Apollo's Rebellion

To add to the celebrations of the Fiftieth Anniversary year, I have decided to post my favourite stories from Doctor Who since its revival in 2005. Every Saturday I will post a list of my favourite stories from each series leading up to the week before the Fiftieth Anniversary. Feel free to also share your thoughts in the comments below.

5. The Lodger by Gareth Roberts
This episode was a healthy relief from the previous episode which were filled with emotionally heartwrenching moments. This companion-lite episode was full of good humour and suspense as we didn't know exactly what was lurking up in that second floor. The interactions between the Doctor and Craig was refreshing to see and was a good break from having Amy as his companion. All in all, this was a lighthearted, fun episode that was needed to break the tension between the episodes.
Highlight(s) of the episode: The Doctor having to actually share a place with someone and him learning boundaries as I'm pretty sure the TARDIS has more than enough rooms and showers for there not to be any need for him to ever have to share a bathroom with a companion.

4. Hungry Earth/Cold Blood by Chris Chibnall
The return of the Silurians and this time round they have a new look. This two-parted was teeming with intrigue and kept me glued to the screen. It was great to see the interactions between not only the Doctor Silurians, but also the Silurians and the humans. The episode really highlighted real world issues such as sharing our land with another species and actually getting something out of working together. The story line was simple and followed the same structure as most humans having to live with other species stories, but the acting and dialogue was good. On a bit of a side note: I think Chris Chibnall really does great stories, just not for and the Doctor Who. I feel like Broadchurch was a far better series to showcase his writing ability.
Highlight(s) of the episodes: The new look Silurians which is a big deal for me because I hate lizards and to actually like the way lizard-people look is alarming.


3. The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang by Steven Moffat
As I've dubbed it, this two-parter was definitely a Moffatsode. Sometimes I think he just does things to confuse us and through us off course. Which in a way gets really annoying because it makes him think that he's smarter than us. Now, I'm not hating on Moffat, in fact I see him as one of my role models. He knows how to come up with new ideas or approach a classic story from a different angle which is a talent I would like to possess. Sometimes I think he just does things to mess with us. Anyway, a lot of people found this episode confusing and hard to keep up with, but I didn't. Although it did leave me some questions which I'm told is going to be answered very soon. This episode was a typical edge-of-your seat, waiting in anticipation type story line. You wanted to find out what was going to happen, but you didn't want it to end.
Highlight(s) of the episodes: Rory punching the Doctor and the Doctor'[d "Brand new and ancient" story that he told young Amy. My favourite line has got be when he says "We're all just stories in the end, just make this a good one"

2. Amy's Choice by Simon Nye
Thanks to Simon Nye I will forever be scared of old, sleepy villages and old people. This episode was like a 45-minute Doctor Who version of Inception. It took two aspects that Doctor Who is about; outer space and the undiscovered reaches of our universe and aliens attacking Earth. It was also an episode where the Doctor had to step back and really showcase Amy and Rory's relationship. This was the first time in a long time that the Doctor was actually travelling with a couple that were truly in love. The episode, conveniently called Amy's Choice, was all about the choices that had to be made by Amy. Would she choose the fast-paced, crazy life of the Doctor or the more laid-back, humble lifestyle of Rory. The end was a twist we didn't see coming when we find out who the Dream Lord really was.
Highlight(s) of the episode: Toby Jones as the Dream Lord and Amy finally realisng that she truly loves Rory. Also the scary old people.

1. Vincent and the Doctor by Richard Curtis
Words cannot express how much I love this episode. I have always been a fan of Vincent van Gogh since we learnt about him in school, but this
episode really reignited the love I had for him previously. It really showed the crippling effect that mental illness has on people. But it was also the fact that Vincent was never really appreciated for the hard work he put into his paintings. This is something that I hold dearly to my heart because I sometimes feel like no one actually sees the effort I put into my writing. I'm not saying that I'm as good as Vincent, but I am saying that we don't really see or truly understand the work done by others if it's about something that we don't like. This episode was emotionally crippling and just so tenderly beautiful. Even the bad-guy turned out to be just another lost, misunderstood little creature.
Highlight(s) of the episode: The whole thing, just every bit of it.

Episode(s) of note: The Eleventh Hour
This episode gets a special mention because it was great introduction to Matt as the Doctor, it showed his more childish side and the threat of the Atraxi wasn't something that overshadowed the introduction of the Doctor's eleventh incarnation and his new companion, Amy Pond. Best part? When the Doctor calls the Atraxi back and after asking "Is this world protected?" and the montage of all the previous Doctors play as Matt walks up in his full bow-tie wearing glory and says "Hello, I'm the Doctor, Basically, run."