn't agree more on everything you say about Asylum of the Daleks.
You really sold Asylum of the Daleks for me. I've never felt super passionately about it, but I think if anyone had given me one of those "strongly dislike" to "strongly like" scales, I would have put it in "slightly dislike" based on my memories of it. You moved it to "moderately like" just by explaining why the Amy/Rory stuff makes sense as it is.
Church on Ruby Road really should have been treated by the show as the opener for Season 1/14/40, it literally sets up everything that it tries to pays off in the finale. My list: 14. Space Babies - literally without merit for me personally 13. Asylum of the Daleks - actively harmful to watch with one or two good scenes 12. Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar - the dialogue with Davros is some of the best writing he's ever had. The Daleks are handled the worst the show has ever done. 11. Partners in Crime - I love 10/Donna, but the actual story is basically nothing of any value and is just filler 10. Smith and Jones - love the characters, but extremely forgettable episode 9. Woman Who Fell to Earth - really love 13, Graham and Grace immediately, Tzim Sha is great. The rest is incredibly forgettable. 8. New Earth - if I could take a scalpel and cut out all of the body swapping, it'd be a hell of a lot higher 7. Spyfall - great version of the Master but a lot of forgettable stuff throughout 6. Halloween Apocalypse - moves so fast that I couldn't possibly be angry at it, love Karvanista 5. Deep Breath - some awful writing buried in some of the best setpieces Capaldi ever got 4. Rose - the mystery is great, Rose and Nine are incredible, and really got the right vibe immediately 3. The Pilot - I love Bill immediately, Heather is super creepy, and Capaldis only great opener 2. Eleventh Hour - basically perfect but not my favourite style of episode 1. Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon - The silence are great, it's oddly creepy, and intriguing opener
"literally without merit for me personally" What about Ncuti and Millie? They're great in it. And on Disney Plus The Church on Ruby Road is treated as the opener which makes more sense!
I respect this list deeply... but im gonna share my own anyway cause I i too am obsessed with lists 14. Asylum Of The Daleks 13. The Halloween Apocalypse 12. Space Babies 11. The Woman Who Fell To Earth 10. Spyfall PT1 9. Rose 8. New Earth 7. The Magicians Appreciate 6. Partners In Crime 5. The Impossible Astronaut 4. Smith And Jones 3. The Pilot 2. Deep Breath 1. The Eleventh Hour
As time's gone on, I've found myself gravitating more towards Moffat's season openers, even if they aren't great episodes I really appreciate the bold ambition and creativity behind the stories, and moreover I love how each one is so different from each other - we go from a dark fairytale, to a big epic thriller, to a haunted house horror story, to a moody Gothic introspective drama, to a big piece of maximalist spectacle, to a more grounded character drama. Compare that to Davies' openers, which I'll admit are a lot more consistent quality-wise, but tend to feel more samey (goofy comedic romps driven by campiness and relatively childish humour). And then there's Chibnall's openers, which fall into the same trend as Moffat of doing different things each time (grounded urban thriller to James Bond spoof to expansive sprawling epic), but are just generally...not very good. In terms of my ranking: 14. The Halloween Apocalypse: You honestly nailed it, it dumps loads of character and plot setup on the audience without taking the time to actually tell a compelling story. 13. Space Babies: Does a good job at setting up the Doctor and Ruby's dynamic, but aside from that this one didn't appeal to me at all. 12. New Earth: Similar feelings to Space Babies to be honest, I only really rank this higher because of nostalgia. 11. The Magician's Apprentice: I enjoy this one but it does largely feel rather superfluous, loads of wheel spinning as we get the characters in place for the more interesting meaty stuff in part 2; that said, I love the cold open, and the final 10 minutes or so are superb. 10. Spyfall Part One: A fun Bond spoof, it sets up an interesting story that part 2 completely fails to deliver on, with some cool setpieces and a fairly enjoyable turn from Sacha Dhawan. 9. Asylum of the Daleks: I enjoy the creepy haunted house shenanigans with the Dalek asylum, Oswin is fun as a character, and the twist of her final fate is horrific and tragic; I just feel like the Amy and Rory divorce storyline really drags this one down unfortunately. 8. The Woman Who Fell to Earth: A functional setup, the characters are established well, the story is well-paced, it's exactly the workmanlike opener that you would expect from Chibnall. 7. Partners in Crime: A fun bit of fluff overall, but fairly insubstantial, the Adipose are cute, and the Doctor/Donna stuff is immediately entertaining. 6. Rose: As an introduction to the main characters and the world as a whole, it's absolutely phenomenal, and does a great job at covering for how underwhelming and bland the story is. 5. The Pilot: Similar to Rose really, works as an introduction to Bill, a setup for the Doctor's role in this season, and while its story isn't particularly strong, it's a very dynamic, fast paced and engaging episode nonetheless. 4. Deep Breath: It takes a while to get going - the first third of the episode is honestly pretty rough - but once it finds its groove during the alley scene, the episode really takes off; a fantastic introduction for Capaldi's Doctor and his dynamic with Clara is immediately captivating. 3. Smith and Jones: A really fun romp all around, with a great introduction to Martha, some fun bad guys, a cool concept and a really entertaining story. 2. The Impossible Astronaut: I love this one, a gorgeous visually striking episode thanks to the American location shooting, a great core dynamic, a fantastic introduction to the Silence, a cool conspiracy thriller setup, it's Moffat's bold ambitious storytelling at its finest. 1. The Eleventh Hour: Honestly, it couldn't be anything else, this is just the platonic ideal for what a season opener should be; sets the tone, introduces the characters, establishes the overarching story arc, and does so while telling its own fun compelling story.
14th. Halloween Apocalypse 13th. The Woman Who fell to Earth 12th. Spyfall 11. Space Babies 10. New Earth 9th. Asylum of the Daleks 8th. The Pilot 7th. Rose 6th. Smith and Jones 5th. Magician's Apprentice 4th. Deep Breath 3rd. Partners in Crime 2nd. The Impossible Astronaut 1st. The Eleventh Hour. Tennant and Capaldi are my favourite Doctors but Smith definitely had the most exciting series openers
I recently re-watched Rose, after many, many years, and the thing that really struck me was how slow it was. Particularly the climax of the episode, where they establish a sense of urgency, and then hold on shots for way too long. That might be why it took me until the second episode to really get hooked.
