A while back I wrote an article about the
ten worst episodes of Nu Who. I stand by all the criticisms I brought up in that article, but I decided that I'd also like to balance it out, karmically speaking. Why focus on the negative all the time? (Answer: Because when I joined the Doctor Who fandom, the contract I signed in blood specifically stated that I must complain as loudly and vehemently as possible. It is our way. Don't get me started on who's going to play the Twelfth Doctor. It could be my favorite actor in the world and I'd still hate him.) Anyway, I thought it would be nice to write about the things I enjoy rather than the things I hate. What a novel concept. So without further ado, here are the ten episodes I'd like to celebrate as being the very best that Nu Who has to offer.
10. The Waters Of Mars
Hands down, the most frightening episode of Doctor Who. Ever. The images of the people infected on Mars will haunt me in my sleep forever. I can't imagine what it would have been like to see this as a child, I think I would be perma-hiding behind a blanket. Which is, for Doctor Who, possibly the highest form of praise. If they're not hiding behind the couch, you're doing it wrong. It's a genuinely frightening story, to be sure, but it also deals with some deeper themes. We always hear the Doctor talk about why he can't change fixed points in time, why it's so important to respect the flow of time and not alter things even if he really really wants to. But this is the episode where we see why. The Doctor gets cocky and actually a bit unlikable, which is not unheard of but definitely a risky move that could potentially alienate viewers. He decides that after all the things he's done, why shouldn't he be able to muck about and do whatever he likes? To essentially be a God? " Whoa there, cowboy. Slow down," the universe says, and brutally slaps down whatever scheme the Doctor was trying to pull off. With the suicide of a major character, by the way, which is not something that happens on Doctor Who every day. It's a dark, intense story which paves the way for the Tenth Doctor's downfall. Great television.