Doctor Who: Season 1 - WORST to BEST Ranking!
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- Its Doctor Who ranking time! What was the BEST episode in the new Season 1 (series 14) of Doctor Who? What was the worst episode?
Let's look at my personal ranking of the episodes from this latest season.
Twitter
Follow me - @CulturePhilter
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:51 - 8th Place
03:15 - 7th place
04:35 - 6th place
07:49 - 5th place
09:37 - 4th place
11:10 - 3rd Place
12:27 - 2nd Place
13:51 - 1st place - Zábava
1) Boom
2) 73 Yards
3) Dot and Bubble
4) Rogue
5) The Legend of Ruby Sunday
6) The Devil's Chord
7) Empire of Death
8) Space Babies
Nice. Not too dissimilar to mine either.
I broadly agree with your picks. I think 73 yards is the best thing rtd has wrote for doctor who. Sadly this reminds me why I love moffats tenure so much and why I was always mixed on rtd stuff. I think Russel has messed up the grand relaunch tbh. He should only write 2 or 3 max. The rest should be new writers.
I would put Turn Left above 73 Yards for RTD’s Best Who script, and maybe middnight but it’s certainly up there.
I fear you may be right about stumble if the relaunch. Not for any of the reason the hate channels will say but in structure, and accessibility to new viewers it doesn’t feel like it’s hit as it could have done.
I would put Turn Left above 73 Yards for RTD’s Best Who script, and maybe middnight but it’s certainly up there.
I fear you may be right about stumble if the relaunch. Not for any of the reason the hate channels will say but in structure, and accessibility to new viewers it doesn’t feel like it’s hit as it could have done.
@@CulturePhilter agree. All the hate for having a black doctor etc is ridiculous but opening with space babies was just a bad move. All the none sensical time line stuff of her being in the TARDIS for months but never been off world etc. just rushed and too short a season to recover. The ending was terrible too and he learnt all the wrong lessons from the rise of Skywalker etc. the bait of the mystery and repeated emphasis on it was a cruel joke to them wave in our faces of us making too much of it. Sigh I hope it still successful but it's bad start
@@sbi168 I worry a bit for season 2 that because it was also filmed because this came out there isn’t really a chance to course correct and we may get more of the same in that regards. But we’ll see.
I am rewatching 11 and 12’s seasons to recover from Empire of Death. I miss Moffat so damn much 😢
My ranking:
1. Boom
2. 73 Yards
3. Rogue
4. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
5. Space Babies
6. Dot and Bubble
7. Empire of Death
8. The Devil's Chord
Given that we effectively had two this season, I'd love to see you do a ranking of all the Doctor-lite episodes!
That’s a good idea. I’ll add it to the list 🙂
from best to worst, including individual scores that will be using decimals to establish the gap between some of them really isn't that large:
#1. 73 Yards 10/10
while sharing a spot with #2, im a sucker for chilling concepts like this which edges it out in spirit. this episode has sat with me the longest and it feels like one of the freshest concepts this show has gotten, up there with midnight and blink. i love the extremely simple premise of it. i love that it doesnt get directly explained (though i feel it did with contextual clues) and i loved that it stuck with it throughout and gave us an entire alternate life with ruby stuck with this seemingly unexplainable phenomena and how it affected her life
#2. Dot and Bubble 10/10
powerful episode, extremely well crafted and a great reminder of our blind spots that come with privileges. i was a person who thought they had all their privileges in check because its always been important to me to promote and ally with equality, and this episode shook my foundation in a way i needed to be like "no matter how much growth you make, you will always have biases and blind spots; especially when its others who commit the microaggressions"
#3. Empire of Death 9.8/10
i dont mind at all the issues that everyone else has (which mostly seems to be their own expectations not being met) and thought it was a near perfect episode. on reflection after, i even came up with a really elegant theory that explains everything that anyone could have had issues with throughout the entire season that feels extremely plausible which if taken in does enhance it to a perfect episode, but id rather not cement a theory in my ranking when its something that will likely be getting answered next season
#4. The Legend of Ruby Sunday 9.7/10
i cant think of a single first parter that did a better job of setting up its finale. the pacing was amazing, the reveal was amazing, all the moving pieces worked really well for me, it did so much and did it all really well. i only have minor nitpicks here and there and even they arent that serious to me. i only wish they had a bit more time to make the beginning of empire of death its ending instead of the reveal. if it ended on everyone dying, they could begin the next episode on the planet with the kind woman. i think a minor change like that would have enhanced both episodes for me, but given the scores ive given, its clearly not that serious to me.
