Wow! Haven't blogged for a little bit (and I have a doozy planned for a few weeks time on the occasion of my 40th) so I decided to do a blog on a great important issue upon which nobody has ever written a single blog post about- Doctor Who.
Matt Smith recently said goodbye and, I have to admit, I was sad. Of the three incarnations of the Doctor since the show came back in 2005 he has been my favourite. He was the Tom Baker of his generation- an absolute favourite with young kids because he reminded them of that crazy uncle you only saw at Christmas who you thought was really cool.
That being said, his era was also the most inconsistent of recent years in regards to script quality. So what were my high- and low-lights of his era? Let's grab a fez and a bowl of fish fingers and custard and take a look. Before I do that though, a disclaimer. These are MY opinions, however wrong you may think I am. If you disagree then all power to you. Leave some (nice) comments below.....
THE BEST
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5) Asylum of the Daleks (Season 7, episode 1)
This season opener was the first time that showrunner Steven Moffat had written for the Daleks and it's an absolute corker. The Daleks are both cowardly and menacing, and nearly every incarnation of them are peppered throughout the episode. Our three heroes are in absolute gold form and they are joined, in a shock to viewers, by the companion who was yet to be, played by Jenna Coleman. Since they first returned in the episode called "Dalek", they have had some pretty average adventures, but this one was a winner all the way
4) The Doctor's Wife (Season 6, episode 4)
Legendary sci-fi writer Neil Gaiman writes one of the greatest Who stories ever. The conscience of the TARDIS is transferred to a helpless woman (played brilliantly by Suranne Jones) and the mayhem begins. What sets this apart from other episodes is how it not only provides some of the most delicious dialogue in recent memory ("You never took me to where I wanted to go" "But I took you to where you were meant to be") but also some of the most heartbreaking moments the show has ever produced. We will forever refer to the TARDIS as "sexy".
3) The Eleventh Hour (Season 5, episode 1)
After David Tennant spent most of his first episode sleeping, Moffat decided that the new Doctor needed to hit the ground running. It was a gutsy, and brilliant move. The exchanges with young Amelia Pond are brilliant, the plot develops nicely and the camaraderie between Doctor and the grown-up Amy Pond already establish a wonderful connection. When I think back to first stories of freshly regenerated Doctors, this one sits right up there with "Power of the Daleks" and "Spearhead from Space". By the end of it you are in no doubt that this man IS the Doctor.
2) The Day Of The Doctor (50th Anniversary Special, 2013)
Many fans, including myself, were probably dreading this. Not only were we only getting one real former Doctor (even if it was Tennant) but we had an incarnation of the Doctor nobody had ever heard of played by John Hurt. To many fans it was as if Moffat had kicked them in the sensitive areas. But then something happened. Firstly, out came a mini-episode that saw Paul McGann's eighth Doctor appear onscreen for the first time in 17 years only to regenerate into John Hurt's "War Doctor" (as the fans call him). Then, the special aired and people were amazed at how good it was. Matt Smith is in top form here, Tennant slips back into the tight suit and sandshoes as if he never left them and John Hurt plays his role as if he's been doing it for years. The script is tight and the effects great. I'll be the first to admit that it's not all brilliant (Elizabeth I is rather poorly portrayed, and the excellent Zygon plot seems to just fizzle out into nothing) but almost all is forgiven for that one scene where Matt Smith meets the oldest surviving Doctor- the unflappable Tom Baker. To hear a whole cinema nerdgasm at the same time is a rare and wonderful thing.
1) Vincent And The Doctor (Season 5, episode 10)
Quite simply, the most beautiful thing to come out of Matt Smith's, or any Doctor's, era. Nobody cares about the plot involving an invisible chicken, it's the story of Vincent van Gogh battling depression and rejection that truly makes this legendary. For once though, the Doctor gets totally flummoxed by what he has to deal with and it's Amy who brings the troubled painter hope. The cameo from an uncredited Bill Nighy is beautifully underplayed and the final scenes, where the Doctor takes Vincent to a modern day gallery to see the impact he has had, has reduced stronger men than myself to puddles of tears. It's rare to see Who venture into new ground these days but this was one of those moments when it not only did that, it planted a flag that said "now owned by Doctor Who".
