We interrupt our ongoing series of REVIEW OVERVIEW posts to do something a little special to commemorate Doctor Who's latest anniversary....
ELEVENTH MONTH JOYS
November is a pretty special month for me. For two reasons, at least. November Third is my birthday. And November Twenty-Third is, of course, Doctor Who's anniversary.
I'm always looking for new fun ways to celebrate both occasions. Although, if I'm being truthful, I actually think the anniversary means a little more to me! This, my friends, is what true hardcore fandom is about. The birthday of the show you love has greater sentimental value to you than the date of your own birth!
One of the interesting things I will do during the quieter moments of my birthday is to put on a Doctor Who story or two that I really enjoy. Quite often, it's either The Five Doctors or Day of the Doctor. Or both. I just like to watch an anniversary special on my special day. In a goofy sort of way, it makes me feel like Doctor Who and I are celebrating our birthdays together.
This year, I got a silly sort of idea. Between my birthday and Who's anniversary are twenty days. Over that period, why not watch one story from each Doctor's era that I really like? That could be a fun way to commemorate both occasions at once. I'm giving myself a birthday gift of watching some of my all-time faves. And, at the same time, paying tribute to the greatest TV show the world has ever made. It's a nice compromise.
So this entry will list the stories I watched. And, of course, each story will receive a bit of an explanation as to why it made it on to the list.
So, here we go:
FUGITIVE DOCTOR: FUGITIVE OF THE JUDOON
No doubt, there are those of you who will think I shouldn't be including her in this. Some will even be upset that I positioned her where she is. In your eyes, Hartnell is still the first and she's a "Season 6b Doctor". But, regardless of how you feel, I adore her. I genuinely pray we see her again someday. Which means, of course, I'm going to watch her in a story during my anniversary run.
She is the first of our "Slim Pickins' Doctors". Not really a whole lot to choose from, here. One proper episode that features her and then a bunch of cameos (it could be argued that you're still watching her for quite a bit in Once, Upon Time since Jodie is impersonating her. But, really, it's just a cameo!). So I'm left with no choice but to put on Fugitive of the Judoon.
Which is fine. It's a damned solid story. The gigantic "digging up the TARDIS plot twist" is still great to watch every time. Even though we've been given a lot of the answers to the great mystery it poses. Jo Martin also does an awesome job as the Doctor once she breaks the glass. I'm a bit offended that some fans say she's better than Jodie. I don't think that's the case. But she's certainly still very good.
The actual stuff involving the Judoon is a great time, too. Captain Jack is back. I really enjoyed that. John Barrowman always delivers. Just don't look at any text messages he sends you!
FIRST DOCTOR: THE AZTECS
In many ways, there can be no other story. To me, The Aztecs really stands out from the rest of the First Doctor Era.
It's not that this period of the show is full of bad stories. But many of them do get very "clunky", in places. The whole narrative just starts feeling a bit awkward here and there. Like it's not particularly sure where it's going. Which is to be expected in these Early Days. And the fact that television, itself, is still in an infant stage means there will be even more of this than, say, when the show was revived in 2005 and was trying to find its feet again.
But that's the beauty of The Aztecs. It has a gorgeous poetic flow with lots of fun plot twists and a largely "unclunky" vibe to it. Some of the fight sequences look viciously under-rehearsed and things can feel just a little bit slow here and there. But, otherwise, this story is absolutely gorgeous. I treasure it.
It was also nice to see the Doctor having an ever-so-brief love life during the Classic Series!
SECOND DOCTOR: THE WEB OF FEAR
A less obvious choice. TV is still quite primitive during this period. But Doctor Who has, by this point, found its feet. It's making a lot more really outstanding stories that suit this list. Tales like Tomb of the Cybermen or The Mind Robber. Even The War Games - as long-winded as it is - makes for a pretty damned good watch.
But Web of Fear has an atmosphere that other Second Doctor Classics don't quite match. Not only is it a great adventure, but it's dark and gloomy and very claustrophobic. And there's an absolutely gorgeous sense of despair to it. For a while, it really does look like there's no way to defeat the Great Intelligence. Only in the last two episodes do we start getting a sense that the Doctor may have found a solution to it all.
