@@DittoGTI it really isn’t. I’m not going to reiterate my feelings here, so go ahead and watch this: Village of the Angels - Take Two Doctor Who Review ruclips.net/video/ecsijcvMeUg/видео.html
The big thing that bugged me about Cyberwoman is that Ianto NEVER ONCE acknowledges how badly he fucked up. As far as we can tell, by the episode's end he still thinks he was perfectly justified and Jack was out of line.
On a different note... I would absolutely recommend watching Series 2 and 3 of Broadchurch. They are also legitimately good, and they offer some unexpected continuations of the stories of the characters from Series 1, as well as more solid acting from David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker, and especially Olivia Colman (plus the introduction of some new characters). By the end of the series, I was flabbergasted that the man who created that show and helmed it so competently was the same one who bungled the Thirteenth Doctor's era so badly.
What I find interesting about the S1 and S2 finales of Torchwood (which I think you were VERY harsh on as I think they're good ones (more so "Exit Wounds" than "End of Days")) is that even though they were written by Chibnall, they very much follow the blueprint of RTD finales where the logistics aren't the point but the emotional aspects are
My main memory of The Halloween Apocalypse was getting back from a Halloween party drunk and deciding to watch then and there and just laughing my ass off at how many bizarre things happened within 50 minutes. I rewatched it the next morning just to check that it wasn't a drunken fever dream.
don't worry, he didn't do anything for the sarah-jane adventures. it's a shame you couldn't get into it, though, I really do love that show and I only watched it for the first time this year.
Torchwood series 2 is an interesting one for me, because honestly? I enjoy it more than Children of Earth. Enjoy is the key word there, I don't think that overall series 2 is better than CoE, but it's definitely one that I'll rewatch more and I just prefer the monster-of-the-week format to be honest. I think Torchwood S2 is the best example of Chibnall showrunning, because he saw what didn't work in series 1, and in my opinion, series 2 was a drastic change while still keeping a similar sort of energy to series 1. There are very few episodes of series 2 that I would consider bad - in fact it might only be Out of the Rain, and maybe Something Borrowed and Exit Wounds at a push. The rest is really good / a lot of fun - Meat, Adam, Adrift, and Fragments being my favourites (although the Owen trilogy in the middle is also amazing).
@@BulbasaurRepresent I wish we lived in the universe where Owen and Tosh didn't die at the end of series 2 and we got a third series in the same vein as the first two, and then Children of Earth instead of Miracle Day.
Just want to thank you for your videos! I love having you on in the background, it’s especially motivating when I’m doing things I don’t want to do. I haven’t watched half of these episodes but still love hearing your takes and also, your outro always means a lot to me, today in particular had me tearing up! :,) 🫶 happy to be part of the council and you rock!!!
I probably will do them eventually but since they’re writing for the show again I need to wait until it looks like they’re done for at least the time being.
A full list for Moffat would be hilarious because most of the stuff he wrote under RTD would be a lot higher than most of his writing for his own seasons.
I always forget about Adrift, but you're right, it's a fantastic episode that hits very hard. It's the most Broadchurch Chibnall has ever been in the DW universe and it's a shame he didn't write anything like this for the Thirteenth Doctor.
The exact moment I realised that there were problems with this series. For real, the realisation that Chibnall wrote it is baffling. Because there are moments that feel like they’re written by someone who knows a few facts about the character but don’t truly understand why. The gun thing, it’s like it’s included for the sake of including it, without actually acknowledging why it’s a thing. It’s a dislike of killing, not the guns. It’s a mistake I could believe a new writer would make, but Chibnall?!
Adrift is genuinely amazing. Entertainment that makes you feel is always beautiful. I would recommend season 2 of Broadchurch, as it builds on the first. The third season, less so.
Yeah, I just recently rewatched these, and a reactor I follow is up to that episode. People in the comments were mentioning that Chibnell wrote that one and I had to look it up to check - I'm genuinely impressed.
Man, I wish I could like this more than once. Thanks for taking the time to do this one; it was a fun watch and I share most of your opinions! I do have a soft spot for Day One, but only because it was so ridiculous I laughed my way through the first watch and decided maybe I'd give Torchwood a shot after all (I am an enormous wimp when it comes to screen gore so I'd been planning to give it a pass before it even premiered). And I STILL laugh my way through rewatches, cause it's just SO beyond ludicrous, I genuinely don't understand how someone didn't say "wait... hang on, back up, inside the space rock is a what that does WHAT? Are we actually shooting this?!" Deserves its ranking, definitely not a great ep, just the one guaranteed to tickle my funnybone in all the wrong "but WHY tho?" ways.
Chibnall's best work is generally when he's working under someone else's direction. Having said that, "Once Upon Time" and "The Power of the Doctor" are also among my favourites of his work.
I thought the same about Broadchurch's second season, but honestly, it's pretty good! they find what to expand upon. it's season three that shouldn't have existed.
This is my list, although admittedly I'm not the biggest Chibnall fan so the top 5 are the only ones I think back on fondly. 29. Ascention of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children 28. The Vanquishers 27. Arachnids in the UK 26. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship 25. The Legend of the Sea Devils 24. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos 23. Survivors of the Flux 22. The Power of the Doctor 21. Day One 20. The Halloween Apocalypse 19. Cyberwoman 18. Revolution of the Daleks 17. War of the Sontarans 16. The Ghost Monument 15. Fragments 14. Once Upon Time 13. 42 12. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 11. The Tsuranga Conundrum 10. Exit Wounds 9. The Power of Three 8. Resolution 7. End of Days 6. Adrift 5. Eve of the Daleks 4. The Hungry Earth/The Cold Blood 3. The Woman Who Fell to Earth 2. Countrycide 1. Spyfall
The only thing I respectfully disagree with (although I haven't seen it since I was like 13) is the Torchwood season 2 finale deaths. I remember finding Tosh's interactions with Owen so incredibly tragic as she chooses to not let him know that she is also dying. I remember it really affecting me at the time. That being said... I'm twice as old now, and maybe I won't revisit it in case the melodrama and whatever else tarnishes how I've chosen to remember it haha.
I will grant that part of why that doesn't work for me is that all the tension deflated out the scene instantly for me when the reason Tosh gives for Owen to stop screaming is "because you're breaking my heart." I get what the scene is trying to do, but that line just gave me flashbacks of Padme in Revenge of the Sith and drained the scene of all tension immediately because I was too busy rolling my eyes.
If you want an excuse to check out some episodes of Sarah Jane Adventures, I'd recommend checking out Phil Ford's work. He wrote two of the best episodes of Doctor Who ("The Waters of Mars" and "Into the Dalek"), "Something Borrowed" from Torchwood, and 11 more episodes from SJA.
9:05 Definitely the TARDIS underwater scene! Ever since Listen did I want another scene of that! I was hoping that it would've been during a trip to the Cambrian period though with trilobites and the first fish and other creatures that seem downright alien to today's fauna! Honestly, why hasn't Doctor Who visited the Cambrian or the Carboniferous period yet?
I actually rather like seeing your old vids, or stills of your old vids. I can totally see Vera in some of those shots. I only came to your channel after Vera was pretty much the main name/identifier you used. And I love seeing you under the cis mask. "Is James Marsters just channeling Spike from Buffy? Yes! I don't care, I love Spike so much!" OMG, almost exactly the same thoughts were going through my head when I watched it. He showed up and I got excited. And he bloody well delivered, IMO! Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is arguably my favorite Torchwood episode. I am so glad you ranked this one so high! Now I kinda want to watch Torchwood again.
3:59 “#29: ‘Ascension of the Cybermen’ and ‘The Timeless Child‘ [sic]!” The latter episode was actually titled “The Timeless Children”. I can easily understand the mistake, given that THERE WAS ONLY ONE TIMELESSS CHILD IN THE PLOT. It took actual effort for Chibnall to screw up the title that way.
the way I see the title "Children" not because of the Doctor, but more so of what Tecteun did, which is spreading it to other Gallifreyans/Time Lords, thus, making all of the Time Lords, The Timeless Children
I think the title is more of a nod to the multiple incarnations of the doc. Just like Husbands of River Song can refer to Ramon and others it can also refer to multiple incarnations ofthedoctor.