#5. Rogue 9.6/10
one of the best template episodes of what the norm of doctor who should strive to be. like many, these bottle type episode where its more or less just a monster of the week where they can explore fun and interesting concepts in a way that feels like a breather from the rest are important and necessary. it was the most "doctor who" episode of this entire run and i loved everything they brought to the show in this. love the new aliens, their motivations were silly yet simple in a way i love for this show, really enjoyed rogue, the character. the romance i could take it or leave it but i still enjoyed the portrayal all the same and interested in where they take that if they take that anywhere. outside of some minor nitpicks like the fakeout of ruby dying could have been handled better and the way some of the aliens looked at times felt jarring, this was the doctor who ive been craving.
#6. Boom 9.3/10
theres a lot to love about this episode. i loved the idea of putting the doctor in an impossible feeling situation with the added notion that he wasnt even allowed free reign to be his usual energetic self. it made for a great character challenge for this doctor in particular who was all about using his energy to express himself in movement. some really great writing and scenes for sure. fell apart in some parts for me, particularly with some of the secondary characters, but not enough for me to rated it any less than a solid episode
#7. The Church on Ruby Road 9/10
as far as season openers go this was pretty solid. gave a solid taste on what our two main characters would be like together, gave a solid idea of what to expect from the new doctor and our new companion, it opened up the door for what you could expect for this season and it did it in a way that was fun and different. in hindsight it was great to see them begin and end on the intelligent gloves. this episode had a big gap between it and episode 2 and due to how much i loved it, it gave me an optimistic hope of what i was in for after the wait.
#8. Space Babies 8.9/10
this episode is the most doctor who that ever doctor who'd lmao. i remember feeling all sorts of emotions on my first watch. i went into every single episode with zero knowledge and despite the episode title, i was NOT prepared for eric popping in on screen and suddenly talking lol. it was such a strange and pleasant surprise. i didnt mind the questionable CGI mouths one bit and think it adds a lot to the silly charm of this episode. i liked just about everything on a fun level. only real place i feel personally is worth picking at is the doctor flashing back on why he wanted to save the bogeyman. id rather he just told the nan-e a simple line like "its the only one of its kind, all life is important" rather than flashback to all the moments that spelled out his motives for saving it.
#9. The Devil's Chord 8.5/10
i absolutely loved this episode and love maestro. in my initial watch i would have given it a more solid 9/10, maybe even leaned it higher, but its not as rewatchable as the other episodes (not to say i dislike rewatching). i think there was so much the episode did good, but theres again, some nitpicks. i never listen to music so an episode centered around music disappearing likely didnt have the impact on me that it would with others so perhaps the episode fell a bit flat (no pun intended) for me. but overall still a really great episode!
Ooo I think that’s the highest placement for Empire of Death I’ve seen so far. Glad someone can get over the issues / they never bothered them in the first place 🙂
I don’t think the issues just rest on expectations though. If the red herrings had been decently done and just made us think something else but still all made sense looking back on it I don’t think as many people would have an issue.
@CulturePhilter if my theory on Mrs Flood ends up being right, or even close, it will drastically improve much of the issues I've seen people have. for now we're left with pieces of the puzzle. one particular thing worth noting which I feel will play into season 2 is how the memories of Christmas Eve 2004 kept changing, and i think it ties into an answer not yet shown which I feel relates to Mrs Flood.
the doctor thinks the mother became the all powerful key to defeating Sutekh because they amped up her meaning and significance, but I think with Mrs Floods fourth wall breaks that she has some power to shape the narrative and uses the audience (us) to warp and change things. in The Church on Ruby road, the mother just did a drop off and walked away, a wide angle shot showed there was no sign or lamp post. but it, with the long gap to the next episode gave us, the audience, a lot of time to starts going rampant with theories enhancing the importance of an otherwise tragic but normal event.
the immediate episode after, simply the thought of that night on Ruby's part would cause it to snow, and the doctor noticed his memory of the night changed, now because the audience all placed this conspiracy levels of thought on the mother she suddenly became a deeply mysterious figure who now pointed. every time they revisted that memory, the memory would change.
the tape never showed Sutekh and yet once that night was revisited and it changed, they said after that now the tape even showed him. and because us, the audience still questioned the pointing after The Legend of Ruby Sunday, the memory changed again and it was a road sign she was pointing at since we weren't satisfied. the effect that was causing it wasn't looking to please us, just to fill in the blanks. the mother mystery was no longer important after Sutekh was defeated. I think Mrs Flood orchestrated it all.
Thank you, and I'm very here for a costume ranking!
My list:
8. Space Babies
7. The Devil's Chord
6. Empire of Death
5. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
4. Boom
3. Rogue
=1. 73 Yards / Dot and Bubble (I CANNOT separate them, lol)
Oooo a rare joint first place. 🥇
I can understand. I have similar feelings for 73 yards and Boom. A different day I might have felt different and out then the other way around.
