Doctor Who: Every Penultimate Cliffhanger Episode Ranked From Worst To Best
6. The Sound Of Drums
Doctor Who's third season saw the drama taken to new heights as the Time Lord protagonist went head to head with his antagonist counterpart, The Master. The Doctor and The Master have always had a complex personal relationship. And the Season 3 finale saw The Master emotionally tormenting the Doctor twice-fold: Firstly by transforming him into a physically hindered old man, and secondly by coldheartedly ravaging the population of Earth.
There was a nice level of tension brought into this episode. The finale, Last of the Time Lords, turned out to be a brooding and emotional affair which needed a decent build up, and The Sound of the Drums really delivered. But as with much of the less-decent finales, the invasion of Earth was an angle already wearing thin, even at Doctor Who's third season.
However, John Simm's smiley and nasty revival of the classic Master character was irresistible. And with Tennant's Doctor placed in a new found state of vulnerability, there was a lot hinging on the cliffhanger to guarantee viewers would come back for the vastly superior finale.