Top 10 NuWho Episodes

Man, it's been too long since I did one of these.

As I've mentioned a few times recently, Doctor Who is coming back from a long, LONG absence tonight. And to commemorate this wonderful event, I present my...

Top 10 Favorite Doctor Who Episodes

And before anyone jumps on me, these are my favorites since the show came back in 2005. I haven't seen enough Classic Who to pass judgement. Now, without further ado...

10. Victory of the Daleks

Okay, I got to put one Dalek episode on here. I love the Daleks and this is my favorite Dalek episode. Yeah, I know most people don't like this one and even more hate the new color-coded Daleks but I don't care. It's got everything. Space dogfights, the Dalek's supervillain plot, WW2 setting, great Winston Churchill cameo, the Doctor beating a Dalek with a giant wrench and Amy doing what a companion does, being the Doctor's conscience. And that title is literal, this is the one time the Daleks actually win so I've got to give it to them. I have that Dalek propaganda poster on my wall and I proudly salute it every day.

9. The Shakespeare Code

Call me an elitist, but I'm a big Shakespeare fan. Even dick jokes sound classier when he writes them. So it's no surprise I like this episode. The Doctor hanging out with Shakespeare? How can you not like that? But aside from the cool factor and historical in-jokes, this episode has two other things going for it. One is the baddies this episode, the Carrionites. They're alien witches and the idea of the rational science-minded Doctor going up against more fantastical villains is interesting and makes for great conflict. And I like how their magic focuses more on words, names and rituals than the more obvious magic zappy bolts. The other thing this episode has going for it is Martha Jones. Martha was the Doctor's second companion of the new series and this was her second adventure so she was still a tad green. But she really holds her own here, striking up a great rapport with the Doctor and Shakespeare. This was where Martha proved she belonged on the Tardis. At least in my opinion.

8. The God Complex

Though it's supposed to be a family show, Doctor Who can get creepy as hell when it wants. And they don't get much creepier than this episode from last season. The Doctor, Amy and Rory end up trapped in a labyrinthine hotel a'la The Shining and learn from its "guests" that the hotel is haunted by a minotaur who will eventually find them and eat their souls. And there's a room in the hotel for everyone, holding the thing they fear most. That premise gives us tons of creepy visuals and unsettling sounds plus psychological horror as the guests slowly go mad and sacrifice themselves to the minotaur. It's a scary little episode that reminds us that even the Doctor gets frightened.

PRAISE HIM

7 & 6: Human Nature/The Family of Blood

TWO-PARTER!!! Okay, here's the premise for this one. The Doctor and Martha are being hunted down by a family of evil aliens for the Doctor's Time Lord powers. So the Doctor erases his memory and turns himself human to escape them. He's hiding out in pre-WW1 England being a schoolteacher until said evil aliens find him. Guess what happens from there. This two-parter is great. David Tennant gives one of his best performances on the show, making the Doctor and the human non-Doctor John Smith two distinct characters who actually end at odds. He really brings out the best of the material, giving us new insight into how others see the Doctor and why the Doctor is how he is and what he can't be. Also, the villains are some of the most frightening in the new series and good villains can bolster already great episodes even higher.

5. Turn Left

Donna Noble is my favorite companion from the new series. David Tennant and Catherine Tate had a great comedic chemistry that always made their character's clashes fun and Donna was the first companion of the new series not fall in love with the Doctor, which was getting old. She was snarky, compassionate and wouldn't take shit from crazy aliens, even the Doctor. So you're probably wondering why I like this episode where her life (and everybody else's) goes tit up so much? Well what can I say, it's just a well-done dark What if? story. Harkening back to the classic X-Men story Days of Future Past, it shows how horrible a world without the Doctor really would be. How all the insane potentially cataclysmic events the Doctor would usually prevent with a smile and a flick of his sonic screwdriver could turn the world into a cesspit of depression spiraling into death. And how sad and unfulfilled Donna's life would have been if she hadn't met the Doctor, making it some grim foreshadowing for her tragic end at the end of season four. I wouldn't want really dark episodes like this one all the time, but the occasional dollop of darkness is a nice pallete-cleanser on a show as light-hearted as Doctor Who.

4. School Reunion

Without question, the best thing about this episode is Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. Sarah Jane was the Doctor's companion back in the 70's and it was a stroke of genius bringing her back for the new show. Her coming back into the Doctor's life leads to great interplay between him, her and the Doctor's new companions Rose and Mickey. Besides the entertaining banter this episode bridges the gap to the classic show, giving a sense of history and promise for the future. Which is good because even with a wonderful villain turn by Anthony Stewart Head, the villain plot is kind of silly.

3. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

Christopher Eccleston is underrated as a Doctor in my opinion. Mostly because he had the misfortune of being followed by David Tennant who turned out to be wildly popular. But I still like him and I think this is his best story. Written by current Who showrunner Steven Moffat, this story finds the Doctor and Rose chasing an alien ship back to WW2 London during the Blitz. There they encounter the creepy as hell monster known as the Empty Child, who can turn others like a plague. This was Moffat's first story for Doctor Who and it shows, mixing moments of hilarity and horror. Especially the Empty Child which makes the words "are you my mummy?" pants-wettingly frightening. It's also the story that introduced fan-favorite supporting character, the pansexual Captain Jack Harkness played by saucy bastard John Barrowman, who proved so popular he later got a spinoff. If being funny, scary, and introducing a great character weren't enough, it also has my favorite ending of any Doctor Who episode. It's so good, I won't spoil it here.

1. The Doctor's Wife

Obvious pick, I know, but this episode is just that good. Heeding a call from another Time Lord, The Doctor takes the Tardis to an asteroid outside the universe. But things are not as they appear and Amy, Rory and the Tardis! are kidnapped by the malevolent alien known only as House. This story by Neil Gaiman is phenomenal. Like everything he writes, it somehow manages to be heartwarming and terrifying at the same time. And it highlights a relationship that's implicit in the show but has never really been addressed before. The relationship between the Doctor and the Tardis. The Tardis is his constant companion and the only one to stick with him through every incarnation. So how does Gaiman show this? The obvious way, he gives the Tardis a literal voice. And props to Matt Smith and Suranne Jones as the Tardis. They play off each other brilliantly and really do seem like an old married couple the Doctor and the Tardis would probably be. But I think the end just sums it up beautifully. The Doctor, alone at night, in the Tardis console room. Just go watch it.

All right, those are my favorites. Share yours in the comments and stay tuned to this spot.