7: Space Babies
6: The Legend of Ruby Sunday / Empire of Death
5: Rogue
4: Boom
3: The Devil’s Chord
2: Dot and Bubble
1: 73 Yards
Even though I was disappointed in it I’m still glad to see The Devil’s Chord getting higher slots on other peoples lists. 🙂
8.) Space Babies
7.) Rogue
6.) The Legend of Ruby Sunday/Empire of Death
5.) The Church on Ruby Road
4.) 73 Yards
3.) The Devil's Chord
2.) Dot and Bubble
1.) Boom
Would Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death be in same place if you considered them seperatly too?
1) Boom
2) Rogue
3) 73 Yards
4) Empire of Death
5) The Devil's Chord
6) The Legend of Ruby Sunday
7) The Church on Ruby Road
8) Dot and Bubble
9) Space Babies
Interested what about Dot and Bubble made it so low down for you?
Overall I did like and enjoy it, there was something in each episode I enjoyed and even the worst episode was average/okay. The overall season gave me back that feeling of looking forward to an episode, which was mostly missing under the last showrunner.
So.....
8) Empire Of Death - I liked elements but the whole reset button and mixed feelings over the mother reveal lessened it all.
7) Space Babies - The equivalent of the Adipose episode. Some good bits but too silly to be a season opener.
6) The Devil's Chord - Happy it wasn't a musical and Maestro was decent but for a second episode there was no real threat.
5) The Legend Of Ruby Sunday - A good build up to the finale but with useless characters and a flawed anagram twist.
4) Rogue - A great filler episode that sets up a potential recurring character, even if they are Jack 2.0.
3-1) 73 Yards, Boom and Dot And Bubble - I can't split these, maybe 73 Yards is tops because I love local spooky legends but I also loved how Dot And Bubble played out with it's themes, especially as the Doctor couldn't save them. Boom was also great and Moffat does it again for RTD.
RTD does seem to like to start with a bit of a silly episode. I think Church on Ruby Rd would have made a better start to the season proper as it is the introduction to Ruby and while certainly is still a bit silly not in the same way.
I think I broadly agree with, or at least understand all your rankings. Some places, my criticism might be harsher and others my praise a little more effusive. For me, this had some of the highest highs and lowest lows of any Doctor Who season! I'll add the Xmas special where I think it ranks too:
9. Space Babies - The Doctor/Companion bonding on fast forward at the beginning is very bad... like they're checking boxes of what a companion (or audience?) has to learn without giving anything time to breathe. Talking babies have always been one of my least favorite things in media, and the way it's done here is takes me to Uncanny Valley and right out of the episode. More bodily-function humor... something that took the otherwise good Aliens of London/WWIII down a couple of notches. I came away from this thinking I'd rather watch Underworld twice. 1/10.
8. The Devil's Chord - I find Jinx Monsoon's performance being at an 11/10 for most of the episode pretty grating. This made the series 2 for 2 with episodes where the central focus felt aggressively 'not-for-me.' Some individual moments were great. Ruby playing the piano on the rooftop really got to me. The scene where they hide from Maestro played in silence had some nice tension. I couldn't get behind the music battle, or the solution being a basic chord played by a Lennon/McCartney duo who had not been caught up in events and just dropped in at the end with no possible way of knowing the stakes. Felt very messy, and ended with a pretty terrible music number. I'd prefer significantly less "Glee" in my Doctor Who in future! 4/10
7. The Church On Ruby Road - The setup of Ruby's Family is decent. It's better than Martha's, but not as good as Donna's... and nowhere near as good or as genuine as Rose Tyler's. I enjoyed Ruby and The Doctor meeting and interacting, but the baby-stealing goblins and their ship was a miss for me. My toes were curling during the entire musical number. The Christmas episodes historically haven't been my favorite, but this oscillated wildly between good stuff and things I couldn't stand. Ends up average. 5/10
6. Empire of Death - I was firmly on board for about 5 minutes. I even believed they might kill off Kate. But as soon as Ruby's mom, grandma, and Mrs. Flood were dusted, I knew it was all going to be undone so the stakes and tension were all gone. After adjusting my expectations, I was able to really enjoy the scenes in the Memory TARDIS. What a fantastic set -- and one I'm so happy they integrated into the main show. I liked the idea of Ruby's mom being nobody important -- but the threads weren't set up to make that reveal a satisfying one. Instead, it felt like a cheat. The scenes of Ruby meeting her biological mom and Ruby saying goodbye to The Doctor were played so well. Heavily mixed bag of an episode, but I still enjoyed it. 6/10
5. The Legend of Ruby Sunday - It felt too self-aware from the beginning. "Hello, UNIT! We've been noticing these mystery boxes develop and today we want to figure out what's happening!" Once it got past the awkward setup it did a pretty good job of building tension. The reveal of Sutekh (anagram-cheating aside) was excellent and definitely got me. I enjoyed it, but after a few episodes that worked on multiple levels, this by-the-numbers finale-setup exercise felt a little thin. 6/10
