![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glitter_n_goreHey gang! I am not caught up entirely, but I have been introduced to Jodie Whittaker's Doctor, and I loooooove her! Not surprised, but very much impressed. I have a good feeling about this coming season. I hope it doesn't let me down. So far though, so good!
But we're here for a countdown, so let's get into it. This was where it started to get tricky. There were a lot of episodes on the lower end of this list where the numbers were tied, and I had to make a decision. Tried to stay as unbiased as possible, but it wasn't easy. That said, here's 7 through 9!
Number 7: "Hide"
Bear with me while I gush, because I absolutely love this episode. Hard to say if it's my all-time favorite, but it's easily the one I've watched the most. I guess I'm just a sucker for a good, old-fashioned ghost story. There are dashes of Gothic seasoning throughout Series 7b, which is probably why I'm so fond of it. If I ever get the opportunity to go on a real ghost hunt--which I will, one day, somehow--I would 100% be the one geeking out over things like cold spots and toggle switches. I rewatched "Hide" three times for this countdown. I REGRET NOTHING.
Written by Neil Cross and heavily influenced by Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House*, "Hide" brings us the mystery of Caliburn House, haunted by the Witch of the Well. There is a lot to love here: the 1970s tech ghost hunting equipment, the thunder and lightning adding to the already spooky atmosphere, Dougray Scott's delicious accent (and his glasses--love the glasses), the mist-shrouded woods in the rapidly decaying pocket universe, and more. It's creepy, but it's also just fun. Honestly, what gets me the most about "Hide" is the Doctor's speech that ends with, "This isn't a ghost story--it's a love story!" Not only is that the most elegant and succinct definition of Gothic Romance out there, it put me firmly on the Doctor/Clara ship for the rest of time. (I regret nothing.)
*Side-note: If you're not watching the NetFlix adaptation of said Shirley Jackson novel, fix that quick as you can because I'll be gushing about that soon as I'm done with this countdown.
Number 8: "The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit"
Or, The Doctor Meets the Devil. In Spaaaaaaace! Oddly, I remembered this episode as being hokey and cheap-looking, and was surprised to see so many people mention it for this list. Which is why I've been watching all these episodes again. First impressions aren't always correct. Sure, the effects budget was lean in this era, and that means the final product isn't as polished as it would be years later, but that's not what makes this one work. It works because of the way the terror creeps in around the edges of the story, until it's too late for anyone to turn back.
This reminds me of a slightly more family friendly Event Horizon. There's an exploratory mission parked on a planet orbiting a black hole, trying to work out exactly how there can be a planet orbiting a black hole. But odd little mishaps keep cropping up that signal something is very wrong here, and it's not just the blatant disregard of physics. It's remarkable how unique and fleshed-out these people all feel, given how little time we have with them. Character is always my top priority when it comes to storytelling, and the characters in "The Impossible Planet" are all fantastically memorable. I could talk a lot about this two-parter actually, but I'll stop myself because we have more countdown to cover for this list.
Number 9: "Mummy On the Orient Express"
Taken from a throwaway line in the Series 5 finale and expanded on by writer Jamie Mathieson, "Mummy On the Orient Express" is where Series 8 gained back a lot of the fans it lost in the transition between Doctors. This is one of the most popular episodes in the Capaldi era, and makes good use of the always effective doomsday clock. As you can imagine, there's more to this particular beastie than an ancient curse.
Okay, I gotta be honest: I did not connect with this one at all. I watched it three times, but not out of fangirl glee like I did for "Hide"--I just kept falling asleep. It's a good idea, and it does have one of the most intriguing and effective openers in all of New!Who, so I get why people like it. I think for me the fantastic concept is getting cluttered by all the love triangle angst wasting everyone's time in this plot arc. In a different season without said angst-clutter, I probably would've appreciated it more.
Next time: The Final Four!
(Cross-posted torhoda_rants.)
But we're here for a countdown, so let's get into it. This was where it started to get tricky. There were a lot of episodes on the lower end of this list where the numbers were tied, and I had to make a decision. Tried to stay as unbiased as possible, but it wasn't easy. That said, here's 7 through 9!
Number 7: "Hide"
Bear with me while I gush, because I absolutely love this episode. Hard to say if it's my all-time favorite, but it's easily the one I've watched the most. I guess I'm just a sucker for a good, old-fashioned ghost story. There are dashes of Gothic seasoning throughout Series 7b, which is probably why I'm so fond of it. If I ever get the opportunity to go on a real ghost hunt--which I will, one day, somehow--I would 100% be the one geeking out over things like cold spots and toggle switches. I rewatched "Hide" three times for this countdown. I REGRET NOTHING.
Written by Neil Cross and heavily influenced by Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House*, "Hide" brings us the mystery of Caliburn House, haunted by the Witch of the Well. There is a lot to love here: the 1970s tech ghost hunting equipment, the thunder and lightning adding to the already spooky atmosphere, Dougray Scott's delicious accent (and his glasses--love the glasses), the mist-shrouded woods in the rapidly decaying pocket universe, and more. It's creepy, but it's also just fun. Honestly, what gets me the most about "Hide" is the Doctor's speech that ends with, "This isn't a ghost story--it's a love story!" Not only is that the most elegant and succinct definition of Gothic Romance out there, it put me firmly on the Doctor/Clara ship for the rest of time. (
*Side-note: If you're not watching the NetFlix adaptation of said Shirley Jackson novel, fix that quick as you can because I'll be gushing about that soon as I'm done with this countdown.
Number 8: "The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit"
Or, The Doctor Meets the Devil. In Spaaaaaaace! Oddly, I remembered this episode as being hokey and cheap-looking, and was surprised to see so many people mention it for this list. Which is why I've been watching all these episodes again. First impressions aren't always correct. Sure, the effects budget was lean in this era, and that means the final product isn't as polished as it would be years later, but that's not what makes this one work. It works because of the way the terror creeps in around the edges of the story, until it's too late for anyone to turn back.
This reminds me of a slightly more family friendly Event Horizon. There's an exploratory mission parked on a planet orbiting a black hole, trying to work out exactly how there can be a planet orbiting a black hole. But odd little mishaps keep cropping up that signal something is very wrong here, and it's not just the blatant disregard of physics. It's remarkable how unique and fleshed-out these people all feel, given how little time we have with them. Character is always my top priority when it comes to storytelling, and the characters in "The Impossible Planet" are all fantastically memorable. I could talk a lot about this two-parter actually, but I'll stop myself because we have more countdown to cover for this list.
Number 9: "Mummy On the Orient Express"
Taken from a throwaway line in the Series 5 finale and expanded on by writer Jamie Mathieson, "Mummy On the Orient Express" is where Series 8 gained back a lot of the fans it lost in the transition between Doctors. This is one of the most popular episodes in the Capaldi era, and makes good use of the always effective doomsday clock. As you can imagine, there's more to this particular beastie than an ancient curse.
Okay, I gotta be honest: I did not connect with this one at all. I watched it three times, but not out of fangirl glee like I did for "Hide"--I just kept falling asleep. It's a good idea, and it does have one of the most intriguing and effective openers in all of New!Who, so I get why people like it. I think for me the fantastic concept is getting cluttered by all the love triangle angst wasting everyone's time in this plot arc. In a different season without said angst-clutter, I probably would've appreciated it more.
Next time: The Final Four!
(Cross-posted to
rhoda_rants.)