"Fires of Pompeii" showed Donna's mettle as a companion... she didn't just cheer him on. She asked the right questions, then actually placed her hands on his when he hesitated. And of course, she then tried to work within the rules to save someone.
Donna reminds the Doctor to save people. The Doctor chooses a new face to remind himself of Donna's impactful empathy. The Doctor uses that reminder to save Ashildr, who later becomes Me. Me becomes the host of the Raven, who later is responsible for killing Clara. The Doctor removes Clara from the timeline, kills the Tenth General and steals a TARDIS to try to revive Clara. Hell Bent happens. Congrats! Your favorite companion is responsible for Hell Bent.
Except that it was Twelve who got that message wrong, I think. Donna was trying to tell Ten that, when all is lost, try and do what you can within the constraints of that ("Not the whole town, just save someone."). Twelve's garbled version was "Save everyone, no matter what" or "victory at all costs; if it's not complete, make it so." The town had won this one, with one casualty, who knew the possible consequences of her actions. I don't think Donna would have condoned using crazy means like that to save the one person, especially realizing what it would have meant for Ashildr....
Watching Stolen Earth and Journey's End recently, I felt like it was the Infinity War and Endgame of Doctor Who. Many characters from multiple series involved. A great victory featuring a villain that almost everyone knew, and a crushing defeat for one protagonist in particular. Effectively the ultimate team up after the show hits fairly extreme popularity. Plot threads from previous events resolved. This was a good one.
10: The Doctor’s Daughter 9: The Fires of Pompeii 8: The Sontaran Stratagem / Poison Skies 7: The Unicorn and the Wasp 6: Planet of the Ood 5: The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End 4: Turn Left 3: Partners in Crime 2: Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead 1: Mignight
Silence in the library/forest of the dead 10/10 Stolen earth/journeys end 10/10 Turn left 10/10 Midnight 10/10 Unicorn 10/10 Partners in crime 10/10 Fires of pompeii 9.5/10 Planet of the ood 9/10 Sontaran stratagem/poison sky 8.5/10 Dr's daughter 7/10
Unicorn And The Wasp was bad. This episode felt very short for the script. Some things doesn't go well. Imo it was very bad episode, even if you think this episode was good it probably doesn't deserve 10/10.
@@bilguunmunkhbaatar6841 it for sure does. It's more of a comfort episode, accessible for everyone and focuses a lot more on the doctor and Donna's relationship. Looking back at this list, I would change the fires of pompeii to an 8.5 just below planet if the ood but other than that I stand by my opinions
Here's how I would rank them: 10) The Unicorn and the Wasp 9) Fires of Pompeii 8) The Sontaran Stratagem & The Poison Sky 7) The Doctor's Daughter 6) Partners in Crime 5) Planet of the Ood 4) Silence in the Library & Forest of the Dead 3) Midnight 2) The Stolen Earth & Journey's End 1) Turn Left
My fav series!! 9) The Doctor's Daughter 8) The Unicorn and the Wasp 7) Partners in Crime 6) Planet of the Ood 5) The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky 4) The Fires of Pompeii 3) Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 2) Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End 1) Midnight
The thing about Midnight is that we see why it is so important for the Doctor to have a companion. The Doctor acts the same way he always does but gets met with a ton more suspicion because he doesnt have a friend backing him up
The Unicorn and the Wasp is a keenly observed parody of the various television adaptations of Christie's work. It's essentially a comic episode, with the script's self-awareness being deliberate, much like Gareth Roberts's previous The Shakepeare Code. Do I think it deserves to be higher up on the list? Not necessarily, but I do think its intent gets lost in translation, and is unfairly judged as a result of it.
Series 4 is a mostly strong series with a few great modern classics, but there are still a handful of dud episodes for me. I'll also include the specials for my rankings: 15) The Doctor's Daughter 14) Planet of the Dead 13) Dreamland 12) The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky 11) The End of Time 10) Planet of the Ood 9) The Unicorn and the Wasp 8) The Next Doctor 7) The Stolen Earth/Journey's End 6) Partners in Crime 5) The Fires of Pompeii 4) Turn Left 3) The Waters of Mars 2) Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 1) Midnight (like you, I could probably swap these two around again at a later date, but on my last rewatch I think I just about preferred this one)
Wilo Polis Dreamland is a full-length animated adventure that was released in November 2009, initially as several parts across a few weeks I think, then released all together once all parts were released. There was another animated adventure in 2007 that aired alongside Series 3 on Totally Doctor Who (I think, again, been a long time) called The Infinite Quest which is a bit better than Dreamland in my opinion. Though as both adventures were initially released as several parts they suffer from some pacing issues when viewed all together as one adventure.
Wilo Polis It’s been almost 10 years since it came out so I imagine it’s even less well known now. Still recommend it as another adventure with Tennant, and it has Georgia Moffett (Jenny, Tennant’s irl wife and Davison’s daughter) in it.
Always glad to see some love for The Fires of Pompeii. It's such a great episode for both Donna as a character and her relationship with the Doctor. That moment where they're standing together in the escape pod and she fully realizes the gravity of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks every time. But notably, this is only her first outing as a full-fledged companion, and she acts with so much grace and courage by not only bearing the Doctor's burden with him but later reminding him exactly who he is and what he fights for when he needs it most. For me, it's one of the biggest defining moments in the modern series.
The Fires of Pompeii has always been one of my favorites. As someone who feels like they are "too emotional" or "too empathetic" it makes me feel like those skills are useful and skills. Not just liabilities.
My Series 4 ranking: Doctor’s daughter: who honestly likes this?! Sontaran stratagem The poison sky The unicorn and the wasp Fires of Pompeii Planet of the ood Partners in crime Midnight Journey’s end The stolen earth Turn left Silence in the library Forest of the dead
I agree, this is probably the best series DW has had, in that even lesser episodes like the Doctor's Daughter are still quite solid. That said, having just re-watched "Journey's End", I can't help but feel the finale is a mess. Oh, it's still fun. It's awesome to see all the characters we love united in one place over the greatest threat ever. But it doesn't seem like there's much for them to do. A good chunk of that first episode is everyone video chatting in order to make a phone call. And after, they all come up with plans to stop the Daleks that fail almost immediately. And while I love 'The-Doctor-Donna", she shows up and saves the day so quickly and easily, that it makes the threat of the Daleks just silly. And with the whole season building up the return of Rose, she doesn't get anything to do. She saves Donna's parents, reunites with the Doctor, and then is immediately captured. And of course, there's the weirdness of her story arc finishing with her getting effectively a human clone of the Doctor that will make out with her. And frankly, the Daleks never had much presence after this episode. I think the most frightening rendition of a Dalek after this era was in the New Year's specials oddly enough. It's also where I think the scale creep of "raising the stakes" hurt the show in the long term. S1 had just a space station and the Doctor himself in serious jeopardy. S2 had the whole earth in jeopardy as the Daleks and Cybermen raged war on Earth. S3 had the whole earth (again) in jeopardy, but this time the villain succeeds (even if the year was unwritten so to speak). And here we have the whole universe about to be destroyed. Where does one go after that? I mean, we still saw raised-stakes in future seasons that worked, but I think they pushed the threats so far that it made it tough to believe in the threats that would come later. Anyway, to be clear, the moments that work in the episode really do work, and I'm glad it exists if nothing else. Russell T. Davies got to bring together all his toys in a grand finale. I'm just saying that people compare this to what they did with the Avengers movies, and whatever issues you may have with Endgame, I'd argue it's a much tighter and successful version of this kind of story.