4. Boom - This episode saved the season for me when it aired. Several things felt very familiar for Moffat, including the love-saves-the-world ending. This was the first time I really felt like Ncuti Gatwa was able to give a great performance. Doctor Who is often at its best when characters are stuck together in a small space and can just talk. I know what Moffat at his best is like, and this isn't quite on THAT level. 8/10
3. Rogue - Part of me wishes this had been the 2nd episode. It's the only one of the entire season that felt like standard Doctor Who done really well. The character of Rogue was easily my favorite guest turn of the season, and I really hope The Doctor does find him. I had a quibble or two with the odd line of dialogue (Cosplay this planet to death), and the cheating way they hid Ruby's escape wasn't even necessary. Knowing she'd escaped and watching the Doctor's actions almost cause him to lose her would have been tension enough. More like this, please! 9/10
2. Dot & Bubble - Few pieces of media have made me think about them as much as Dot & Bubble. It's actually ingenious how the gradual reveal of the racism inherent in the society was portrayed so it became clear to the viewer at different times based on their own life experience. I didn't get it until the very end... and wasn't even sure I had understood what I'd just seen until I compared notes with other viewers online. The story brilliantly uses audience expectation as misdirection at every turn. I vastly prefer the surprise revelation that what I'd just been watching had extra layers of meaning to Empire of Death's surprise revelation that I had been assigning meaning where none existed. 10/10
1. 73 Yards - This is probably going to end up as one of my favorites of all-time. Millie Gibson is asked to carry this episode, and she does it brilliantly. I think the entire thing can be seen as a metaphor for how you must work to find meaning in your life when something unexplainable and horrible has happened to you that affects your relationships with people. I've seen it suggested as a metaphor for SA and I think it works in this way. I'm glad we didn't get everything fully explained -- nothing could have lived up to how it feels not knowing. This takes it over Dot & Bubble simply because I enjoyed watching it more. 10/10
Thanks for sharing your ranking and particularly all the thoughts about why they are where they are. I agree with a lot.
From worst to best my ranking is:
8. Dot and Bubble (I know objectively it's well done but I really don't enjoy Black Mirror type stories)
7. Space Babies
6. Empire of Death
5. Legend of Ruby Sunday
4. Rogue
3. The Devil's Chord
2. Boom
1. 73 Yards
73 Yards is a new favourite, I absolutely loved it (though I completely agree with criticism of the ending, it would have been even better with a decent pay-off)
Ahhh see I love Black Mirror and those type of stories but I get they aren’t for everyone.
9. Space Babies
8. Empire Of Death
7. Church On Ruby Road
6. The Devil's Chord
5. Dot And Bubble
4. The Legend Of Ruby Sunday
3. Boom
2. Rogue
1. 73 Yards
Thanks for sharing your ranking 🙂
This is my ranking
Mine is
1. Boom
2.Church on Ruby road
3.Empire of death/legend of Ruby Sunday (I’ve always counted two parters as one episode)
4.73 yards
5.Dot and bubble
6.Space Babies
7.Devils chord
8.Rogue
Thanks for sharing.
What was it about Rogue that you didn’t like so much?
Not going to list them in individual order, but (including The Church on Ruy Road) I'll but them in three tiers:
Top tier would be Boom, 73 Yards, and Dot and Bubble. Really engaging, mysterious, scary, thoughtful, first rate DW.
The bottom tier would be The Church on Ruby Road, Space Babies, and sadly The Devil's Chord. I didn't like the cutesy, Disney-esque quality of the goblins, the taking babies, and although the Maestro was certainly fun and really chewed the scenery as actors say, I too wanted more from a visit to The Beatles. Big Finish did an episode some years ago when the Doctor takes his companion back to see The Beatles only to find that John Smith and The Common Men had become the world class phenomenal band instead of The Beatles and the Doctor has to put the world right. I was hoping not for that story but something equally as clever.
Leaving the middle tier to be Rogue, The Legend of Ruby Sunday, and Empire of Death. All perfectly acceptable and enjoyable DW, perfect for a mid-season episode. I might have swapped Dot and Bubble for the 2-parter as the season finale, but it would be ending on a bit of a down note and that's probably not the best idea. A little triumphant "saving the entire universe" is probably a better go for a finale.
I didn’t include Church on Ruby rd on my ranking but I think it would be in the middle somewhere if I had. I quite liked the Goblins.
1 Dot and Bubble
2 Boom
3 73 yards
-------
4 the legend of Ruby Sunday
5 space babies
6 rogue
7 church on Ruby road
8 empire of death
9 Devil's Chord
Thanks for sharing 🙂
My rankings are fairly close to yours, not exactly the same, though. From best to worst:
1: Boom
2: 73 Yards
3: Dot and Bubble
4: The Legend of Ruby Sunday
5: Empire of Death
6: Rogue
7: The Devil's Chord
8: Space Babies
I would also add that the top 3 are all quite close, and the bottom 3 are quite close, with a bit of a gap between 3 and 4 and a bigger gap between 5 and 6.
