Hi everyone!
While waiting for something to do at work, I had a bit of an interesting question that I, myself, am pondering. I apologise if this has already been asked in some form, so feel free to delete the topic if necessary!
If you had to give a quintessential episode/story for each Doctor, what would you choose and why? For obvious reasons, I think it makes sense to allow Big Finish stories to allow for more variety.
Well, Iām no good at this sort of thing, but Iāll do it anyways.
1st Doctor - I was having trouble picking one, but I think Iāll go with the War Machines. He was particularly good in that one, and Dr. Who is requiredā¦
2nd Doctor - Iām thinking maybe somewhere between The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Mind Robber. Or the Invasion.
Of course, the first two Doctors are the ones where I havenāt some of their serials.
3rd Doctor - Well, he pretty much nailed it right from the start with Spearhead from Space, though Iād also consider Inferno.
4th Doctor - Genesis is the obvious one, so Iām not going with that. City of Death or Face of Evil?
5th Doctor - Thatās kind of a tough one for me, really. I guess Iāll just go with Caves of Androzani.
6th Doctor - He had a pretty short era. Iād tend towards the trial sections of Trial of a Timelord, but since those arenāt an episode, probably Vengeance on Varos or Revelation of the Daleks.
7th Doctor - Remembrance of the Daleks or The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
8th Doctor - The movie? Sorry, havenāt heard the audios.
9th Doctor - Dalek.
10th Doctor - The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
11th Doctor - The Lodger. Not a story I like that much, but it is definitely 11.
12th Doctor - Oxygen.
13th Doctor - Demons of the Punjab.
14th Doctor - Wild Blue Yonder.
15th Doctor - The Devilās Chord.
Iām only here to promote 8thās audio Scherzo. It captures the kind of madness 8 experiences all the time, from the EDA through 8DA.
You may want to check this comic of 10.
We do have What is the Most Doctor Who Story which is a similar topic, but I think these are different enough to keep seperate.
As for my answer? For the Doctors Iāve seen in full:
3: The Green Death. Of Threeās companions we spend the most time with Jo, and I feel like this episode is the one where theyāre the most in-tune and on the most even footing. It has the environmentalist message that is so common in this era, and is simply a fantastic serial start to finish.
4: Iām struggling to pick between a few, which is to be expected with the longest running Doctor, but I think Iāll go with The Invasion of Time. Out of the Doctors Iāve seen, Four is the one who visits Gallifrey the most, so it makes sense to pick an episode set there, along with Leela and K9, some Time Lord lore, and the Sontarens ā their first appearance wasnāt with Four, but they showed up twice in his era which is more than any other Doctor. I could also go with Destiny of the Daleks: K9 out of commission, Romana, Daleks and Davros, and that quarry it looks like they filmed every other classic episode in = quintessential.
8: obviously the TV movie if weāre going visual, but seconding Scherzo for the audios.
9: Boom Town. A reoccurring monster, in Cardiff, with the sort of conversation-heavy slowness we only really get with Nine.
10: is it cheating to say Journeyās End just so I donāt have to pick a companion because theyāre all there? I also think Midnight is a pretty good choice.
11: Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone. It has both River and the Weeping Angels, which appear a lot in Elevenās era, it has the crack in the wall, which might be the arc only for S5 but is also the thing that allows him to regenerate at the end. Smith already settled into the role of the Doctor there. I just think it works.
12: seconding Oxygen. The anti-capitalism and horror are very present in his era and this episode is fantastic. I could also go with Zygon Invasion/Inversion for some Clara and the fantastic speech heās so known for.
13: I feel like I donāt remember this era well enough to really say. Maybe The Witchfinders or Nicola Tesla. Both are ones that stick out in my mind.
14: while I do think Wild Blue Yonder is infinitely better, The Star Beast is probably more indicative of what you should expect with this Doctor.
15: seconding The Devilās Chord. It has the Pantheon mention, it has fourth wall breaks and a musical number, itās incredibly divisive among fans as some love it and some hate it. Itās so quintessentially Fifteen.
Just doing the doctors I know enough to say
3 - Agreed on Spearhead from Space
4 - City of Death
6 - Agreed on the Trial segments, or Vengence of Varos
7 - Yeah it has to be remembrance, Fenric is probably up there too though
8 - The TV Movie
9 - I think Dalek is probably the episode that does the best job of characterizing him
10 - Journeyās End is a really good shout, I think for characterization though and having a story where 10 is quintessentially 10, Iād go for Voyage of the Damned
11 - Christmas Carol has some timey-wimey stuff thatās typical of 11ās era, and you get a lot of different sides of his character. Plus itās got the Moffat-y fairytaleness
12 - Yeah itās Oxygen
13 - It Takes You Away, human drama with massive sci-fi-ness and strangeness, and victory through kindness and empathy
14 - Rounding out the three options by saying my pick would be The Giggle
15 - So far, I really donāt know, I might have to go for Devilās Chord too. Youāve only really got 4 options. Of his 9 episodes: thereās a two parter which counts as one, heās barely in two of them, Rogue I think focuses too much on the romance to be quintessential given itās the only episode that has it, and Boom is great and I want to pick it, but a lot of 15 is his physicality which you donāt get at all here
Oh, easy! Iāll go in chronological for the Doctors Iāve seen.