My ranking: 14. Asylum of the Daleks (This is the epitome of everything wrong with Moffat Dalek stories and that divorce nonsense... no.) 13. New Earth (Not bad but not very good either, the ending is nice) 12. The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar (This one hasn't aged particularly well, I loved it when it aired but now? It's very meh, Part Two is better than Part One though) 11. Space Babies (Fun, nothing special though however Ncuti and Millie own their roles and I love their dynamic) 10. Deep Breath (Good but too long for it's own good) 9. The Halloween Apocalypse (It's overstuffed yes, but it is so much fun and sets up Flux and Dan is a great new companion!) 8. Rose (A very good start to the revival, Christopher Eccleston immediately owns the role from the word: run! Admittedly some parts haven't aged the best) 7. Smith and Jones (A Solid start for Series 3, Freema Agyeman is very likable as Martha and the Judoon are great!) 6. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (A great introduction for the 13th Doctor and a great first episode for Series 11, cast are all very likable!) 5. Spyfall (Epic spy thriller, amazing reveal for Sacha Dhawan as the Master, Jodie feels completely established as the Doctor!) 4. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon (Epic, large scale, the silence are very creepy and effective as villains and the mystery of the Doctor's death is set up really well) 3. The Pilot (Pure fun from start to finish, Pearl Mackie as Bill immediately establishes herself as a Top 5 companion and her dynamic with Peter Capaldi's Doctor is fantastic) 2. Partners in Crime (Best TARDIS team, a great reunion for the Doctor and Donna and so much fun!) 1. The Eleventh Hour (This is not just the perfect opener for a series BUT the perfect introduction for a Doctor AND companion: Smith immediately proves the doubters wrong 10/10)
My own ranking: 14. Space Babies 13. New Earth 12. The Halloween Apocalypse 11. Spyfall, Part 1 10. The Woman Who Fell to Earth 9. Partners in Crime 8. Rose 7. Smith and Jones 6. Asylum of the Daleks 5. The Pilot 4. The Magician's Apprentice 3. Deep Breath 2. The Impossible Astronaut 1. The Eleventh Hour It has been a very long time since I last saw New Earth, Partners in Crime, or Asylum of the Daleks, so my opinions may be different if I watched them again today, but I don't expect them to change THAT much.
My ranking would be 1. The Impossible Astronaut 2. The Magician's Apprentice 3. The Eleventh Hour 4. The Woman Who Fell To Earth 5. Spyfall 6. The Halloween Apocalypse 7. Asylum of the Daleks 8. Smith and Jones 9. The Pilot 10. Partners in Crime 11. Deep Breath 12. Rose 13. Space Babies 14. New Earth
For me: 14. Asylum: questionable ideas poorly executed, makes Amy and Rory's relationship unintentionally toxic. 13. Magician's Apprentice/ Witch's Familiar: Part 1 is complete filler, part 2 has great character work until the ending let's it down. 12. New Earth: Cool concept trapped in a weak body swap comedy. 11. Halloween Apocalypse: A confused mess, but is amusing. 10. The Woman who Fell to Earth: Perfectly Fine but nothing special. 9. Smith and Jones: Solid intro to Martha but never got the hype for it overall. 8. Deep Breath: a great introduction to 12 and S8 Clara, buried in a terrible paternoster spin off pilot. 7. Spyfall: Part 1 is a fun spy adventure, part 2 is a mess of great and terrible ideas. 6. Partner's in Crime: Just cheesy fun. 4/5. Space Babies and Rose: Cheesy fun and endearing character moments from the two leads to elevate the material. 3. Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon: Great shake up to the formula. 2. The Pilot: Almost perfect. 1. The Eleventh Hour
I also disagree with quite a bit of this but I do see where you're coming from and what you look for in a docter who episode is very different to me, and I very much appreciate that.
14: Space Babies - Utterly abysmal with almost no redeeming qualities. First few minutes are okay then it's almost all really bad. 13: New Earth - Far too camp and silly, terrible cgi even for the time, brought up slightly by a pretty good ending 12: Magician's Apprentice - Another serving of extremely tired and worn out Moffat tropes 11: Asylum of the Daleks - The Oswin stuff is good, nothing else is 10: Deep Breath - Decent intro for Capaldi with some good moments, but nothing special 9: Partners in Crime - The campiness works this time, and it's a lot of fun, albeit ultimately forgettable 8: Pilot - I have a very weak memory of this one; I think it was good but could easily go up or down on a rewatch 7: The Haloween Apocalypse - I will defend Flux to the death and this was a good opener for it. Lots of mystery and intrigue, good introduction to Dan and Karnavista, great cliffhanger, some good Doctor character moments 6: The Woman who Fell To Earth - Great start to the Chibnall era and a huge breath of fresh air after so many years of Moffat 5: Smith and Jones - Just a very solid episode. Great introduction to Martha. 4: Spyfall. Huge amount of fun, with strong setup, good pacing, and an absolutely excellent Master reveal at the end 3: Impossible Astronaut. The series miserably fails to make the landing, but it's a great opener. The Moffat tropes don't feel old yet, the central mystery is brilliant, the Silence are a great new villain, lots of fun. 2: Rose. It had a few missteps, with the burping bins and plastic Mickey, but it got far more right than wrong and did an excellent job at setting up the show. Maybe this should be lower objectively, but it gets extra points for beginning something still going (relatively) strong 20 years later. Three scenes make the episode: the "walk and talk" with The Doctor and Rose, their argument, and The Doctor asking Rose to join him 1: The Eleventh Hour. An absolutely perfect opener and one of the best episodes of the entire show.
I’d put Halloween Apocalypse above New Earth. I didn’t and still don’t gel with Tennant as the Doctor till Series 4, even then the S4 finale and specials make me dislike him again (minus The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead)
I guess I don’t watch Doctor Who season premieres a lot because I forgot that some of them were premiere episodes and I was like „two-parters??? 🤔“ until you mentioned the respective episodes and I was like: „Right!“
To be frank he didn't really work for me in the same way that John Simm's version didn't work for me (with the exception of his appearance in series 10) - I just don't really like the Master being portrayed as this over-the-top hyperactive crazy cartoon character, I tend to find it rather grating and obnoxious, and it doesn't help that neither actor ever really feels all that comfortable playing the character in this fashion.
@christianwise637 One thing I will argue that Simm's Master at least has over Dhawan's Master is strong chemistry with Tennant's Doctor and Michelle Gomez's Missy. I never bought Dhawan's Master as a former friend of the Doctor.
Partners is crime is placed fairly. It's Donna at her most Cathrine Tate. Was never a fan of her, as i just never liked her style of humour, which is why i was hesitant about her casting for a companion. Thankfully, this episode was an outlier, and i did grow to like Donna as a character, as Cathrine distanced her perfomance from her comedy persona over those first few episodes of her as a season companion, rather than a special guest.
Honestly I just skip Partners in Crime to Get to The Fires Of Pompei to both skip The Adipose (Hate those things) and also to get to some great dramatic Donna stuff.
A playlist of videos covering the issues with the BBC and transphobic reporting: ruclips.net/p/PLmWFOeT2jEofVIDW9X3OL7GqWuX3Dxopu
If you need DW video ideas, one I had which came about from the recent series reviews is the moment you fell for each Doctor. I know when each doctor won me over but hearing your opinions would be nice
First of all I just wanna say I have discovered the link between the episode “the mummy on the orient express” and the episode “smile”. I suggest going to mummy on orient express and at 12:10 (on bbc IPlayer) and then going to smile at 32:01. Both moments in these episodes there is a queen band poster from the early 2000’s. That is the link that Peter Capaldi mentioned on Twitter 2 years ago that was never solved.