Rogue just didn't do much for me, everyone talks about Ncuti Gatwa and Jonathan Groff's chemistry, but I really didn't feel it, that relationship didn't develop in an organic way, we had the doctor spot a stranger he found attractive and start hitting on him, which is a very un-doctory thing to do but I can put up with that, then they spend a fair chunk of time with the doctor as rogue's prisoner, then they pretend to behave romantically as a ruse except then it's not pretend it's real and it always was, even though it really wasn't. And without that hooking me in the rest of the episode was very mid-tier kind of disposable nothing. It wasn't bad but it wasn't much of anything, very much relying on the audience being invested in the romance, and it sounds like a lot of people were but it did nothing for me.
Devil's Chord I thought had an interesting idea slightly undercooked in its delivery, there seemed to be a lot of important stuff that would have fleshed it out just cut out of the episode, maybe would have held up better if it was 10 minutes longer. But then my main problem with the episode was that I couldn't stand the villain, I found them so insufferably obnoxious, I really don't think I could have sat through 10 more minutes of that performance.
Space Babies is kind of an easy target for the bottom, it's space babies.
If I was including the christmas special on that ranking it's pretty close to Rogue for me, just above or just below or sharing the spot.
Yeah I get about Doctor and Rogue feeling rushed. For me their natural chemistry kind of override that a bit but I can still see it there as an issue.
I’ve been rewatching a bit of the 11th and 12th doctors of late and it has brought home the damage I feel RTD has done. I can’t reconcile Sutekh latching onto the Tardis all those years ago. It doesn’t work with canon. However powerful, he would have been discovered or at least suspected at too many points. The best and obvious on boarding opportunity was Wild Blue Yonder. RTD screwed this up. I can forgive everything else, not that.
9 Empire of Death
8 Space Babies
7 Church on Ruby Road
6 The Devil’s Chord
5 Legend of Ruby Sunday
4 Rogue
3 Boom
2 Dot and Bubble
1 73 Yards
Dot and Bubble and 73 Yards are in the exceptional category with Blink, Heaven Sent, and Midnight. Pretty damn impressive, but makes it all the more upsetting that RTD messed up the end of this season so badly.
I am hoping they never mention Sutekh’s long ride ever again, and that I can mercifully forget it ever came up.
Yes it’s hard to reconcile that other than to say he must have been really weak for MOST of that time and the Salt incident finally gave him a bit more power.
I remember in 2013 when people said they couldn't reconcile Clara being in the Doctor's time stream with canon
@@brewster_4 yeah fair point.
My ranking:
1) Dot & Bubble
2) The devils chord
3) Boom
4) The legend of Ruby Sunday
5) Rogue
6) Church on Ruby Road
7) 73 Yards
8) Empire of death
9) Space babies
Thanks for sharing. Even though I was a bit disappointed with Devil’s Chord I’m glad some others got more enjoyment out of it
1. the church on ruby road
2. boom
3. the legend of ruby sunday
4. the devil's chord
5. dot and bubble
6. 73 yards
7. rogue
8. space babies
9. empire of death
Ooo throwing in a Church on Ruby road into there too? Nice.
My season 1 ranking:
1. 73 Yards
2. BOOM
3. Rogue
4. Devil's Chord
5. Legend of Ruby Sunday
6. Space Babies
7. Church on Ruby Road
8. Dot and Bubble
9. Empire of Death
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
9 Rogue 4/10
8 Empire of Death 5.5/10
7 Devil's Chord 5.75/10
6 Space babies 6/10
5 Church on Ruby Road 6.5/10
4 Legend of Ruby Sunday 7/10
The good stuff
3 Boom 8.25/10
2 Dot and Bubble 9/10
1 73 yards - 9.5/10. Best episode since twice upon a time
Ooo rankings too. Nice 🙂👍
1. Boom
2. Rogue
3. 73 Yards
4. Dot and Bubble
5. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
6. Space Babies
7. The Devil's Chord
8. Empire of Death
Empire of Death was just awful, it cheated the audience in regards to all the build up and mystery of Ruby and her Mother, it retconned Sutekh's fate in Pyramids of Mars and made the absurd retcon that he's somehow been attached to the TARDIS since that story which makes no sense for so many reasons, and the way they beat him was just silly and laughable. He's an incredibly powerful being who can paralyze you with just his will alone. As soon as Ruby attempted to hook the bungie cord onto him he should have frozen her in her tracks! Also him caring about who Ruby's Mother was again made zero sense. He just wants everyone and everything dead, why would he care about some mystery woman?!
