Doctor Who: 20 Best Nu-Who Episodes

14. Listen

Listen is Stephen Moffat returning to what he does best: taking basic, universal childhood fears and amplifying them. He takes really abstract concepts, like the idea of being jumpy when you're alone, and creates a tangible threat out of them. The premise is this: what if you're never really alone? What if every time you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up, or you feel like someone's watching you, it's because there's actually something there, hidden in the dark? We like all the spooky moments, like the nightmarish figure hiding under the bedspread, but what we like even better are the new insights we're getting into the Doctor's past. Seeing the scene with the young Doctor and Clara was wonderful -- it gave us just enough information to be meaningful, but not so much that if feels like the episode is trying to rewrite canon.
Contributor
Contributor

Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.