30. Kinda (Fifth Doctor)
The fifth Doctor got off to a rough start. Castrovalva was somewhat of a disappointment, and Four To Doomsday ranks among the
worst episodes ever. But then came Kinda, a four-part story that is so absolutely insane it works. When the TARDIS lands on Deva Loka, it seems to be a paradise., and completely unspoiled by the native people, known as The Kinda. There's a small contingent of scientists there studying the planet, but they keep themselves in a perimeter so as not to damage the ecosystem at all. Until their leader begins going slowly insane, and paranoid of the trees. He kidnaps the Doctor and company, and sets out to destroy the entire forest. Meanwhile, one of the companions is being antagonized by a mysterious creature known as the Mara. There are so many plot lines going on I can't keep track of them all, let alone explain them. But they work beautifully together.
29. Vincent And The Doctor (Eleventh Doctor)
As far as the historical episodes of Dr. Who go, you can't get much better than this one. When taking Amy Pond to see an exhibit featuring the work of Vincent Van Gogh, they spy something strange in a window on one of his paintings. Curious, the travel back to meet the man himself. Rather than meeting a brilliant artist, they find a man ravaged by mental illness, hated and sometimes even feared by his neighbors. Although the plot is supposed to be about finding the strange monster in the painting, it becomes an exploration and celebration of Van Gogh and his work. And if you don't hold high regard for Van Gogh as an artist, watch the scene pictured above where he explains to the Doctor and Amy about how most see the stars, but he sees them turn into this....
