As lists go I figured tackling the Ninth Doctors run of only a single series should be fairly straightforward – right?! Hmm. This could be a tricky one but here goes. Series One ranked worst to best…
10. The Long Game
By far the least favourite for me is The Long Game. Don’t get me wrong, there are still things I enjoy in this story, although nothing springs to mind at this very moment. Having Adam join the team was our first taste of having that crew dynamic in the modern era. In this instance it formed a kind of unwelcome love triangle with Rose and the Doctor which didn’t really lead to anything interesting at all. Most of the supporting characters did a good job, but somehow Simon Pegg’s take as the episodes villain kind of fell flat.
9. Aliens of London/World War Three
Another story I rank low is the Aliens of London/World War Three two-parter. Okay, okay … I’ll put my hands up and admit that I did enjoy it at the time. Those bits of world building/character building they did by bringing Rose right back home was the right way to go, and naturally there would be some sort of alien threat involved. But were all the fart jokes and dodgy alien suits really the way to go? Probably not – although I have gained a great fondness for the Slitheen since then.
8. Rose
Without a doubt the episode Rose must be commended for its part in the shows revival. It succeeded in hooking that precious new audience, yet at the same time was a bit divisive with the existing fans. For me it was a bittersweet experience. It was one of those things which subverts your expectations yet clearly has its own strengths as a story. I’ve made my peace with it over the years but I’ll always think in a lot of ways it could have been done much better.
7. The End of the World
Unexpected and bonkers were my feeling towards The End of the World. And I’d like to make one thing clear, I had a lot of fun watching it. Behind the bizarre menagerie of aliens and humour was a very human story which was an indelible part of Rose’s arc. It even made the time to add some more depth to the Doctor’s character.
6. The Unquiet Dead
A nice period piece is just what the Doctor ordered for episode three and it contrasts fantastically with against the previous story. This creepy Christmas tale of the Doctor and Rose meeting Charles Dickens is full of charm, zombies, charisma, homages to Dickens books, tragedy, well… it sounds like it has it all. Perhaps I’m overselling it but it’s a well rounded story indeed.
5. Boom Town
I’m not going to shy away from telling you this, but here goes. Boom Town is my guilty pleasure. Now I’m only describing it in such a way because I’ve since come to learn that most of you have some sort of primal hatred towards it. Maybe you’re onto something, or maybe you’re all just haters. Who knows. Go on, show Boom Town a little love.
4. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
It’s easy to see why these are among the fan favourite stories of the Ninth Doctors run. The dialogue and characters are well written, the locations are very well presented and atmospheric, it’s full of mystery, it’s eerie and we get a belter cliffhanger.
3. Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
While this might not be as well crafted as the Empty Child two-parter, for me it’s a lot more entertaining. It’s packed with danger, excitement, emotion, lots of Daleks, a fantastic midway cliffhanger and a brilliant climax to this great first series. It’s boasts a lot of good qualities!
2. Dalek
What Dalek does and what perhaps the show has failed to accomplish since is to make the Daleks feel truly dangerous and unstoppable. And the story becomes more layered when we see the Doctor reach such a low point that he’d be willing kill the Dalek. After Rose puts things in perspective for him we reach an emotional climax in which the Dalek sacrifices its own life.
1. Fathers Day
When I started making this list it was a tough choice picking something for the top spot as there are clearly a lot of cracking stories in this series! Father’s Day was always a strong contender and revisiting it since I myself became a father I was able to see it from a completely new perspective. It’s a very strong character driven story which packs quite a punch and is probably one of the best stories in Rose’s personal arc in my opinion.
Do you agree/disagree with my ranking? Let your feelings known in the comments below. You can also discuss topics like this in our forum.
