What are some of the best Dr. Who episodes?
October 23, 2022 11:47 PM Subscribe
I never got into the new Dr. Who stuff, but I'm interested in checking some out. What would be some good episodes to be sure not to miss?
Basically, I'm not going to be able to watch the entire series end-to-end, I'm just wanting to have some recommendations for the best episodes.
Basically, I'm not going to be able to watch the entire series end-to-end, I'm just wanting to have some recommendations for the best episodes.
I would also go with The Day Of The Doctor (50th Anniversary Special) if you understand new Dr. Who a bit and maybe know of old Dr. Who.
posted by zengargoyle at 1:00 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by zengargoyle at 1:00 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Here’s my list of Who from the start of the 2005 series:
1.8/9 The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
2.4 The Girl in the Fireplace
3.8/9 Human Nature/The Family of Blood
3.10 Blink
4.9/10 Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
4.11 Midnight
5.10 Vincent and the Doctor
6.4 The Doctor's Wife
6.10 The Girl Who Waited
The Day of the Doctor
8.4 Listen
8.8 Mummy on the Orient Express
8.9 Flatline
9.3 Under The Lake/Before the Flood
9.11 Heaven Sent
10.11 World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls
11.6 Demons of the Punjab
11.9 It Takes You Away
posted by brilliantmistake at 3:01 AM on October 24, 2022 [12 favorites]
1.8/9 The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
2.4 The Girl in the Fireplace
3.8/9 Human Nature/The Family of Blood
3.10 Blink
4.9/10 Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
4.11 Midnight
5.10 Vincent and the Doctor
6.4 The Doctor's Wife
6.10 The Girl Who Waited
The Day of the Doctor
8.4 Listen
8.8 Mummy on the Orient Express
8.9 Flatline
9.3 Under The Lake/Before the Flood
9.11 Heaven Sent
10.11 World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls
11.6 Demons of the Punjab
11.9 It Takes You Away
posted by brilliantmistake at 3:01 AM on October 24, 2022 [12 favorites]
As long as you go into it understanding each Doctor is meant to have a different personality (mediated by the personality who is showrunning it), my own recs from my time watching Ninth to Eleventh (I bailed during the Moffat years, which is ironic because his solo outputs pre-showrunner are amongst the highlights):
Ninth Doctor:
1.01 - Rose - it's a good primer to this current era of Doctors and had very little canon you need to remember going in.
1.07 - The Long Game - a little silly but quite cute projection of celebrity culture circa the millennial social media/reality tv culture
1.09 & 10 - The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances - Moffat makes his mark here on the Who writing canon; his tics aren't yet tiresome and Eccleston does something special with the current era's canon that this Doctor is a wartime survivor
Tenth Doctor:
2.xx - The Christmas Invasion (the Christmas special) - most Doctors have really great introduction stories, and his is no different.
2.03 - School Reunion - a taste of the Whovian habit of fanservice by bringing in old castmembers/Companions of precious Doctors
3.01 - Smith and Jones - New companion: Martha, but also a different vibe altogether. Strong intro.
3.04 - Daleks in Manhattan - JOKE RECOMMENDATION. Only if you want to see a young Andrew Garfield attempt a nooyawk accent
3.10 - Blink - universal recommendation and for good reason. Probably the strongest introduction to a new villain species in years.
4.08 - Silence in the Library - New companion by this point, all you need to know they dialed back on romantic undercurrents. Pretty excellent timey-wimey plotting, that marks specific canon to the Moffat-run years.
Eleventh Doctor:
5.01 - The Eleventh Hour - Another excellent Doctor introduction and setup. This season marks a completely fresh start, where Steven Moffat gets his own Doctor, Companion, and canon without having to deal with the Russell T. Davis legacy characters and canon. A pretty solid season, enjoy it while it lasts if you like, before his own tics and shortcuts gets repeated in the plotting.
5.02 - The Beast Below - it's a whimsical outing, but you'll get the sense that the Eleventh Doctor is all about fairytales and the power of stories for his era.
5.10 - Vincent and the Doctor - the Doctor meets Van Gogh
All of 5th season - though this will make better sense if you had tried the previous seasons in full because one thing that impressed many with this run was that they were actually able to execute a season-long plot in between the episodic plots well (this is kind of like the tension within the new Star Treks)
I have nothing to recommend from series 6. It's all just vibes as far as I'm concerned.