I think your opinion on Galifrey being destroyed in Timeless Children is entirely based on how you felt about it being brought back in the 50th anniversary. I hated the decision to bring it back because it was just undoing a previous decision rather than moving forwards. I get Moffat didn't like Davies blowing up Galifrey but as the star wars series has shown, one of the worst things you can do is try and undo your predecessor's work rather than either making it work better or ignoring it entirely
Couple of things about this: I don't think what Moffat did actually undoes what Davies was working with. I mean, it does logistically, but not spiritually. Because what mattered about Gallifrey being gone was the impact more than the event. And the impact was two main things: 1) the Doctor's grief and guilt and 2) the Time Lords aren't popping up willy nilly. Let's deal with number 2 first. At the time of Day of the Doctor that didn't change. They went from dead to "unknown pocket dimension," which meant they were still out of the story and not being crowbarred in where they didn't belong. Yeah, there's Hell Bent, and I don't like it. But it's also effectively a one-off and didn't signal a steady return. And more to the point even that didn't make the Doctor any less alone because of how separate from his society he's shown to be. As for number 1, to be blunt about it at a certain point sustained grief and guilt starts to suffocate and stifle the writing. In 2005 having the Doctor be guilt-ridden was a new take on things. But after three incarnations of that the show benefitted from him being able to move on from it. And since Doctors 9-11 still believed they had destroyed Gallifrey that grief is no less real.
Thank you for the spider warning. I wish more people gave a heads up about it because there have been way too many times they pop a picture on screen and I nearly throw my laptop... I think I did once.
I look forward to this, but let me just say up front before watching, I'll be amazed if the best isn't a Torchwood ep, as I don't think he does Doctor WHO all that well.
I'm 58, as of writing, and recently watched all the Sarah Jane Adventure episodes for the first time and found that I was definitely not too old for the show. Yes, there are puerile elements and some infantile colouring to the series, but most of the stories are a blast and Sladen effortlessly wafts me through my doubts about it. Persevere with it! It's not like I'm asking you to like K9 and Co! :)
Wait was Fugitive of the Judoon a Chibnall co-write? Edit - Oh shoot it was. That's a shame, it being so central to Chibs's story arc and all, plus it's just a really fun and exciting episode
Realising that Chibnall wrote Cyberwoman for Torchwood makes so much sense. I had no idea he was involved in that show, but it feels SO Chibnall. I loved Broadchurch, but it feels like that was almost a fluke as opposed to the standard of his writing.
Tbf, the main plot for Cyberwoman was RTD's idea. RTD thought of the idea of a sexy cyberwoman infiltrating the hub was his idea and he got Chibnall to write the actual script
Exit Wounds is such an eye opener as someone who watches Stolen Earth/Journeys End way more and believed the absent were out of base handling the crisis "on the ground"
Good video and ranking. I think I still do enjoy Dinosaurs on a spaceship, The power of three and 42. He was an interesting writer. Definitely do a list on Moffat!
Thank you for the video, Vera! I think that is quite telling when it is hard to decide which episode is the worst, especially if you are considering bad ideas or just bad execution. However, despite having a general negative opinion about the Chris Chibnall's era of Doctor Who, I definitely believe that he is good writer. Chibnall is very good in creating interesting concepts, and I also appreciate how his era has many historical episodes, and it tries (not necessarily being successful on that) to honor the classic series. My overall impression is: Chris Chibnall needs someone else to tell him "no" sometimes, ask him to "trim the excesses", instead of juggling multiple plot points, and also advise him when handling social, ethical and political commentary in the stories.
The thing that really bugged me in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship really isn't the episode's own fault at all: Why would you introduce Rory's dad so soon before you were going to strand them hopelessly in the past, ensuring everyone would be wondering about him, and then never address that?
Yes I mostly agree with this list. I'm more positive on his Dalek stories, and Flux, but these are small differences. 100% agree with Adrit being no.1.
Personally, I cant disagree with you more on Exit Wounds, easily my favourite thing chibnall wrote and the perfect finale to a very solid season of torchwood.
I had completely forgotten Adrift, and it was so good! Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was amazing, too. Countrycide still gives me chills. It's interesting to see just how varied the scripts are. Thank you for sharing, Vera!
Ok now the After having watched comment: I really despise Power of the Doctor and I feel so all alone in that sentiment. Maybe I should do a vid somewhere on why I think it's mostly awful. The only thing I like about it is the Companion Support Group Ending. Spyfall IMO should be lower too. I really hate almost everything about it. It wasn't even fun for me. It's the same problem as Flux on a slightly smaller scale. So much is just lets throw everything at the wall, see what sticks, and all that doesn't, yeah, we'll still film that, even if it should be cut. Ghost Monument should also be closer to the bottom for sheer lack of explanation of how the TARDIS ended up there. Hell, we don't even know why the TARDIS chucked her out in the Woman who fell to Earth! Never explained. Chibs is real big on not making things make sense or not seeing the obvious flaws in his work. Finally, I'm super glad you put Cybermen/Timeless Children last. I am a lore nerd, but I also hate it for all the reasons you do too. So imagine all you hate about it, then with another layer of hate on top. Epi-hate, if you will. I also need to rewatch Adrift, because I legit do not remember it at all, but that speaks to me only having binged Torchwood once after initial broadcast and that was years ago.
Mostly I agree with your list. But I really like Exit Wounds and 42. I'd also place Spyfall a lot higher because to me part 1 is so good that it totally eclipses the failures of part 2. Also love Adrift being number 1. It's pretty much a masterpiece.
omg i watched when those old doctor who videos released....i also presented uh different back then. delighted to rediscover to your channel now 💚 keep up the wonderful work.
I can only speak for my feelings on Chibs' writing for Doctor Who, as the only Torchwood I watched was Children of Men. I've found that I've liked The Flux storyline more than most, though it was frustrating that Chibnall left it to be addressed or ignored later, not doing anything with it. But I sincerely loved the Flux series and felt it was the strongest of 13's three series. "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" is one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who ever, as it took a ridiculous concept and had a rip-roaring time with it. It's also a pretty sick Magic card. :P But I do have to agree with Vera that "The Power of The Doctor" is Chibs' best written Doctor Who story. Even if it was just the scene with the 7th Doctor and Ace, that would be enough to take the top spot. As for the lower tier, unfortunately, there's a lot of contenders, but "The Timeless Children" is the single most egregious thing Chibnall did to The Doctor. Simply put, it made The Doctor too important. I will say that I like how RTD followed up on it, with the Doctor as an orphan angle, but again, it goes back to the issue with Flux that Chibnall made a lot of problems to leave for the next creative team to clean up. All that said, Vera, you are one of my favorites on RUclips. I don't always agree with your takes, but I value them, and my Doctor Who experience would be a lot different without you. Thank you for taking the time to make videos and for being kind.
My fave part of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the car chase at the beginning. Just the utter chaos of it is PERFECTION. If you are instantly coming in with that kind of energy I am on board. It's just 4 idiots in a car with guns chasing an alien blow fish that's high on drugs driving a stolen sports car. Yes. Just yes to that. Feed that to me, inject it into my veins.
I think they should bring The Edge back in a future regeneration. not necessarily to bring back any previous Doctors, but maybe a conversation between the incumbent Doctor and the upcoming Doctor before/as they’re regenerating - a sort of passing of the torch scene.
more vids like this pls! i love how whenever you rank you have some opinions i VEHEMENTLY disagree with (i.e: Dinosaurs) but you always have so much fun and self awarity explaining yourself that i stop being furious with you lol seriously though, great vid, do the moffat one !!!
There's a couple of recurring writers that weren't showrunners that might make for some good rankings, with Mark Gatiss and Toby Whithouse immediately springing to mind. Or perhaps a classic Who writer like Terry Nation, David Whitaker, or Robert Holmes?
I do quite like Exit Wounds, and probably would've put it higher, while also probably putting The Ghost Monument much lower (I don't know if it's an unpopular opinion, but it's one of my least favourite Chibnall era episodes, and one of my least favourites in general). Other than that though, I agree with most of the list and your comments on each entry.
