To everything there is a season (Turn, turn, turn) and the season of Matt Smith's Doctor Who run is coming to end. Smith's last Eleventh Doctor adventure will be this year's Christmas special and lead into Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth, or Thirteenth I'm not sure, incarnation of the Doctor. So to say goodbye to Ol' Chinny and celebrate the holidays, I'll be counting down my favorite 11th Doctor stories. And because it's Christmas I'll add on one more to my usual Top 10, making it 11 Episodes.
Also because, you know, the obvious. So without further ado,
The Top 11 Eleventh Doctor Episodes
11. Cold War
Yeah, I know it's an Alien rip-off. But it's a damn good one. The Doctor and Clara accidentally end up on a sinking Soviet submarine that has found a Martian Ice Warrior frozen in the Arctic seas. After the alien soldier thaws, it's up to our heroes to reason with him before he turns the Cold War hot. Bringing back monsters from the classic series is always a gamble for NuWho, but Matt Smith's run on the show had greater success with it. The Ice Warrior Skaldak is a good parallel to the Doctor, and it was nice to have an antagonist who was intelligent and reasonable but still operated from an alien viewpoint. The submarine setting gave the episode a great enclosed feeling that added to the drama and the supporting cast, especially David Warner as a New Wave-obssessed Russian scientist, all shine. But for me, this is the episode where Clara came into her own as a companion as opposed to just someone traveling with the Doctor. It was her that was ultimately able to convince Skaldak to not blow up the world after all.
10. Asylum of the Daleks
Every Doctor needs a good Dalek story and while Matt Smith went up against them a few times, this was the best. Trapped on a planet of insane killing machines, he pulls out all the stops to get through all the craziness. This episode featured the first appearance of Jenna Coleman's Clara and she makes quite the impression, flirting with the Doctor and matching him quip for quip. Also the pseudo-return of classic elements like Dalek Robomen and the Special Weapons Dalek was fun for long-time fans. Really the only stumble here is the Amy & Rory divorce silliness that goes nowhere. But it's all made up for with the ending, which was so clever and funny it had me laughing my ass off at the balls it took to do it.
9. The Wedding of River Song
The problem with season finales on Doctor Who, especially since Steven Moffat took over, is that they don't really have the feel of finales. They're very light with small casts. Not the case here. Series 6 built up the Death of the Doctor as the real deal, it was big. So this episode had the appropriate scope and the visuals to back it up. All of time happening at once, trains into the pyramids, the Silence's final attack. There were great visuals to go with the important character moments. Speaking of, this also has one of my favorite Eleventh Doctor moments. It's after the Doctor learns that his old friend the Brigadier has died and he realizes that he can't run from his destiny forever. It's a somber sobering moment and Matt Smith hits it perfectly, conveying the weight of time hitting the man untouched by it. Even if he is wearing a silly hat.
8 & 7: The Hungry Earth/ Cold Blood
You know what I said above about Matt Smith having better luck at reviving monsters from the classic series? Look no further. This two-parter does exactly what you should when bringing back an old concept for modern audiences. Updated the make-up, made them threatening and went back to what worked originally and re-contextualized it for the current time. I doubt we would have gotten Madame Vashtra if this hadn't worked. But aside from how well it brought back the Silurians, this is just a good story. The first part is more of a horror piece, building up the menace, and the second plays like a political thriller as the humans and Silurians try to work out a peace treaty while skullduggery goes on behind them. And the emotional gut punch with the time crack? Oof, that hurt.
6. The Eleventh Hour
Matt Smith had some big shoes to fill when he took over as the Eleventh Doctor. He'd have to make a damn good first impression if we were going to let David Tennant go. Thankfully that's just what he did, bursting out of the gate with manic energy and rapid-fire dialogue. It was pretty clear from this first adventure what kind of Doctor 11 would be. Putting aside how good Smith is here, it's a rollicking good adventure by itself. Going at a break-neck speed and showing that even without his tools or TARDIS, the Doctor can still save the world in a day. It was the perfect episode to assuage old fans and draw in new ones, like myself, for whom this was their first Doctor.
