This series keeps chugging along, and this post is dedicated to the 10th Doctor’s (my favourite Doctor) debut season. This is probably Tennant’s worst season as the Doctor, and there are plenty of stinkers. However, there are also loads of great episodes – but how would I rank them?
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10 – Love & Monsters
Rating: F
I’m sorry Russell, but WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS?
Probably the worst episode of New-Who ever (there’s one other contender, but you won’t see that until Whittaker’s era), “Love & Monsters” is a terrible Doctor Who episode that barely even features the Doctor.
The villain is probably the worst we’ve ever had (it was designed by a 10 year old kid and won a BBC competition to be featured in a episode), and the story around it is awful. No one can ever force me to watch this one again.
9 – Fear Her
Rating: E
I don’t hate this as much as other Doctor Who fans, but there’s no denying this is a terrible episode. At least David Tennant’s Doctor is in it, so it will always be better than “Love & Monsters”.
8 – The Idiot’s Lantern
Rating: D
Gatiss strikes again.
The villain in this is so flipping annoying – “FEED ME! HUNGRY!” – that it was always going to be in the bottom half.
7 – New Earth
Rating: C-
Arguably the worst season opener ever, this story does Tennant dirty in his first proper outing.
Cassandra is an annoying villain, and the cat people are some of the weirdest characters ever to come out of the show.
6 – Tooth and Claw
Rating: B-
Now we hit the good stuff.
This episode shouldn’t really work – a werewolf attacking a castle with Queen Victoria tagging along? It sounds stupid, but somehow it isn’t just a load of rubbish and is actually a really fun bit of TV.
5 – Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel
Rating: B-
I do like the cybermen as monsters, so their villainy knocks this up a few places.
It sets up events in the finale, and the whole “alternate dimension” thing is an idea I wish they explored more in Who.
4 – School Reunion
Rating: B+
This could have felt like a filler, but they knocked it out of the park. Sarah Jane is a fantastic character to have return, and Anthony Head’s brilliant portrayal of the villain is one of Who’s best.
3 – Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
Rating: A-
The battle to end all battles – seeing the Cybermen and Daleks duke it out for the first time was definitely a sight to behold, and their first meeting is one of my favourite scenes ever.
We can’t talk about “Doomsday” without mentioning that bittersweet ending, which is definitely one of the saddest moments in the whole show.
2 – The Girl in the Fireplace
Rating: A
Moffat once again coming up with the goods (that’s an A+ and A so far, and he’ll keep that record up in the next two seasons).
It seems kind of harsh only giving this an A, but I can’t help but feel like Rose and Mickey are sidelined a bit whilst the Doctor goes off on his adventure. His adventure is amazing though, and his romance with Madame de Pompadour is one of the most heartbreaking moments in the show’s history.
1 – The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
Rating: A
I tell you what, those Ood guys are some creepy mofos.
The pinnacle of “base under seige” episodes, this story has some edge-of-your-seat tension that propels the narrative forwards. It helps that this story is told over two episodes, as it gives it time to fully develop. If I had to go back and watch a story from season 2, it would be this one (mainly because Tennant vs Satan is an awesome confrontation).
Season Rating: B-
Let’s have a look at the stats:
- 3 As (30%)
- 3 Bs (30%)
- 1 C (10%)
- 1 D (10%)
- 1 E (10%)
- 1 F(10%)
Fun fact: Season 2 is the only Russell T Davies-led season not to have an A+ episode. Does that make it the worst of his four seasons? Well,I think it is, but not for that reason (the other three are just too good, and having an E and F doesn’t help). I think a B- rating is fair, it’s a good season but not outstanding.
Next up is a fantastic season of television with 2 of the best stories in Who history …
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