Web of Fear also has a great ending. The Doctor was about to win but then Jamie accidentally snatches the victory away from him. It's not how a plot is usually concluded on the show. Which makes for a welcome change.
The revelation of who the Intelligence's secret ally has been all along is also magnificently done. Some great red herrings all over the place!
THIRD DOCTOR: INFERNO
This would be another really obvious choice for me. I'm not a big fan of most of the Jon Pertwee Era. Season Seven, for the most part, is absolutely brilliant. After that, we get some fairly formula-driven stuff for the next four years. Something that really stands out in a show that, most of the time, is trying to re-invent itself on a regular basis.
There's a lot of stories from this period that don't particularly thrill me. And there's a few that I consider genuinely bad. Even though Fan Nostalgia feels differently about my sentiments on these tales. It baffles me, for instance, that anyone could like The Green Death all-that-much. Aside from a very touching ending, there's really not much to it.
Inferno, for me, towers above so much else from this time. The only content that comes close to matching its quality would be the other three stories in Season Seven!
Everything about this yarn is just so damned gripping. Which is especially impressive since it goes on for quite a few episodes. I will admit: there's the slightest sag to Part Six. But, otherwise, this really is a magnificent story. It's one of the few occasions that the show messes around in a proper parallel universe. It does so amazingly well.
And, of course, there's the "Free will is not an illusion, after all." moment. It's a beautiful message full of hope that I didn't see coming. It still gives me a smile every time I watch it!
FOURTH DOCTOR: THE INVASION OF TIME
I'll be the first to admit it: This is a very odd choice. I ended up making a few of these throughout the course of this list.
There are plenty of stories from the Tom Baker Era that are much better than Invasion of Time. There are even some fans that will tell you that this is a completely awful adventure. Clearly, I'm not one of them.
The Invasion of Time is just a lot of fun. Something I was in the mood for the day I decided to put on some Fourth Doctor stuff. To me, it rides the cusp of Tom Baker Taking the Comedy Too Far - but never truly crosses the line. Baker ends up oozing with charm because of this. The scene of him speaking Latin to an imaginary Borusa is a prime example of this. Thanks to Tom's personality, what could have been an extraordinarily mundane sequence becomes quite magical.
It's also one of those stories that adds a lot to the Lore of the show. It expands upon a bunch of ideas put forward in Deadly Assassin and gives us a better idea of what the Doctor's people are like. It's also just damned exciting to see the Doctor back on Gallifrey.
This also has one of the most kick-ass cliffhangers in the whole history of the show. I absolutely love how this becomes a Sontaran story from Episode Five, onwards.
I would not even call Invasion of Time a Classic. But, for me, it's a damned enjoyable watch that totally suits my mood every once in a while when I want to see Tom Baker being amusing but not totally taking the piss out of the show he's starring in.
FIFTH DOCTOR: ENLIGHTENMENT
Another tricky choice. There are some really outstanding stories featuring the Fifth Doctor. Kinda and Earthshock are the two most obvious ones. There's a lot of love for Caves of Androzani too, of course (although I don't enjoy it as much as most fans do). I, however, decided to favor an underdog.
Enlightenment is a viciously under-rated story. The idea of sailboats floating through space is brilliant. The Eternals are an awesome concept. The whole conclusion to the Guardians Trilogy was absolutely wonderful. "Enlightenment wasn't the gem. Enlightenment was the choice" is such a stupendously great line.
There is just so much to love, here. But this story does tend to get overshadowed by some other jewels in Peter Davison's crown. It also takes place in a season fans aren't particularly happy with. Which I think causes it to be noticed less.
Whatever the case, Enlightenment belongs in the same category as the other Classics during this period. Like the Fourth Doctor story I just spoke about, it also contains an excellent cliffhanger. The image of those sailboats soaring through the void at the end of Part One was gorgeous. Even if it did look a little low-budget!
SIXTH DOCTOR: MINDWARP
Admittedly, another odd choice. The thing about Colin Baker, though, is that I adore his Doctor to death. Any story he's in is a treat. I'd even be okay with watching Twin Dilemma or Timelash!
What makes Mindwarp so delightful is its absolute weirdness. If it fits into any kind of genre, it would probably be "medical drama". Which is not something you'd ever expect to find in Doctor Who. And yet, there it is. Full of all sorts medical jargon and heavy tension in operating rooms. It's all quite bizarre and wonderful at the same time!