My ranking would be- 10. The Doctor’s daughter - I agree with you, it should have been a two parter 9. Partners in crime - I feel bad putting this down here, it just shows how amazing Series 4 is 8. Planet of the Ood - Sweet and I’m glad the Ood got there own story 7. The Sontaran stratagem/The poison sky - Pretty fun two parter and the Sontaran’s are pretty good in this 6. The fires of Pompeii - A great episode and amazing development between the Doctor and Donna 5. Silence in the library/Forest of the dead - An amazing two parter with a fascinating villain 4. The stolen Earth/Journey’s end - Epic series finale with a great performance from Julian Bleach 3. Turn left - Brilliant and an almost scary episode 2. The unicorn and the wasp - Some much fun for me 1. Midnight - Probably my favourite episode of the Russell T Davies era. It’s a phenomenal episode with a horrifying villain and fantastic guest cast Series 4 is probably my favourite modern series, it’s just so fantastic
Fires of Pompeii is like the first part of a two-parter culminating in the Waters of Mars - showing how the Doctor;s understanding and appreciation of of fixed points in time changes
10. The Doctor's Daughter 9. Partners in Crime 8. Planet of the Ood 7. The Unicorn and the Wasp 6. The Fires of Pompeii 5. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End 4. Turn Left 3. The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky 2. Silence in the Library/The Forest of the Dead 1. Midnight
My ranking: 10) The Doctor's Daughter: it's messy and lacks any real focus. Some nice concepts though. 9) Turn Left: I don't dislike this one, I just don't connect to it particularly. I wish the Time Beetle was more creatively designed. 8) Planet of the Ood: I like a lot about it (the drama is very strong) but the hammy acting makes the tone quite jarring at times. 7) Partners in Crime: it's a fun story with a good villain, but it sits as a fun way to spend 45 minutes rather than anything particularly impacting. 6) The Fires of Pompeii: I like the ending, seeing Peter Capaldi is always a treat and the villains, whilst a bit disposable, are good fun. 5) The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky: this episode has grown on me since I revisited it recently. I like the back-and-forth between all of the characters and the Sontaran's scheme is nice and inventive. 4) Midnight: I like this episode a lot--it doesn't scare me especially, but it has a brilliant atmosphere. For me, it gets kudos for being so tightly written for a single part story. 3) The Unicorn and the Wasp: I have a soft-spot for anything involving Agatha Christie, but it gets knocked down a spot because I wish the story was less comedic (though, given it's place in the series overall, I understand why they went that direction). 2) Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead: a rare occasion where a pre-showrunner Moffat doesn't win the top spot, but it's one of his strongest, most terrifying stories. 1) The Stolen Earth/Journey's End: my personal favourite series finale, it has huge emotional moments and it makes the Daleks truly terrifying.
Great video once again. I love Fires of Pompeii for all the reasons you said but also for the link later to Water of Mars and the idea of events that are fixed points in time
10. The Doctor’s Daughter (5.5/10) 9. Planet of the Ood (6.5/10) 8. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky (7/10) 7. Partners in Crime (7.5/10) 6. The Unicorn and the Wasp (8/10) 5. The Fires of Pompei (9/10) 4. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (10/10) 3. Turn Left (10/10) 2. Midnight (10/10) 1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (10/10) Definitely my favourite series of New Who.
I have fallen in love w your reviews. Even when I completely disagree w where you put something on your list I still love your reasoning. I will now bing watch all your individual dr who episode reviews.
my rankinggg. 10) Unicorn. 9) The sontaran two-parter. 8) Doctor's daughter 7) partners in crime. 6) planet of the ood. 5) fires of pompei 4) Silence in the library/forest of the dead 3) Stolen earth/journeys end 2) midnight 1) TURN LEFT.
I thought it was appropriate that the Doctor was more in the background in Stolen Earth/Journey's End because this story was really about the companions.It was (more or less)the closing of their arcs with RTD due to leave in a little over a year. The remainder of Tennat's tenure in the lead role would be devoted to him alone and, as Donna quite rightly said back in The Runaway Bride, the Doctor should never travel on his lonesome. This two-parter was the last time he would heed that advice before slowly heading towards his ultimate fate.
This is one of the most perfect seasons of doctor who. Not because its flawless, but its just so fun and enjoyable. Thats what I love in my Doctor Who and this delivers in every single episode. Nothing in season 12 even competes in terms of pure humour.
"Not every shadow, but any shadow" somehow makes the Vashta Narauda much more intense. Because if it were every shadow then you might as well give up hope, theres no way out. But to think of them more like creatures in the darkness than the darkness themselves makes them seem both able to be beaten but also wickedly intelligent.
I always had a problem with Silence in the Library. That’s the explanation of where the Vashtanerada came from. The idea that they hatched out of the microspores of the books. Not that it’s a bad explanation it just makes me sad that it means a planetary library can never be realized because it would always have this problem.