I solved this “unsolved mystery” 2 days ago just letting everyone aware. It has more relevance to hidden doctor who lore but I’ve done my job it’s up to DW fans such as you to find out more
Second the BBC is an absolute disgusting organisation and I don’t deny there are most likely problems inside the company with transphobia against co-workers however the BBC has no current issues concerning transphobia being broadcasted. We are both on the same side however you are pushing total lies just because you are clearly trans and any accusations against anyone being transphobic you will jump on because you seem to have unsolved personal issues
Vera: "This one's gonna get me cancelled."
Me: "It's Partners in Crime, isn't it."
NAILED IT LMAO
As much as I'm a fan of Series 4, I've never liked Partners in Crime.
The Adipose are creepy and not cute to me.
Oof, i got visceral pain at that Partners in Crime placement. For having the task of reworking Donna from the Christmas pantomime shouter to an actual character, it's really effective. It turned me from dreading her as a companion to being excited within 45 minutes.
Great video as always!
Not only do I love The Eleventh Hour for all the reasons you stated but also I love that it's essentially a back to basics situation for the Doctor which I always love. He's got no TARDIS, not Screwdriver and is under a time crunch. He's got nothing but he thinks his way out of it and he not even operating on full capacity but he still manages to solve everything. This episode is the core reason why Smith is my favourite Doctor. Like you i always say "Yes You Are" when he steps forward in his outfit and says "Hello, I'm The Doctor. Basically Run". Instant chills. That was it for me. I was hooked. I wanted more and more of this guy from that exact moment.
19:08
Rory: In fairness that is slightly your MO...
Doctor: Don't be fair to the Daleks when they're firing me at a planet.
“The Pilot” is so underrated IMHO; yet it works so well. One of my weird personal tests for a tv show or a movie’s quality is how enjoyable it is if you only listen to it. Playing this episode on my phone with the screen face down is still immensely entertaining -the chief reason being how well the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole play off each other.
New Earth, I think, is designed to reassure people that this is the same show you loved last year. You have to remember that this was the second season with a completely new lead actor, and whilst we had got to know David Tennant a little bit that was for a special, and he was a very different Doctor to Christopher Eccleston. This was the first regeneration of Nuwho, people were still unsure.
Hence, the entire episode is steeped in nostalgia. It opens with a reminder of The End of the World, "you remember that episode, the Earth died, but this is where they are all living now. Remember the Face of Boe? He’s here too! Remember Cassandra, she's back!" It's designed very much for the returning viewer, to be a reassuring comfort blanket, rather than an explosive introduction for new viewers.
I buy that. Still not very good.
Thank you so much for a great video as always and it had to be the eleventh hour totally agree with your list
I was impressed by how high Deep Breath was too, but on reflection it makes sense.
the eleventh hour is honestly SO impressive in how much it successfully does (while still being so fun)...
and yess smith and jones appreciation!
I'm so happy smith and jones made it so high on the list! THANK YOU for showing Martha some love! She is very much under appreciated
Absolutely.
I think her biggest issue and what pulled her down was that she was at her strongest away from the Doctor. She spends so much time early on pining for him that it gets annoying but once she starts to develop on her own and goes off at time to do her own thing she becomes so much stronger and that carries over into Torchwood and her return for the end of series 4.
@@joshberninger8355 rose pinned over the doctor all the time
Having already loved Missy in the Magician's Apprentice, getting around to watching a lot of Third Doctor episodes, particularly once Roger Delgado shows up, has been a treat. You can really see where Missy being the Doctor's Best Friend (that is, the Magician's Apprentice status quo for them) comes from. The way Jon Pertwee and Delgado interact is just delightful, old school chums indeed. The number of times The Doctor is able to convince the Master that the aliens the Master is helping will betray him and betray the aliens first. Or how the Doctor is able to play along say that he's through with the BS of the Timelords, and would rather just work with the Master (and the Master always falls for it!). Trying to kill each other is their flirting. The Master never really seems all that interested in sealing the deal--the fun is all in the build up.
I'd put "Smith & Jones" at No. 1, but I'm beyond thrilled it made the top 3.
It's the Best of RTD's Intros!!!
@@marionbaggins Absolutely. And I fell for Martha immediately.
I KNEW, for the number of times you've hyped it, that The 11th hour was gonna be number one,
My list:
14 - Halloween apocalypse
13 - Space babies
12 - New Earth
11 - Woman who fell to Earth
10 - Spy fall
9 - Asylum of the Daleks
8 - Magicians apprentice
7 - The pilot
6 - Rose
5 - Smith and jones
4 - The impossible astronaut
3 - Eleventh hour
2 - partners in crime
1 - Deep breath
My hot take with Asylum of the Daleks is that it's an awful Dalek story, but would've actually been a pretty good Cyberman Story. My theory is that Steven Moffatt wanted a Cyberman Story written by Neil Gaiman, but wrote a Cyber Story just in case he said no. Ultimately he said yes, so it was turned into a Dalek Story.
Just imagine Asylum of the Cybermen, with Amy slowly being turned into a Cyberman instead of whatever the Dalek Eye-Stalk fellas were. Plus the converting of corpses into Cyber Units would later play in to the Season 8 finale.
I don't think that's a hot take. A lot of whovians - including me - have the same thought.
Idk, I feel like that's looking at it at a surface level. The Cybermen just remove all emotion - removing love and adding hate is much more powerful with the divorce aspect, so I think Daleks work.
Cybermen also wouldn't keep an asylum. It's not useful, so why have it? Meanwhile, the Daleks are sort of obsessed with it due to their own mixed interpretation of "beauty"
@@BulbasaurRepresentthey might, but for a different reason I.e. to investigate why the conversion has not worked properly on these units. Yes, there would be a need to adjust certain things to make it more relevant for Cybermen, like they make Amy grow more apathetic as the episode goes on, or have it specifically be something the cybermen were experimenting with in deliberately heightening certain emotions. There are ways to make it work, without completely changing the story.
It's less unreasonable than flipping Dalek lore on its head to make it fit.
@@intergalactic92 I feel like it doesn't flip Dalek lore on its head though. We've already seen humans converted to Daleks in Revelation of the Daleks after all. Idk, I just think daleks are much more fit for a divorce story than simply growing apathetic - and cybermen experimenting with heightened emotions feels like it would go way against their deal.
I'm so glad to see Bill get some love. She's a very close second to Donna for my favorite companion and I'm still devastated by how she went out.
i love the impossible astronaut. it was the first opener to have something REALLY DRAMATIC HAPPEN. for example, you know... the doctor gets shot during regeneration and reappears from different time, amys pregnant, the silents!
The 11th Hour was my first premier I caught from the beginning of a Doctor's run. 9 and 10 were mixed up reruns. I thought for a long time I ranked Smith higher than Eckelsen and Tennent was because of this, but no. I was completely hooked on the Doctor/Amy/Rory triangle in a single episode. I'm still scarred over how it ended.