7.11 - The Crimson Horror - back to Victoriana horror. I'm just trying to be nice, i can't remember anything from this season either, even if Clara (the new companion) was sufficiently fun and mysterious but we the audience were beginning to spot a pattern with Moffat's women characters.
And that's all from me. I have to catch up myself, at some point.
posted by cendawanita at 3:30 AM on October 24, 2022 [7 favorites]
Ninth Doctor:
1.01 - Rose - it's a good primer to this current era of Doctors and had very little canon you need to remember going in.
1.07 - The Long Game - a little silly but quite cute projection of celebrity culture circa the millennial social media/reality tv culture
1.09 & 10 - The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances - Moffat makes his mark here on the Who writing canon; his tics aren't yet tiresome and Eccleston does something special with the current era's canon that this Doctor is a wartime survivor
Tenth Doctor:
2.xx - The Christmas Invasion (the Christmas special) - most Doctors have really great introduction stories, and his is no different.
2.03 - School Reunion - a taste of the Whovian habit of fanservice by bringing in old castmembers/Companions of precious Doctors
3.01 - Smith and Jones - New companion: Martha, but also a different vibe altogether. Strong intro.
3.04 - Daleks in Manhattan - JOKE RECOMMENDATION. Only if you want to see a young Andrew Garfield attempt a nooyawk accent
3.10 - Blink - universal recommendation and for good reason. Probably the strongest introduction to a new villain species in years.
4.08 - Silence in the Library - New companion by this point, all you need to know they dialed back on romantic undercurrents. Pretty excellent timey-wimey plotting, that marks specific canon to the Moffat-run years.
Eleventh Doctor:
5.01 - The Eleventh Hour - Another excellent Doctor introduction and setup. This season marks a completely fresh start, where Steven Moffat gets his own Doctor, Companion, and canon without having to deal with the Russell T. Davis legacy characters and canon. A pretty solid season, enjoy it while it lasts if you like, before his own tics and shortcuts gets repeated in the plotting.
5.02 - The Beast Below - it's a whimsical outing, but you'll get the sense that the Eleventh Doctor is all about fairytales and the power of stories for his era.
5.10 - Vincent and the Doctor - the Doctor meets Van Gogh
All of 5th season - though this will make better sense if you had tried the previous seasons in full because one thing that impressed many with this run was that they were actually able to execute a season-long plot in between the episodic plots well (this is kind of like the tension within the new Star Treks)
I have nothing to recommend from series 6. It's all just vibes as far as I'm concerned.
7.11 - The Crimson Horror - back to Victoriana horror. I'm just trying to be nice, i can't remember anything from this season either, even if Clara (the new companion) was sufficiently fun and mysterious but we the audience were beginning to spot a pattern with Moffat's women characters.
And that's all from me. I have to catch up myself, at some point.
posted by cendawanita at 3:30 AM on October 24, 2022 [7 favorites]
Yes, "Blink." Ironically the doctor is barely in that one, but it makes a good standalone. Don't watch alone at night!
I prefer the Martha years to the Rose years, so I will second the recommendation for Human Nature/Family of Blood, and I also have a soft spot for The Shakespeare Code.
posted by basalganglia at 4:00 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I prefer the Martha years to the Rose years, so I will second the recommendation for Human Nature/Family of Blood, and I also have a soft spot for The Shakespeare Code.
posted by basalganglia at 4:00 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
-Favorite stand alone Tennant episode is "Midnight," a very tense bottle episode
-Favorite Capaldi episode (and maybe my favorite episode of all) is "Heaven Sent"
-Favorite Whittaker episode is "It Takes You Away"
...and I can't really pick a favorite stand alone Smith episode
posted by cubeb at 6:34 AM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
-Favorite Capaldi episode (and maybe my favorite episode of all) is "Heaven Sent"
-Favorite Whittaker episode is "It Takes You Away"
...and I can't really pick a favorite stand alone Smith episode
posted by cubeb at 6:34 AM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
All of 5th season - though this will make better sense if you had tried the previous seasons in full because one thing that impressed many with this run was that they were actually able to execute a season-long plot in between the episodic plots well (this is kind of like the tension within the new Star Treks)
If a person had the time to watch a season's worth of episodes, this is what I'd recommend. For once, for freaking once in his career, Moffat successfully winds up his Rube Goldberg contraption of a season-long plot, and the overall theme should have resonance for a long-time fan. Amy and Rory are a good companion pair (though I will always be Team Martha). Few total stinkers of individual episodes.