Midnight - There’s a sound playing over the scene just after the Crusader was shaken and everyone is standing together staring over at Sky with their flashlights drawn, and the Doctor goes over to her. The sound repeats a few times I believe throughout the episode and I don’t know how to explain it. It’s an eerie sound that absolutely terrifies me and is absolutely perfect atmospheric piece for a terrifyingly Haunting story such as Midnight
*10. The Doctor's Daughter* - honestly the concept of a war that's only lasted a week but has already killed off multiple generations is a great idea. Everything else about the episode ranges from average to "ugh". *9. The Fires of Pompeii* - I don't know if it's because I'm a complete Ancient Rome nerd and going to the excavation at Pompeii was one of the most chilling experiences of my life, but while I loved the moral dilemma of the Doctor actively causing the eruption, the fact that he then went and saved that one family just *really* rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. I get what they were going for with regards to the empathy but...I don't know. I just really have trouble with it. *8. The Unicorn and the Wasp* - I loved the comedy in this episode but the fact that the plot is dependant on a woman knowingly having sex with a giant wasp is just...wrong. Also the transformation into the wasp with the buzzing and the head spasms just seemed silly instead of scary. *7. Turn Left* - I appreciated how well thought through all the implications were of the result of Donna never meeting the Doctor but it kind of reached a point where it just seemed to be getting too dark for the sake of getting dark, if that makes any kind of sense. Also, Billie Piper's acting seemed really off in this episode. *6. The Poison Sky/Sontaran Stratagem* - I loved the social commentary and pretty much everything about the Doctor/Donna/Martha teamup (plus Tennant's adlib when he was wearing the gas-mask was pure gold), I just wish they hadn't wasted Martha by having her get captured so early on and I just can't take the Sontarans seriously as villains, especially when everyone they confront is constantly cracking height and potato jokes. *5. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead* - I...never found this story to be as scary as everyone else seemed to. To me, it would have been far scarier if it had focused more on the concept of "ghosting" that the episode introduced. Maybe it's just because I could never take the "count the shadows" thing seriously since it's perfectly possible to have more than one shadow in your everyday life. Also, while I love Alex Kingston as an actress, I never did like River Song as a character - my days of reading bad self-insert Mary Sue fanfiction. *4. Planet of the Ood* - I'm so glad we got an actual explanation for the Ood. I liked the social commentary and I think this is the episode where people really started appreciating Catherine Tate's range as an actress. Also Tim McInerny was clearly having a blast as the villain. I just couldn't take the head security guard with any degree of seriousness at all which made the whole thing feel like there was less of an overall threat. *3. Partners In Crime* - Yes, this episode is just pure fluff but it's thoroughly enjoyable fluff. There's not actually anything about it that I actively dislike, there's just nothing I truly adore either. It's a nice comedic season opener that doesn't have to worry about getting us used to either a new Doctor or a new companion. *2. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End* - I know people have issues with it but the best way I can think to describe my experience watching this for the first time back in 2008 is that it was kind of like Infinity War/Endgame. It was an epic team-up across multiple series, bringing pretty much every significant character we'd met until this point into the midst of it, fighting one of the most iconic and dangerous villains, and with an absolute gutpunch of a loss at the end. The various uses of deus ex machina are a little annoying from a storytelling standpoint but I think sheer nostalgia means I can't help but enjoy this finale. *1. Midnight* - I honestly think this is my favourite episode of any TV I've seen. I love the whole "descent into chaos/Lord of the Flies" type story anyway but the fact that, despite the limited running time, the progression from perfectly normal people into angry, panicked mob happened so believably is frankly a masterclass in writing. There wasn't a single weak performance in the cast and the amount of time and effort the whole team put into creating this episode just shows the level of dedication they all had to making this work. And, like all the best Doctor Who story ideas, it's so simple. Also, I love the fact that (so far and hopefully forever) it is never explained what the Entity is, what it truly looks like, whether it is dead or not, whether it caused the shuttle to take the detour in the first place, or even what its ultimate goal is. It's just a completely unknowable thing that only loses at the last second because it gets cocky.
Midnight is basically a 45 minute horror jump scare suspense movie and for a person who hates horror movies but loves this episode and loves stuff with clever concepts i totally agree with it being number one on this list. But i am like you i love the Rive Song 2 parter 2. again cus it kinda evokes that horror feel to it but also its just a great 2 part cus it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. great list.
From the first time I watched Fires of Pompeii (I don't remember watching it when it aired when I was a kid) more recently when I watched all the episodes, this has been a wonderfully written Episode and it shocked me that so many people disliked it.
Great Video, Series 4 is my Favorite Series and i Count the Specials With It And Makes it Ten Times Better with Waters of Mars,End of Time, and My Favorite Christmas Specials are also part of it With Voyage of the Dammed & the Next Doctor
I realize that this probably could not have worked but I always thought that there should have been some sort of consequence for the other passengers for trying to kill the doctor. It was attempted murder not self defence
My list: 10: The doctor’s daughter 4/10 9: The sontaran stratagem/the poison sky 6/10 8: The fires of Pompeii 6/10 7: The unicorn and the wasp 7/10 6: Partners in crime 8/10 5: Planet of the ood 9/10 4: Stolen earth/ journeys end 9/10 3: Turn left 9/10 2: Silence in the library/Forest of the dead 9.5/10 1: Midnight 10/10
This might be a bit controversial, but my order would be: Good- 1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (easily my favourite story, River is brilliant and the Vashta Nerada are amazing. Donna’s time in the computer is very well done and River’s monologue at the end my favourite moment of the series) 2. Midnight (this is my favourite RTD episode as he really surprised me. I don’t expect much from his writing normally but here he brilliantly breaks down the tropes of the show. It’s claustrophobic and minimalist, and it’s just fantastic) 3. Turn Left (despite a major plot hole with the Titantic only destroying London where it was said that it would destroy Earth in Voyage of the Damned, this episode is a great character study for Donna. As someone who struggles with self esteem I can really understand what she feels) 4. The Fires of Pompeii (Donna is probably my favourite part of this episode. Unlike Rose and other RTD era companions, Donna is actually thankful to the Doctor for taking her in the Tardis and that really builds on her character. Peter Capaldi also gives a wonderful performance) 5. Partners in Crime (the plot is a little sparse but the interactions between Donna and the Doctor save it for me. The scene where Donna sees the Doctor at the window is just brilliant comic timing) Average- 6.The Unicorn and the Wasp (yes it’s camp and overblown but I like Agatha Christie and Donna brings a good amount of humour to the episode. The Wasp is a bit disappointing though) 7. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky (seeing Martha is nice and the Atmos devices are a good idea, but for a two parter I feel the plot is too easily resolved, and the Doctor annoys me here for some reason. Donna is brilliant as usual though) 8. Planet of the Ood (once again, Donna is the best thing about the episode. I never really liked Mr Halpen becoming an Ood, and some of the ideas feel a little underdeveloped, but it’s okay for what it is) Below Average- 9. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (Okay, I have to admit to really disliking this story. The Stolen Earth is a decent set up but Journey’s End is just abysmal. It’s like RTD thought he couldn’t go any higher so threw himself off the mountain. Not only is the Reality bomb absolutely ridiculous, as surely in one parallel world it would have succeeded, but the plot is solved by possibly the most egregious case of ‘push a button and win’ syndrome. Why would the Daleks even have levers and switches they couldn’t operate? They’re not for Davros as he’s effectively a prisoner, and why would pressing them cause the Daleks to lose control of their casing? It’s all just hand-waved away with mindless technobabble. The Doctor barely does anything and just sort of stands there shouting variations of “No you can’t do that!” This also completely undermines Rose’s ending in Doomsday by giving her a Doctor of her own that loves her too. I’ve never liked the Doctor falling in love with Rose, but the Meta crisis Doctor being used in this way is just awful. The only decent thing about Journey’ End is Donna’s departure, but even that is later ruined by The End of Time, where the audience is bashed over the head with repeated mentions of her possible death, just to create false tension and emotion.) 10. The Doctor’s Daughter (this one falls apart in the final act, and the logistics of the cloning machine are a little bit suspect. The Doctor doesn’t even care that he’s effectively been forced to produce a child, and the wound that the machine leaves is impractical for people holding weapons. Jenny isn’t my favourite character either, she feels like a cardboard cut out of a character. I’ve heard she’s good in Big Finish though) Overall Series 4 ranks as my fifth favourite, behind 5,6,9 and 10. Sorry for the long ramble, those are just my thoughts though.