I think the Power of Three (and Angels Take Manhattan, for that matter) would have been improved significantly had it been a 2-parter. We didn’t really need A Town Called Mercy, or Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, and they kind of sucked anyway. These are the last 2 Amy and Rory stories, exploring their relationship and their relationship with the Doctor. They needed room to breathe and feel more important. Angels was also the first (and I think only) final companion episode that wasn’t a 2- or 3-parter
There was ONE moment I liked with 'Legend of the Sea Devils' and that's the point where they acknowledge that 'Sea Devils' was a name given to them in their first appearance and isn't their name. Doctor - "Sea Devil!" Marsissus - "Land Parasite!"
If you're an aspiring writer, many of Chibnall's stories are excellent courses of how not to write a story. So in that regard, they were at least educaltional... 😉
The Gallifrey thing always felt odd to me. I skipped most of Capaldi's era (it started during my first semester of college and I was generally very exhausted at the time), so the 50th anniversary special and the revival Gallifrey still felt quite recent in my mind when The Master casually revealed the place had been destroyed again. It sort of felt like driving through a huge mud puddle an hour after pulling out of the car wash.
I was just thinking about dinosaurs on a spaceship and it has a bit of a similar theme with legend of the sea devils. They both have real historical figure and a fake historical figure who has been put into the story. I know that the adventurer man doesn’t over shadow queen Nefertiti but it gives me a similar vibe. (I enjoy dinosaurs on a spaceship btw it’s just a thought I had)
25:19 THIS. You basically summerised my entire issue with the episode for me. It's too much like that Simpsons episode when all of Lisa's cats die; just cruel and upsetting for no good reason.
I have yet to watch Torchwood, so I'm only ranking Doctor Who from worst to best, I counted two parters separately unless I thought they were about the same quality: Flux Chapter 6 The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos Arachnids in the UK The Tsuranga Conundrum The Timeless Children Flux Chapter 5 The Ghost Monument Revolution of the Daleks Flux Chapter 3 42 Flux Chapter 1 The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood The Power of Three Eve of the Daleks Resolution Ascension of the Cybermen Spyfall Part 2 The Woman Who Fell to Earth The Power of the Doctor Spyfall Part 1 Flux Chapter 2
The scene in Rosa where Yaz brushes off Ryan's comments about being harassed by the cops was the exact moment the Chibnall era lost me. You get to tout how progressive and brave you are, or you can chicken out of addressing her culpability in a racist system, but you shouldn't be allowed to do both.
@@chrisclark7285 "Yaz brushes off Ryan's comments about being harassed by the cops" this is such a misinterpretation of what actually happens. She never brushes it off, at all.
@@friendlyotaku9525 I'm not sure what else you'd call it. Ryan makes a point about systematic racism, specifically citing police harassment. I'm going to assume that he didn't bring this up to his cop friend because he couldn't think of any other examples of racism. Yaz then objects, saying that she's not one of the racist ones. Ryan, probably noticing his friend got defensive the moment he brought it up, subtly changes the subject. He says, "tell me you don't get hassle," in an effort to reinforce their shared experiences. Yaz had an opportunity to engage with criticism of the police, express an opinion about her level of complicity with their policy and culture, and say something conciliatory, along the lines of "I know my profession gives racists massive power over you, and they've historically used it to attack people who look like us, but I'm hoping to push it in a positive direction." She decides to object to him even bringing it up, and Ryan is a nice enough guy that he just lets it go. It also doesn't help that the first time we see Yaz, she's accusing Ryan of committing a crime, and then calling the police on himself.
@@chrisclark7285 you definitely misinterpreted the point of the scene. She certainly didn't object to what he said, she just pointed out that she would never do that and that she understands what it's like because she's gone through similar treatment and that while things aren't perfect still, things have gotten a lot better than they used to be and that hopefully things will continue to get better. It's a lovely scene.
@@friendlyotaku9525 No, she doesn't. The flow of the conversation goes like this: 1. Ryan directly compares the racist police they're currently hiding from to modern cops. 2. Yaz gives an offended "Oi!" Signaling to him that she doesn't approve of what he just said. 3. Yaz states, unprompted, that she isn't a racist. 4. Ryan stops talking about the police, and says something to the effect of "You can't tell me you haven't dealt with racism." 5. Yaz, now that the subject is no longer the systematic problems with her chosen profession, takes the opportunity to point out that she is often harassed, "especially on the job". If you told me that one of my coworkers threw a plate of pasta at you, and I responded with "Hey! I would never do something like that! And besides, I get dishes thrown at me all the time at work!" I don't think it's "definitely a misinterpretation" to say that I brushed off your concerns.
Hellofrom Ireland 😊. I think Chibnalls best work was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a great episode of Torchwood. For Doctor who, i think quite simply Power of the Doctor is his best, a fitting celebration of his era and the show as a whole
I’ve rewatched Timeless Child a few times. It’s not peak Who, but it is some devastating drama. I only watched Sea Devils once. That was more than enough.
minor anecdote, i used to be friends with one of Mark Addys [the guy who plays the main guy in the battle of ranskoor av kolos] kids and I've not talked to said friend in ages, so everytime I see mark addy in doctor who videos, I smile , thinking about my friend. I also smile cause I think it's funny how shit of an episode ranskoor av kolos is and the cruel comedy that THATS the thing that keeps my old friend in my mind
I agree that keeping the Flux episodes separate but the two part episodes together, was the way to go. Two parters have a single story connecting them together. Flux is six separate stories with a connecting arc.
Had an idea. If you don't want to cover all the other writers, how about limiting to a Top 10 from all the other writers that aren't RTD, Moffat or Chibnall? That would cut out a lot of the episodes many rank highly, so it could be interesting.
I was wondering if 'P.S.' (the storyboarded coda to Amy and Rory's exit) was gonna be on here. But as effective as it was, it felt like a better rehash of Cathy Nightingale's letter to Sally Sparrow.
Chibnall Ranking, Worst to Best 29. Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children (DW 12x09/12x10) 28. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (DW 11x10) 27. Arachnids in the UK (DW 11x04) 26. Legend of the Sea Devils (DW 2022 Easter Special) 25. Cyberwoman (Torchwood 01x04) 24. The Halloween Apocalypse (DW 13x01) 23. The Tsuranga Conundrum (DW 11x05) 22. The Vanquishers (DW 13x06) 21. Exit Wounds (Torchwood 02x13) 20. Survivors of the Flux (DW 13x05) 19. Day One (Torchwood 01x02) 18. 42 (DW 03x07) 17. End of Days (Torchwood 01x13) 16. The Power of Three (DW 07x04) 15. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (DW 11x01) 14. Spyfall Part One/Spyfall Part Two (DW 12x01/12x02) 13. The Ghost Monument (DW 11x02) 12. Countrycide (Torchwood 01x06) 11. Revolution of the Daleks (DW 2021 New Year's Special) 10. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (DW 07x02) 09. War of the Sontarans (DW 13x02) 08. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood (DW 05x08/05x09) 07. Resolution (DW 2019 New Year's Special) 06. Once, Upon Time (DW 13x03) 05. Fragments (Torchwood 02x12) 04. Eve of the Daleks (DW 2022 New Year's Special) 03. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Torchwood 02x01) 02. Power of the Doctor (DW BBC Centenary Special) 01. Adrift (Torchwood 02x11)
I think 15:07 was originally intended to be a different ending, but Toxic Twitter came after Chibnall and the BBC and they felt that it was better to just abandon the story because they were tired of the negativity.
@@CouncilofGeeks That's true, it is mainly a theory that I have (and maybe others, I don't know who else might have thought it), but it seems like a logical explanation to me.
Power of the Doctor is just pure nostalgia, very enjoyable. But like many of his episodes, it could easily be tighter - is there really any need for the daleks?
I’m allowed. I just choose to censor it 90% of the time (if I don’t, there’s a reason). I can say it all I like. I just don’t find it interesting to do so. “Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck.” - Eric Cartman.
