Doctor Who on Tor.com
Our Favorite Eleventh Doctor Episodes of Doctor Who
Emily Asher-Perrin, Ryan Britt, Chris Lough and Sarah Tolf
December 20, 2013 11:00AM
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
Doctor Who has been one hell of a rollercoaster under Matt Smith and
Steven Moffats reign. The quality of the episodes themselves has been
markedly variable, as reflected in our own reviews, and for a little
while the staff here was worried that wed always be down about the
show, or that we were chronicling the decline of the series.
Even if that had been the case (the 50th anniverary episode and its
surroundings celebration did a huge, wonderful job at rejuvenating the
series), Doctor Who is still the best damn sci-fi show on television.
As we stand here, mere days from the fall of the Eleventh, were
feeling thankful for all the sheer oddity that his episodes have added
to the series as a whole. We pick our favorites below!
Emily:
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
Vampires of Venice
This episode is simple, clever and absolutely hilarious, which is
always how Who operates at its best. If you can say that your episode
involves the Doctor jumping out of a bachelor party cake and flashing a
library card as credentials, youve already knocked it out of the park.
But the emotional moments of this episode resonate beautifully as
wellRory Williams has the distinction of being the first companion to
truly call the Doctor out on his bullshit, taking him to task for
making people want to impress him and therefore endangering their
lives. The defeating of the villain is really a sidenote to this tale,
one that sees Rory on the outside looking in as Amy and the Doctor jump
around in frenzied excitement over alien vampires. Its the beginning
of building the trio into a team, a great historical period, and
features some measured posturing against the queen mother where the
Doctor is concerned. A romp, but a meaningful one.
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
Amys Choice
To begin with, there is no real villain in this episode, which is
always an exciting story choice. We do, however, get a glimpse of just
how dangerous the Doctors dark side can bewhile we had seen his
proper rage come to the forefront during Davies era, we had never been
subjected to how insidious and deceitful that aspect of the Doctor was,
nor how it could endanger the lives of his companions. The episode is
sharp in how it effectively shows Rory and Amys domestic bliss as a
little too blissful (read: boring), a very realistic fear for a couple
just about to be married. But more importantly, everything that this
episode accomplishes is in the title; with the Doctor powerless, for
the first time ever, he truly puts the most important choice into a
companions hands. He lets Amy decide how they go out even though that
decision could kill them, and acknowledges that the choice should be
hers after what shes suffered. Its a real growing up moment for the
both of them, and one of the aspects to their relationship that made
Amy a very special companion.
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
The God Complex
A perfect example of misunderstood alien life being made out as the
baddie, one of the best sort of dilemmas Who provides. Its
particularly satisfying when the Doctor himself misreads a situation,
proving that 1000+ years of travel in time and space should never give
you right to presume anything. While the plot takes place in a
hotel-looking space, it is effectively a several people stuck in a
room sort of plot, and the extra characters the tale provides are all
incredibly interesting in their own right, which is essential in those
stories. But most importantly, the episode still manages to move
forward Amys emotional arc, examining her attachment to the Doctor,
and just how deeply it has damaged her. (One of the more fascinating
aspects of Amys tenure as a companion is how her connection to the
Doctor may have actually done her more harm than good, which is rare
for the people who fill those running shoes.) The Doctors decision to
ask her to let go of him is one of Elevens more heroic moments.
Ryan:
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
The Lodger & Closing Time
My close friends and readers of Tor.com know Im something of a fickle
Doctor Who fan. I either find myself being a total apologist for the
show, or more recently, a hipster hater. (Which at least comes with the
privilege of $1 IPAs at Mission Dolores before their weekly
shuffleboard tournament.)
I do miss David Tennant and it has taken me probably longer than it
should to warm to Matt Smith. Smith may be a better comic actor than
Tennant, though, and I love funny! To that point, some of my favorite
Doctor Who episodes have always been the funniest, which is why I
absolutely love both episodes with James Cordens Craig: The Lodger,
and Closing Time.
Written by Gareth Roberts, The Lodger originally saw life as a short
comic strip, which featured Mickey Smith and the Tenth Doctor.
