Doctor Who: Fifty-One Favourites (Part 5)
K-Ci Williams concludes the series picking out 51 Doctor Who faves.
This show has meant a lot to me over the last few years, it strengthened friendships in my life, but also gave me some pretty amazing friends for life. I know it will continue to help people struggling in their lives well after 2015, but it’s been so fun looking back at the episodes that I love. So here goes, my personal favourite list of Doctor Who. It’s been amazing.
11. Last Christmas
It may be the most recent episode that graced our screens but this was a very well-written story that has made it all the way to my top ten list for a variety of reasons. First of all, the structure of the story, in terms of the central themes, is awesome. It’s got everything I could ask for in a Christmas special, and even adds an extra dose or two of darkness. While I was watching it Boxing Day morning, the constant thought of Clara leaving or staying overwhelmed me. It did not overwhelm the amazing moments though. Shona dancing made complete sense, and gave me an excellent start to the morning. I enjoyed the use of Santa and his elves. Am I the only one who wanted Ian’s jacket to say “Bad” to match the other “Wolf”? Some classic lines became instant favourites, such as the Doctor’s dig at the movie Alien being why monsters invade us. It was a return back to the great Moffat in my opinion. When Bellows returned to her life and realised she was in a wheelchair, it broke my heart. She was hardly developed in the story, but that moment just gave me all the development I needed from her.
10. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
This has all the makings of an awesome story. The invention of the fobwatch was awesome and a nice way of weaving in the series to come full story in the finale. There are a few things I’d like to address here: the new performances allowed by the premise, and the development of the war story. Having the Doctor forget his identity and take up a life as a human afforded both David Tennant and Freema Agyeman to play different sides of their characters. In the Doctor we saw a man driven by human convictions and able to love fully, while Martha was again put to the side. It was interesting to see the other characters react to her, being a person of colour back in the past when attitudes towards her were completely unfounded and unjust. The subplot of the war was carried out well; with the boys fighting at school, and then going to war for real soon after. At the end when they visit a commemoration ceremony, it’s a great Doctor Who moment. With 2015 being the centenary of the Gallipoli landings for New Zealand and Australia (ANZAC), this part is one that I’m fond of.
9. A Christmas Carol
Before the recent festive special came into being, this was the only one deserving of a place on my top ten list. It was my first festive special, but it was also enjoyable and very well-written. Moffat excelled at using the concepts of the original Dickensian tale; being a child at the time, I was totally new to the story. It was an interesting adaptation in Doctor Who style. The guest cast of Sir Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins was stellar, an intriguing pairing but still very believable. It’s a festive tale that resembles a gift. It’s got everything I could want for Christmas; wonderful character moments, Christmas carols, and a sensical, interesting plot. At the end, it’s all tied up in a neat little bow. The three aspects of Kazran are well cast, in particular, my praise goes to young Kazran who brought the charm of an innocent boy, and the curiosity of the child within us all. But of course, my stellar moments would be the overall characterisation of the relationship between Kazran and Abigail, tied together by the wonderful Abigail’s Song at the end. Amazing!
8. The Caves of Androzani
This is a story that has stuck with me because of the gripping stakes and because it is a fitting and timeless send-off for a great Doctor. This episode is epic for obvious reasons, including an original concept of a life-prolonging drug that takes its toll on our favourite characters. My favourite kinds of regeneration stories are ones where the Doctor regenerates to save his life, after he has worked to save his companion. When the Doctor collects the milk of the Queen bat and saves Peri but has none for himself, it’s heartbreaking. As an interesting piece of trivia, did you know that an extra who played a soldier actually ended up becoming the head of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society. A superb farewell to a superb Doctor.
7. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
If there’s anything you should know about me, it’s that my favourite kinds of episodes are ones filled with returning characters and monsters that give me awesome, epic and kickass moments. Such examples are, anything with River Song or the Paternoster Gang, and up until the Series 8 finale, Osgood. I loved how Moffat planned out the first series of his show-running career and incorporated the characters we met into a string of cohesive events that brought the Doctor to Stonehenge. Vincent painting the explosion of the TARDIS, which was collected by Churchill and Bracewell before becoming part of Liz 10’s royal collection – which was raided by River Song. The Doctor being forced into the Pandorica was a standout directorial choice, his feet scraping the dusty floor. It packed an emotional punch too; when the Ponds finally became the Ponds – and that slow dance at the end. It was awesome.
6. Midnight
In recent years Mr Moffat has always used commonplace human concepts and turned them into something scary. But back when Russell was in charge he wrote this fantastic episode called Midnight. I think we can all agree that the monster mystery is what keeps us on the edge of the seat. What could have possibly possessed the characters in that way? It’s a thrilling idea that the characters tear themselves apart by their lack of understanding of the situation. When the entity develops the next stages and speaks before the Doctor as if he is copying it, it’s absolutely full of suspense and danger. I cannot remember many stories that give me such a heightened experience of dread. Nonetheless, it is superbly written, breathtakingly performed, and a standout selection from the Tennant era.
