Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi’s 9 Coolest Stand Alone Episodes

This episode was a slick take on the classic bank heist formula, and it's easy to imagine such a work getting riddled with cliches and naff nods to Hollywood films. In the case of Time Heist, however, this did not happen. The episode tells a very good story with some great pacing, and rocking twists.

The Doctor and Clara are partnered with some other misfits, and tasked with robbing the Bank of Karabraxos. They don't know 'what' or 'who' for, and they certainly don't know why. So ensues a strand of neatly woven shenanigans, which concludes in a nice self-contained loop. It's Doctor Who after all.

Overall, Time Heist exemplified how a long-running storytelling convention can be levelled-up by adding elements of sci fi. At this point time, the Capaldi saga was still pretty young, and episodes like this one proved that substance reigned supreme even in stand alone context. The opportunity to weave a good tale took precedence over creating a bit of mid-series filler, and it really showed.