Agree the resolution of journey end 's end is awful probably the worst deus ex machina I seen on television really lowers the stakes to zero. This should have been at least a three -four parter cause there is too much focus on setup for the daleks to be established as a threat.
I always liked to think the reason the vashta narada (don’t know how to spell it lol) leave the doctor is because not only do they fear him more after realising who he is from the library but possibly they read about fixed points using their hive mind about his future like his death or trensalore so know he can’t die in the library.
1 Midnight 2 Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 3 Turn Left 4 The Stolen Earth/Journey's End (3 and 4 can switch from time to time for me) 5 Planet of the Ood 6 The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky 7 The Unicorn and the Wasp 8 Partners In Crime 9 The Fires of Pompeii (5 - 9 also can switch around now and then for me) 10 The Doctors Daughter
My top 5 would be: 1- Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 2- The Stolen Earth/Journey's End 3- The Fires of Pompeii 4- Midnight 5- Partners in Crime Midnight is a great episode, but I just didn't find it as entertaining as everyone else did. The Fires of Pompeii is also great, but it isn't my number one because the story is a little weak and could have been rewritten. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End suffers from a lot of deus ex machinas (I count seven) but I still love it because it largely pulls of becoming a completely different show with an ensemble cast, its as tense and epic as it needs to be, and seeing all of these characters you are emotionally invested in onscreen together is just incredibly fun.
17. The End Of Time 16. Planet Of The Dead 15. The Poison Sky 14. The Doctor's Daughter 13. The Fires Of Pompeii 12. The Sontaran Stratagem 11. Voyage Of The Dammed 10. The Unicorn And The Wasp 9. Partners In Crime 8. Silence In The Library 7. Turn Left 6. Forest Of The Dead 5. Journey's End 4. The Waters Of Mars 3. Planet Of The Ood (Underrated) 2. Midnight 1. The Stolen Earth
You're a brave human for even attempting to rank these! I've watched about half of your full reviews and I mostly guessed each of your rankings. I guess I mostly agree with you because I really love Series 4 so much that I can't decide. I guess I'm like the mom who has ten children and says she loves them all equally! Haha! I know whenever I talk to a friend about an episode from S4 I say things like, "It's the best" and "It's my favorite episode." Because in that moment of discussing it or talking about it, it is. Except for Doctor's Daughter...the best part about that is I kind of fell for the future-Mrs.-Tennant as soon as she said, "Hello, Dad!" Otherwise, it's pretty meh.
Still think Planet of the Ood is the best just because of the one guy that tried to frikin *kill the Doctor and Donna with gigantic iron claws* . That guy was a freaking legend
I have a really hard time ranking the episodes personally, because I love all of them (except The Doctor’s Daughter that I never really warmed to), and I pretty much agree with your points. So even though I love Turn Left and Partners in Crime immensely, and don’t want to put them in the lower numbers, I can still do it because the other episodes are just stronger over all. I love River, and I would love for her to make a comeback somehow... Don’t know how that could be, but the show writers are clever, they can think of something. Hopefully. Probably. 😆
A few notes. 1) When Ten says "Are you my mummy"? In the Poison Sky storyline, that was unscripted. That was something David came up with on the spot and the General's confused silence was the actor being caught off guard. Also, my favorite part of Stolen Earth is when we first hear the Daleks and see everyone's reaction. Pure, unadulterated fear. Even Jack, the guy who is joking/flirting most of the time and is completely immortal, is TERRIFIED of these things and it makes sense. The last time he saw Daleks, they slaughtered HUNDREDS of people on the space station including himself. They're the ones responsible for him dying in the first place
I just recently rewatched season 4 and I agree with almost every point in this ranking! I rarely find people who share my love with the "midnight" story, so I was kissing the screen, when I realized you put that in your top 2 :D
My ranking: Midnight The Stolen Earth/Journey's End The Fires of Pompeii Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead Turn Left The Doctor's Daughter The Unicorn and the Wasp - A Guilty Pleasure for me The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky Planet of the Ood Partners in Crime
My ranking: 9) Fires of Pompeii (3/10) 8) the unicorn and the wasp (6/10) 7) partners in crime (6.5/10) 6) Planet of the ood (7/10) 5) Finale 3 parter (7.5/10) 4) The doctors Daughter (8/10) 3) Silence in the library two parter (8.5/10) 2) Midnight (9/10) 1) Sontaran stratagem/poison sky (9.5/10) EDIT: now I thought about it a bit more, I changed my ranking
For me: 10 - Partners in crime 9 - The unicorn and the wasp 8 - The doctors daughter 7 - Planet of the ood 6 - The sontaran strategem/The poison sky 5 - The fires of pompeii 4 - The stolen earth/Journeys end 3 - Turn left 2 - Silence in the library/Forest of the dead 1 - Midnight
I think it's really funny that he goes on about Donna being amazing (which she is, no arguments there) and then puts the episode with the least Donna in the top spot (again, Midnight is also my favorite so no complaints)
Best to Worst: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead Midnight Sontaron Stratagem/Poison Sky Turn Left Stolen Earth/Journey's End Fires of Pompeii Planet of the Ood Partners in Crime Unicorn and the Wasp Doctor's Daughter
Donna having her memory wiped is even sadder to me now because it means all the knowledge and experience she gained is lost, nearly every other companion did something new after meeting the doctor, Mickey started off as a coward but later became a freelance alien hunter, Donna was basically reset and had to go back to who she was before so everything she experienced didn't matter
15.end of time 14.doctors daughter 13.fires of pompeii 12.planet of the ood 11.the next doctor 10.Sontaran stratagem\poison sky 9.planet of the dead 8.unicorn and the wasp 7.partners in crime 6.voyage of the dammed 5.turn left 4.stolen earth \journeys end 3.waters of mars 2.midnight 1.silence in the library \forest of the dead (favourite tennant story)
Midnight still has me leaving the lights on at night, I feel like people who aren’t unsettled by this choose to rank it lower but couldn’t agree more with the n1 spot
Recently, looking back at the synopsis of these episodes (admittedly not re-watching them all) I came to the conclusion that I don’t think there is a single episode in this season which I would call bad. And as such it might just end up my favourite season.