I'd also throw in a recommendation for S3's "Utopia," but with specific timing: not until you've watched a few season 1/2 episodes, enough to pick up a sense of what's happened in the interim between old and new, and before any S4 and onwards episodes. If the end of this episode has you going AHHH HOLY SHIT AHHHHHHH, then you can proceed to the next two episodes, too. They have one extremely silly aspect that you kind of have to ignore, but otherwise solid fun.
Coming in from old Who viewing as a child, there are two things you'll have to adjust yourself to: emotionally, the Doctor is way more emo and open to emotional involvement with his companions, and, plotwise, the Doctor is OP (for within-canon reasons, but still) most of the time. "The Eleventh Hour" is a good episode, but if you came to it totally cold, the ending might have you going, for serious?
posted by praemunire at 7:49 AM on October 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
If a person had the time to watch a season's worth of episodes, this is what I'd recommend. For once, for freaking once in his career, Moffat successfully winds up his Rube Goldberg contraption of a season-long plot, and the overall theme should have resonance for a long-time fan. Amy and Rory are a good companion pair (though I will always be Team Martha). Few total stinkers of individual episodes.
I'd also throw in a recommendation for S3's "Utopia," but with specific timing: not until you've watched a few season 1/2 episodes, enough to pick up a sense of what's happened in the interim between old and new, and before any S4 and onwards episodes. If the end of this episode has you going AHHH HOLY SHIT AHHHHHHH, then you can proceed to the next two episodes, too. They have one extremely silly aspect that you kind of have to ignore, but otherwise solid fun.
Coming in from old Who viewing as a child, there are two things you'll have to adjust yourself to: emotionally, the Doctor is way more emo and open to emotional involvement with his companions, and, plotwise, the Doctor is OP (for within-canon reasons, but still) most of the time. "The Eleventh Hour" is a good episode, but if you came to it totally cold, the ending might have you going, for serious?
posted by praemunire at 7:49 AM on October 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
If you're not going to watch a whole series, then Blink, Day of the Doctor, and any of the Christmas/New Year specials.
If you want to get beyond that, John Simms as The Master and Alex Kingston as River Song are very well written and played. Then I think it depends which is your favourite Doctor. I'm a Tennant/10 fan so tend to overly focus on those.
posted by plonkee at 7:50 AM on October 24, 2022
If you want to get beyond that, John Simms as The Master and Alex Kingston as River Song are very well written and played. Then I think it depends which is your favourite Doctor. I'm a Tennant/10 fan so tend to overly focus on those.
posted by plonkee at 7:50 AM on October 24, 2022
N'thing the "easy" suggestion of just watching season 5. Lots of ground covered, pretty balanced and really a very good season.
Otherwise brilliantmistake's list is excellent. I would probably add The Waters of Mars (nominally S04E16, though part of a series of specials) as well.
posted by mce at 8:14 AM on October 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
Otherwise brilliantmistake's list is excellent. I would probably add The Waters of Mars (nominally S04E16, though part of a series of specials) as well.
posted by mce at 8:14 AM on October 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
I'm someone who is *not* a fan of Doctor Who but nevertheless watching it start to finish with family & friends. I'm speaking up on this thread because I seem to appreciate very different aspects of the show than the people who are fans of it - and the episodes I pick as my favorites are usually very different from the ones fans pick. (None of this is meant to bash Who or Who fans :) I love you all and you're the reason I'm watching the show from end to end, each time risking the loss of my eyeballs that threaten to roll out of my head.)
Episode recommendations:
S4 E10: Midnight. This is a "bottle episode" and it's WONDERFULLY written. There aren't any special effects, there's not even any action, the whole episode takes place in a single claustrophobic train car. So it's kind of like watching a one-act play or listening to a radio drama... which will scare the bejeezus out of you. Great story, intensely creepy dialogue, excellent acting.
S1 E6: Dalek. This was the episode that converted me from a "ugh why are you people making me watch this show" into an "Okay, I can see why you all love it". The Doctor believes he annihilated all Daleks (it's a source of angst in future seasons; here it's a stunning revelation out of character to everything we know about the guy) and when he sees the Dalek he reacts with shock, fear, and violence. For me it was his first relatable moment. Eccleston, my favorite Doctor, is outstanding in this episode. You really see his acting chops in this one.