Adrift is such a well written episode and probably is Chibnalls magnum opus but I wish Dinosaurs on a spaceship placed a little higher and I personally would have dropped Once upon time by about 20 places but I like this list overall
I did not need season 2 of Broadchurch, but I liked how it dealt woth the Fallout of season one. Especially for Olivia Coleman's family and Jodie's as well. Never watched Law & Order, but if I understand the premise season one is the investigation half and two is the trial. Season 3 is an interesting and important topic, but also feels like it was added on to cash in on the success of the first two seasons.
Tbf, Chibnall didn't actually want to do a series 1 or 2. ITV basically begged him to due to the popularity of series 1. So the plot for series 2 was really just extended just to fill it up.
I still stand by that the Timeless Child is a great idea, as long as the Master is the Child. Making him the birth of Time Lord society only to be used and outcast by them is a great concept. Also, Arachnids in the UK made me agree with the Trump analogue, and I can never forgive them for that.
15:34 I might be misremembering but I’m sure that the following Dalek special (Eve of the Daleks?) opened with her pressing buttons in the TARDIS and commenting about how this would reset the universe.
You are misremembering. The Doctor does a reset of the TARDIS. Not the universe. It's why they can't just hop in the TARDIS to get out of the situation. Exact words are "When I set this going, the TARDIS will go into self reset. Which should, if I've got this right, which I'm sure I have, clear out the Flux debris, minimize the number of doors, and be back to fully functioning. But it'll be out of service for a little bit."
cyberwoman is really frustrating to me, just because the potential for a cyberman story way gorier than doctor who could get into was wasted on cybertits and barbecue sauce pterodactyl. the partially-converted cyberman on a rampage was a great idea and I'm glad he recycled it later, but oof, I'd have liked it so much better if they got it right the first time
I don't remember anything about Adrift and I might go watch it now without looking up the plot first! I personally think you're too kind to Dinosaurs on a Spaceship; the plotline with Nefertiti falling for the game hunter REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. I actually blamed it on Moffat at the time (not realizing who wrote that particular ep) because the whole "'strong female character' gets won over by a man who constantly condescends to her" theme felt, well, VERY Moffat.
Arachnids in the UK was what distanced me from Jodie's Doctor. There had been some weird inconsistencies in what the Doctor said and did in the couple episodes before that...stuff I was sure the Doctor would NEVER do or say, no matter the incarnation. But Arachnids in the UK hammered that in, and there was no going back. The Doctor never really worked for me during the rest of Chibnall's tenure.
@@nekusakura6748 I haven't done Big Finish at all. If I'm going to only do audio, I'd rather listen to music. I have done the occasional podcast, so never say never though! But I feel like there's Big Finish stuff I'm a lot more interested in than the 13th Doctor if I ever wanted to try.
"I'm going to be ranking everything Chibnall has written." "Well Timeless Children has gotta at the bottom, that's obvious." "Including what he wrote for Torchwood." "OH GOD NEVERMIND ALL BETS ARE OFF."
for me the spiders were a waste of an opportunity they could have brought bak the Intelligent spiders from classic Who, and made an interesting episode
ok i rewatched some of these after watching this for the first time, to see if my opinions had changed from when i first saw them. i personally agree with the bottom 5. the battle of rancor whatever its called, is a mess which i straight up dislike, it is a first draft that i just dislike with every fibre of my being. cyberwoman is just weird to me, like straight up weird, and i feel sorry for the actress who had to wear that, because that looks uncomfortable, seriously though, if i remember right she was half converted or something, similar like the lone cyberman, could have done something like that, but no.
I understand your point about Broadchurch and why would they do a second season after a great first, but it does seem a bit dismissive on your part to not bother with S2. Each to their own though I guess.
21:38 common misconception, but Billis isn't actually human, nor even mortal. He's actually an entity who was prominent during the Dark Times and the Ghost wars, and was even summoned by Sutekh to asist during the destruction of the Osiran homeworld & Temple of Horus.
@@CouncilofGeeks Ye, it's not in the show. However if you hear anything about "The inquisitor", it's him. The Sutekh stuff in particular is a revelation within the war master "Rogue Encounters", and his power is explored a lot in the Torchwood audios
@@CouncilofGeeks well to be honest be with you....where does it say he is human? He can somehow travel through time mysteriously and we never see how and he is working with a extradimensional alien being. He doesn't act human at all..
I'm so grateful: Love your ranking of Day One - I get it's bad, but I was never convinced of its really bad rep... also grateful for the Power of Three analysis - I think it should have been a great episode, with a great idea... and a wtf meh ending. Not sure how he did that.... Nice list! Thank you
The Power of Three's ending is all down to Steven Berkoff being a complete asshole who absolutely refused to do the role as written, so they were forced to contrive a new ending around basically every last second of vaguely useable footage he gave them. Apparently he couldn't even walk across a room in a non-silly way.
The concept of the timeless child is still overlooked by it actually being a fully executed version of the cartmel masterplan making the doctor one of 3 founders of timelord society so making the doctor the sole founder of timelord society isn’t that far off from the original idea and knowing chibnall is a classic era fan it’s not surprising he used the cartmel masterplan I will defend the concept of the timeless child on the grounds of its not a new concept for the show and elements of the original concept can still be found in places during Sylvester McCoy’s run like in remembrance of the daleks when he is yelling at the daleks for example they may seem out of place but cannot be removed from the serials either so it like a catch-22
@@CouncilofGeeks I don't think it was a bad idea. But I do think it was badly executed, which is what makes what Chibnall did with the Timeless Child so egregious (that and him not following through on such a momentous thing afterwards.)
Village of the angels is not over rated. Chibnall did well as a show runner and a few decent stories he has written. An entertaining worst to best, I don't really agree with much of the placings but it makes a good watch.
A playlist of videos covering the issues with the BBC and transphobic reporting: ruclips.net/p/PLmWFOeT2jEofVIDW9X3OL7GqWuX3Dxopu
I'm starting to think Vera doesn't like Flux, there might have been some light hints in the video.
I try not to bang on about it and keep it more as subtext. You've got to pay attention to catch it.
@CouncilofGeeks No need for subtlety when it comes to criticizing bad Chibnall writing. It can always be said out loud, clearly and plainly.
@@CouncilofGeeksVillage of Angels was good tho. Far better than a lot of 13/Chibnall stories I can think of
@@DittoGTI it really isn’t. I’m not going to reiterate my feelings here, so go ahead and watch this: Village of the Angels - Take Two Doctor Who Review
ruclips.net/video/ecsijcvMeUg/видео.html
😂😂😂
The big thing that bugged me about Cyberwoman is that Ianto NEVER ONCE acknowledges how badly he fucked up. As far as we can tell, by the episode's end he still thinks he was perfectly justified and Jack was out of line.
It astounds me that Jack would even want to start a romantic relationship with Ianto after that episode.
@@nekusakura6748lets just say that the moral complexity of the Torchwood team isn't exactly the greatest 😂
Early on Ianto was meant to be a much more sinister character, and sort of evolved into what we see him as in series 2 and 3.
@@brewster_4 That's pretty much the impression I got from Ianto. I was kind of surprised when he ended up so face.
On a different note... I would absolutely recommend watching Series 2 and 3 of Broadchurch. They are also legitimately good, and they offer some unexpected continuations of the stories of the characters from Series 1, as well as more solid acting from David Tennant, Jodie Whittaker, and especially Olivia Colman (plus the introduction of some new characters). By the end of the series, I was flabbergasted that the man who created that show and helmed it so competently was the same one who bungled the Thirteenth Doctor's era so badly.
Broadchurch was written by Chibnall? I had no idea- it is so much better written than the thirteenth Doctor!
What I find interesting about the S1 and S2 finales of Torchwood (which I think you were VERY harsh on as I think they're good ones (more so "Exit Wounds" than "End of Days")) is that even though they were written by Chibnall, they very much follow the blueprint of RTD finales where the logistics aren't the point but the emotional aspects are
Well I mean series 1 and 2 were just doctor who but with sex and violence before series 3 actually was doctor who but for adults.