For me personally my favourite episodes from series 4 ranked from worst to best is 1.stolen Earth/journeys end 2. The planet of the ood 3. Partners in crime 4. The fires of Pompeii 5. Sontaran stratagem/poisoned sky 6. Silence in the library/forest of the dead 7. The doctors daughter 8. Turn left 9. Midnight 10. The unicorn and the wasp
10. The Sontaran Stratagem/Poison Sky - 5/10 9. Planet of The Ood - 6/10 8. The Doctor's Daughter - 7/10 7. Partners in Crime - 8/10 6. The Fires of Pompeii - 8/10 5. The Unicorn and The Wasp - 9/10 4. Turn Left - 9.5/10 3. Midnight - 10/10 2. Silence in The Library/Forest of The Dead - 10/10 1. Stolen Earth/Journey's End - 10/10 (My favourite series btw)
10- Doctor's Daughter (6/10) 9- Unicorn and the Wasp (7/10) 8- Partners in Crime (8/10) 7- Planet of the Ood (8/10) 6- Fires of Pompeii (9/10) 5- Sontaran Strategem/ Poison Sky (9/10) 4- Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead (9.5/10) 3- Turn Left (9.5/10) 2- Stolen Earth/ Journey's End (9.5/10) 1- Midnight (10/10)
my personal ranking, cause i've not thought about it before! 10. sontaran strategem/poison sky 9. doctor's daughter 8. forest of the dead/silence in the library (the bottom three are pretty easy for me, but everything after this would probably appear in my top 20 favourite eps of all time) 7. partners in crime 6. unicorn and the wasp 5. fires of pompeii 4. planet of the ood 3. stolen earth/ journey's end 2. turn left 1. midnight (my favourite ep of all time) god, season 4 really is my favourite season of doctor who, it's banger after banger!
10 Planet of the ood 6.75/10 9 Partners in crime 7/10 8 Doctors Daughter 7.25/10 7 Unicorn and the wasp 7.25/10 6 Fires of pompeii 8/10 5 Sontarem Strategem/Poison sky 8.25/10 4 Stolen Earth/Journeys End 9/10 3 Turn Left 9.5/10 2 Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 9.5/10 1 Midnight 9.75/10
if youre talking about modern era i would add the zygon inversion to round out the top three, but there are 159 stories in classic era who, many of them leave even these in the dust!!!!
The library 2 partner is my favourite story ever. Before they totally ruined River's character. Very moving. And the episodes feature Murray Gold's greatest Who music ever. Fab stuff.
Silence in the library two parter is my fave in this series. I always felt the end of the series was too much like a victory lap. Was good but a bit too neat for me.
Pretty much every episode in season 4 should have been two part episodes because then we could have ended up with about 26 episodes with Ten and Donna!!
Honestly, I feel like this season doesn't have an *actual* bad episode, even The Doctor's Daughter, despite it's *massive* shortcomings. But, if I had to rank them, this is my preference: 1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 2. Midnight 3. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky 4. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End 5. The Unicorn and the Wasp 6. The Fires of Pompeii 7. Turn Left 8. Partners in Crime 9. The Doctor's Daughter 10. Planet of the Ood
10- The Doctors Daughter ✅ 9- The Unicorn and the Wasp ✅ 8- The Sonaran Stratagem/ The Poison Sky ( 3 OFF) 7- The Planet of the Ood ( 1 OFF) 6- Partners in Crime ( 1 OFF) 5- The Fires of Pompeii ( 2 OFF) 4- Turn Left ( 2 OFF) 3- The Stolen Earth/ Journeys End ( 1 OFF) 2- Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead ✅ 1- Midnight✅
Here's my ranking 10: Unicorn and the wasp 6.5/10 9: The doctors daughter 6.5/10 8: Planet of the ood 7/10 7: Partners in crime 8/10 6: Fires of Pompeii 8.5/10 5: Sontaran stratagem/The poison sky 9/10 4: Silence in the library/ Forest of the dead 9/10 3: Turn left 10/10 2: Stolen earth/Journeys end 10/10 1: Midnight 10/10
I consider the David Tennant Specials as an extension of Series 4. Overall without them my rank is 11. The Unicorn and the Wasp 10. Turn Left 9. Partners in Crime 8. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky 7. Fires of Pompeii 6. Planet of the Ood 5. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 4. The Doctor’s Daughter 3. Voyage of the Darned 2. Midnight 1. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End
@@nathamiell If you think about it every Doctor has their mini-series. For 10 it's those specials, for 11 it's the Name, Night, Day and Time of the Doctor, for 12 it's Face the Raven all the way to The Pilot, which I consider to be the finale. And 9's is just season 1.
Season 4 Ranked 15) The Doctors Daughter 4.5/10 14) The Fires Of Pompeii 5/10 13) The Unicorn And The Wasp 5.5/10 12) Planet Of The Ood 5.5/10 11) Planet Of The Dead 6/10 10) Voyage Of The Damned 6/10 9) The Next Doctor 6.5/10 8) Partners In Crime 6.5/10 7) The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poisoned Sky 7/10 6) Silence In The Library / Forrest Of The Dead 8/10 5) The End Of Time 8.5/10 4) Midnight 9/10 3) The Waters Of Mars 8.5/10 2) Turn Left 9.5/10 1) The Stolen Earth / Journeys End 9.5/10
Are you planning to deal with the Specials? Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead is my favorite episode in all of Who. And while I applaud Midnight for what it does, I don't actually enjoy watching it. The Unicorn and the Wasp was ruined for me by the stupid big wasp. It's hard to remember how good the other parts are. Pompeii came off as too campy through a lot of it, but the stuff with Donna and the Doctor at the end is magical. Still, it would not be very high on my list.
Midnight has only gotten better with age. Best RTD written episode hands-down to where I'm wondering why he didn't write more episodes that flavor more often.
Watched a DW video on ‘Watch MoJo UK’. Apparently the actress who played Sally Sparrow was asked to come as a companion in Series 4. I love Donna, but can’t help but wonder what could have been..
Partners in Crime Planet of the Ood Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky Midnight The Unicorn and the Wasp Turn Left The Stolen Earth/Journey's End The Doctor's Daughter The Fires of Pompeii
Giant versions of earth animals make sense as aliens tho. Cause there will always be life that evolves similar to them, like with humans. Nobody complains about aliens that look just like us, but they all could happen.
At aliens that just look like humans you can excuse on a budgetary basis. But you’re going to shell out the money to render or do the makeup on something distinct non human, why wouldn’t you put in the creativity of something other than just “big Wasp”?
The main reason why 'Earth animals' is the go-to design for alien creatures is it helps the audience decipher what they're looking at. Without that design restriction, you could end up with Erato from The Creature from the Pit!
"The Doctor's Daughter" is probably Tennant's favorite episode, though.
@@chorizomcclive4081 They weren't married at the time of the episode though
Gee I wonder why
@@lordevyl8317 yes but it's were they met
"Fires of Pompeii" showed Donna's mettle as a companion... she didn't just cheer him on. She asked the right questions, then actually placed her hands on his when he hesitated. And of course, she then tried to work within the rules to save someone.
Donna reminds the Doctor to save people.
The Doctor chooses a new face to remind himself of Donna's impactful empathy.
The Doctor uses that reminder to save Ashildr, who later becomes Me.
Me becomes the host of the Raven, who later is responsible for killing Clara.
The Doctor removes Clara from the timeline, kills the Tenth General and steals a TARDIS to try to revive Clara. Hell Bent happens.
Congrats! Your favorite companion is responsible for Hell Bent.
Get out.