Smith & Jones was my first episode while series 10 was my first series, but what stood out to me in both episodes were the companions. I was probably 7 when I saw S&J, think it was a rerun on BBCThree before it got taken off the air, seven year old me fell in love with Martha Jones (and freema ageeman in general)that day and she's been placed in my top three companions ever since I watched the revival all the way through during lockdown. The Pilot was what I consider my first impression of doctor who as I watched it as it aired, at the time I remembered the name of the show but nothing about it. Bill Potts is my favourite companion as she feels like rose minus the romance with the doctor which puts her leagues above rose imo(sorry 10rose fans)
For me, it goes:
14). The Magician’s Apprentice (Series 9)
13). Asylum of the Daleks (Series 7)
12). Space Babies (Series 14)
11). Spyfall Pt. 1 (Series 12)
10). The Halloween Apocalypse (Series 13)
9). Deep Breath (Series 8)
8). New Earth (Series 2)
7). The Woman Who Fell to Earth (Series 11)
6). Partners in Crime (Series 4)
5). The Pilot (Series 10)
4). The Impossible Astronaut (Series 6)
3). Rose (Series 1)
2). Smith And Jones (Series 3)
1). The Eleventh Hour (Series 5)
I’m sorry for The Magician’s Apprentice is by far one of the most pointless & bad episodes of the entire show! You could condense that episode into 10 minutes! And also, I don’t see how one can love Asylum of the Daleks. That is an EXTREMELY bad episode on all fronts, from the story & ideas & especially how Amy treats Rory. I know Vera explained why the divorce plot-line makes sense, but that does NOT justify Amy slapping Rory!
Loving your videos. Another thing is Partners in Crime doesn’t set the tone for s4 AT ALL. S4 is all about the doctor dealing with loss and despair, but partners in crime is the tonal opposite??? Fires of Pompeii feels like the true opener
I'd have Eleventh Hour as no. 1 as well, followed by Rose and Partners In Crime. Eleventh Hour was a success considering it was a new doctor, companion and show runner. Rose of course was the first episode in sixteen years and yes it was great on first viewing seeing what the show could now accomplish going forward. The long tracking shot with Eccleston and Piper walking through the estate was marvellous.
11th Hour was what hooked 9.5 Year Old Me into DW and nearly *Oh Boy I am getting Older* 15 Years Later, here I am!!!
Predictions:
- Eleventh Hour will be #1 (was spoiled by a member comment)
- Halloween Apocalypse will be in the bottom 3 but not quite last
- Uhhhh why did I make this a list those are my only predictions
You say Eleventh Hour was spoiled by a member comment but here you are doing exactly the same thing. That part of your comment is in full view. 😂😂
@@Elwaves2925 Some people just want to watch the world burn
on Spyfall, my speculation was that the monsters were a return of the Boneless from Flatline, which would've been awesome. and then...no.
I gel with Deep Breath Twelve a lot more now than I did then, even without the knowledge of what’s ahead
14: The Halloween Apocalypse
13: Space Babies
12: New Earth
11: Spyfall, Part 1
10: The Woman Who Fell to Earth
9: Asylum of the Daleks
8: The Magician’s Apprentice
7: Deep Breath
6: Rose
5: The Impossible Astronaut
4: Smith and Jones
3: The Pilot
2: Partners in Crime
1: The 11th Hour
I definitely agree with The Halloween Apocalypse being the weakest one, it just feels like an overlong trailer.
I do kinda agree and disagree with Asylum. I do agree it would be a much more enjoyable watch to see Amy and Rory happy together, but I think that the issue I have is that we start with them seemingly hating each other and, within one episode, immediately resolving the conflict they endured since Demon's Run. I think ultimately, it would've been best to either leave that residual trauma to being something that they both decide together they want to work through at home as an incentive to leave the TARDIS, or at least had them shown at their lowest in _this_ episode with moments of hope (like the "I always loved you more" argument), leading to them rekindling their relationship over the course of the next 5 episodes - possibly still leaving of their own accord, or just showing the growth in Power of Three and solidifying Amy committing to Rory above all else in Angels Take Manhattan). The rest of the story is great, really enjoy it and just find it frustrating to watch because of the several issues I have with series 7)
A genuine experience I had watching this:
"I'm gonna be cancelled for this one" bet it'll be partners in crime
"Partners in crime" YES I FUCKING KNEW IT I CALLED IT YESSS
Rose and Eleventh hour are my favorite starters. I don't mind the bad humor in early new who that much so Nine and Rose just get to be great, probably also nostalgia as Rose was the first doctor who I watched. Eleventh hour is just fun and again Eleven and Amy are great.
Yes, a lot of this does feel like it’s just Vera not liking RTD era humour. Which is fine.
Your hair looks so fucking fabulous styled like that!
I think you look really amazing.
Love your takes on all your ranking videos!
I was hooked on the Halloween Apocalypse from the moment they showed Joseph Williamson. I felt the Chibnall era was trying to be more inclusive by giving northern cities (Sheffield and Liverpool) more exposure, rather than just London, Bristol and Cardiff. Focussing on the historical mystery of the tunnels felt like a very organic and intrinsically Dr Who'ish way of implementing this inclusive ambition. Of course this was a slightly esoteric approach, as many people would have no idea who Williamson was (the only reason I knew was I once ended up in Liverpool by mistake, and made the most of it by seeing as much as possible that day).
The same Top 3 as me, and in the same order! Pretty much agree with Vera's other rankings, too.
The woman who fell to earth becomes an amazing comedy episode when you realise every time the teeth guy apears, a "pooooon" sound effect plays
You did Partners in Crime a total disservice, arguably brilliant
Vera though Loves Donna...
Am I the only one who liked Flux? I feel like the Halloween Apocalypse should not have been at the bottom
the Halloween Apocalypse was a mess but Flux as a whole was a good time
I liked Flux. In fact, I liked all of Chibnall's last season. (I even thought Legend of the Sea Devils was fun, if nothing special.) You're not alone
Flux is great, Halloween Apocalypse is great, the main plot with them hunting down Karvanista is a lot of fun while all these other ominous things creep in around the edges. By the end of episode they've set up both the Flux & the Ravagers as big threats, & it's clear that all the other loose ends are related to those (with the possible exception of the woman from the future who's running from a weeping angel, which doesn't seem to connect yet but is a hell of a hook on its own). It also advances the ongoing "Doctor won't open up about her problems" subplot, which isn't my favourite part of 13's run but it's there. Dan & Vinder are instantly likable. A lot of the jokes are genuinely funny, as opposed to like, "kids show funny". I feel like Swarm & Azure could have both been in the prison or both in the house, that's the only part I'd really say is overcomplicated. I could go on, there's a lot to discuss in this episode & it's kind of a shame to see it get glanced over all the time. But I mean ultimately you like it or you don't, right?
