User blog:Gomez Capulet/New Doctor Who Series Ranked

10. Series 1

This is Doctor Who getting its footing but it is still without a doubt Doctor Who. There are tears and scares and some of the best acting and stories the franchise has ever produced. Still Eccleston connects with me the least of all new Who Doctors, the visuals are the worst of new Who, I prefer Rose with ten and there are tons of farting baby faced monsters who take up way too much time.

9.  Series 7

I love Matt Smith. He is my absolute favorite Doctor and many people have compared our mannerisms. This makes the reality of his last series ever harder to accept. Part one of series 7 standing alone is not Doctor Who at its best. With the addition of part 2 what keeps it from the bottom is really just a pro-Smith bias. Oswin Oswald is great in the opening episode and lef me to genuinely become eager for two companions I really enjoyed to leave, The Clara we  meet in the Snowmen is way less cool and doesn't hold a candle to the first incarnation we see. The Clara who actually becomes a regular companion is entertaining but her characterization loses priority to the kind of puzzle box narrative I usually enjoy from Moffat and detracts from both elements of the story. I really enjoyed the finale and am a massive fan of the 50th but series 7 as a whole feels like an extended teaser trailer for what it's leading up to.

As a side note Nightmare in Silver was really dissapointing but I still like it a lot. I just feel a lot of the cool stuff Gaiman wanted didn't make it to the screen or it it did was done poorly. He probably campaigned a lot harder to keep The Doctor's Wife in line with his general vision as it was his first script for the program.

8. Series 8

If you pretend like you've never seen Clara before series 8 she's honestly a lot better than she is with context. It makes sense that she has trouble accepting Capaldi's Doctor who is older and more easily agitated because it's not like she's encountered Hartnell or C. Baker's Doctor's before. With that said there's a lot to like about series 8. Missy is a pretty good if not great Master. There's some great episodes. Danny Pink is a cool character who presents an interesting challenge to the Doctor. It's dark and fun and feels distinct frim a lot of what came before. Clara's relationship with Danny could have been fleshed out more and a few episodes could have done with massive rewrites  but overall series 8 is solid Doctor Who.

7. Series 9

Heaven Sent is probably one of the most widely despised stories in new Who and it honestly probably shouldn't have been done at all but we get some cool visuals and badass Capaldi moments in that episode plus some interestin concepts so I'm not letting the individual episode affect the ranking too much. I love the two part opener. I'm a huge proponent of playing electric guitar on top of a tank in an ancient village. Colony Sarff is one of my all time favorite villains and Julian Bleach is fantastic as Davros. The story probably could have done without Missy but it was nice to see her and Davros meet face to face. Moving forward we get a lot a lot of average with some really really good stuff here and there. Clara's character is actually developed in an interesting direction which could have led to one the most impactful deaths in the franchise. Maisie Williams has a character who would be way cooler if she wasn't kind of just leftover ideas from Captain Jack but she still does a great. The Penultimate episode Hell Bent is one of my favorite episodes and I've probably rewatched it more than any other two Capaldi stories combined. The finale ruins Clara's death in a lot of ways and doesn't make a whole lot of sense but I've already gone over my reasoning in regards to that. Series 9  is definitely Clara's best series.

6. Series 2

I was originally going to place this higher just due to fan consensus but at the end of the day it wasn't the best of Rose, ten or Davies. I like every individual story and even love a good number but the overall plot could be stronger. A lot (not all) of the visuals are lacking. Tennant is still developing his take on the character. Episodes such as Fear Her and Tooth and Claw aren't as compelling as they should be. The finale is really main point of contention. It's fucking badass but really it's just a basic rehashing of the series 1 finale with Earth and cybermen added to up the stakes. I love seeing cybermen and daleks fight but that should have been slowly built up to over three or four series. The alternate universe plotline is one of my favorite storylines on the show but that should have been the core of what the finale was about. Series 2 was still very good but had it gone bolder it could have been so much better.

5. Series 3

Series 3 has a few major positives going for it. We see the Doctor without Rose. This isn't a criticism of Rose. In fact it's the opposite. Over the first two series we see hints at how broken he would be if he were to lose Tyler and in series 3 we get to look that big gaping hole in his hearts. This gives Tennant a lot to play with and creates and creates an interesting dynamic for Martha Jones to come into. Furthermore Captain Jack is back, along with two new versions of the masters. Both Masters are absolutely fantastic. There's some interesting visual and story parallels drawn between the Doctor and Christ. This series features Blink which is simultaneously overrated and amazing. Sure the ending is kind of cheap in a lot of ways but it's a fun ride and it's both Doctor Who and television done well.

4.  Series 6

Series 6 spent a lot of time as my personal pick for number. I love a lot of what happens in it. It open with a beautiful and sweat inducing two part. A lot of River's best moments happen in this series. The God Complex is probably the best companion exit I've seen in both new and classic Who. I really like Matt Smith in the fez and the long coat. The teselecta is in an incredibly awesome concept. A Good Man Goes to War is probably the perfect episode. This series contains what I always say is my favorite episode which is The Doctor's Wife. Still the series finale is a mess, there are a couple of kind of dull episodes and the story not having the kind impact it wants to have. It still made it to the top four and I enjoy watching it more than words can say but it would be dishonest to place it any higher than this.

3. Series 10

I went into series 10 with relatively low expectations. I didn't care about Nardole.The last two episodes were good  but were also both Christmas specials. Doctor Who seemed to be dying it would make sense for the creative team to phone in as the majority had announced they were leaving with Capaldi. That is not what ended up happening. Nardole delivered both consistent comedic relief and some heartwarming moments. He quickly converted me into a fan of Matt Lucas outside of the program. Bill is without a doubt the best 21st century Earth girl who has been in the show. Sure she was gay but that didn't read as politics she just seemed like an actual living person with a sexuality and annoying foster mom. The two Masters thing would have been better as a surprise but it was still pretty freaking cool and hypothetically if the character were somehow not to return this would be a fitting end. I love the finale and its both epic and somber nature. This series feels more full of energy than most of Moffat's run and Capaldi demonstrates a command of the role rivaled by few.

2. Series 4

Donna is great. Pretty much every episode is great. It genuinely looks really cool. The two part is probably the most memorable part and thus what I'm going to talk about the most. There's cool explosions, a bunch of daleks, and companions including badass Rose Tyler. There's two Doctors with the same face, Julian Bleach is chilling as Davros. A lot of plot strings and thematic elements get brough to a head. It's a really good series. At the same time the reality bomb doesn't make any sense if Davros or daleks exist in other realities, a lot of what's shown puts story way behind fan service and getting viewing figures as high as possible. That was Davies for you and he still managed to get a number two spot in a list compiled by a Matt Smith fanboy so you can't really fault him.

1. Series 5

This is the best introduction of a new Doctor, new companions and a new aesthetic for the show. Series 5 is Moffat's puzzlebox storytelling at its best and actually pays off at the end. The angels are back. There are cracks in time. Matt Smith is amazing and brings so much of his predecessors together to one fucking weird alien. We even get a look at the rogue's gallery when the Pandorica opens and unlike in times past and future  it feels organic to the story which is being told and not like it has been shoehorned. This is Smith, Moffat and Doctor Who at their best.