S5 E10: Vincent and the Doctor. Everyone loves this episode and so do I! Just about the most charming episode in the canon.
S3 E10: Blink. Taut and scary! Also one of the most popular and highly recommended episodes by most people. Like any horror flick, try not to think too much at the fridge ;)
The best story arc IMO is Bad Wolf throughout S1. While River Song is just wonderful, especially the actress, the frustration factor from plot holes and really silly/pointless "plot twists" is too high for me to recommend her story as a good arc to follow.
Donna Noble is the best companion by far, IMO. But while I can list a lot of fantastic *moments* for Donna, I'm hard pressed to think of a really good whole episode for her. Her intro episode might be the best one? It's the Christmas episode at the end of Series 3: The Runaway Bride. Better yet, watch a youtube compilation of all the best Donna scenes!
posted by MiraK at 8:36 AM on October 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
Episode recommendations:
S4 E10: Midnight. This is a "bottle episode" and it's WONDERFULLY written. There aren't any special effects, there's not even any action, the whole episode takes place in a single claustrophobic train car. So it's kind of like watching a one-act play or listening to a radio drama... which will scare the bejeezus out of you. Great story, intensely creepy dialogue, excellent acting.
S1 E6: Dalek. This was the episode that converted me from a "ugh why are you people making me watch this show" into an "Okay, I can see why you all love it". The Doctor believes he annihilated all Daleks (it's a source of angst in future seasons; here it's a stunning revelation out of character to everything we know about the guy) and when he sees the Dalek he reacts with shock, fear, and violence. For me it was his first relatable moment. Eccleston, my favorite Doctor, is outstanding in this episode. You really see his acting chops in this one.
S5 E10: Vincent and the Doctor. Everyone loves this episode and so do I! Just about the most charming episode in the canon.
S3 E10: Blink. Taut and scary! Also one of the most popular and highly recommended episodes by most people. Like any horror flick, try not to think too much at the fridge ;)
The best story arc IMO is Bad Wolf throughout S1. While River Song is just wonderful, especially the actress, the frustration factor from plot holes and really silly/pointless "plot twists" is too high for me to recommend her story as a good arc to follow.
Donna Noble is the best companion by far, IMO. But while I can list a lot of fantastic *moments* for Donna, I'm hard pressed to think of a really good whole episode for her. Her intro episode might be the best one? It's the Christmas episode at the end of Series 3: The Runaway Bride. Better yet, watch a youtube compilation of all the best Donna scenes!
posted by MiraK at 8:36 AM on October 24, 2022 [4 favorites]
Hard endorse brilliantmistake’s list. I came in to recommend 9.11 Heaven Sent. I love Peter Capaldi as the twelfth doctor, and this is episode is a work of art.
posted by bluloo at 8:38 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by bluloo at 8:38 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've said it before, and I'll repeat it here: "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" is probably the best two hours of television I've ever seen.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:02 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:02 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
My two favorite holiday specials are The Snowmen (all you need to know is that The Doctor is mourning Amy Pond's leaving) and The Return of Dr. Mysterio. A fun stand-alone (more or less) episode with Capaldi is Thin Ice.
posted by indexy at 9:23 AM on October 24, 2022
posted by indexy at 9:23 AM on October 24, 2022
Another vote for "Heaven Sent", an episode that has stuck with me in a way that very few others have. I completely agree with cubeb and bluloo about it. Outstanding.
I'd also echo praemunire's note about the differences between the Doctor you may remember from childhood and the Doctor of today.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:34 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'd also echo praemunire's note about the differences between the Doctor you may remember from childhood and the Doctor of today.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:34 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think S2 E8 & E9 “The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit” is a good base-under-siege horror story with a cool new monster.
posted by Comet Bug at 11:04 AM on October 24, 2022
posted by Comet Bug at 11:04 AM on October 24, 2022
I love all these recommendations!
If you want a Matt Smith (11th Doctor) episode, I think my favorite might be S6 E12: Closing Time, which is mostly a lot of goofiness. Your enjoyment level might depend on your tolerance for James Corden.
posted by tuesdayschild at 12:28 PM on October 24, 2022
If you want a Matt Smith (11th Doctor) episode, I think my favorite might be S6 E12: Closing Time, which is mostly a lot of goofiness. Your enjoyment level might depend on your tolerance for James Corden.
posted by tuesdayschild at 12:28 PM on October 24, 2022
Seconding MiraK's recommendation of S1 E6: Dalek. Best episode of the Eccleston run, for me.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:06 PM on October 24, 2022
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 1:06 PM on October 24, 2022
I'd agree that Season 5 is the best and most consistent season - there aren't many episodes that work well as one shots though (go back if you're hooked after watching some of these and absorb it as one long timey wimey fairytale thing)
Dalek is great for reestablishing the tin cans as scary and fearsome; this was, in true Who fashion, ruined in future appearances.