The 11th doctor is my favorite. Matt Smith as the whimsical alien god is so intense and funny to watch. It’s funny that even with Cappaldi being her favorite doctor she places the 11th so prominently in the list. He’s just that good
Asylum of the Daleks is hard for me to wrap my head around. How do all those different Daleks who weren’t crazy gathered in one place? We saw Daleks in this one episode that were from every season. As if The Doctor didn’t kill each version
Lore wise it just doesn’t make sense. The Daleks were supposed to all be dead, the only ones left being the paradigm Daleks introduced in Victory of the Daleks, having been introduced in that one as the new Daleks (definitely much better and not at all overhyped), destroying the old in the process. Yet in this one we are back with the bronze ones, in a structure we've never seen before, and the paradigm ones are nowhere to be seen, oh and a bunch of pre-time war Daleks are also alive and kicking somehow.
It was at this point it becomes really obvious Moffat had given up on making an effort to adhere to any established lore.
I would actually legitimately like to see a finale ranking that arbitrarily includes Season 16 (The Key to Time) and Season 23 (The Trial of a Timelord) just because they kind of fit, even though they’d definitely be near the bottom of the list
Also I guess season 1 maybe kinda sorta counts because Susan is reading about the French Revolution in the first episode and they go there in the final serial
Huge agree on Smith & Jones.
My jaw dropped at Partners in Crime, but I'm 200% agree with Eleventh Hour. It's a huge part of the reason why 5th season is my favorite out of the entire show. Golden standard. Wish there were more episodes like that.
I'd switch number 11 with number 10 and number 9 with number 8, but other than that, perfect ranking.
Thank you for the video, Vera!
I will agree that a good premiere of Doctor Who usually must try to introduce the main storyline of the season. However, I will give a pass to a filler episode if it is the first adventure of a new Doctor and it is very good.
Eleventh Hour has the honour of being in the very exclusive list of perfect Doctor Who episodes.
You should do a rank of episode intros, you know the first minutes before the title sequence! (sorry if you already have done that)
Really enjoyed your take on these episodes and for different reasons I judge the episodes similarly.
Rose is not only the best season premier, but the best premier of all New Who. Having it be from the Companions perspective instead of assuming everyone knows who the doctor is was the best and already caring about him was the best choice they could’ve made
Damn right about The Pilot! I gotta watch series 10 again! ☺️
Knock Knock and The Eaters of Light are the only episodes of Series 10 I don’t like.
Maybe I'm just morbid or macabre, but, on the face of it, I think Grace's death was the best thing in TWWFTE, and one of the most compelling things to happen in Doctor Who for a while at the time. When she died, I really FELT it.
The episode had been so careful setting her up in such a way that I felt like I understood her, I felt for her. Frankly, she was my easily my favourite character in the episode (maybe even the era). Having the hubris, then, to kill her off, and so senselessly too, was such a powerful move. It reminded me of
(*KINGSMAN SPOILERS*)
Harry's death in Kingsman. You have to be so damned confident in the remainder of your cast to carry the rest of your film/episode/series when you choose to kill off the character you just spent the best part of your runtime building up to be a fan-favourite and I can't NOT respect that. That coupled with the guy who wasn't just 'killed' or 'absorbed' or 'vapourised', but flat-out had his jaw busted open and teeth ripped out hinted to me that we were about to get a really gritty, dark, and grounded era of Doctor Who from an ex-Torchwood showrunner... and then... Then we got the following 31 episodes... 😅
It's a shame Williamson (the weird tunnelling guy from The Halloween Apocalypse) was wasted because he was such an interesting character in real life, the reasons he had the tunnels dug, how they were lost and rediscovered.
Couldn't agree more on the top 3. Seasons 5 and 10 were my favourite seasons overall and I think that's partly because they nailed it from the off.
One thing about The Eleventh Hour was how high the stakes were. The show restablishing itself after a year of specials and the loss of Tennant, there was a lot of skepticism about Matt Smith being able to step into those shoes.
No, but the way I GASPED at the Partners in Crime ranking 😅😅 you have a very fair point though but still 😂
Vera loves Donna...
Fun video! Really enjoyed it.
Great video, great discussion
The Asylum of the Daleks divorce drama still doesn’t quite ring true for me. They’re quite clearly happy with river in the finale; (even the line in let’s kill hiker ‘it all worked out in the end; you got to raise me after all’ is like him telling the audience they’d be okay). They’re happy to sit down for a Christmas dinner later in TDTWATW. Even in Pond Life, which many didn’t see at the time - it was all happy days goofy and whacky adventures until the last moment. There’s no hints to their fall out until that very cursory piece of expanded media where it just happens out of the blue, where they’re shown as perfectly happy after series 6 still. Then it takes one conversation for them to get back together, crying about their kid? Are we suggesting they wouldn’t have had this understanding at some point already? It just seems really contrived. Even if they still had this plot line emerge as of asylum, I think it would’ve been more endearing to see them realise their love again over their half series - maybe do a solo adventure with the doctor and Amy, doctor and Rory (maybe Brian too) and then the power of three is slightly rewritten to where they do come back to love each other, which is then the weight of her choice in their finale episode when the angels take Rory.
There’s very little I can object to here. Damn it!
Relatively new to the channel. What is the 'casual cruelty' you referred to?
Many extras that get killed off to establish the monster is a genuine threat first get a nice cosy scene where they establish that they have a family/lover just before they get brutally killed….. I don’t see it as a problem myself but she finds the humanising set up to be cruel when they are only there to die.
@@intergalactic92 Ah, of course, Ensign Ricky. Just married his high school sweetheart and their first baby is on the way. He sure is nervous about being a dad. It's his first deployment. He just wants to make his Grandpa Joe proud. It'll be 20 years this June since Grandma Mae died.
Yeah. Ensign Ricky is not making it five minutes past his introduction.
Love to see her take on this. I'll try throwing 'casual cruelty' into the search bar.
Cheers. 🤗
Space babies is the only one that made me feel like I'm too old for this show, loved most of the season, but that premiere left a very bad taste.
For me, even season premier two parters feel like single entities. May be its just me but after a two parter I simply stop thinking about it outside the possibilities for the 2nd episode where as after the 3nd episode I think about it vs what the rest of the season yet to come.
Imagine if there is a season that dethrones the Eleventh Hour
I don't like 'The Eleventh Hour' ... runs!
Honestly I kind of agree.
@@intergalactic92 I just think the aliens weren't interesting and quickly resolved by the Doctor just basically saying he's epic and then off they go.
@@oldwebshooter yeah, I just vividly remember being so annoyed they weren’t Judoon.
Moffat didn't really miss on his series openers. I could never choose anything but the Eleventh Hour which brought me into this fantastic show. Magical then and magical now.
Same, I was 9.5 back then and I loved it so much!!!
I'm normally with you on not being a big fan of cringe, but I absolutely do not find the scene of the Doctor and Donna miming at each other as cringe! That is one of my favorite Doctor-Donna scenes of the whole series. I do agree that the overall story of Partners in Crime is not that great.
I’d swap 1 & 2 but that’s just me.
Asylum of the daleks above Space Babies? Surely this episode isn’t as bad as that
I should really rewatch The Eleventh Hour, because there is CLEARLY something that I am just not seeing. Maybe it was my utter disdain over Matt Smith as a doctor for a while, but I've always found The Eleventh Hour a chore to sit through.