On a more positive note Boom was everything I want in Doctor Who, it had darkness, humour, tension, and twists. Rogue felt like an old school Tennant era episode, it was so well written! I loved the mystery of 73 yards and enjoy filling in some of the 'missing' details on my own. Dot and Bubble was another great episode with the shocking twist/s at the end really elevating it, brilliant stuff. Legend of Ruby Sunday as a standalone episode was also really strong but it was kind of let down by the abysmal second half unfortunately. Space Babies and The Devil's Chord are just average for me, not horrible but not very good either.
The season really needed more episodes, 8 just wasn't enough!
It really did need more episodes. Sadly I think we’re getting the same amount for next season too.
The following is my ranking from best to worst...
1. 73 Yards
2. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
3. Boom
4. The Church on Ruby Road
5. The Devil’s Chord
6. Rogue
7. Dot and Bubble
8. Empire of Death
9. Space Babies
Thanks for sharing your ranking 🙂
Didn’t think I’d ever here reference to David Lynch’s filmography in a Doctor Who video 😂
Anyway, here’s my ranking:
1. Boom
2. Dot And Bubble
3. The Devil’s Chord
4. 73 Yards
5. Empire of Death
6. Rogue
7. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
8. Space Babies
I’d love to see what actual David Lynch would do with a Doctor Who episode!
@@CulturePhilter from the clips I’ve seen of it, his version of Dune honestly feels like Classic Who on steroids
@@DCSMedia that’s one of the few Lynch films I HAVENT seen. 😄
1) The Legend of Ruby Sunday
2) 73 yards
3) Boom
4) Rogue
5) Dot and Bubble
6) The Devil's Chord
7) The Empire of Death
8) Space Babies
It’s quite surreal when a first part of a two parter is so high up (top in your rankings case) but the 2nd part is so low isn’t it?
The build up was amazing, unfortunately the resolution wasn't satisfying.
@@user-sj9oc1qs5w yep. Totally agree
For me it would be:
1. Boom
2. 73 Yards
3. Rogue
4. The Devil’s Chord
5. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
6. Empire of Death
7. Dot and Bubble
8. Space Babies
Best to worst:
1. Rogue
2. 73 Yards
3. Boom
4. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
5. The Church On Ruby Road
6. The Devil's Chord
7. Empire of Death
8. Space Babies
9. Dot and Bubble
Ooo a rare last place for Dot and Bubble. Would be interested in hearing what you didn’t like about it that put it so low.
@@CulturePhilter I liked every single episode of the season, so it wasn't a matter of disliking it. Dot and Bubble starts off very "paint by numbers" in terms of a Doctor Who plot. I was sort of disinterested in it for most of it because I never really connected with Lindy or was rooting for her to escape. It wasn't until Ricky September showed up, and saved Lindy that I started to engage with the episode. It also was hurt by its placement in the season. It comes right after a Doctor lite episode, and by that point I was really wanting to see Ncuti again. Overall I enjoyed it, but I think it was probably the weakest. Space Babies beats it because of how much fun it was also the Doctor's speech to Poppy about how nobody grows up wrong is just the most Doctorish moment Ncuti has been given so far. I would say that's his defining moment that perfectly sums up who 15 is.
My ranking would probably be:
1. Boom
2. 73 Yards
3. Dot And Bubble
4. Rogue
5. The Legend Of Ruby Sunday
6. The Devil's Chord
7. Empire Of Death
8. Space Babies
Not that dissimilar to mine then.
@@CulturePhilter Yeah, a lot of your views on your video echo mine too. I was also left underwhelmed by the answers to who Ruby's Mum was because of how much they built it up, and like yourself I'd hoped for The Devil's Chord to be a full-blown musical because I also really love a good musical.
I was disappointed that The Devil's Chord wasn't more like the Flash/Supergirl crossover Duet, because a Doctor Who version of that would have been amazing.
@@CineScarborough ah yes! I love that Flash episode too.
I did not like space babies lol it was bad. BUT I did really enjoy the rest of the series. I think character depth wasn't explored as much as it should have been (which is unusual for RTD) and Part 2 of the finale was poor. But overall a fun disney debut and reboot of sorts. My favourite was Rogue
The small episode count made it hard to really develop the leads characters. Luckily they started with really good chemistry but the relationship didn’t really change and developed at all.
Superb:
1. 73 Yards. 2. Boom
I'm a Moffat fan through and through, but I think 73 Yards will be remembered as the ultimate Season 40 episode, and Boom as a hidden gem.
Good:
3. The Church on Ruby Road. Good intro episode for a new companion. Less so for the new Doctor, but he gets there later. The musical number is nice on the ears but a bit icky for the the plot.
4. The Legend of Ruby Sunday. Some of the cast is unnecessary (khm Rose), and pacing seems off sometimes. Overall, quite good.