5. The Aztecs
Of all the classic stories I have seen this is the one that stood out to me the most. On top of stellar performances from Hartnell and his assistants, we get an intriguing plot where a point of conflict arises between Barbara and the Doctor. Barbara wants to stop human sacrifice by insisting that her followers abolish it from their cultural processes. But the Doctor warns her of the danger of meddling in time. You can’t change history, not one line, he says. It’s why I love this story, because it features all of the concepts that made me fall in love with Doctor Who in the first place. Companions who aren’t afraid to defy the Doctor in order to fulfill what they believe in, but also a hero who understands that everything has consequences. In this sense the Doctor and Barbara were the real power characters at play in this serial. I cannot express my appreciation for this story enough.
4. Flatline
This was one of my highlights from the recent series. I have gone back and seen all of the revival episodes, and I fell in love with the RTD era. This story gave me feelings that harkened back to that time of the show. It had an interesting premise, and placed the characters in a new, different type of scenario. It was able to successfully provide more exposition and development of the plot by its use of the Boneless as visual monsters; we learned of their intentions from dialogue and their impact on characters. The whole scenario of Clara becoming the Doctor felt very RTD-like. Jenna Coleman gave a spectacular performance, as did Peter Capaldi. However, his hair liked to disappear and then reappear frequently. I think that maybe the Boneless were testing his hair for the ability to render it two-dimensional. The resolution of the painting again felt like the old days, because it used the enemy’s power against themselves. I admired the speech at the end, and wasn’t too heavily opposed to the use of the Sonic Screwdriver. It actually seemed as though the TARDIS had a hand in the banishing of the Boneless so it worked really well in my opinion. A stellar episode for two stellar actors, and a writer who I would welcome back with open arms next year.
3. The Angels Take Manhattan
What can I say, with the supposed plot holes and some nonsensical moments put aside, this story is one of my absolute favourites. If only for the simple meaning of it for me; the first companion exit for me, and an exit of my favourite companions at that. The Ponds had become a staple in my book of characters that inspire me. Rory in particular, possessed the patience and the compassion that would be welcome to me. Amy, on the other hand, shared qualities that taught me to be independent, that I can also have small tantrums at people if I see fit. Don’t worry internet, that won’t happen anytime soon. While the Angels as a villain became a bit overused, or possibly used badly, I think they suited the tone of the story. Karen and Arthur gave fine performances, some of the best they had ever given (bar The Girl Who Waited). If you ever ask me what my favourite piece from Murray Gold is, I would tell you it’s Together or Not at All. The scene when they jump from the rooftop broke me. When Amy left the Doctor to be with Rory, it broke me more. The waterworks started flowing once Karen read the afterword. What a perfect (in some cases) ending to an amazing era.
But because it’s so difficult to choose my number one and two, we skip straight to number one because…
It’s A Tie. Listen/The Day of the Doctor
I cannot decide between these two stories. They each offer something totally unique and mean a lot to me. The Day of the Doctor was the story that solidified why I’m a Doctor Who fan. It balanced fan service with a thrilling tale full of powerful Doctor moments and emotion. We followed our favourite character on a journey of self-acceptance, rather than redemption. The way the older incarnations of the Doctor support the War Doctor in his decision to sacrifice Gallifrey was exactly the way the Doctor needs to be characterised. I could never picture the Doctor doing that though, so it made my day when he saved his home. It was over and above a 10/10.
Then we come to Listen; an expertly written tale of character moments and an eerie, chilling question that always raises the hairs on my neck. I prefer it to Blink probably because I enjoyed the focus on aspects that relate to the characters that I love. The insistence on Moffat’s part that we can never truly know what the monsters were is part of why I love it. The dynamic Clara has with young children is written and performed beautifully, as are the parts of Capaldi’s Doctor that gain a few laughs. When he gives the orphanage caretaker man a lecture about coffee and televisions, he steals his coffee. A great way to balance the lighter and the darker moments. I was indifferent to the part at the end with the young Doctor. It’s nice that we get to see some mythos of the Doctor’s backstory, but it did make Clara appear as the one who made the Doctor who he is. In my mind, I just think of it as the Doctor taught Clara all those things and that’s where the cyclic paradoxical idea starts, with the Doctor teaching Clara not the other way around. Both are great stories. Both are my favourites.
Thank you for going on this ride with me, it’s been awesome and fun. You bunch of internet dwellers are some of the most positive fans I have ever had the pleasure to know over the internet. Keep up the positivity and love for this amazing show well into 2015 and beyond.
Happy New Year.