Except that it was Twelve who got that message wrong, I think. Donna was trying to tell Ten that, when all is lost, try and do what you can within the constraints of that ("Not the whole town, just save someone."). Twelve's garbled version was "Save everyone, no matter what" or "victory at all costs; if it's not complete, make it so." The town had won this one, with one casualty, who knew the possible consequences of her actions. I don't think Donna would have condoned using crazy means like that to save the one person, especially realizing what it would have meant for Ashildr....
@@CouncilofGeeks Listen to @dm613. Cause (in Hell Bent only) they're dead right about twelve misconstruing the message for personal gain.
@- SageAegis - did he? Because it seems to me for one BRIEF moment in the doctors last week he unlearned it by saving wilfred
It’s a good lesson, hell bent was a flop. Yes those things are connected but still come on.
Watching Stolen Earth and Journey's End recently, I felt like it was the Infinity War and Endgame of Doctor Who. Many characters from multiple series involved. A great victory featuring a villain that almost everyone knew, and a crushing defeat for one protagonist in particular. Effectively the ultimate team up after the show hits fairly extreme popularity. Plot threads from previous events resolved. This was a good one.
@@HOTD108_
How is Endgame a boring slog?
@@WhaleManMan It goes on for like 2 hours .more than it should
@@SomeRandomGuy908
That's it?? If you liked these characters in Infinity War, I think seeing them for slightly longer isn't that bad.
@@WhaleManMan i think its the best handled crossover since the three doctors.
I know they're based on comics but I wouldn't be surprised if the MCU got some inspiration for the avengers films from that 2 parter.
10: The Doctor’s Daughter
9: The Fires of Pompeii
8: The Sontaran Stratagem / Poison Skies
7: The Unicorn and the Wasp
6: Planet of the Ood
5: The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End
4: Turn Left
3: Partners in Crime
2: Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead
1: Mignight
Silence in the library/forest of the dead 10/10
Stolen earth/journeys end 10/10
Turn left 10/10
Midnight 10/10
Unicorn 10/10
Partners in crime 10/10
Fires of pompeii 9.5/10
Planet of the ood 9/10
Sontaran stratagem/poison sky 8.5/10
Dr's daughter 7/10
I can't agree more than that
Unicorn And The Wasp was bad. This episode felt very short for the script. Some things doesn't go well. Imo it was very bad episode, even if you think this episode was good it probably doesn't deserve 10/10.
@@bilguunmunkhbaatar6841 it for sure does. It's more of a comfort episode, accessible for everyone and focuses a lot more on the doctor and Donna's relationship. Looking back at this list, I would change the fires of pompeii to an 8.5 just below planet if the ood but other than that I stand by my opinions
I will defend The Unicorn and the Wasp till the day I die!
It’s got great rewatch value!
Here's how I would rank them:
10) The Unicorn and the Wasp
9) Fires of Pompeii
8) The Sontaran Stratagem & The Poison Sky
7) The Doctor's Daughter
6) Partners in Crime
5) Planet of the Ood
4) Silence in the Library & Forest of the Dead
3) Midnight
2) The Stolen Earth & Journey's End
1) Turn Left
My fav series!!
9) The Doctor's Daughter
8) The Unicorn and the Wasp
7) Partners in Crime
6) Planet of the Ood
5) The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
4) The Fires of Pompeii
3) Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
2) Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
1) Midnight
The thing about Midnight is that we see why it is so important for the Doctor to have a companion. The Doctor acts the same way he always does but gets met with a ton more suspicion because he doesnt have a friend backing him up
"let's be honest, we all have a favourite child."
Truer words have never been said.
The Unicorn and the Wasp is a keenly observed parody of the various television adaptations of Christie's work. It's essentially a comic episode, with the script's self-awareness being deliberate, much like Gareth Roberts's previous The Shakepeare Code. Do I think it deserves to be higher up on the list? Not necessarily, but I do think its intent gets lost in translation, and is unfairly judged as a result of it.
It's my "go-to" episode when I want just pure, crazy fun...
Midnight is one of those episodes where I appreciate how perfect it is, but I just never choose to re-watch it...
Because of how disturbing it is?
That's the case for me at least....
Series 4 is a mostly strong series with a few great modern classics, but there are still a handful of dud episodes for me. I'll also include the specials for my rankings:
15) The Doctor's Daughter
14) Planet of the Dead
13) Dreamland
12) The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
11) The End of Time
10) Planet of the Ood
9) The Unicorn and the Wasp
8) The Next Doctor
7) The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
6) Partners in Crime
5) The Fires of Pompeii
4) Turn Left
3) The Waters of Mars
2) Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
1) Midnight (like you, I could probably swap these two around again at a later date, but on my last rewatch I think I just about preferred this one)
What is Dreamland? Is it a minisode?
Wilo Polis Dreamland is a full-length animated adventure that was released in November 2009, initially as several parts across a few weeks I think, then released all together once all parts were released. There was another animated adventure in 2007 that aired alongside Series 3 on Totally Doctor Who (I think, again, been a long time) called The Infinite Quest which is a bit better than Dreamland in my opinion. Though as both adventures were initially released as several parts they suffer from some pacing issues when viewed all together as one adventure.
@@lucasdolding6924 Ah ok, I think I heard about that somewhere
Wilo Polis It’s been almost 10 years since it came out so I imagine it’s even less well known now. Still recommend it as another adventure with Tennant, and it has Georgia Moffett (Jenny, Tennant’s irl wife and Davison’s daughter) in it.
Always glad to see some love for The Fires of Pompeii. It's such a great episode for both Donna as a character and her relationship with the Doctor. That moment where they're standing together in the escape pod and she fully realizes the gravity of the situation hits me like a ton of bricks every time. But notably, this is only her first outing as a full-fledged companion, and she acts with so much grace and courage by not only bearing the Doctor's burden with him but later reminding him exactly who he is and what he fights for when he needs it most. For me, it's one of the biggest defining moments in the modern series.
The Fires of Pompeii has always been one of my favorites. As someone who feels like they are "too emotional" or "too empathetic" it makes me feel like those skills are useful and skills. Not just liabilities.
Well this is gonna be fun to watch. The pain that must've been caused ranking Donna episodes low on the list.
im looking forward to the 11th Doctor ReWatch.....please tell me you'll be wearing a Bow Tie cause bow ties are cool
My Series 4 ranking:
Doctor’s daughter: who honestly likes this?!
Sontaran stratagem
The poison sky
The unicorn and the wasp
Fires of Pompeii
Planet of the ood
Partners in crime
Midnight
Journey’s end
The stolen earth
Turn left
Silence in the library
Forest of the dead
Sum_Random_Boi 42 hey, i like the doctors daughter
Sum_Random_Boi 42 Midnight was better than Stolen Earth/Journeys End.
I agree, this is probably the best series DW has had, in that even lesser episodes like the Doctor's Daughter are still quite solid. That said, having just re-watched "Journey's End", I can't help but feel the finale is a mess.