5. Devil's Chord. The musical number, while fun, is just... what. Otherwise, not too bad.
6. Dot and Bubble. The worst good episode, as opposed to the best bad. The racist fable drops anviliciously and imho unnecessary. Also possibly too close to the shocking twist a minute before, so it just doesn't do much.
Meh:
7. Empire of Death. The second part of two-parter finale is cursed again. The villain doesn't have enough space to shine and ultimately dealt with in an unsatisfying way.
Bad:
8. Rogue. Mediocre. Infatuation with the character comes from nowhere. Couldn't help but comparing with the introduction of captain Jack, that was done much better.
9. Space Babies. Boring, uncanny, secondhand shame all around.
In terms of musical numbers within the episode I loved the goblin song but really didn’t think There’s always a twist at the end worked. Thinking of doing a video on why.
@@CulturePhilter It's diegetic and adds nothing to the plot, it feels like several minutes stolen from the episode. On the other hand, it was nice to see Murray play and Millie dance.
@@cantproducemyownnick - yes there is the placement in the episode reasons but also the song itself doesn’t work (completely subjective of course) the way it starts, it’s repetitive nature etc…
I am really enjoying watching and reading all the different rankings of the season. Everyone gets something different from it and I love that, no-one is right also no-one is wrong either it's just personal taste 😊
Mine is based on how it left me feeling at the end :
8 - Rogue - it has it's good moments (as does every episode) and while I liked the bit with Rogue and the Doctor it's the only bit I liked and I still feel it was rushed for that. It was a meh episode for me and one I am not inclined to rewatch (I feel the same with girl in the fireplace it may be the era it is set in I just dislike those eras).
7 - Empire of Death - Some good character moments and I do like that Ruby's mum is just an ordinary person I really didn't like the way we were deliberately misled, the unanswered questions here were extremely annoying and in a way a tad patronising from Russell and the pathetic explanation for the pointing was infuriating and doesn't explain the changed memory for the Doctor. I ended up feeling underwhelmed and annoyed at the end despite it's good moments.
6 - Space Babies - I am one of those that actually rather enjoyed this episodes it had it's down points admittedly but it made me laugh.
5 - Devil's Chord - I also love musicals but the song at the end just didn't do anything for me and went on far too long, I also found Maestro to be over the top and it grated on me by the end I was just relieved Maestro was gone for my ears sake.
4 - Legend of Ruby Sunday - Loved the set up it was doing, some great character moments and loved Morris Gibson. Mel was terrific in this too. Iver all had me on the edge of my seat with the reveal being 😮😮😮.
3 - 73 Yards - I enjoyed the tense mystery, the growth of Ruby and I had all the answers I felt I needed and had it all tied up with a nice bow in my own head 😂
2 - Dot and Bubble - This episode was excellent I loved the actress playing Lindy Pepper Bean she did an excellent job portraying such an in the end loathsome character, I also like to try and see the good in people and was desperately trying to with her and then she did that to Ricky (Justice for Ricky 😢). This episode also made me have to rethink myself, my echo chamber and my awareness of things. I didn't see the racism until I started to watch a review and I was ashamed I didn't, my partner said it's because I don't see colour only people but it wasn't good enough and it really made me reassess things to me an episode that does that is top ranking almost.
1 - Boom - I absolutely loved all this episode it had me gripped from the moment it started until the end, I even liked the little girl but that's because I saw my daughter/children in her they have Autism and that is exactly how they would react in that type of situation especially being distracted by the pictures her dad showed her. Was this the best Stephen Moffat had ever written well no but I still loved it and I also find some of my favourite episodes during RTDs first run were Moffat ones.
Overall I enjoyed this season and I am looking forward to Christmas and the next season HOWEVER after the finale I don't trust Russell and his 'clues' anymore so won't ve speculating anymore which is a sad way to feel as some of the fun was theorising even if I was rarely right 😂 I don't mind being wrong what I do mind is the way we were wrong in the finale it was just very annoying and still left unanswered questions (I don't mean Mrs Flood there).
Yes it’s good that most people can disagree on which episodes are best or worst.
I get what you mean about rushed nature of Rogue but the chemistry sort of override that for me
8 Empire of Death (absolute mess)
7 Space Babies (juvenile)
6 Rogue (forgettable villains, forgettable story poorly written)
5 The Legend of Ruby Sunday (all set-up, no story)
4 The Devil's Chord (some good scenes)
3 Boom (Gatwa's performance elevates it)
2 73 Yards (really good until the final act)
1 Dot and Bubble (untainted by season finale unlike most of the episodes, great performance by Callie Cooke, only standalone story of the season that delivers a satisfying ending).
Thanks for sharing. And for the reasons for the placements too. Do you think if Empire had been better Legend would have gotten a higher rank even without itself changing from what it was?