To be honest, I'm very surprised to see it as everyone's #1 here as well. I have very little memory of that episode; it did not leave me with any lasting impression at all. Granted, I also do not vibe with Eleven much, and while I vibed with kid Amelia a lot, I do very little with adult Amy... So that clearly doesn't help. But I'm with you on the "something I'm just not seeing" !
Good ranking! The Eleventh Hour is so good, I agree it is the Gold Standard. Appreciate the love for Smith and Jones, love series 3 and The Pilot so good, absolutely love Bill! I appreciate Series 7 one, that was cool. I understand about Series 4. Good thoughts on your ranking.
Okay so my list seems kinda whacky but here goes…
14: Halloween Apocalypse
13: Deep Breath
12: The Woman Who Fell to Earth
11: Asylum of the Daleks
10: The Pilot
9: Magicians Apprentice
8: Space Babies
7: Smith and Jones
6: Impossible Astronaut
5: Spyfall
4: New Earth
3: Partners in Crime
2: Rose
1: Eleventh Hour
Based on what I would rather watch, in order of elimination. “If I couldn’t watch Eleventh hour, which of the remaining episodes would I choose to watch”, again and so on until I have my least favourite. Not necessarily based on the quality, stories, actors or characters within the episodes.
Capaldi in the tank with guitar and sunglasses was cringy in the same way you complain about the humor in the Tate and Tennant episode. At the time it was a clear backtrack from all the criticism about 12 being too dark, just Moffat trying to make Capaldi into 11 lite and failing.
Having gone through the comments a bit, I feel like my hot take is that I LOVE Asylum of the Daleks. And the reason for that is another MAJOR hot take on my end, split in two parts : 1) as much as it pains me to say that about a character played by Karen freaking Gillan, Amy is my least favorite companion, 2) I actively spent my entire time watching seasons 5 to 7a wishing for Rory to just NOT BE THERE. GO AWAY. LEAVE. VANISH. DIE. OR EVEN JUST NEVER BE MENTIONED AGAIN FOR SOME REASON THAT IS NEVER EXPLAINED. I DO NOT CARE. JUST GET OFF MY SCREEN. 😭
[I know the actor from Legends of Tomorrow, and I CANNOT STAND his character in it (he's literally the reason I stayed far away from the show for its first two and a half seasons, because I saw about two scenes with him in it and it was enough for me to already DESPISE that goddamn character, so thanks but no thanks I'm not inflicting that on myself - Legends eventually became one of my favorite shows of all time, I just had to get to the part where HE'S NOT THERE ANYMORE (and yes, that's also incidentally when it gets REALLY good)). Well, by the time I finally binged Doctor Who, I had kiiiiind of forgotten that he is in it (yes, I had learned that in passing at some point), and... sigh, oh yeah. But it's a different character, so hopefully it'll be fine ! ... Yeah, no, I don't like Rory either. (AT LEAST he's better than Rip in Legends, small mercies.) Apparently, I just don't like the way Arthur plays his characters, period. Which... sucks.]
So, by the time the S7 premiere rolls around, I've been stuck for TWO WHOLE SEASONS with my least favorite companion, a character I actively dislike, and my least favorite Doctor (hot take #3, here we go). Amy and Rory have split up ? I COULD NOT CARE LESS. All I know is that Oswin (whose face I recognized, I'd seen her here and there) won me over within the first minute of showing up on my screen, and it felt like I'd taken my first deep breath for the first time in two seasons. SHE'S INCREDIBLE. SHE MAKES ME HAPPY TO CONTINUE WATCHING THE SHOW INSTEAD OF "okay, let's get through this" FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AGES. SHE BANTERS WITH THE DOCTOR AND IT'S /FUN/. The entire concept is interesting. Oswin actually being a Dalek is a GREAT reveal (and immediately made me google when the hell we'd meet her again because DEAR LORD LET ME BE RID OF THE PONDS). It's just... GOOD.
Sooooo yeah, I definitely agree with your high placement of the episode in your ranking \o/
So basically you like Asylum out of spite.
Great top 2, mine would be different primarily with how much I like partners in crime, but The Eleventh Hour is my favorite episode of any TV show of all time, I agree so much with that placement, it was the starting point to one of my rewatches. Martha and Bill are both such underrated companions, I like Bill more, she's one of my favorites (slight bias bc I'm a lesbian) and my only real issue with Martha is the romantic attraction to the doctor, which to be fair, is a problem for a lot of companions in modern who, I have that problem with Rose, Amy, Clara and Yaz to an extent.
My ranking would be (from best to least, and counting two parters as a whole):
1. The Eleventh Hour
2. Smith and Jones
3. The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar
4. Asylum of the Daleks
5. Spyfall
6. The Pilot
7. Deep Breath
8. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
9. Partners in Crime
10. The Halloween Apocalypse
11. Rose
12. New Earth
13. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
14. Space Babies
At this point, I don't think there's a better season opener for nuWho than The Eleventh Hour. It really does serve as a perfect entry point for Doctor Who, and holds up well. If I think back through introductory episodes from Classic, the closest to The Eleventh Hour is Spearhead from Space, Pertwee's first story. That one also serves as a good jumping on point if you don't know the series, because it's the start of the color and UNIT eras. Though I still maintain that anyone can start with any episode and figure it out as they go. I am surprised you don't have Partners in Crime higher, given your love of Donna. For me, it's up in the top 5, along with Eleventh Hour, and all 3 Capaldi openers. Might be tied with The Woman Who Fell to Earth, because that one still hits me hard in the feels. Rose is also near the top for nostalgia reasons, though THANK YOU for recognizing the ridiculousness that was New Earth as a series opener. I think I'd put Space Babies higher, but I know I'm in a minority on that one.
Rose deserves to be high for the fact it wasn’t just a brand new season it was a brand new show. It had a much harder job than any other episode, and it pulled it off.
Yeah, this list seems pretty great to me.
Eleventh Hour is an easy pick for #1 for me. I was quite close to dropping off the show in the run-up to S5 after some very disappointing finales (S3, 4 and End of Time) that had me questioning whether I wanted to continue watching the show. Eleventh Hour immediately got me re-invested in the show in the first ten minutes. Favourite opener, favourite season.
My list would look very similar - in fact, the only differences for mine that stand out would be that Space Babies would be dead last (closest I've ever come to switching off mid-episode) and I think Deep Breath would be a little higher.
Also, I couldn't agree more on everything you say about Asylum of the Daleks.
I liked space babies. Really kinda reminded me of old school base under siege stories like from the second doctor.
Whaaaa!
Hate that kind of humor I feel you but it worked for me in partners in crime.
You really sold Asylum of the Daleks for me. I've never felt super passionately about it, but I think if anyone had given me one of those "strongly dislike" to "strongly like" scales, I would have put it in "slightly dislike" based on my memories of it. You moved it to "moderately like" just by explaining why the Amy/Rory stuff makes sense as it is.
this might be a weird question, but whats the lipstick you’re wearing? Ive been searching for a dark red like this
Church on Ruby Road really should have been treated by the show as the opener for Season 1/14/40, it literally sets up everything that it tries to pays off in the finale.
