5. Into The Dalek (2014)
This is the Twelfth Doctor's first meeting with the Daleks and it really is a doozy. The Doctor initially has a scheme that he thinks will help humanity defeat the Daleks but ends up learning more about himself in the process than perhaps he wanted to know. Given the chance to explore the internal workings of a captured Dalek that exhibits signs of being a "good" Dalek, the Doctor eagerly submits to being miniaturized and placed inside it. The production design real shines during these scenes, giving us a convincing display of the inner guts of the creature which the Doctor calls "the most dangerous place in the universe." He's probably not wrong, either. What's more, fans see the first glimmer of the Twelfth Doctor's ruthless nature when he tries to tag the soldier surrounded by protective Dalek antibodies in order to trace where the Dalek takes its nutrients to. Coldly, he explains that the man was already dead and he was merely trying to save the others. Not a move one can imagine Matt Smith's goofy Doctor making, for sure. Later, when he tries to restore the Dalek's sense of beauty with a mind-link to his own consciousness, the Dalek sees the Doctor's vast hatred for its species, cultivated over centuries of vicious battle, and declares that the Doctor would make a "good Dalek" too. Ouch. This is absolutely the last thing the Doctor wanted to hear and he is forced to further grapple with the question of whether he is a good person. Clara keenly summarises this whole question by suggesting he always tries to do the right thing, which is what is truly important. An acting showcase for Capaldi and a unique way to make a very old foe seem brand new again. Bravo.