@@CulturePhilter that's an interesting question. From a fan-service point of view, Legend gave us a good cliff-hanger, I just didn't enjoy much of what lead to it; they started with the mystery of Susan Triad, decided early on to delve into the mystery of Ruby's mother, then gave us a scene with Mrs Flood, yet another mystery, and I felt at that point I was losing interest, I just wanted to watch a good story unfold but felt what I got instead was a whole bunch of set-up. I imagine if Empire had satisfactorily delivered on this set-up I would still view Legend as no story, all set-up.
I feel the season got going with Boom, reached a peak with Dot and Bubble, then sadly was pretty awful.
Dot and Bubble #1, Empire of Death #8
Even though they weren’t my absolute top or bottom I completely understand why they could be.
On reflection whilst this is my least fave run of episodes since series 2, but I think sknvd the finale I really GET what they wanted to do overall ones I LIKED- TLORS/EOD, 73 YARDS and BOOM, TDC and ROGUE were okay, DAB and SB are so poor sadly.
1- 73 Yards 8/10
2- TLORS/EOD 8/10
3 BOOM 7/10
4 TDC 6/10
5 ROGUE 6/10
6 DaB 3/10
7- SB 0/10
Given you’ve said this was your least favourite run of episodes you’ve given higher marks than I would have guessed you would.
@@CulturePhilter yeah I thought maybe I'm unfair I do think though most episodes are better than last year's specials but it's my least fave sadly but bits have stayed in my mind and the tip two stories I have rewatched twice too for full effect and boom I liked but the rest I may not rewatch again but still overall it's 6.5/10 so just behind series 2 for me
Other than swapping the top two over, mine is the same as yours
I do go back and forth on my top two. Honestly my mind could change every single day.
Same order as me :D
Snap! 😄
I really didn’t like this season
1. Boom - The only one I really like - 8/10
Really underwhelming, boring Episodes:
2. The Church on Ruby Road - 6/10
3. 73 Yards - 5/10
4. Dot and Bubble - 5/10
Bad Episodes
5. The Legend of Ruby Sunday - 4/10
6. Empire of Death - 3/10
7. The Devil’s Chord - 3/10
8. Rogue - 3/10
9. Space Babies - 2/10
Oh that’s a shame. Fingers crossed you enjoy season 2 more. With RTD writing less episodes perhaps you might.
@@CulturePhilter I think that for an introduction season, not many episodes stood out. Like compare this season to series 1. You can think of instant classics like Dalek, Empty Child two parter and the two part parting of the ways finale. This season was just weaker and wasn't as interesting or well written. Steven Moffat's episode is the closest I can say is memorable or a classic for this season. Boom in series 1 would be a high end episode but not an instant classic even though steven wrote it very well. I think i'm just let down by RTDs writing compared to his first era. Probably his weakest season. Worse than series 2 for sure. Series 2 has episodes like Fear her and Love and Monsters which are so bad it's funny. Some episodes in this season are just bad to me. Oh well maybe season 2 is better.
Already deleted & purged from my hard-drive & soon my memory.
The whole season? Not a single episode you liked?
I'll watch this later, but i think you should remove the arrows on the thumbnail
@@Blazing_Ninja which version are you seeing? The one with Yellow or white arrows? (I’m testing 3 thumbnails)
@@CulturePhilter White arrows
@@Blazing_Ninja ah ok. I was expecting you to say the yellow ones because I wasn’t sure about those ones and they are in a much more imposing position. What do you not like about the white ones?
@@CulturePhilter I just think it would look slightly better without them
@@Blazing_Ninja cool. Thanks for the feedback. I’ll let this thumbnail test run for a day then might do another with that thumb without thee arrows. 🙂
Boom was boring nearly fell asleep watching it. Rogue was also very dull human impersonating aliens again. These are the worst 2 episodes.
Ahhh sorry to hear you didn’t like them. It’s fascinating how we all find different type of stories boring.
The episode of Doctor who I’ve been most bored with since 2005 is probably The Idiots Lantern, but some people really like that episode.
@@CulturePhilter I think one of the issues was that we know the Dr will be fine and it's almost like he is pretending to be afraid and because of all the past uses of the magiver screwdriver even though it's not used you kind of think it could be used but it's the Dr who's deliberately faking the situation for some reason.
@@richardburke8566 yes WE know he’ll be fine. But he doesn’t. And I think Ncuti got that across. I didn’t feel like he was pretending to be scared. It felt like he genuinely was.
@@CulturePhilter I'm not criticising Ncutis acting (it's very very good) I don't think this plot work's. Well not for me anyway.
@@richardburke8566 fair enough 🙂
1)Rogue
2)73 Yards
3)Boom
4)Dot and Bubble
5)The Church on Ruby Road
6)The Ledgend of Ruby Sunday
7)Space Babies
8)Devils Cord
9)Empire of Death
I seem to like space babies more than others do
Ooo yeah you do. What was it you liked about it?