A Christmas Carol is my favourite of the holiday specials, flying shark and all.
posted by brilliantmistake at 2:52 PM on October 24, 2022
Dalek is great for reestablishing the tin cans as scary and fearsome; this was, in true Who fashion, ruined in future appearances.
A Christmas Carol is my favourite of the holiday specials, flying shark and all.
posted by brilliantmistake at 2:52 PM on October 24, 2022
Eccleston wasn't well during his year as the Doctor and talks about that sole season as a very difficult time. Dalek is the tip of an iceberg we never got to see more of, but I'd trade Chris Eccleston alive and content now than a few years of his misery then.
posted by k3ninho at 3:47 PM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by k3ninho at 3:47 PM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
I agree with MollyRealized, Jodie Whittaker was totally wasted under Chibnall's tenure. And I'm a fan who wants to watch generously and enjoy. I was so excited for Jodie's Doctor, but from the very first episode of her run I knew that Chibnall didn't really get the character or the show's culture.
posted by indexy at 6:24 PM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by indexy at 6:24 PM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Eccleston wasn't well during his year as the Doctor and talks about that sole season as a very difficult time. Dalek is the tip of an iceberg we never got to see more of, but I'd trade Chris Eccleston alive and content now than a few years of his misery then.
I was so, so upset when he left (and got replaced by someone I loathe with great intensity) but as soon as I knew the circumstances I was instantly OK with it. It was a real Omelas moment - I don't want anyone else to suffer just to make me happy. The Ninth Doctor audio plays have brought me a lot of pleasure, not just in themselves but also knowing that he was in a good enough place to record them.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:55 PM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I was so, so upset when he left (and got replaced by someone I loathe with great intensity) but as soon as I knew the circumstances I was instantly OK with it. It was a real Omelas moment - I don't want anyone else to suffer just to make me happy. The Ninth Doctor audio plays have brought me a lot of pleasure, not just in themselves but also knowing that he was in a good enough place to record them.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:55 PM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'll follow up that grump note with a positive note. There were a lot of fun stand-alone shorts that the BBC did during NuWho, that don't usually get included in streaming, and are fun stand-alone bits that add more if you know where they fit into the story. Here are some of my favorites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supplementary_Doctor_Who_episodes
Time Crash (sorry, there used to be a better copy on YT)
Tenant and Davidson
Here are four collected shorts about the Amy Pond era of Matt Smith's era that Moffat produced, which are fun, may seem silly, but actually hit some deep notes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ4bRYb-cv8
Last Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5e6UU_YUCE
The Doctor and River trying to have a date night. Starting at Tennant's Silence in the Library
posted by indexy at 7:00 PM on October 24, 2022
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supplementary_Doctor_Who_episodes
Time Crash (sorry, there used to be a better copy on YT)
Tenant and Davidson
Here are four collected shorts about the Amy Pond era of Matt Smith's era that Moffat produced, which are fun, may seem silly, but actually hit some deep notes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ4bRYb-cv8
Last Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5e6UU_YUCE
The Doctor and River trying to have a date night. Starting at Tennant's Silence in the Library
posted by indexy at 7:00 PM on October 24, 2022
I love this question! I'm going to recommend an episode which hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet:
S1, E2: "The End of the World"
It was both very silly and genuinely moving. They blew almost the entire budget of the first season on the second episode, and I love that for them. Russell T. Davies is a legend and I couldn't be more thrilled he's returning as showrunner.
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 1:41 PM on October 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
S1, E2: "The End of the World"
It was both very silly and genuinely moving. They blew almost the entire budget of the first season on the second episode, and I love that for them. Russell T. Davies is a legend and I couldn't be more thrilled he's returning as showrunner.
posted by panther of the pyrenees at 1:41 PM on October 26, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
The IMDb list looks reasonable, though some of them need more context than others. This list of best standalone episodes looks solid. (I’m a couple seasons behind.)
posted by supercres at 12:08 AM on October 24, 2022 [7 favorites]