Both Crozier and King Ycranos are great fun to watch. They chew up the scenery around them wonderfully but never actually ham it up too much. Which is especially impressive on Brian Blessed's behalf. His character was already written to be OTT before he even performs the part.
Mindwarp also seems to use the trial framework better than any of the other stories this season. What happens in the adventure on the Matrix really does affect the course of the courtroom debate. In general, a lot of great drama unfolds between Doctor, Valeyard and Inquisitor. All three of them are very well-served in this script as they banter back and forth.
SEVENTH DOCTOR: THE CURSE OF FENRIC
Easily, one of the most difficult periods to choose from. Seasons Twenty-Five and Twenty-Six are chocked full of absolute Classics. There's even some stuff in the much-maligned Season Twenty-Four that I rather like. I'm a big fan of Paradise Towers, for instance. I don't even consider it a Guilty Pleasure. It's genuinely good!
The big temptation, of course, was to just do Remembrance of the Daleks. It is one of the greatest Doctor Who Stories Ever. But I like picking stories that do a really good job of showcasing the incarnation of the Doctor that I'm specifically viewing. Seven is really at his strongest during his final season. And there is no better version of him than the one we get in Curse of Fenric.
His Cosmic Chess Player personae is at its absolute peak, here. The amount of manipulation and genuine deceit that he uses to take down Fenric is the greatest act of machiavellianism the Doctor has ever displayed. I love that he's been aware of his foe's machinations since Dragonfire and has just been waiting for the proper moment to flush him out and defeat him. And it's absolutely brutal to watch him destroy the faith Ace had in him in order to save the world.
Speaking of Ace, her character receives the best treatment a companion has ever gotten in a single story. Yes, some great stuff was done with Rose during Series One. But none of that would have happened if we hadn't gotten Ace, first. She showed us all that the companion can be just as interesting as the Doctor. If she's given good scripts. And no script serves Ace better than this one. I just wish something as simple as taking a swim could get me to heal from resenting my parents!
EIGHTH DOCTOR: NIGHT OF THE DOCTOR
McGann begins a solid streak of "slim-pickins' Doctors". There's really not much to choose from, here. In fact, some would say I only have one choice: Doctor Who: The Movie. Which is a decent enough story.
But I can "cheat" just a little bit - so I will! Night of the Doctor, for all its brevity, is so beautifully intense. It finally gives us what we've wanted for ages: We get to see Eight "die". But it accomplishes a bunch of other really great things in the process. And it does it all in just under eight minutes. It's an absolute masterpiece.
WAR DOCTOR: DAY OF THE DOCTOR
There is so much else going on in Day of the Doctor that it's difficult to focus on the War Doctor. But this really is the only story that gives him any genuine attention. Which makes John Hurt's death all-the-more tragic. It would be so great to enjoy more of his incarnation. Imagine, for instance, how awesome it would have been to see him as one more Guardian of the Edge during Power of the Doctor.
Hurt has been given the same challenge as McGann. He's got one feature-length adventure to establish himself as his own unique incarnation of the Doctor. Like McGann, there are other Doctors involved that are stealing the spotlight for a bit. Hurt's got it worse, of course. He's dealing with two!
What I really like about the War Doctor in this story, though, is the arc he's been given. He's a man at the end of his tether about to make the most terrible of choices. He's so disappointed with himself that he cannot even call himself the Doctor, anymore. And yet, by the end of the tale, he's found a path to absolution. It was a great way to make him a bigger piece of the story. He's more than just one more incarnation bantering away with the other two. He's a character who's gone through some substantial growth. It makes perfect sense for him to surrender to regeneration in his final scene.
John Hurt has the acting chops to pull all of this off convincingly in so short a time. Which means that, although he only ever got one adventure, it's a very satisfying one.
NINTH DOCTOR: BAD WOLF/PARTING OF THE WAYS
Our third "Slim Pickins' Doctor" in a row. But, in this case, we're getting a whole season to work with..
And what a season it is! Series One still stands up beautifully after all these years. Quite possibly, the best season in all of New Who. All the episodes are very strong. Even the stuff with the Slitheen! It's the outstanding quality of these stories that solidified the future of the show and brought Doctor Who back to our screens in a pretty permanent way.