For the Eighth, Iād say Neverland. Neverland captures most of the trademarks of his range - Pushing his companions, lying to them, weird toxic relationships, Time Lord meddlingā¦ And the setup to a story that makes no sense in the best way.
The Ninth, End of the World. This is the story I think of when I think of the TV series. This episode got me hooked on the show as a kid and has stuck with me ever since. Itās a fantastic primer for the rest of the series, it sets the tone, introduces much of the Doctorās personality and philosophy, and that ending sceneā¦ It seriously makes me cry!!
The Tenth, I have a few answers. Tennant is kind of the Tom Baker of modern era who. Does that make any sense? Itās hard to pick just one episode. My gut instinct is telling me Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. I still believe that this is the best 2 parter of all of modern Who. Itās atmospheric, claustrophobic, and scary at some points. If I think too hard, Iāll come up with about 3 more answers.
The Eleventh, Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone. These episodes have every ticker on why I canāt stand the Eleventh. The characters speak more in quips than in dialogue. The ābiologyā of the Weeping Angels makes no sense on literally any front (do not argue magic to me). The Doctor kills like, troves of Angels instead of doing anything clever, and weāre supposed to take it as clever. Weāre told River is a badass and caipable woman, but no, she must be chaperoned. Amy is not a person. Rory is not a person. Why did they keep killing Rory? What does it serve to kill Rory? Why am I supposed to care about those 2? Why is there a bloody Christian army, does no one else think thatās a terrifying concept?! Why? Why, why, why, why??? Why ANY of this???
The Twelfthā¦ now Iām nice again. Oxygen. Gorgeous episode all around, and showcases a lot of hallmarks of the Twelfth. Anti-capitalism, trickery, true wit, lovingkindness, selflessness, and doing the kind thing. World Enough + Time/The Doctor Falls are great, but I want to showcase him at his peak, not at the end of his ālifeā.
The Thirteenth, I would honestly go with The Tsuranga Conundrum. The Thirteenth is a complicated Doctor, and I think this episode showcases why. Itās very impressive to look at, it has a lot of good ideas, but it never goes beyond the idea phase. Itās rushed, and it feels like a first draft. Itās unemotional. Ryan tells Yaz about how his mother straight up died in front of him in the middle of their kitchen, then brushes it off as if he was talking about how he broke a favorite mug. My girlfriend pointed this out to me once, and itās that the Thirteenth is always being helped - A very precarious thing to do for your first female Doctor. Iām not calling Chibnall a misogynist. Iām calling him misguided, and unintentionally creating a sexist dynamic. The Thirteenth must always be helped. Yazmin must always listen, never speak.
The Fourteenth had 3 episodes. Just watch them. Or just watch the 10th. Itās the same personality.
The Fifteenth, Iād say Dot and Bubble - Even though heās barely in it!! That scene at the end encapsulates the Fifteenth so well in my opinion. To the bitter end, he extends a helping hand. And when he is rejected for the most petty reason there is, all he can do is scream, and leave them to die. (Everyone on tumblr posted this pic of eccelston with āeverybody diesā in impact font after it aired, lol)
It also reconciles with some of the showās past. In old Who, no doubt the line āWeāll be pioneers like our ancestorsā wouldnāt be taken as a bad thingā¦ Thereās a blurb somewhere that explains it better than me.
On a filmmaking level, I think it showcases the best parts of s14 as well. The sets, costumes and practical effects are done gorgeously. They were given an actual budget, so they could actually bring a huge idea to life!!!
I really love Dot and Bubble. Can you tell?
Wait hang on, I take it back, 3ās quintessential episode has to be a master story, Iād probably go with Terror of the Autons
Second - The Power of the Daleks
Third - The Daemons
Fourth - Pyramids of Mars
Sixth - The Mark of the Rani
Ninth - The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
Tenth/Fourteenth - Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
Fifteenth (to date) - Rogue
runners-up:
Second - The Evil of the Daleks
Third - Terror of the Autons
Fourth - The Robots of Death
Sixth - Vengeance on Varos
Ninth - Dalek
Tenth/Fourteenth - Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
Fifteenth - Boom
I do have a Moffat biasā¦
Unrelated, scream at this shade from Wikipedia:
This article is about the 2005 series. For the 1963ā1964 season, see Doctor Who season 1. For the 2024 series marketed as āseason 1ā, see Doctor Who series 14.
Isnāt this true of the Ninth Doctor though as well? One of the biggest issues I had with that first season is that the Doctor isnāt responsible for solving the problem in many of the episodes but itās always down to someone else - Cathica in The Long Game; Pete in Fatherās Day; Nancy in The Empty Child; Rose in The Parting of the Ways.
Iād have to go back and really watch for it. Itās a point my girlfriend made, not really one I came to, and again I donāt think it was intentional, I think it was more the half baked writing. I can tell you right now I didnāt notice it with the Ninth.
Eh, Iād argue it was still 9 that solved the problem, giving her the push to do what she did
Possibly - it was still a trope that really stood out to me on first watch all those years ago. Itās one of the main reasons I find Nine to be quite a frustrating incarnation as I never felt the solution was reliant on him.
Such a beautiful summary of 8thās range 
Not to mention all the back alley surgery in the novelsā¦
Iād choose either Vengeance or Revelation for first-time Sixth Doctor watchers. They have the most palatable/conventional plots, and the Doctor is especially superhero-esque/justice-hungry in them which is a quintessential aspect of Sixās characterization. Heās a real go-getter.