Honorable mentions-
The Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon (Season 6, episodes 1 and 2)
The opener to Season 6 introduced us to the Silence- another worthy villain created by modern Who. Although many of the questions would not be answered until either the season finale or Smith's last episode, it is a beautifully paced story filled with suspense, terror and lashings of great humour. The interplay between Smith's Doctor and Alex Kingston's River Song is never better than in this story.
The Snowmen (2012 Christmas Special)
Take a villain from the 60's (from episodes that, at the time, were considered largely lost), add in brilliant performances by Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman and Richard E Grant, add in a trio consisting of a Silurian and her lesbian lover plus a Sontaran nurse and some truly scary snowmen and you have an amazing Christmas episode. It's a solid story that flows brilliantly and manages to entertain even the most casual of fan. The best of Smith's Christmas specials by a long chalk.
THE WORST
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5) The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe (2011 Christmas Special)
A boring, pointless farce that never reaches any kind of excitement. Bill Bailey wanders around wondering why he agreed to be a part of it as do most of the supporting cast. Smith, to his credit, does a good job at trying to keep the vibe of the show going but it really is an uphill struggle. The laughs seemed really forced a lot of the time.
4) Nightmare In Silver (Season 7, episode 12)
After writing the brilliant "The Doctor's Wife" (see above), I bet Moffat thought he was in a safe pair of hands giving the cybermen to Neil Gaiman. He was wrong. To be honest, I don't think the cybermen have ever really hit their stride in New Who. To be fair though, apart from "The Tenth Planet", "Tomb Of The Cybermen" and "Earthshock", they never really hit it in Classic Who either. This story is an absolute stinker from a season that had more misses than hits. My biggest complaint is that Gaiman has obviously confused the Cybermen with Star Trek's Borg Collective. To make matters worse, we have a couple of kids running around getting trouble, so he's confusing Doctor Who with it's spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures. The whole thing is ridiculous and a waste of the onscreen talent (which includes Warwick Davis). Smith again tries to carry this one but overacts to almost Tennant-like levels.
3) Victory of the Daleks (Season 5, episode 3)
Oh how I REALLY wanted to love this episode. Smith's first encounter with the Daleks, plus it's set in Churchill's bunker during World War 2, plus it's written by Mark Gatiss. Why didn't this work? WHY? Because of the rubbish iDaleks/Mighty Morphin Power Daleks/ Kiddie Daleks (insert your own derogatory name here) Daleks that appear at the episodes conclusion but it also forces to suspend that little bit of disbelief too much. Too many coincidences, too many sloppy resolutions, too many things that shouldn't be able to happen happening. Yes it's cool to hear the Daleks say "Would you like some tea?" and "I am your soldier" but a couple cute phrases can't hide the overall stench. Interestingly enough, those "new paradigm" Daleks never really showed up again....funny about that...
2) The Rebel Flesh/ The Almost People (Season 6, episodes 5 and 6)
I know a lot of fans will have their jaws on the floor with this one, but I simply found this story to be droll and way too padded out (it really should have only been a single episode). It's a highly convoluted story that never really goes anywhere and involves two Matt Smiths vying for "most lovable Doctor" award. It is, in fact, really irritating. There really aren't any likeable characters throughout this story (even the ones who, ultimately, become nice people) and the ending is woeful.
1) The Rings of Akhaten (Season 7, episode 7)
The nadir of the Smith era. Stupid plot, ludicrous acting, lots of shouting and pointless singing all make for an annoying misstep. Sadly, it would not be a lone blemish in this season which is a shame because both Smith and Coleman are very good in this and the effects are certainly fine but when the basic story is so threadbare, it is hard to salvage much from it.
Honorable Mention
The Curse of the Black Spot (Season 6, episode 3)
Not even Hugh Bonneville can save this ridiculous farce. Flimsy plot and ridiculous ending plus some rather dodgy effects sequences just lower the tone of this one. I don't think it's quite as bad as some other fans do but it still can't match the very best of this era.
So now we wait and see what Peter Capaldi gives us. I, for one, can't wait!
