Doctor Who: Best Episode Of Every Series
5. Series 8: Mummy On The Orient Express
Honourable Mentions: Listen, Flatline, Dark Water
Peter Capaldi’s first series in the TARDIS isn’t that fondly remembered. That’s largely because of the plain awful Clara and Danny Pink subplot, which everyone pretty much hates. And that’s a shame because the series actually has a lot of noteworthy episodes that delve into some interesting genres.
The best example of this is Mummy On The Orient Express, winner of the award for Doctor Who’s best episode with the dumbest name. As the title might suggest, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara take a trip on a futuristic version of the famous train, where a Mummy is going around murdering random passengers and crew members.
Jamie Mathieson, who also wrote the excellent Flatline and Oxygen, intelligently pens the murder mystery, with the setting, countdown clock and villain Gus, making the episode unique and a standout among the rest.
The story also highlights the central conflict of Capaldi’s Doctor: Is he a good man? While his intentions are good, the methods the Doctor uses to solve the mystery are crude to say the least. For many, this was the first episode where Capaldi’s Doctor really started to come alive.
The episode massively benefits from a lack of Clara and Danny, with more of a focus on Twelve and his moral ambiguity. There’s also a delightful cameo from Frank Skinner, whose character Perkins would have made a fine companion had he stuck around.
While the ending feels a tad rushed, this is still another excellent episode and one that could definitely be used to introduce newcomers to the show.