(Famously, Moffats Blink also began life as a comic adventure
featuring a different Doctor than the aired version.) Both of these
episodes operate on a low-stakes maybe there are aliens in your
neighborhood principle, which helps humanize and undercut some of the
more preposterous Doctor Who baggage. The big epic Doctor Who episodes
can be fun, but juxtaposing a centuries-old badass like the Doctor into
a boring domestic situation is automatically comic gold. Whether hes
just impolitely dominating everyone at football or working (somewhat
incompentently) at the mall, the idea that a seemingly weird (but
human-looking) guy is actually there to save the entire planet from
your living room or local dressing room is awesome.
Further, I dont mind Amy and Rory at all, but I sort of love Craig and
Sophie (Daisy Haggard) more. Theres real pain when he just takes off
at the end of Closing Time, leaving Craigs place for the big stakes
stuff. You really get the sense Craig is an actual person, a real
character with a life on Earth whos life was changed for the better by
the Doctor. This doesnt mean the Doctor isnt SUPER annoying when he
shows up, sending Craig on super inconvenient adventures. But the image
of a pudgy guy with a baby strapped to his chest running to help save
the universe is awesome. And thats what good Doctor Who is all about:
regular people getting empowered to do battle with monsters, aliens,
and stuff that goes bump in the night.
Chris:
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
A Christmas Carol and The Snowmen
Its downright criminal how good these episodes are. Steven Moffat is
often at his best when hes not feeling compelled to write towards a
larger story arc and these two Christmas episodes, especially A
Christmas Carol, come off as stories that the writer felt a personal
desire to tell. That care comes through in the weight that he gives to
the characters in these episodes.
Former showrunner Russell T. Davies also did his best work under the
same kind of focus (For example, Turn Left is a total mess of a plot,
but it comes off brilliantly because of the care RTD took with Donnas
story.) but Steven Moffat is possibly the most clever plotter the show
has ever had, and when he really cares about a story hes able to merge
the horrifying, the daffy, and the dramatic into a single story that is
greater than the sum of its parts. When that happens, its utter magic.
This is how good Doctor Who can be. This is how good it should be. This
is how good ALL television should be. When the show achieves this kind
of transcendence, like it does in A Christmas Carol and The
Snowmen, its difficult to watch it come down from that.
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
Hide
I got the same feeling from Hide and although the episodes following
it have been entertaining, none have quite reached the zenith that this
one did.
I also adore it for being an episode thats simply impossible to
explain, much like the show itself. You just have to watch it, which
makes it an experience.
Sarah:
Best Doctor Who episodes Eleventh Doctor
Vincent and the Doctor
This one seems to divide the fanbase more than I would expect. Sure,
its a little overly sentimental and a bit predictable and the Krafayis
doesnt make much sense, but I couldnt care less. This episode is all
about the FEELS, and that is perfectly okay. Functionally, it serves as
a bit of a break in the immediate aftermath of Cold Blood, and gives
the Doctor a much needed chance to work through his guilt over not
saving Roryclearly dragging Amy all over the galaxy on a whirlwind
tour of vacation spots isnt doing the trick. So when the Doctor tells
Amy that they cant save everyone, the lesson is for his own benefit as
much as hers. This episode also gets major props because van Goghs
madness isnt played for laughs. Its instead very real and terrifying
when he suddenly orders the Doctor to leave, and just as heartwrending
when he later breaks down at the museum. And that bit where he explains
the colors of the sky? Im tearing up just thinking about it.
We could go on! The Girl Who Waited was definitely on this list, but
we ran out of room. The Day of the Doctor is also one of our
favorites, but isnt really an Eleventh Doctor affair. What are your
favorite Eleventh Doctor stories?
__________________________________________________________________
Emily Asher-Perrin once popped out of a wedding cake but cant remember
how she got in there in the first place. You can bug her on Twitter and
read more of her work here and elsewhere.
Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Tor.com and solely responsible
for the slow degradation of Doctor Who. (Sorry, guys.)
Chris Lough is the Production Manager at Tor.com and remembers every
black day he ever stopped you, Ryan.
Whenever Sarah Tolf sees Tony Curran pop up in other shows or movies,
she STILL wants to give Vincent all the hugs. Sigh.
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