My list:
14. Space Babies - literally without merit for me personally
13. Asylum of the Daleks - actively harmful to watch with one or two good scenes
12. Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar - the dialogue with Davros is some of the best writing he's ever had. The Daleks are handled the worst the show has ever done.
11. Partners in Crime - I love 10/Donna, but the actual story is basically nothing of any value and is just filler
10. Smith and Jones - love the characters, but extremely forgettable episode
9. Woman Who Fell to Earth - really love 13, Graham and Grace immediately, Tzim Sha is great. The rest is incredibly forgettable.
8. New Earth - if I could take a scalpel and cut out all of the body swapping, it'd be a hell of a lot higher
7. Spyfall - great version of the Master but a lot of forgettable stuff throughout
6. Halloween Apocalypse - moves so fast that I couldn't possibly be angry at it, love Karvanista
5. Deep Breath - some awful writing buried in some of the best setpieces Capaldi ever got
4. Rose - the mystery is great, Rose and Nine are incredible, and really got the right vibe immediately
3. The Pilot - I love Bill immediately, Heather is super creepy, and Capaldis only great opener
2. Eleventh Hour - basically perfect but not my favourite style of episode
1. Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon - The silence are great, it's oddly creepy, and intriguing opener
"literally without merit for me personally" What about Ncuti and Millie? They're great in it.
And on Disney Plus The Church on Ruby Road is treated as the opener which makes more sense!
I respect this list deeply... but im gonna share my own anyway cause I i too am obsessed with lists
14. Asylum Of The Daleks
13. The Halloween Apocalypse
12. Space Babies
11. The Woman Who Fell To Earth
10. Spyfall PT1
9. Rose
8. New Earth
7. The Magicians Appreciate
6. Partners In Crime
5. The Impossible Astronaut
4. Smith And Jones
3. The Pilot
2. Deep Breath
1. The Eleventh Hour
As time's gone on, I've found myself gravitating more towards Moffat's season openers, even if they aren't great episodes I really appreciate the bold ambition and creativity behind the stories, and moreover I love how each one is so different from each other - we go from a dark fairytale, to a big epic thriller, to a haunted house horror story, to a moody Gothic introspective drama, to a big piece of maximalist spectacle, to a more grounded character drama. Compare that to Davies' openers, which I'll admit are a lot more consistent quality-wise, but tend to feel more samey (goofy comedic romps driven by campiness and relatively childish humour). And then there's Chibnall's openers, which fall into the same trend as Moffat of doing different things each time (grounded urban thriller to James Bond spoof to expansive sprawling epic), but are just generally...not very good.
In terms of my ranking:
14. The Halloween Apocalypse: You honestly nailed it, it dumps loads of character and plot setup on the audience without taking the time to actually tell a compelling story.
13. Space Babies: Does a good job at setting up the Doctor and Ruby's dynamic, but aside from that this one didn't appeal to me at all.
12. New Earth: Similar feelings to Space Babies to be honest, I only really rank this higher because of nostalgia.
11. The Magician's Apprentice: I enjoy this one but it does largely feel rather superfluous, loads of wheel spinning as we get the characters in place for the more interesting meaty stuff in part 2; that said, I love the cold open, and the final 10 minutes or so are superb.
10. Spyfall Part One: A fun Bond spoof, it sets up an interesting story that part 2 completely fails to deliver on, with some cool setpieces and a fairly enjoyable turn from Sacha Dhawan.
9. Asylum of the Daleks: I enjoy the creepy haunted house shenanigans with the Dalek asylum, Oswin is fun as a character, and the twist of her final fate is horrific and tragic; I just feel like the Amy and Rory divorce storyline really drags this one down unfortunately.
8. The Woman Who Fell to Earth: A functional setup, the characters are established well, the story is well-paced, it's exactly the workmanlike opener that you would expect from Chibnall.
7. Partners in Crime: A fun bit of fluff overall, but fairly insubstantial, the Adipose are cute, and the Doctor/Donna stuff is immediately entertaining.
6. Rose: As an introduction to the main characters and the world as a whole, it's absolutely phenomenal, and does a great job at covering for how underwhelming and bland the story is.
5. The Pilot: Similar to Rose really, works as an introduction to Bill, a setup for the Doctor's role in this season, and while its story isn't particularly strong, it's a very dynamic, fast paced and engaging episode nonetheless.
4. Deep Breath: It takes a while to get going - the first third of the episode is honestly pretty rough - but once it finds its groove during the alley scene, the episode really takes off; a fantastic introduction for Capaldi's Doctor and his dynamic with Clara is immediately captivating.
3. Smith and Jones: A really fun romp all around, with a great introduction to Martha, some fun bad guys, a cool concept and a really entertaining story.
2. The Impossible Astronaut: I love this one, a gorgeous visually striking episode thanks to the American location shooting, a great core dynamic, a fantastic introduction to the Silence, a cool conspiracy thriller setup, it's Moffat's bold ambitious storytelling at its finest.
1. The Eleventh Hour: Honestly, it couldn't be anything else, this is just the platonic ideal for what a season opener should be; sets the tone, introduces the characters, establishes the overarching story arc, and does so while telling its own fun compelling story.
14th. Halloween Apocalypse
13th. The Woman Who fell to Earth
12th. Spyfall
11. Space Babies
10. New Earth
9th. Asylum of the Daleks
8th. The Pilot
7th. Rose
6th. Smith and Jones
5th. Magician's Apprentice
4th. Deep Breath
3rd. Partners in Crime
2nd. The Impossible Astronaut
1st. The Eleventh Hour.
Tennant and Capaldi are my favourite Doctors but Smith definitely had the most exciting series openers
I loved Jodie Whittacker's doctor; I just didn't like the writing of the show in general.
I'm surprised that Deep Breath is so low, but thank you for showing appreciation to Asylum of the Daleks, I never understood the criticism it gets.
You have done the Finales, but if you meant Mutli Part same Episode, yeah...
Oh you’re right I did. But that was 6 years ago so… I’ve changed a bit.
@@CouncilofGeeks yeah it's been too long since that list.
I recently re-watched Rose, after many, many years, and the thing that really struck me was how slow it was. Particularly the climax of the episode, where they establish a sense of urgency, and then hold on shots for way too long. That might be why it took me until the second episode to really get hooked.
My ranking:
14. Asylum of the Daleks (This is the epitome of everything wrong with Moffat Dalek stories and that divorce nonsense... no.)
13. New Earth (Not bad but not very good either, the ending is nice)
12. The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar (This one hasn't aged particularly well, I loved it when it aired but now? It's very meh, Part Two is better than Part One though)
11. Space Babies (Fun, nothing special though however Ncuti and Millie own their roles and I love their dynamic)
10. Deep Breath (Good but too long for it's own good)
9. The Halloween Apocalypse (It's overstuffed yes, but it is so much fun and sets up Flux and Dan is a great new companion!)