I decided that the season finale would be the best watch. It is an amazing (resisting the urge to use "fantastic" as an adjective) two-parter. Not all the season-long arcs finish very well in New Who. But this really does bring everything that was going on during this set of episodes to a gorgeous (still resisting) climax.
And I'm not just talking about all the major plot threads involving Daleks and the Fourth Great Bountiful Empire. There's the smaller stuff, too. Rose and Mickey find a sort of peace in their break-up. Jackie accepts that what the Doctor is doing in her daughter's life is actually a good thing. And, of course, the Doctor resolves his survivor's guilt. It's all woven together with magnificent deftness.
Okay, I'll say it. Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways is fantastic.
TENTH DOCTOR: MIDNIGHT
Midnight is one of those stories that makes you proud to be a Doctor Who fan. I can't think of any other show that would take an idea like: "Let's do a tribute to Franz Kafka on a futuristic train" and run with it.
I will admit: There was a temptation to view Blink instead of this episode. It is probably the best story from this era. But a "Doctor Lite" tale seemed a tad inappropriate. Even if I'm not all that particularly fond of this incarnation. I thought about Human Nature/Family of Blood, too. As I am also deeply fond of this adventure.
In the end, though, I went for this little masterpiece. Like Enlightenment, it doesn't tend to get the credit it deserves. It's a well-constructed psychological thriller. Watching the Doctor, for once, not be capable of commanding the people around him to fight the monster of the week is an almost surreal experience.
But it's probably the sheer boldness of Midnight that I love best. Doctor Who actually gives us more of a stage-play than of a regular episode. An extremely brave choice.
RTD took a major chance and it totally paid off.
ELEVENTH DOCTOR: THE DOCTOR'S WIFE
It's hard not to go for this one on a list like this. There are some great stories during this era, but there's something extra special about this episode. Just this once, the Doctor and the TARDIS get to speak to each other directly. There could've been no actual plot beyond this premise and I think most fans would have been okay with that. The fact that we do get more than that is a great treat. In fact, the Time Lord and his vessel being able to communicate is merely a side-effect from what's really going on in the plot. Which is really how a script of this nature should be constructed.
And what a script it is! Neil frickin' Gaiman! Who knew he was such a hardcore fan?! Even the title of the episode shows off his knowledge of an obscure inside joke from 80s Who.
It's entirely possible that he is, perhaps, too much of a fan. I do remember a friend of mine who wasn't into Who as much as I was complaining that it panders a bit too much to people like me. But then, if I'm being honest, this friend tended to bitch about everything! Personally, I think the whole thing is a very well-told story. Regardless of the fan-servicing.
It's difficult for me to be objective, of course. Maybe my grumpy friend is actually right. I just know that I love watching this one. Idris' final ghostly appearance where she says "Hello" to the Doctor is impossible to watch with a dry eye...
TWELFTH DOCTOR: OXYGEN
There are a few super-obvious choices, here. The best one being World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. But I have been known to occasionally "overwatch" a story. And that's what's been going on with these two episodes, of late. I needed a break from them. Then, of course, there's Heaven Sent. But it's part of a three-parter and the other two eps are okay but not as incredible.
There's a couple of single episode stories that I greatly adore. Flatline and Oxygen being the two that stand out the most. Both deal with very interesting premises and make some great social commentaries. They are also excellently-paced. They move at a pretty breakneck speed that barely gives us a chance to breathe (pun intended for the latter!). Both also have a fun little plot twist near the end that does a great job of resolving the whole conflict.
Ultimately, Oxygen won by a sort of mental coin toss. As I really do have great love for both these stories. Though I am not the raging anti-capitalist that this author is, they still drive home a great point about the ruthlessness that can happen in the quest to make a profit. I do love how the Doctor's able to use the Company's own greed against them.
Oh yeah, one more similarity between Oxygen and Flatline (besides only having one-word titles!). They're both really fun zombie stories!
THIRTEENTH DOCTOR: POWER OF THE DOCTOR
The super-obvious choice. I can't get enough of this story!
For me, Thirteen is a bit like Sixie. I can watch, pretty much, any episode and be quite fine with it (Legend of the Sea Devils is the only one that really lets me down). But Power of the Doctor is such a magnificent conclusion to her era. I couldn't resist putting it on when it came time to choose something from her period.
