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."

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. Utopia/Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords by Russelll T Davies
I remember when I first watched these episodes, I was new to Doctor Who, I hadn't watched the series one and two and I was completely confused when that strange man with the trenchcoat decided to cling on to the TARDIS for dear life. It didn't take me long to warm up to him, though and I'm told that most people felt that way when they first saw Captain Jack Harkness. He has a wonderful charisma about him that allows you to trust him and want to like him. Seeing him return was just amazing. But Captain Jack wasn't the only character to return to the series, the Master also made his comeback in this non-stop three partner. First played by the wonderful Derek Jacobi, then by John Simm when he regenerated, this Master was crazy beyond belief. This episode also highlighted what a magnificent person Martha Jones is as it showed her determination, strength and intelligence. The ending may have been rushed, but the journey to it was fantastic.
Highlight(s) of the episodes: Martha Jones walking the Earth to spread the story of the Doctor and the return of both Captain Jack and the Master.

4. Gridlock by Russell T Davies
This episode set in stone the fact that the Doctor was still hung up on losing Rose. He brings Martha to New New York which, as you already know, is the place where Rose and Ten had their first adventure. It opened

Martha's eyes and made her realise that she had to stop making the Doctor see her as Roses "replacement" and make him see her as Martha Jones. It was also the return of the Face of Boe who revealed something to the Doctor before he died, just as they had said in New Earth. The episode was entertaining and showed how the need for something new isn't always a good thing. I loved the fact that emotions were sold on the streets as if they were drugs and it really highlights the fact that people do take emotions and feelings for granted, trying to control them rather than allowing them to just happen naturally. The only disappointment was the Macra, which I believe are actually from Classic Who. I think that more could have been done with them.
Highlight(s) of the episode: The end when Martha asks the Doctor to tell her about Gallifrey and his face just sort of lights up with the thought of his home. Also, when the Face of Boe sacrificed himself to save all those people trapped in highway.

3. The Shakespeare Code by Gareth Roberts
On Martha's first adventure through time and space, the Doctor decides to take her to see a Shakespearean play in its original format and maybe even meet the genius himself. And, in true Doctor Who fashion, they meet a few witches along the way, or aliens rather. The whole theme of words and patterns within the story line was brilliant and played well with regards to it being a Shakespeare themed episode. It allowed for comic relief as well as the growing trust that the Doctor and Martha have for each other.
Hightlight(s) of the episode: The constant references to Harry Potter and JK Rowling and the nods towards some famous Shakespearean lines.

2. Human Nature/ The Family of Blood by Paul Cornell
These two episodes were two of the most cleverly planned out episodes in
New Who history. The ability for Timelords to change to a human was something that provided the Doctor with so,ething that he never had before: the chance to live the life he never had before. The whole John Smith/Joan Redfern storyline was truly heartwarming and gave us a glimpse of how the Doctor's life could have been if he decided to stay in 1913 with her. It was also a chance for Martha to showcase her talents and prove to the Doctor that she wasn't the rebound and she won't settle for being "the other woman". She was strong, brave and quick to realise what was happening, eventually being the one to convince John Smith to change back into the Doctor.
Highlight(s) of the episodes: Honestly, it's hard to think of one thing that stood out for me. The overall acting in this two-parter was amazing and a special mention has to go out to the supporting cast of Harry Lloyd, Jessica Hayne and Thomas Sangster as Jeremy Baines, Nurse Joan Redfern and Timothy Latimer respectively.

1. Blink by Steven Moffat
I think everyone can agree with me that this episode was by far the best episode of the series. This Doctor-lite episode was so enthralling and mind boggingly scary that we didn't mind that the Doctor wasn't it for more than about ten minutes. The episode is written from the perspective of a person whose life is affected by the Doctor, but doesn't end up travelling with. It shows how the Doctor leaves his mark everywhere he goes, influencing people that he's only met once before. And, like every Moffat story, it's all "wibbly-wobbly" seeing as Sally gets a message from 1969 from a Doctor that she only meets a year into the future. Then there are the Weeping Angels, the seemingly harmless, yet completely terrifying race of aliens that can only move when someone isn't looking at them. I have no idea where Moffat cooked up that, but it worked extremely well for the episode. Overall, the story wasn't rushed, it had the right amount of suspense and Carey Mulligan as Sally Sparrow really was the cherry on top.
Highlight(s) of the episode: The dialogue between the Doctor and Sally Sparrow and his infamous "Don't blink" speech.

Episode(s) of note: Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks
These episodes get a special mention not for the Daleks, but for the setting of New York during the Great Depression. So many movies and TV shows focus on New York during the Jazz Age, choosing to show the glitz and carelessness while forgetting to show the aftermath of it all. I think that this episode really opened people's eyes up to the fact that New York wasn't always the greatest city and the don't-care-a-damn nature of the people really did have hug consequences.