5. The Snowmen
The Christmas Special has become a Doctor Who tradition since its revival in '05 and, with a few exceptions, have ranged from all right to terrible. This is one of the exceptions. To understand why, you have to know that this adventure came at a turning point in the 11th Doctor's run. It was right after Amy and Rory had their tearful farewell and the Doctor fell into a depression. So this adventure was a means of bringing him out of his funk and giving him a new companion, Clara. And that's what makes it good; the great banter between Smith and Jenna Coleman, great supporting cast from the Doctor's Victorian pals the Paternoster Gang, and fun villain turns from Richard E Grant and Sir Ian McKellen. The thing I love most though is how Matt Smith plays the Doctor in this episode. He starts off very depressed, but after he meets Clara his fun adventurous side bubbles up and he tries to stamp it down because he thinks he should still be depressed. But of course it comes out because the Doctor can't help himself when it comes to pretty girls and adventures.
4. A Christmas Carol
And here's the other exception. A Christmas Carol is the best Doctor Who Christmas Special because it's both a great Christmas story and a great episode of the show in general. Amy and Rory's space cruise ship (they're on their honeymoon) is about to crash into a planet, so the Doctor must convince the man who controls the planet to clear the sky to let it land safely. Too bad he's such a Scrooge. And despite lifting from the classic Dickens story, this episode doesn't feel shackled to the framework. It gets creative with how it uses both the ghosts and Scrooge. So instead of feeling rote the story is more personal and makes great characters of its own, especially Michael Gambon's Sardick. And it shows the Doctor doing what he does best, not just saving planets but inspiring people to save themselves. Watch the episode and you'll know what I mean.
3. The Day of The Doctor *SPOILERS*
Yeah, there was no way the 50th Anniversary wasn't going to be on here. And thankfully it turned out to be a pretty damn good episode. The interactions between the three different Doctors are delightful, and all three actors bring the right amount of gravitas and humor to the role. The plot is complex, but breezy so you never lose track of what's going on and there's good work from the supporting cast. Jenna Coleman in particular is wonderful and her scenes with John Hurt's War Doctor bring out a hidden layer in the character. But the reason the 50th is so high on this list is because *MAJOR SPOILERS* it turns the Doctor's greatest defeat into a triumph. The spectre of the Time War has hung over all NuWho and in one moment that celebrates the Doctor's whole history, his ability to overcome impossible odds and pull victory from the jaws of defeat, all 12 Doctors save Gallifrey and end the Time War. And in a way that keeps history intact. *END SPOILERS* It's a celebration of all that has come before and gives hope for what's yet to come. And besides what'll go down this Christmas, the Doctor's future looks bright.
1 & 2: The Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon
Yep, this Series 6 opener is my favorite 11th Doctor adventure. It just works extremely well. The initial mystery around the astronaut who kills the Doctor hooks the viewer and from there it spirals into a sci-fi conspiracy thriller that wouldn't feel out of place on The X-Files. This story has everything; good jokes, intriguing mystery, even some unsettling horror. And it works because it rests on a strong cast with good chemistry. Mark Sheppard is a great guest star, meshing his Canton Delaware with the cast's existing dynamic and not feeling like an outsider in the group. But the thing that brought this episode together was the villain, the mysterious Silence. Like all of Moffat's best monsters; they dug into a primal fear, had a distinct, immediately iconic look, and were so creepy that audiences couldn't forget them. Ironically enough. This two-parter set a high bar for Series 6 and created a powerful new foe for the Doctor. Buoyed by an excellent cast making the most of the material, it has more than enough to be my favorite 11th Doctor story. Look for echoes of this story in the upcoming Christmas Special.
And that's the list. Matt Smith has been a great Doctor and while it's sad to see him go, I look forward to the great stories Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor will give us. Remember that nothing ends, just changes. Merry Christmas dear readers.
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