As many are now saying, it's the real Sixtieth Anniversary Special. It's got everything in it that these sort of adventures are meant to have. It's a loving tribute to all that is great about the show.
Classic recurring villains and multi-incarnation encounters aside, there's also a decently-strong plot going on. Nothing too complicated, But still great fun! It's a particularly great arc for the Master's character. Becoming the Doctor does represent a sort of ultimate victory for him.
This is also a great swansong story. All the Big Stuff going on in this adventure makes this incarnation's passing feel all-the-more grandiose. But there are some equally-touching moments. The serenity of Thirteen and Yaz eating ice cream together as they sit on the TARDIS is an excellent counterpoint to all the action and suspense in the tale.
Essentially, Power of the Doctor has so many beautiful layers to it. No incarnation of the Doctor has gone out on so big a bang!
FOURTEENTH DOCTOR: THE GIGGLE
And.... we're back to slim pickins'! The Fourteenth Doctor has only three stories to choose from. Starbeast is passable. Wild Blue Yonder is a pretty big yawnfest. But The Giggle comes very close to what we truly wanted from an Anniversary Special.
I would even say that, if those first two stories had, somehow, been compressed into a two-hour special with The Giggle occupying most of the last hour, then we would have had an excellent Sixtieth Anniversary Celebration. As is, if we ignore those other two episodes and focus solely on Giggle, then this is a great commemoration. .
Casting for the Toymaker was brilliant. Neil Patrick Harris, pretty much, steals the show. It does feel like everyone else is sprinting along to keep up with him. Which works great since that's also what's happening in the actual plot.
I quite liked the bi-generation. As usual, there's been division amongst fandom over such a big change in the Lore. But I do enjoy the whole idea that the Doctor's life is now divided. I don't know if they'll ever come back to the original Doctor and let us see what he's been up to. If they do, I hope he's regenerated into Tom Baker. It's not even because I love Tom's Doctor so much. I just want the continuity of the Curator's appearance at the end of the Fiftieth Anniversary Special to make full sense!
FIFTEENTH DOCTOR: BOOM
He's only got one season under his belt, so far. However, there's still quite a bit of good stuff to choose from, here. I'm not fond of Church on Ruby Road or Empire of Death. But everything in between is quite enjoyable.
There are, nonetheless, a couple of stand-outs. 73 Yards is probably my absolute favorite. But, like Blink during the Tenth Doctor era, watching a Doctor-lite episode for Ncuti's period would not really make sense. So we go for the one that's only ever-so-slightly less impressive.
We put on Boom.
There was this wonderful period of doubt going on during the first twenty minutes of this episode. It was trying to be Heaven Sent, again. The story is working under a very simple principle but still wants to be extremely engaging. Only this time, it felt like the trick might not work. That something so streamlined might not actually stay interesting.
But then all Hell starts breaking loose. The deceased soldier's daughter shows up, looking for Daddy. And then other Anglican officers arrive. Ruby gets shot. Ambulances start rolling in from everywhere. We realize the whole war is just one great deception so that Villengard can continue to profit. The whole plot just kind of goes crazy and it's massively fascinating to watch.
Suddenly, what started as a very basic premise becomes something extremely complex and heavily-layered. It's all quite amazing. Particularly the way the Dad AI saves the day.
Still not quite at Heaven Sent's caliber - but pretty damned close!
PLAYLIST COMPLETE
And ... there you go! The seventeen stories I watched on the twenty-day journey I took from my birthday to the Most Important Day of the Year. It was a fun time
Did I always pick the absolute best adventures from each Doctor? No. Sometimes I opted for the most fun. Or the tale that best-featured that particular incarnation. On some occasions, it was just a fairly random choice. But all of it was quite enjoyable.
So, here's my own little challenge back to you: Pick the stories you would watch from each Doctor during the anniversary and let me know in the Comments. Start watching them now. Or, wait until next year. Start on November Third and work your way to this day. It will feel like we're celebrating my birthday to the anniversary together!
Now that we've completed this little Exercise in Self-Indulgence, we'll get back to my series of REVIEW OVERVIEW essays.
Which is, of course, another exercise in self-indulgence!
