Doctor Who: Ranking New Who Finales From Worst To Best

Without a doubt, this is Steven Moffat's best finale. It holds so many iconic sequences, outstanding direction, and an abundance of heart-warming character moments. In many ways, The Name of the Doctor acted as the true celebration of 50 years of Doctor Who, through its clever usage of archive footage (amongst other clever trickery) to blend the past with the now.

Sure, there are some minor iterations, such as The Doctor being lured to Trenzalore because the Paternoster Gang had been captured (it should've been Classic companions, such as Susan, Jamie, and Jo). Then there's the issue with Clara's over importance to the entirety of Doctor Who, but it can be overlooked somewhat due to how well it's orchestrated within the narrative.

One of the greatest aspects of this finale is its emotional depth, particularly when it came to Matt Smith and Alex Kingston's performances. The Eleventh Doctor is clearly in a dark place, and you feel his sadness when he lets out a tear (that always gets me), and then his depression at seeing the bitter legacy he'll inevitably leave behind on Trenzalore.

Then, of course, there's the beautiful scene where he's forced to confront his fears, and finally say goodbye to his dear wife (despite how painful it is for him to accept that she's gone). Finally, Richard E. Grant is absolutely perfect as the Great Intelligence, generating a menacing, and challenging performance that elevates the episode to eleven. Also, seeing John Hurt standing there at the end was utterly breath-taking.