My main memory of The Halloween Apocalypse was getting back from a Halloween party drunk and deciding to watch then and there and just laughing my ass off at how many bizarre things happened within 50 minutes. I rewatched it the next morning just to check that it wasn't a drunken fever dream.
don't worry, he didn't do anything for the sarah-jane adventures. it's a shame you couldn't get into it, though, I really do love that show and I only watched it for the first time this year.
Given she doesn’t like it when Doctor Who goes camp I’m pretty sure she would hate it.
Torchwood series 2 is an interesting one for me, because honestly? I enjoy it more than Children of Earth. Enjoy is the key word there, I don't think that overall series 2 is better than CoE, but it's definitely one that I'll rewatch more and I just prefer the monster-of-the-week format to be honest. I think Torchwood S2 is the best example of Chibnall showrunning, because he saw what didn't work in series 1, and in my opinion, series 2 was a drastic change while still keeping a similar sort of energy to series 1. There are very few episodes of series 2 that I would consider bad - in fact it might only be Out of the Rain, and maybe Something Borrowed and Exit Wounds at a push. The rest is really good / a lot of fun - Meat, Adam, Adrift, and Fragments being my favourites (although the Owen trilogy in the middle is also amazing).
@@BulbasaurRepresent I wish we lived in the universe where Owen and Tosh didn't die at the end of series 2 and we got a third series in the same vein as the first two, and then Children of Earth instead of Miracle Day.
Just want to thank you for your videos! I love having you on in the background, it’s especially motivating when I’m doing things I don’t want to do. I haven’t watched half of these episodes but still love hearing your takes and also, your outro always means a lot to me, today in particular had me tearing up! :,) 🫶 happy to be part of the council and you rock!!!
Thank you so much for this video I loved it I hope you do it for rtd and Moffat I loved power of the doctor personally
I probably will do them eventually but since they’re writing for the show again I need to wait until it looks like they’re done for at least the time being.
@@CouncilofGeeks thank you so much for replying to my comment love your videos and hope you are doing ok
A full list for Moffat would be hilarious because most of the stuff he wrote under RTD would be a lot higher than most of his writing for his own seasons.
I always forget about Adrift, but you're right, it's a fantastic episode that hits very hard. It's the most Broadchurch Chibnall has ever been in the DW universe and it's a shame he didn't write anything like this for the Thirteenth Doctor.
The ending to Adrift is GUT-WRENCHING. Truly. The actors did an amazing job bringing a great script to life
Arachnids in the UK: The exact moment Chris Chibnall became Chibs
Edit- The flip did YT do to my comment? I swear Elon bought this site as well
The exact moment I realised that there were problems with this series.
For real, the realisation that Chibnall wrote it is baffling. Because there are moments that feel like they’re written by someone who knows a few facts about the character but don’t truly understand why. The gun thing, it’s like it’s included for the sake of including it, without actually acknowledging why it’s a thing. It’s a dislike of killing, not the guns. It’s a mistake I could believe a new writer would make, but Chibnall?!
Or as I call him, CHIBBERS!
Adrift is genuinely amazing. Entertainment that makes you feel is always beautiful. I would recommend season 2 of Broadchurch, as it builds on the first. The third season, less so.
Yeah, I just recently rewatched these, and a reactor I follow is up to that episode. People in the comments were mentioning that Chibnell wrote that one and I had to look it up to check - I'm genuinely impressed.
Man, I wish I could like this more than once. Thanks for taking the time to do this one; it was a fun watch and I share most of your opinions! I do have a soft spot for Day One, but only because it was so ridiculous I laughed my way through the first watch and decided maybe I'd give Torchwood a shot after all (I am an enormous wimp when it comes to screen gore so I'd been planning to give it a pass before it even premiered). And I STILL laugh my way through rewatches, cause it's just SO beyond ludicrous, I genuinely don't understand how someone didn't say "wait... hang on, back up, inside the space rock is a what that does WHAT? Are we actually shooting this?!" Deserves its ranking, definitely not a great ep, just the one guaranteed to tickle my funnybone in all the wrong "but WHY tho?" ways.
Chibnall's best work is generally when he's working under someone else's direction.
Having said that, "Once Upon Time" and "The Power of the Doctor" are also among my favourites of his work.
Love seeing Adrift get the love and attention it deserves ! It is a great story
Legend of the Sea Devils is a co-written story with Ella Road. But, it feels so Chibnall so I would’ve felt it’s absence would’ve been odd
Yeah I know, that’s my bad.
I thought the same about Broadchurch's second season, but honestly, it's pretty good! they find what to expand upon. it's season three that shouldn't have existed.
This is my list, although admittedly I'm not the biggest Chibnall fan so the top 5 are the only ones I think back on fondly.
29. Ascention of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children
28. The Vanquishers
27. Arachnids in the UK
26. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
25. The Legend of the Sea Devils
24. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos
23. Survivors of the Flux
22. The Power of the Doctor
21. Day One
20. The Halloween Apocalypse
19. Cyberwoman
18. Revolution of the Daleks
17. War of the Sontarans
16. The Ghost Monument
15. Fragments
14. Once Upon Time
13. 42
12. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
11. The Tsuranga Conundrum
10. Exit Wounds
9. The Power of Three
8. Resolution
7. End of Days
6. Adrift
5. Eve of the Daleks
4. The Hungry Earth/The Cold Blood
3. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
2. Countrycide
1. Spyfall
Slight inconsistency: Legend of the Sea Devils IS a co-write (with Ella Road) (which everyone forgets)
Well crap. That’s on me.
@@CouncilofGeeksinteresting rankings though. And yep he didn’t write any SJA!
Props to you for remembering anything about that episode. It's the next Planet of the Dead
The only thing I respectfully disagree with (although I haven't seen it since I was like 13) is the Torchwood season 2 finale deaths. I remember finding Tosh's interactions with Owen so incredibly tragic as she chooses to not let him know that she is also dying. I remember it really affecting me at the time. That being said... I'm twice as old now, and maybe I won't revisit it in case the melodrama and whatever else tarnishes how I've chosen to remember it haha.
I will grant that part of why that doesn't work for me is that all the tension deflated out the scene instantly for me when the reason Tosh gives for Owen to stop screaming is "because you're breaking my heart." I get what the scene is trying to do, but that line just gave me flashbacks of Padme in Revenge of the Sith and drained the scene of all tension immediately because I was too busy rolling my eyes.
If you want an excuse to check out some episodes of Sarah Jane Adventures, I'd recommend checking out Phil Ford's work. He wrote two of the best episodes of Doctor Who ("The Waters of Mars" and "Into the Dalek"), "Something Borrowed" from Torchwood, and 11 more episodes from SJA.
9:05 Definitely the TARDIS underwater scene! Ever since Listen did I want another scene of that! I was hoping that it would've been during a trip to the Cambrian period though with trilobites and the first fish and other creatures that seem downright alien to today's fauna!
Honestly, why hasn't Doctor Who visited the Cambrian or the Carboniferous period yet?
I actually rather like seeing your old vids, or stills of your old vids. I can totally see Vera in some of those shots. I only came to your channel after Vera was pretty much the main name/identifier you used. And I love seeing you under the cis mask.
"Is James Marsters just channeling Spike from Buffy? Yes! I don't care, I love Spike so much!" OMG, almost exactly the same thoughts were going through my head when I watched it. He showed up and I got excited. And he bloody well delivered, IMO! Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is arguably my favorite Torchwood episode. I am so glad you ranked this one so high! Now I kinda want to watch Torchwood again.
3:59 “#29: ‘Ascension of the Cybermen’ and ‘The Timeless Child‘ [sic]!” The latter episode was actually titled “The Timeless Children”. I can easily understand the mistake, given that THERE WAS ONLY ONE TIMELESSS CHILD IN THE PLOT. It took actual effort for Chibnall to screw up the title that way.
the way I see the title "Children" not because of the Doctor, but more so of what Tecteun did, which is spreading it to other Gallifreyans/Time Lords, thus, making all of the Time Lords, The Timeless Children
I think the title is more of a nod to the multiple incarnations of the doc. Just like Husbands of River Song can refer to Ramon and others it can also refer to multiple incarnations ofthedoctor.
