When "Doctor Who" returned to television in 2005, it immediately formed a zealous fan community, as well as a plethora of debates. Which doctor was the best? Which writer was best suited for the job? Which season had the strongest line up of episodes? While I wouldn’t dare weigh in on those first two, that last inquiry seems easier to tackle. Here are, in one fan’s opinion, the seasons of “New Who” ranked from worst to first.
Warning: very mild spoilers.
9. Season 6
You don’t like this one. I know you’ve been telling people you do, but you don’t. It’s okay. Stacked with season-long plot which doesn’t make sense when you actually think about it, milquetoast rehashes of better episodes from the Russel T. Davies years, and jumbled concept episodes which only make a modicum of sense if you are high off your ass on peyote, this was the low point of the show. What’s most frustrating, however, is how damned joyless it feels. Doctor Who is and always has been a glimmer of joy and hope in a dark, unimaginative world. This feels like Post 9/11 America’s obsession with “gritty realism” foisted onto a once enjoyable character and world. Thankfully, it’s all uphill from here.
8. Season 7
While not perfect by any stretch, Season 7 ditched the disastrous through-line narrative for something Doctor Who always did well- one off concept episodes. Some of these are forgettable. Some of them are bad. But there are a lot of good ones as well, like “The Angels Take Manhattan” and “The Day of the Doctor.” Worth your time, overall, but the show also went on to do better.
7. Season 1
So this is where I start to piss people off. But, in my defense, everything from here on out is of such good quality that at least one or two good seasons were going to get stuck near the bottom. Season one reintroduced us all to the lovable, grumpy, and occasionally sweet Doctor, played in his ninth incarnation by Christopher Eccleston. It’s good, sure, but it takes a little while for it to find it’s footing in the early episodes, and the through-narrative is a bit of a stretch. That said, still damned good television and worth your time.
6. Season 5
Probably Smith’s best season, series five played out like a thirteen-episode fairytale, where bedtime stories and logic worked together towards a better and brighter future. Matt Smith brought a childish wonder to the character which hadn’t been seen since Baker back in the 1980’s (and never appeared again after this season, unfortunately) and introduced us to the lovable couple, Amy and Rory. My only complaint (and to be fair, it’s a big one) is that the ending is incredibly silly. The first half of the two-part finale “Pandorica Opens” set a dark and ominous tone with apocalyptic, season-long implications, which the second episode, “Big Bang,” undid with a series of deus ex machina explanations and inexplicable twists and decisions which warmed our hearts until we took a step back and thought about them. Still, not enough to undo the rest of the season’s great work.
5. Season 8
This was a real treat to watch. Peter Capaldi as the doctor was an excellent decision, and pretty much every episode brought that perfect mix of levity and tragedy the show has always been about. The lack of a sappy romantic plot between the doctor and his companion also felt like a step forward. And while it’s ecstasy to watch or rewatch, these other entries are just a hair better.
4. Season 3
This series gets a bit more hate than it deserves, one because a lot of people didn’t like the companion, Martha, and two, because the ending relies on “The Power of Hope” which is only slightly better than the power of love. But here me out, here. It contains several of the show’s strongest episodes, “Blink,” “Human Nature,” and “Family of Blood,” and has A+ concept episodes in the form of “Gridlock,” The Shakespeare Code,” “Lazarus,” “Smith and Jones,” and “42.” The ending is the darkest the show ever got, featuring an ultimately tragic character in the form of "The Master," a paranoid dystopia, a commentary of fascist pedagogues, and an ending which tied everything together in a way only Doctor who could. So what if it used the power of hope to do so? Isn’t this a show about hoping even when there’s nothing left to hope for? Another rare example of a who-through narrative working well, this series shows David Tenant and Russel T. Davies at the height of their creative powers.
3. Season 9
When a season opens with your main character riding into a Viking coliseum on the canon of a tan, playing “Tie Your Mother Down” by Queen on the electric guitar, you know it’s going to be awesome. And you are absolutely right. Featuring a series made up entirely of two-part episodes, something the head writer Stephen Moffat always had a knack for, the writing in this season was nearly copacetic. A perfect mix of Fairy-tale and space opera that culminated in an understated, poignant finish. And yes, I cried a single manly tear upon watching that. We all did. It’s ok.
2. Season 4
This season didn’t have a through story, per se, as much as the creeping knowledge that, by the end, the doctor would be dead. The writers, knowing this, dangled it over our heads by putting the tenth doctor in more danger than ever, pitting him against an army of Daleks, slavery, a fake doctor, and a billion other dreadful things. Featuring one of the show’s best two-parters, and one of its most beloved companions, there’s hardly a misstep here (unless you count the doctor who movie, “planet of the dead” which was definitely a misstep.) The last scene, in which the doctor looks at all the loved ones he’s leaving behind, is enough in itself to push this one to the top. Only one season managed to top this one…
1. Season 2
Who’s second season proved, ultimately to be its best. Everything it did it did well, from the Christmas special to the tragic last scene. A beautiful elegy for a character, a time, and a friendship, with stellar character and concept-work in between.
