This feels like a cruel prompt. I mean, there are so so so many episodes (here I'm assuming this means stories not episodes ... this meme was probably made by someone more familiar with the new series [I should leave the pedanting to Chris from Radio Free Skaro] ... ANYWAY). I've been watching quite a bit of the First, Second, and Third Doctors lately, so I'll pick one episode from each of their tenures.
First Doctor: "The Time Meddler" (season 2, episode 9, production code "S")
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="461" caption="The Monk"]
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I'm not sure why I can give a good reason for this being a favorite episode. From what I can tell, besides being one of the last true historical/pseudo-historicals in Doctor Who (the last being arguably "The Highlanders," though that's an argument for another day), I think this is one of the first episodes that actually deals with the implications of Time Travel and the possibility of re-writing history. Vicki has this great little bit about how interference could affect the history books, and the chain of future events in Europe and across the globe. Which I find absolutely fantastic. And the musician in me loves that the Doctor notices the fraudulence of the Monk's story through a turntable. William Hartnell's bit of acting when the record slows down and speeds back up is fantastic. Subtle and wonderful.
Second Doctor: "The Mind Robber" (season 6, episode 2, production code "UU")
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="534" caption="The Doctor attempts putting Jamie back together ..."]
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This is one of the first episodes of the Classic Series that I watched when I got re-interested in Doctor Who a few years ago (a story for another day). I think it's the story I've watched the most of all the episodes available to stream on Netflix. I have a soft spot for stories where the Doctor uses logic and wit to outdo an opponent, and I think this is one of the exemplars of that during the early part of the show. I also find the bit where the Doctor puts Jamie back together incorrectly absolutely hilarious. And writing using lines and fragments of lines that the characters would have said in their original stories must have been a royal headache. But I think it works well and is a great story.
Third Doctor: "The Green Death" (season 10, episode 5, production code "TTT")
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="514" caption="Jo meets Cliff Jones"]
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It's kind of an out-there story, but so are most of the stories during the UNIT days of the Third Doctor. This was that point where the writers of Doctor Who were experimenting with stories that dealt with environmental and social issues of the time in a more direct manner, although not always most effectively. They try to push Jo as an independent, forward-thinking woman of the 70s, but then she leaves the Doctor to marry that Welsh bloke and with him on his travels. Eh, well, at least he seemed like the kind of guy that would let her keep her maiden name. The ending where the Doctor drives off without Jo is devastating. I think this is one of the first times we really see the Doctor emote at the loss of a companion. I mean really emote. But hey, he had Sarah Jane to look forward to. And she is definitely one of the best.
First Doctor: "The Time Meddler" (season 2, episode 9, production code "S")
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="461" caption="The Monk"]
[/caption]I'm not sure why I can give a good reason for this being a favorite episode. From what I can tell, besides being one of the last true historical/pseudo-historicals in Doctor Who (the last being arguably "The Highlanders," though that's an argument for another day), I think this is one of the first episodes that actually deals with the implications of Time Travel and the possibility of re-writing history. Vicki has this great little bit about how interference could affect the history books, and the chain of future events in Europe and across the globe. Which I find absolutely fantastic. And the musician in me loves that the Doctor notices the fraudulence of the Monk's story through a turntable. William Hartnell's bit of acting when the record slows down and speeds back up is fantastic. Subtle and wonderful.
Second Doctor: "The Mind Robber" (season 6, episode 2, production code "UU")
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="534" caption="The Doctor attempts putting Jamie back together ..."]
[/caption]This is one of the first episodes of the Classic Series that I watched when I got re-interested in Doctor Who a few years ago (a story for another day). I think it's the story I've watched the most of all the episodes available to stream on Netflix. I have a soft spot for stories where the Doctor uses logic and wit to outdo an opponent, and I think this is one of the exemplars of that during the early part of the show. I also find the bit where the Doctor puts Jamie back together incorrectly absolutely hilarious. And writing using lines and fragments of lines that the characters would have said in their original stories must have been a royal headache. But I think it works well and is a great story.
Third Doctor: "The Green Death" (season 10, episode 5, production code "TTT")
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="514" caption="Jo meets Cliff Jones"]
[/caption]It's kind of an out-there story, but so are most of the stories during the UNIT days of the Third Doctor. This was that point where the writers of Doctor Who were experimenting with stories that dealt with environmental and social issues of the time in a more direct manner, although not always most effectively. They try to push Jo as an independent, forward-thinking woman of the 70s, but then she leaves the Doctor to marry that Welsh bloke and with him on his travels. Eh, well, at least he seemed like the kind of guy that would let her keep her maiden name. The ending where the Doctor drives off without Jo is devastating. I think this is one of the first times we really see the Doctor emote at the loss of a companion. I mean really emote. But hey, he had Sarah Jane to look forward to. And she is definitely one of the best.
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