I think your opinion on Galifrey being destroyed in Timeless Children is entirely based on how you felt about it being brought back in the 50th anniversary. I hated the decision to bring it back because it was just undoing a previous decision rather than moving forwards. I get Moffat didn't like Davies blowing up Galifrey but as the star wars series has shown, one of the worst things you can do is try and undo your predecessor's work rather than either making it work better or ignoring it entirely
Couple of things about this: I don't think what Moffat did actually undoes what Davies was working with. I mean, it does logistically, but not spiritually. Because what mattered about Gallifrey being gone was the impact more than the event. And the impact was two main things: 1) the Doctor's grief and guilt and 2) the Time Lords aren't popping up willy nilly.
Let's deal with number 2 first. At the time of Day of the Doctor that didn't change. They went from dead to "unknown pocket dimension," which meant they were still out of the story and not being crowbarred in where they didn't belong. Yeah, there's Hell Bent, and I don't like it. But it's also effectively a one-off and didn't signal a steady return. And more to the point even that didn't make the Doctor any less alone because of how separate from his society he's shown to be.
As for number 1, to be blunt about it at a certain point sustained grief and guilt starts to suffocate and stifle the writing. In 2005 having the Doctor be guilt-ridden was a new take on things. But after three incarnations of that the show benefitted from him being able to move on from it. And since Doctors 9-11 still believed they had destroyed Gallifrey that grief is no less real.
Legend of the Sea Devils was co-written by Ella Road but given how infamous it is I'm glad to see it on here regardless.
Thank you for the spider warning. I wish more people gave a heads up about it because there have been way too many times they pop a picture on screen and I nearly throw my laptop... I think I did once.
I'm trying in general to get better about content and trigger warnings. Can't promise I'll be perfect, but I try to be better.
I look forward to this, but let me just say up front before watching, I'll be amazed if the best isn't a Torchwood ep, as I don't think he does Doctor WHO all that well.
I'm 58, as of writing, and recently watched all the Sarah Jane Adventure episodes for the first time and found that I was definitely not too old for the show. Yes, there are puerile elements and some infantile colouring to the series, but most of the stories are a blast and Sladen effortlessly wafts me through my doubts about it. Persevere with it! It's not like I'm asking you to like K9 and Co! :)
Thanks for highlighting some of the good Chibnall did. As I make my way through a full rewatch, I'll keep these in mind.
Wait was Fugitive of the Judoon a Chibnall co-write?
Edit - Oh shoot it was. That's a shame, it being so central to Chibs's story arc and all, plus it's just a really fun and exciting episode
Realising that Chibnall wrote Cyberwoman for Torchwood makes so much sense. I had no idea he was involved in that show, but it feels SO Chibnall. I loved Broadchurch, but it feels like that was almost a fluke as opposed to the standard of his writing.
Tbf, the main plot for Cyberwoman was RTD's idea. RTD thought of the idea of a sexy cyberwoman infiltrating the hub was his idea and he got Chibnall to write the actual script
Exit Wounds is such an eye opener as someone who watches Stolen Earth/Journeys End way more and believed the absent were out of base handling the crisis "on the ground"
You must have been a bit ignorant to Gwen saying she was ready to go down fighting "Like Owen, like Tosh" just before the cliffhanger then.
@@bobdallas4860 Guess so!
Good video and ranking. I think I still do enjoy Dinosaurs on a spaceship, The power of three and 42. He was an interesting writer. Definitely do a list on Moffat!
Chibs: "@#$% them kids!"😅
Thank you for the video, Vera!
I think that is quite telling when it is hard to decide which episode is the worst, especially if you are considering bad ideas or just bad execution. However, despite having a general negative opinion about the Chris Chibnall's era of Doctor Who, I definitely believe that he is good writer. Chibnall is very good in creating interesting concepts, and I also appreciate how his era has many historical episodes, and it tries (not necessarily being successful on that) to honor the classic series. My overall impression is: Chris Chibnall needs someone else to tell him "no" sometimes, ask him to "trim the excesses", instead of juggling multiple plot points, and also advise him when handling social, ethical and political commentary in the stories.
The thing that really bugged me in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship really isn't the episode's own fault at all: Why would you introduce Rory's dad so soon before you were going to strand them hopelessly in the past, ensuring everyone would be wondering about him, and then never address that?
Yes I mostly agree with this list. I'm more positive on his Dalek stories, and Flux, but these are small differences. 100% agree with Adrit being no.1.
Personally, I cant disagree with you more on Exit Wounds, easily my favourite thing chibnall wrote and the perfect finale to a very solid season of torchwood.
I had completely forgotten Adrift, and it was so good! Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was amazing, too. Countrycide still gives me chills. It's interesting to see just how varied the scripts are. Thank you for sharing, Vera!
Speaking as a guy called Chris, that intro spooked me for a second.
Ok now the After having watched comment:
I really despise Power of the Doctor and I feel so all alone in that sentiment. Maybe I should do a vid somewhere on why I think it's mostly awful. The only thing I like about it is the Companion Support Group Ending. Spyfall IMO should be lower too. I really hate almost everything about it. It wasn't even fun for me. It's the same problem as Flux on a slightly smaller scale. So much is just lets throw everything at the wall, see what sticks, and all that doesn't, yeah, we'll still film that, even if it should be cut. Ghost Monument should also be closer to the bottom for sheer lack of explanation of how the TARDIS ended up there. Hell, we don't even know why the TARDIS chucked her out in the Woman who fell to Earth! Never explained. Chibs is real big on not making things make sense or not seeing the obvious flaws in his work.
Finally, I'm super glad you put Cybermen/Timeless Children last. I am a lore nerd, but I also hate it for all the reasons you do too. So imagine all you hate about it, then with another layer of hate on top. Epi-hate, if you will. I also need to rewatch Adrift, because I legit do not remember it at all, but that speaks to me only having binged Torchwood once after initial broadcast and that was years ago.
Mostly I agree with your list.
But I really like Exit Wounds and 42.
I'd also place Spyfall a lot higher because to me part 1 is so good that it totally eclipses the failures of part 2.
Also love Adrift being number 1. It's pretty much a masterpiece.
Loved this! So much fun. ❤
omg i watched when those old doctor who videos released....i also presented uh different back then. delighted to rediscover to your channel now 💚 keep up the wonderful work.
Interesting. Well here’s a comment for engagement
Instant like just for that chaotic intro gag
I can only speak for my feelings on Chibs' writing for Doctor Who, as the only Torchwood I watched was Children of Men. I've found that I've liked The Flux storyline more than most, though it was frustrating that Chibnall left it to be addressed or ignored later, not doing anything with it. But I sincerely loved the Flux series and felt it was the strongest of 13's three series. "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" is one of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who ever, as it took a ridiculous concept and had a rip-roaring time with it. It's also a pretty sick Magic card. :P But I do have to agree with Vera that "The Power of The Doctor" is Chibs' best written Doctor Who story. Even if it was just the scene with the 7th Doctor and Ace, that would be enough to take the top spot.
As for the lower tier, unfortunately, there's a lot of contenders, but "The Timeless Children" is the single most egregious thing Chibnall did to The Doctor. Simply put, it made The Doctor too important. I will say that I like how RTD followed up on it, with the Doctor as an orphan angle, but again, it goes back to the issue with Flux that Chibnall made a lot of problems to leave for the next creative team to clean up.
All that said, Vera, you are one of my favorites on RUclips. I don't always agree with your takes, but I value them, and my Doctor Who experience would be a lot different without you. Thank you for taking the time to make videos and for being kind.
Ranked from worst to least worst.
My fave part of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is the car chase at the beginning. Just the utter chaos of it is PERFECTION. If you are instantly coming in with that kind of energy I am on board. It's just 4 idiots in a car with guns chasing an alien blow fish that's high on drugs driving a stolen sports car. Yes. Just yes to that. Feed that to me, inject it into my veins.
Also the capper on that opening scene of an old woman just going "bloody Torchwood." Perfect. In Cardiff they just have to deal with these morons.
