What’s everyone’s favorite Series 2 episode or episodes? I’m breaking the New Series down by episode rather than by story because sometimes one part of a two-parter is much better than the other and with three-parters it’s usually a bit more ambiguous as to whether one counts as two stories, one story or something else. Remember, you can vote for more than one.
- The Christmas Invasion
- New Earth
- Tooth and Claw
- School Reunion
- The Girl in the Fireplace
- Rise of the Cybermen
- The Age of Steel
- The Idiot’s Lantern
- The Impossible Planet
- The Satan Pit
- Love & Monsters
- Fear Her
- Army of Ghosts
- Doomsday
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I chose these three, because I wanted to narrow it down to my absolute faves:
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit: Absolutely chilling, so scary.
The Girl in the Fireplace: Beautiful, touching, clever.
Doomsday: Broke my heart
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Looking at this list and trying to pick my favourites really showed me just how little I care for this series. It’s good! Lots of solid episodes! None of which I’d want to lose, but also very few I find I want to rewatch regularly.
A few months ago I would have been able to say I have a least favourite - Love and Monsters - though I must say, on a recent rewatch I found that it grew on me quite a bit.
I can point out the one that had the most impact on me as a child - Fear Her - which I think gets a lot of undeserved hate. It’s yet another story where everyone lives, and as an undiagnosed autistic child who found a refuge in art when I couldn’t make friends, it resonated with me a lot.
Here’s what I ended up voting for:
New Earth is an episode that is always on my mind. I like the cats, I like the Face of Boe, I like the message, and it’s just an all-in-all good time.
The Age of Steel is better than Dalek as an introduction to a classic villain, in my opinion. It’s chilling, it’s exciting. I like the alternate universe people (and I almost wish we had gotten a spin-off with them).
Doomsday is a classic, and still makes me tear up a little every time I watch it. I also enjoy the banter between the Daleks and the Cybermen. And, without this episode we wouldn’t have gotten Cyberwoman, which is an ultimate favourite of mine, so I can’t complain!
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Love and Monsters, The Satan Pit two-parter and The Girl in the Fireplace are great. School Reunion has some good bits.
But I was very close to stop watching Doctor Who after I saw this series. This series is so not for me.
OK, now you have to tell me what you like about that episode, I’m genuinely intrigued 
(yes I know it’s off topic…)
Oh wow, what was it about it that made you nearly quit?
I think I’m golng to be able to predict @BillFiler’s issues. I shall see if I am right.
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I can’t stand the 10th Doctor and Rose together, how they interact with each other and the way they treat everybody around them when they are together. Rose brings out all the worst things in the 10th Doctor, honestly I kind of cheered when Doomsday ended and was not glad when she was brought back in series 4 - it brought the 10th Doctor down so much after he had evolved with Donna.
I loved it though when Billie Piper was brought back as the Moment, that was fantastic.
This take might be more spicy than the topic I made about Sarah Jane 
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Yes! 
I knew it was going to be 10 and Rose’s smugness. There was a lot of talk at the time that it was building to them having their arrogance/hubris etc be their downfall and I suppose, in a way, Army of Ghosts and Doomsday did address it to some extent.
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I know it’s controversial, but you have to look past the metal bikini! It’s a fantastic episode about the things people do for love.
I was a fan of Ianto since the first time I saw him on screen, and the build-up for this episode was fantastic - he’s constantly in the background, but both the characters and us as the viewers are made to see him as invisible. There are so many little points in the first three episodes where I suddenly noticed him doing something upon rewatch which I didn’t notice the first time. It adds a lot of impact for when he says:
I clear up your shit. No questions asked and that’s the way you like it. When did you last ask me anything about my life?
It’s also an amazing character episode for him. Because he spent so much time in the background, his character had to play a bit of catch-up with the rest. You learn that he’s loyal to a fault (trying to save Lisa no matter how unlikely he is to succeed), a fantastic liar (conning the con man by hiding a cyberman in his basement), and willing to do anything for the ones he loves - even destroying the world.
(And that he doesn’t eat enough vegetables, but that’s neither here nor there.)
Also, while I love Jack, he also does have a very punchable face. The first time I watched the episode, when Ianto hit him I literally cheered. It was a lot of fun.
I could go on about this episode forever but I don’t want to go too far off topic. I’ll just drop this vid I made here and go.
https://youtu.be/VgzHbowYUwo?si=JKX1MZn3vH8qz-Df
(Also, this reminded me I should suggest a bunch of Torchwood quotes for the site. I know what I’m doing today!)
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I’ve never had a massive issue with Cyberwoman. I remember enjoying it at the time - metal bikini, Cyberheels and all.
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I’ll just admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Doctor/companion romance, which pretty much started with 8/new Who. Much preferred the fourth Doctor’s “And you’re a beautiful woman, probably.”…
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Cyberwoman had a Barbeque marinated partly converted Cyberman fighting a Pterodactyl - what more do you need !
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S2 definitely has a lot of pretty mid episodes, but I think the good ones are really good and the mid ones are still a lot of fun for me because I do love TenRose and have always been a big fan of a good Doctor/companion romance
I find the subject of Doctor/companion romances an interesting one because, for years in the Classic series, it was a definite no-go area and something the fans of the show were often totally against.
The new series has leant into it a lot more and it seems to have been generally accepted as okay within certain boundaries.
I know a lot of fans, though, still like the fact the Doctor is atypical as far as lead characters go in terms of generally eschewing straightforward romance.
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I know what you mean but their smugness was intentional! It’s what lead to her “death”. The same trope was explored with Clara (probably a bit better?) but it’s a trope I really enjoy.
Travelling with the Doctor is risky, and the kind of people to enjoy that are going to be risk takers, they are going to get smug and complacent, and they aren’t going to quit on their own — they have to be forced out.
Personally I loved Rose’s arc, loved the romance stuff, and Doomsday turned me into a sobbing mess.
(Also this is just a guess but I think the sheer amount of TenRose shippers and young adult romance fans that these storylines introduced to the show must have been a factor in the revival’s success!)
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Ok you’ve actually convinced me to give Cyberwoman another chance.
I guess I wasn’t looking past the metal bikini. I felt it was a bit objectifying and gross. As a story about Ianto (who is my second favourite Torchwood team member, first is Gwen), it does work. But Lisa is done a disservice.
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I’m sure the smugness was intentional but I found it really grating the way it was done. And I think you are right that that particular romance brought in a lot of new viewers - and it is so great that so many people enjoy it. It was just really not for me.
(And then he spent the entire next season pining for his lost love and treated Martha like something I will not put in writing)
Basically I only really enjoy the 10th Doctor’s personality when he is with Donna, pre-Donna and especially post-Donna 10th Doctor is not a particularly likeable individual in my opinion.
Not a bad word here about David Tennant! He is as delightful an individual as they come 
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Oh yes, how he treated Martha was awful. I think that should definitely have been toned down.
But it did make good drama
I agree 100% that the best Tenth Doctor was with Donna. Those two are my favourites!
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Wow! Did expect such a spirited discussion on this season. I admit this is probably my least favorite of the original RTD era and Rose is probably my least favorite New Series companion. This season still had some good episodes though.
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