Dr. Who episode recommendations

Cafe Society
21

It’s a shame Capaldi didn’t stick around another season.

I would have liked to see him working with fresh writers and ideas.

22

If you’re looking for creepy, then the Steven Moffat episodes during Russell T Davies run as showrunner are probably the best.

  • The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances is, IMO, probably still the creepiest pair (1st season / Eccelston). “Are you my mummy?” indeed. Wanna be scared? Watch it at night with the lights off.
  • Blink (3rd season / Tennant) is downright awesome - as you’ve noted
  • Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (4th season / Tennant) is very good the first time out, though knowing what happens to the River Song character it looses a little bit. It’s still fairly creepy.

Which is why I was very excited when Moffat took over during Matt Smith’s first year (season 5). Some of my favorite episodes from the first 4 seasons were his. And I think he did a great job with season 5, as a whole, I find it an excellent story back to front. The rest of his tenure kind of went downhill, though. Way too much “The Doctor’s Dying! Or is he! No really this time! Hah, nope!” By the end, I honestly can’t think of a single Capaldi episode I really liked. They were all … meh.

Anyway, I’ll also throw in +1s for “Midnight” (essentially a 1-room play that’s really frightening), and I think some of the Cybermen episodes (especially the first time they came back in Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel) can hit you in a certain place.

23

I’m reigniting my romance with The Doctor. Became a fan when PBS was running all of the old series that were available, then jumped right back in with the new series. Never quite liked Matt Smith, and threw in the towel with Capaldi (also, had to pay extra for BBC America and didn’t think it was worth it). Just discovered that my cable channel does indeed include BBC America and have gotten entangled in the Doctor marathon. The new Doctor looks interesting. Maybe I’ll stay with it again.

24

Since we’re talking Doctor Who.

I hate to see them shift the show to Sunday. Sat nights on BBC America has been a comfortable time slot since the beginning with Rose in 2006.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/ew.com/tv/2018/09/26/doctor-who-premiere-time/amp/

25

Lots of good suggestions. Here are a few more, from my favorite Doctors (Ten and Twelve):

Ten:

  • School Reunion: It helps to know a little about Sara Jane Smith, but it works as a creepy, cool episode even without that.
  • Smith and Jones: Yes, it’s in space, but it takes place entirely inside a hospital so the “space-ness” isn’t annoying.
    42: Again, it’s in space but it’s a one shot and very creepy and tense. No aliens.
    (BTW, it’s nice to see another “Idiot’s Lantern” fan. That’s one of my favorites, but most fans aren’t big on it)

Twelve:

  • Listen (once again in space, but no aliens and very creepy. One of his best)
  • Flatline - the TARDIS gets reeeeally small, with the Doctor inside! Great ep.
  • Mummy on the Orient Express - just what it says on the tin. Creepy and good!
  • I’d also recommend The Zygon Invasion and The Zygon Inversion - they do have rubber-suit aliens, but the Doctor’s speech in “Inversion” is one of the best in all of Who’s history, IMO (and also very relevant to today’s world).
26

From the original run, there’s The Brain of Morbius, which is a Frankenstein tale. There’s the ones mentioned in the New Who era. And then Capaldi’s eleventh and penultimate episode of the ninth series, Heaven Sent, has the final reveal that I find very scary.