I think they should bring The Edge back in a future regeneration.
not necessarily to bring back any previous Doctors, but maybe a conversation between the incumbent Doctor and the upcoming Doctor before/as they’re regenerating - a sort of passing of the torch scene.
more vids like this pls! i love how whenever you rank you have some opinions i VEHEMENTLY disagree with (i.e: Dinosaurs) but you always have so much fun and self awarity explaining yourself that i stop being furious with you lol
seriously though, great vid, do the moffat one !!!
I would totally be interested in a vid like this about non-showrunner writers, that would be an aspect of the show that I havent much thought about
There's a couple of recurring writers that weren't showrunners that might make for some good rankings, with Mark Gatiss and Toby Whithouse immediately springing to mind. Or perhaps a classic Who writer like Terry Nation, David Whitaker, or Robert Holmes?
I do quite like Exit Wounds, and probably would've put it higher, while also probably putting The Ghost Monument much lower (I don't know if it's an unpopular opinion, but it's one of my least favourite Chibnall era episodes, and one of my least favourites in general). Other than that though, I agree with most of the list and your comments on each entry.
I think the Power of Three (and Angels Take Manhattan, for that matter) would have been improved significantly had it been a 2-parter. We didn’t really need A Town Called Mercy, or Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, and they kind of sucked anyway. These are the last 2 Amy and Rory stories, exploring their relationship and their relationship with the Doctor. They needed room to breathe and feel more important. Angels was also the first (and I think only) final companion episode that wasn’t a 2- or 3-parter
Loved this video, would love to see a version of Moffitt's and RTD's plus others
There was ONE moment I liked with 'Legend of the Sea Devils' and that's the point where they acknowledge that 'Sea Devils' was a name given to them in their first appearance and isn't their name.
Doctor - "Sea Devil!"
Marsissus - "Land Parasite!"
The Dalek episodes were my favorite of Chibnall’s era.
If you're an aspiring writer, many of Chibnall's stories are excellent courses of how not to write a story. So in that regard, they were at least educaltional... 😉
Thats actually how I wrote my books. Watching his series and taking noyes of WHAT NOT to do.
The Gallifrey thing always felt odd to me. I skipped most of Capaldi's era (it started during my first semester of college and I was generally very exhausted at the time), so the 50th anniversary special and the revival Gallifrey still felt quite recent in my mind when The Master casually revealed the place had been destroyed again. It sort of felt like driving through a huge mud puddle an hour after pulling out of the car wash.
I was just thinking about dinosaurs on a spaceship and it has a bit of a similar theme with legend of the sea devils. They both have real historical figure and a fake historical figure who has been put into the story. I know that the adventurer man doesn’t over shadow queen Nefertiti but it gives me a similar vibe. (I enjoy dinosaurs on a spaceship btw it’s just a thought I had)
25:19 THIS. You basically summerised my entire issue with the episode for me.
It's too much like that Simpsons episode when all of Lisa's cats die; just cruel and upsetting for no good reason.
I have yet to watch Torchwood, so I'm only ranking Doctor Who from worst to best, I counted two parters separately unless I thought they were about the same quality:
Flux Chapter 6
The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos
Arachnids in the UK
The Tsuranga Conundrum
The Timeless Children
Flux Chapter 5
The Ghost Monument
Revolution of the Daleks
Flux Chapter 3
42
Flux Chapter 1
The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
The Power of Three
Eve of the Daleks
Resolution
Ascension of the Cybermen
Spyfall Part 2
The Woman Who Fell to Earth
The Power of the Doctor
Spyfall Part 1
Flux Chapter 2
30:50 Well, Chibnall is a centrist so of course he doesn't deal with it. I mean, one of the companions is literally training to be a cop!
The scene in Rosa where Yaz brushes off Ryan's comments about being harassed by the cops was the exact moment the Chibnall era lost me. You get to tout how progressive and brave you are, or you can chicken out of addressing her culpability in a racist system, but you shouldn't be allowed to do both.
@@chrisclark7285 "Yaz brushes off Ryan's comments about being harassed by the cops" this is such a misinterpretation of what actually happens. She never brushes it off, at all.
@@friendlyotaku9525 I'm not sure what else you'd call it. Ryan makes a point about systematic racism, specifically citing police harassment. I'm going to assume that he didn't bring this up to his cop friend because he couldn't think of any other examples of racism. Yaz then objects, saying that she's not one of the racist ones. Ryan, probably noticing his friend got defensive the moment he brought it up, subtly changes the subject. He says, "tell me you don't get hassle," in an effort to reinforce their shared experiences. Yaz had an opportunity to engage with criticism of the police, express an opinion about her level of complicity with their policy and culture, and say something conciliatory, along the lines of "I know my profession gives racists massive power over you, and they've historically used it to attack people who look like us, but I'm hoping to push it in a positive direction." She decides to object to him even bringing it up, and Ryan is a nice enough guy that he just lets it go.
It also doesn't help that the first time we see Yaz, she's accusing Ryan of committing a crime, and then calling the police on himself.
@@chrisclark7285 you definitely misinterpreted the point of the scene. She certainly didn't object to what he said, she just pointed out that she would never do that and that she understands what it's like because she's gone through similar treatment and that while things aren't perfect still, things have gotten a lot better than they used to be and that hopefully things will continue to get better. It's a lovely scene.
@@friendlyotaku9525 No, she doesn't. The flow of the conversation goes like this: 1. Ryan directly compares the racist police they're currently hiding from to modern cops. 2. Yaz gives an offended "Oi!" Signaling to him that she doesn't approve of what he just said. 3. Yaz states, unprompted, that she isn't a racist. 4. Ryan stops talking about the police, and says something to the effect of "You can't tell me you haven't dealt with racism." 5. Yaz, now that the subject is no longer the systematic problems with her chosen profession, takes the opportunity to point out that she is often harassed, "especially on the job".
If you told me that one of my coworkers threw a plate of pasta at you, and I responded with "Hey! I would never do something like that! And besides, I get dishes thrown at me all the time at work!" I don't think it's "definitely a misinterpretation" to say that I brushed off your concerns.
Hellofrom Ireland 😊.
I think Chibnalls best work was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a great episode of Torchwood.
For Doctor who, i think quite simply Power of the Doctor is his best, a fitting celebration of his era and the show as a whole
I’ve rewatched Timeless Child a few times. It’s not peak Who, but it is some devastating drama. I only watched Sea Devils once. That was more than enough.
minor anecdote,
i used to be friends with one of Mark Addys [the guy who plays the main guy in the battle of ranskoor av kolos] kids
and I've not talked to said friend in ages, so everytime I see mark addy in doctor who videos, I smile , thinking about my friend.
I also smile cause I think it's funny how shit of an episode ranskoor av kolos is and the cruel comedy that THATS the thing that keeps my old friend in my mind
I agree that keeping the Flux episodes separate but the two part episodes together, was the way to go. Two parters have a single story connecting them together. Flux is six separate stories with a connecting arc.
Had an idea. If you don't want to cover all the other writers, how about limiting to a Top 10 from all the other writers that aren't RTD, Moffat or Chibnall? That would cut out a lot of the episodes many rank highly, so it could be interesting.
@@Elwaves2925Rachel talalay would come top there I’d assume aha
@@Wurmze I would think so too.
I'm honestly SHOCKED Day One wasn't significantly lower on the list
So was I to be honest.
Isn’t abbadon confirmed to be the child of the beast?
I was wondering if 'P.S.' (the storyboarded coda to Amy and Rory's exit) was gonna be on here. But as effective as it was, it felt like a better rehash of Cathy Nightingale's letter to Sally Sparrow.
Hmmmmmm... I'd forgotten Chibnall wrote that. Honestly I wish I'd included it.