Oh, it's still fun. It's awesome to see all the characters we love united in one place over the greatest threat ever. But it doesn't seem like there's much for them to do. A good chunk of that first episode is everyone video chatting in order to make a phone call. And after, they all come up with plans to stop the Daleks that fail almost immediately. And while I love 'The-Doctor-Donna", she shows up and saves the day so quickly and easily, that it makes the threat of the Daleks just silly. And with the whole season building up the return of Rose, she doesn't get anything to do. She saves Donna's parents, reunites with the Doctor, and then is immediately captured. And of course, there's the weirdness of her story arc finishing with her getting effectively a human clone of the Doctor that will make out with her. And frankly, the Daleks never had much presence after this episode. I think the most frightening rendition of a Dalek after this era was in the New Year's specials oddly enough.
It's also where I think the scale creep of "raising the stakes" hurt the show in the long term. S1 had just a space station and the Doctor himself in serious jeopardy. S2 had the whole earth in jeopardy as the Daleks and Cybermen raged war on Earth. S3 had the whole earth (again) in jeopardy, but this time the villain succeeds (even if the year was unwritten so to speak). And here we have the whole universe about to be destroyed. Where does one go after that?
I mean, we still saw raised-stakes in future seasons that worked, but I think they pushed the threats so far that it made it tough to believe in the threats that would come later.
Anyway, to be clear, the moments that work in the episode really do work, and I'm glad it exists if nothing else. Russell T. Davies got to bring together all his toys in a grand finale. I'm just saying that people compare this to what they did with the Avengers movies, and whatever issues you may have with Endgame, I'd argue it's a much tighter and successful version of this kind of story.
Midnight and the Library episodes will always be my favorite episodes of the entire show
My ranking would be-
10. The Doctor’s daughter - I agree with you, it should have been a two parter
9. Partners in crime - I feel bad putting this down here, it just shows how amazing Series 4 is
8. Planet of the Ood - Sweet and I’m glad the Ood got there own story
7. The Sontaran stratagem/The poison sky - Pretty fun two parter and the Sontaran’s are pretty good in this
6. The fires of Pompeii - A great episode and amazing development between the Doctor and Donna
5. Silence in the library/Forest of the dead - An amazing two parter with a fascinating villain
4. The stolen Earth/Journey’s end - Epic series finale with a great performance from Julian Bleach
3. Turn left - Brilliant and an almost scary episode
2. The unicorn and the wasp - Some much fun for me
1. Midnight - Probably my favourite episode of the Russell T Davies era. It’s a phenomenal episode with a horrifying villain and fantastic guest cast
Series 4 is probably my favourite modern series, it’s just so fantastic
This video should’ve just been called: why I love Donna
That fluff on his shoulder was irritating 😂😂 good top 10 though! Agree mostly, but I'd put unicorn and the wasp a lot higher. It's so fun!
Yeah I couldn't stop noticing it, other than that it's really well presented though
I would love to see midnight as a stage performance, just an empty sage with a few chairs as the actors it’s such a good concept
Fires of Pompeii is like the first part of a two-parter culminating in the Waters of Mars - showing how the Doctor;s understanding and appreciation of of fixed points in time changes
10. The Doctor's Daughter
9. Partners in Crime
8. Planet of the Ood
7. The Unicorn and the Wasp
6. The Fires of Pompeii
5. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
4. Turn Left
3. The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky
2. Silence in the Library/The Forest of the Dead
1. Midnight
My ranking:
10) The Doctor's Daughter: it's messy and lacks any real focus. Some nice concepts though.
9) Turn Left: I don't dislike this one, I just don't connect to it particularly. I wish the Time Beetle was more creatively designed.
8) Planet of the Ood: I like a lot about it (the drama is very strong) but the hammy acting makes the tone quite jarring at times.
7) Partners in Crime: it's a fun story with a good villain, but it sits as a fun way to spend 45 minutes rather than anything particularly impacting.
6) The Fires of Pompeii: I like the ending, seeing Peter Capaldi is always a treat and the villains, whilst a bit disposable, are good fun.
5) The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky: this episode has grown on me since I revisited it recently. I like the back-and-forth between all of the characters and the Sontaran's scheme is nice and inventive.
4) Midnight: I like this episode a lot--it doesn't scare me especially, but it has a brilliant atmosphere. For me, it gets kudos for being so tightly written for a single part story.
3) The Unicorn and the Wasp: I have a soft-spot for anything involving Agatha Christie, but it gets knocked down a spot because I wish the story was less comedic (though, given it's place in the series overall, I understand why they went that direction).
2) Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead: a rare occasion where a pre-showrunner Moffat doesn't win the top spot, but it's one of his strongest, most terrifying stories.
1) The Stolen Earth/Journey's End: my personal favourite series finale, it has huge emotional moments and it makes the Daleks truly terrifying.
Great video once again. I love Fires of Pompeii for all the reasons you said but also for the link later to Water of Mars and the idea of events that are fixed points in time
10. The Doctor’s Daughter (5.5/10)
9. Planet of the Ood (6.5/10)
8. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky (7/10)
7. Partners in Crime (7.5/10)
6. The Unicorn and the Wasp (8/10)
5. The Fires of Pompei (9/10)
4. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (10/10)
3. Turn Left (10/10)
2. Midnight (10/10)
1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (10/10)
Definitely my favourite series of New Who.
Both series 4s are the best in both eras! Just s shame most of the classic season 4 is missing
My favourite rtd series for sure but Moffat era is my fave with my fave series
It's also important to remember in pompei thatprobably inspires the "every single life is a victory" bit before he becomes capeldi...
I have fallen in love w your reviews. Even when I completely disagree w where you put something on your list I still love your reasoning. I will now bing watch all your individual dr who episode reviews.
my rankinggg.
10) Unicorn.
9) The sontaran two-parter.
8) Doctor's daughter
7) partners in crime.
6) planet of the ood.
5) fires of pompei
4) Silence in the library/forest of the dead
3) Stolen earth/journeys end
2) midnight
1) TURN LEFT.
I thought it was appropriate that the Doctor was more in the background in Stolen Earth/Journey's End because this story was really about the companions.It was (more or less)the closing of their arcs with RTD due to leave in a little over a year. The remainder of Tennat's tenure in the lead role would be devoted to him alone and, as Donna quite rightly said back in The Runaway Bride, the Doctor should never travel on his lonesome. This two-parter was the last time he would heed that advice before slowly heading towards his ultimate fate.
This is one of the most perfect seasons of doctor who. Not because its flawless, but its just so fun and enjoyable. Thats what I love in my Doctor Who and this delivers in every single episode. Nothing in season 12 even competes in terms of pure humour.
"Not every shadow, but any shadow" somehow makes the Vashta Narauda much more intense. Because if it were every shadow then you might as well give up hope, theres no way out. But to think of them more like creatures in the darkness than the darkness themselves makes them seem both able to be beaten but also wickedly intelligent.
