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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