Doctor Who: Every Penultimate Cliffhanger Episode Ranked From Worst To Best
5. The Pandorica Opens
Season 5 was Matt Smith's debut as The Doctor, and Steven Moffat's debut as head writer. Some of the rules had changed, and Doctor Who was going in a new and exciting direction. Their first season finale showed how good the new Doctor Who gloss was, and how Moffat was often a whole different story merchant to Russel T Davies.
The riddle of the Pandorica had been added during the first act of the fifth series. Inside was said to be a being of untold danger and destruction. Audiences and Doctor alike were clueless as to what that actually was.
The unveiling of an empty chair, a prison for The Doctor himself, showed just how sneaky Moffat's storytelling really was. With the mass sprawl of villainy uniting to imprison the Doctor and supposedly save the universe, audiences were well and truly duped and grateful for it.
It also raised the bar for Matt Smith's performance of the 11th Doctor. Though decidedly more enigmatic, the 11th retained the 10th's humanity, and was unafraid to show his vulnerable and emotional side when the occasion warranted it.