8. Rose (A very good start to the revival, Christopher Eccleston immediately owns the role from the word: run! Admittedly some parts haven't aged the best)
7. Smith and Jones (A Solid start for Series 3, Freema Agyeman is very likable as Martha and the Judoon are great!)
6. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (A great introduction for the 13th Doctor and a great first episode for Series 11, cast are all very likable!)
5. Spyfall (Epic spy thriller, amazing reveal for Sacha Dhawan as the Master, Jodie feels completely established as the Doctor!)
4. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon (Epic, large scale, the silence are very creepy and effective as villains and the mystery of the Doctor's death is set up really well)
3. The Pilot (Pure fun from start to finish, Pearl Mackie as Bill immediately establishes herself as a Top 5 companion and her dynamic with Peter Capaldi's Doctor is fantastic)
2. Partners in Crime (Best TARDIS team, a great reunion for the Doctor and Donna and so much fun!)
1. The Eleventh Hour (This is not just the perfect opener for a series BUT the perfect introduction for a Doctor AND companion: Smith immediately proves the doubters wrong 10/10)
My own ranking:
14. Space Babies
13. New Earth
12. The Halloween Apocalypse
11. Spyfall, Part 1
10. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
9. Partners in Crime
8. Rose
7. Smith and Jones
6. Asylum of the Daleks
5. The Pilot
4. The Magician's Apprentice
3. Deep Breath
2. The Impossible Astronaut
1. The Eleventh Hour
It has been a very long time since I last saw New Earth, Partners in Crime, or Asylum of the Daleks, so my opinions may be different if I watched them again today, but I don't expect them to change THAT much.
My ranking would be
1. The Impossible Astronaut
2. The Magician's Apprentice
3. The Eleventh Hour
4. The Woman Who Fell To Earth
5. Spyfall
6. The Halloween Apocalypse
7. Asylum of the Daleks
8. Smith and Jones
9. The Pilot
10. Partners in Crime
11. Deep Breath
12. Rose
13. Space Babies
14. New Earth
For me:
14. Asylum: questionable ideas poorly executed, makes Amy and Rory's relationship unintentionally toxic.
13. Magician's Apprentice/ Witch's Familiar: Part 1 is complete filler, part 2 has great character work until the ending let's it down.
12. New Earth: Cool concept trapped in a weak body swap comedy.
11. Halloween Apocalypse: A confused mess, but is amusing.
10. The Woman who Fell to Earth: Perfectly Fine but nothing special.
9. Smith and Jones: Solid intro to Martha but never got the hype for it overall.
8. Deep Breath: a great introduction to 12 and S8 Clara, buried in a terrible paternoster spin off pilot.
7. Spyfall: Part 1 is a fun spy adventure, part 2 is a mess of great and terrible ideas.
6. Partner's in Crime: Just cheesy fun.
4/5. Space Babies and Rose: Cheesy fun and endearing character moments from the two leads to elevate the material.
3. Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon: Great shake up to the formula.
2. The Pilot: Almost perfect.
1. The Eleventh Hour
Dang I disagree with a lot of this lol
@@WiloPolis03 Fair enough
I also disagree with quite a bit of this but I do see where you're coming from and what you look for in a docter who episode is very different to me, and I very much appreciate that.
@@mrdoctorgilmore That's not a bad thing for the record, it's subjective
@@WiloPolis03 All good
I cannot overstate how seen I feel that my apathy for New Earth has been validated. 🤣
14: Space Babies - Utterly abysmal with almost no redeeming qualities. First few minutes are okay then it's almost all really bad.
13: New Earth - Far too camp and silly, terrible cgi even for the time, brought up slightly by a pretty good ending
12: Magician's Apprentice - Another serving of extremely tired and worn out Moffat tropes
11: Asylum of the Daleks - The Oswin stuff is good, nothing else is
10: Deep Breath - Decent intro for Capaldi with some good moments, but nothing special
9: Partners in Crime - The campiness works this time, and it's a lot of fun, albeit ultimately forgettable
8: Pilot - I have a very weak memory of this one; I think it was good but could easily go up or down on a rewatch
7: The Haloween Apocalypse - I will defend Flux to the death and this was a good opener for it. Lots of mystery and intrigue, good introduction to Dan and Karnavista, great cliffhanger, some good Doctor character moments
6: The Woman who Fell To Earth - Great start to the Chibnall era and a huge breath of fresh air after so many years of Moffat
5: Smith and Jones - Just a very solid episode. Great introduction to Martha.
4: Spyfall. Huge amount of fun, with strong setup, good pacing, and an absolutely excellent Master reveal at the end
3: Impossible Astronaut. The series miserably fails to make the landing, but it's a great opener. The Moffat tropes don't feel old yet, the central mystery is brilliant, the Silence are a great new villain, lots of fun.
2: Rose. It had a few missteps, with the burping bins and plastic Mickey, but it got far more right than wrong and did an excellent job at setting up the show. Maybe this should be lower objectively, but it gets extra points for beginning something still going (relatively) strong 20 years later. Three scenes make the episode: the "walk and talk" with The Doctor and Rose, their argument, and The Doctor asking Rose to join him
1: The Eleventh Hour. An absolutely perfect opener and one of the best episodes of the entire show.
I’d put Halloween Apocalypse above New Earth. I didn’t and still don’t gel with Tennant as the Doctor till Series 4, even then the S4 finale and specials make me dislike him again (minus The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead)
I find it hard to watch Tennant in DW outside of a few stories until Series 4.
I guess I don’t watch Doctor Who season premieres a lot because I forgot that some of them were premiere episodes and I was like „two-parters??? 🤔“ until you mentioned the respective episodes and I was like: „Right!“
I'm going to get hate for this...but Sascha's master is the worst version of the Master we've had throughout NuWho
He only worked for me in 'The Power of the Doctor'.
To be frank he didn't really work for me in the same way that John Simm's version didn't work for me (with the exception of his appearance in series 10) - I just don't really like the Master being portrayed as this over-the-top hyperactive crazy cartoon character, I tend to find it rather grating and obnoxious, and it doesn't help that neither actor ever really feels all that comfortable playing the character in this fashion.
@@christianwise637 Missy is the best master
@christianwise637 One thing I will argue that Simm's Master at least has over Dhawan's Master is strong chemistry with Tennant's Doctor and Michelle Gomez's Missy.
I never bought Dhawan's Master as a former friend of the Doctor.
"The Pilot" above "The Impossible Astronaut??!!" Blasphemy!!
Yes. Just yes.
Partners is crime is placed fairly. It's Donna at her most Cathrine Tate. Was never a fan of her, as i just never liked her style of humour, which is why i was hesitant about her casting for a companion.
Thankfully, this episode was an outlier, and i did grow to like Donna as a character, as Cathrine distanced her perfomance from her comedy persona over those first few episodes of her as a season companion, rather than a special guest.
Honestly I just skip Partners in Crime to Get to The Fires Of Pompei to both skip The Adipose (Hate those things) and also to get to some great dramatic Donna stuff.