Chibnall Ranking, Worst to Best
29. Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children (DW 12x09/12x10)
28. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (DW 11x10)
27. Arachnids in the UK (DW 11x04)
26. Legend of the Sea Devils (DW 2022 Easter Special)
25. Cyberwoman (Torchwood 01x04)
24. The Halloween Apocalypse (DW 13x01)
23. The Tsuranga Conundrum (DW 11x05)
22. The Vanquishers (DW 13x06)
21. Exit Wounds (Torchwood 02x13)
20. Survivors of the Flux (DW 13x05)
19. Day One (Torchwood 01x02)
18. 42 (DW 03x07)
17. End of Days (Torchwood 01x13)
16. The Power of Three (DW 07x04)
15. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (DW 11x01)
14. Spyfall Part One/Spyfall Part Two (DW 12x01/12x02)
13. The Ghost Monument (DW 11x02)
12. Countrycide (Torchwood 01x06)
11. Revolution of the Daleks (DW 2021 New Year's Special)
10. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (DW 07x02)
09. War of the Sontarans (DW 13x02)
08. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood (DW 05x08/05x09)
07. Resolution (DW 2019 New Year's Special)
06. Once, Upon Time (DW 13x03)
05. Fragments (Torchwood 02x12)
04. Eve of the Daleks (DW 2022 New Year's Special)
03. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Torchwood 02x01)
02. Power of the Doctor (DW BBC Centenary Special)
01. Adrift (Torchwood 02x11)
I think 15:07 was originally intended to be a different ending, but Toxic Twitter came after Chibnall and the BBC and they felt that it was better to just abandon the story because they were tired of the negativity.
I’ve heard that for a while and have never seen any actual supporting evidence of it.
@@CouncilofGeeks That's true, it is mainly a theory that I have (and maybe others, I don't know who else might have thought it), but it seems like a logical explanation to me.
oh yeah !! yep. babe, I'm glad we're on the same page. I've juust hit #1 and I am reallg happy you chose "Adrift" as the top slot. Nuff said hon. x
Power of the Doctor is just pure nostalgia, very enjoyable. But like many of his episodes, it could easily be tighter - is there really any need for the daleks?
19:53 ...you know, I feel like the point loses weight when you're not allowed to say fuck.
I’m allowed. I just choose to censor it 90% of the time (if I don’t, there’s a reason). I can say it all I like. I just don’t find it interesting to do so.
“Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck.”
- Eric Cartman.
Arachnids in the UK was 100% an episode title first and a story second.
Adrift is such a well written episode and probably is Chibnalls magnum opus but I wish Dinosaurs on a spaceship placed a little higher and I personally would have dropped Once upon time by about 20 places but I like this list overall
Adrift was gut-wrenching
I did not need season 2 of Broadchurch, but I liked how it dealt woth the Fallout of season one. Especially for Olivia Coleman's family and Jodie's as well. Never watched Law & Order, but if I understand the premise season one is the investigation half and two is the trial. Season 3 is an interesting and important topic, but also feels like it was added on to cash in on the success of the first two seasons.
Tbf, Chibnall didn't actually want to do a series 1 or 2. ITV basically begged him to due to the popularity of series 1. So the plot for series 2 was really just extended just to fill it up.
I still stand by that the Timeless Child is a great idea, as long as the Master is the Child. Making him the birth of Time Lord society only to be used and outcast by them is a great concept.
Also, Arachnids in the UK made me agree with the Trump analogue, and I can never forgive them for that.
15:34 I might be misremembering but I’m sure that the following Dalek special (Eve of the Daleks?) opened with her pressing buttons in the TARDIS and commenting about how this would reset the universe.
You are misremembering. The Doctor does a reset of the TARDIS. Not the universe. It's why they can't just hop in the TARDIS to get out of the situation. Exact words are "When I set this going, the TARDIS will go into self reset. Which should, if I've got this right, which I'm sure I have, clear out the Flux debris, minimize the number of doors, and be back to fully functioning. But it'll be out of service for a little bit."
Great video!
cyberwoman is really frustrating to me, just because the potential for a cyberman story way gorier than doctor who could get into was wasted on cybertits and barbecue sauce pterodactyl. the partially-converted cyberman on a rampage was a great idea and I'm glad he recycled it later, but oof, I'd have liked it so much better if they got it right the first time
I don't remember anything about Adrift and I might go watch it now without looking up the plot first! I personally think you're too kind to Dinosaurs on a Spaceship; the plotline with Nefertiti falling for the game hunter REALLY rubbed me the wrong way. I actually blamed it on Moffat at the time (not realizing who wrote that particular ep) because the whole "'strong female character' gets won over by a man who constantly condescends to her" theme felt, well, VERY Moffat.
Arachnids in the UK was what distanced me from Jodie's Doctor. There had been some weird inconsistencies in what the Doctor said and did in the couple episodes before that...stuff I was sure the Doctor would NEVER do or say, no matter the incarnation. But Arachnids in the UK hammered that in, and there was no going back. The Doctor never really worked for me during the rest of Chibnall's tenure.
Would you be willing to try the 13th Doctor in Big Finish?
@@nekusakura6748 I haven't done Big Finish at all. If I'm going to only do audio, I'd rather listen to music. I have done the occasional podcast, so never say never though! But I feel like there's Big Finish stuff I'm a lot more interested in than the 13th Doctor if I ever wanted to try.
maybe if another previous writer becomes the showrunner you could rank their previous episodes.
legend of the sea devils was cowritten with ella road
"I'm going to be ranking everything Chibnall has written."
"Well Timeless Children has gotta at the bottom, that's obvious."
"Including what he wrote for Torchwood."
"OH GOD NEVERMIND ALL BETS ARE OFF."
for me the spiders were a waste of an opportunity they could have brought bak the Intelligent spiders from classic Who, and made an interesting episode
ok i rewatched some of these after watching this for the first time, to see if my opinions had changed from when i first saw them. i personally agree with the bottom 5. the battle of rancor whatever its called, is a mess which i straight up dislike, it is a first draft that i just dislike with every fibre of my being. cyberwoman is just weird to me, like straight up weird, and i feel sorry for the actress who had to wear that, because that looks uncomfortable, seriously though, if i remember right she was half converted or something, similar like the lone cyberman, could have done something like that, but no.
I understand your point about Broadchurch and why would they do a second season after a great first, but it does seem a bit dismissive on your part to not bother with S2. Each to their own though I guess.
21:38 common misconception, but Billis isn't actually human, nor even mortal. He's actually an entity who was prominent during the Dark Times and the Ghost wars, and was even summoned by Sutekh to asist during the destruction of the Osiran homeworld & Temple of Horus.
Mhmmmmmm... and that information is contained... where exactly? Because it's not in the show, and the show is all I'm ranking.
@@CouncilofGeeks Ye, it's not in the show. However if you hear anything about "The inquisitor", it's him. The Sutekh stuff in particular is a revelation within the war master "Rogue Encounters", and his power is explored a lot in the Torchwood audios
@@CouncilofGeeks well to be honest be with you....where does it say he is human? He can somehow travel through time mysteriously and we never see how and he is working with a extradimensional alien being. He doesn't act human at all..
I'm so grateful:
Love your ranking of Day One - I get it's bad, but I was never convinced of its really bad rep...
also grateful for the Power of Three analysis - I think it should have been a great episode, with a great idea... and a wtf meh ending. Not sure how he did that....
Nice list! Thank you
The Power of Three's ending is all down to Steven Berkoff being a complete asshole who absolutely refused to do the role as written, so they were forced to contrive a new ending around basically every last second of vaguely useable footage he gave them. Apparently he couldn't even walk across a room in a non-silly way.
The concept of the timeless child is still overlooked by it actually being a fully executed version of the cartmel masterplan making the doctor one of 3 founders of timelord society so making the doctor the sole founder of timelord society isn’t that far off from the original idea and knowing chibnall is a classic era fan it’s not surprising he used the cartmel masterplan I will defend the concept of the timeless child on the grounds of its not a new concept for the show and elements of the original concept can still be found in places during Sylvester McCoy’s run like in remembrance of the daleks when he is yelling at the daleks for example they may seem out of place but cannot be removed from the serials either so it like a catch-22
It was a bad idea in McCoy’s era too.
@@CouncilofGeeks I don't think it was a bad idea. But I do think it was badly executed, which is what makes what Chibnall did with the Timeless Child so egregious (that and him not following through on such a momentous thing afterwards.)
Village of the angels is not over rated. Chibnall did well as a show runner and a few decent stories he has written. An entertaining worst to best, I don't really agree with much of the placings but it makes a good watch.
I think the torchwood sex episode should gain points for using jack's invulnerability in an absolutely bonkers fashion