I loved turn left! It would have had me behind the couch if I was younger and the wolf being trucked a way makes me cry every time !
I always had a problem with Silence in the Library. That’s the explanation of where the Vashtanerada came from. The idea that they hatched out of the microspores of the books. Not that it’s a bad explanation it just makes me sad that it means a planetary library can never be realized because it would always have this problem.
I 100% agree with your top pick
Midnight - There’s a sound playing over the scene just after the Crusader was shaken and everyone is standing together staring over at Sky with their flashlights drawn, and the Doctor goes over to her. The sound repeats a few times I believe throughout the episode and I don’t know how to explain it. It’s an eerie sound that absolutely terrifies me and is absolutely perfect atmospheric piece for a terrifyingly Haunting story such as Midnight
That partners in Crime shot is very unflattering XD (Using my dad's account)
It's perfect, I love it
But it so perfectly represents their relationship! lol!
*10. The Doctor's Daughter* - honestly the concept of a war that's only lasted a week but has already killed off multiple generations is a great idea. Everything else about the episode ranges from average to "ugh".
*9. The Fires of Pompeii* - I don't know if it's because I'm a complete Ancient Rome nerd and going to the excavation at Pompeii was one of the most chilling experiences of my life, but while I loved the moral dilemma of the Doctor actively causing the eruption, the fact that he then went and saved that one family just *really* rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. I get what they were going for with regards to the empathy but...I don't know. I just really have trouble with it.
*8. The Unicorn and the Wasp* - I loved the comedy in this episode but the fact that the plot is dependant on a woman knowingly having sex with a giant wasp is just...wrong. Also the transformation into the wasp with the buzzing and the head spasms just seemed silly instead of scary.
*7. Turn Left* - I appreciated how well thought through all the implications were of the result of Donna never meeting the Doctor but it kind of reached a point where it just seemed to be getting too dark for the sake of getting dark, if that makes any kind of sense. Also, Billie Piper's acting seemed really off in this episode.
*6. The Poison Sky/Sontaran Stratagem* - I loved the social commentary and pretty much everything about the Doctor/Donna/Martha teamup (plus Tennant's adlib when he was wearing the gas-mask was pure gold), I just wish they hadn't wasted Martha by having her get captured so early on and I just can't take the Sontarans seriously as villains, especially when everyone they confront is constantly cracking height and potato jokes.
*5. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead* - I...never found this story to be as scary as everyone else seemed to. To me, it would have been far scarier if it had focused more on the concept of "ghosting" that the episode introduced. Maybe it's just because I could never take the "count the shadows" thing seriously since it's perfectly possible to have more than one shadow in your everyday life. Also, while I love Alex Kingston as an actress, I never did like River Song as a character - my days of reading bad self-insert Mary Sue fanfiction.
*4. Planet of the Ood* - I'm so glad we got an actual explanation for the Ood. I liked the social commentary and I think this is the episode where people really started appreciating Catherine Tate's range as an actress. Also Tim McInerny was clearly having a blast as the villain. I just couldn't take the head security guard with any degree of seriousness at all which made the whole thing feel like there was less of an overall threat.
*3. Partners In Crime* - Yes, this episode is just pure fluff but it's thoroughly enjoyable fluff. There's not actually anything about it that I actively dislike, there's just nothing I truly adore either. It's a nice comedic season opener that doesn't have to worry about getting us used to either a new Doctor or a new companion.
*2. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End* - I know people have issues with it but the best way I can think to describe my experience watching this for the first time back in 2008 is that it was kind of like Infinity War/Endgame. It was an epic team-up across multiple series, bringing pretty much every significant character we'd met until this point into the midst of it, fighting one of the most iconic and dangerous villains, and with an absolute gutpunch of a loss at the end. The various uses of deus ex machina are a little annoying from a storytelling standpoint but I think sheer nostalgia means I can't help but enjoy this finale.
*1. Midnight* - I honestly think this is my favourite episode of any TV I've seen. I love the whole "descent into chaos/Lord of the Flies" type story anyway but the fact that, despite the limited running time, the progression from perfectly normal people into angry, panicked mob happened so believably is frankly a masterclass in writing. There wasn't a single weak performance in the cast and the amount of time and effort the whole team put into creating this episode just shows the level of dedication they all had to making this work. And, like all the best Doctor Who story ideas, it's so simple. Also, I love the fact that (so far and hopefully forever) it is never explained what the Entity is, what it truly looks like, whether it is dead or not, whether it caused the shuttle to take the detour in the first place, or even what its ultimate goal is. It's just a completely unknowable thing that only loses at the last second because it gets cocky.
Midnight is basically a 45 minute horror jump scare suspense movie and for a person who hates horror movies but loves this episode and loves stuff with clever concepts i totally agree with it being number one on this list. But i am like you i love the Rive Song 2 parter 2. again cus it kinda evokes that horror feel to it but also its just a great 2 part cus it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. great list.
These videos always make me happy
From the first time I watched Fires of Pompeii (I don't remember watching it when it aired when I was a kid) more recently when I watched all the episodes, this has been a wonderfully written Episode and it shocked me that so many people disliked it.
Donna ended up being my favourite 10th Doctor companion, which surprised me, because from "The Runaway Bride", I would never have expected her to be.
Great Video, Series 4 is my Favorite Series and i Count the Specials With It And Makes it Ten Times Better with Waters of Mars,End of Time, and My Favorite Christmas Specials are also part of it With Voyage of the Dammed & the Next Doctor
I realize that this probably could not have worked but I always thought that there should have been some sort of consequence for the other passengers for trying to kill the doctor. It was attempted murder not self defence
My list:
10: The doctor’s daughter 4/10
9: The sontaran stratagem/the poison sky 6/10
8: The fires of Pompeii 6/10
7: The unicorn and the wasp 7/10
6: Partners in crime 8/10
5: Planet of the ood 9/10
4: Stolen earth/ journeys end 9/10
3: Turn left 9/10
2: Silence in the library/Forest of the dead 9.5/10
1: Midnight 10/10
This might be a bit controversial, but my order would be:
Good-
1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (easily my favourite story, River is brilliant and the Vashta Nerada are amazing. Donna’s time in the computer is very well done and River’s monologue at the end my favourite moment of the series)
2. Midnight (this is my favourite RTD episode as he really surprised me. I don’t expect much from his writing normally but here he brilliantly breaks down the tropes of the show. It’s claustrophobic and minimalist, and it’s just fantastic)
3. Turn Left (despite a major plot hole with the Titantic only destroying London where it was said that it would destroy Earth in Voyage of the Damned, this episode is a great character study for Donna. As someone who struggles with self esteem I can really understand what she feels)
4. The Fires of Pompeii (Donna is probably my favourite part of this episode. Unlike Rose and other RTD era companions, Donna is actually thankful to the Doctor for taking her in the Tardis and that really builds on her character. Peter Capaldi also gives a wonderful performance)
5. Partners in Crime (the plot is a little sparse but the interactions between Donna and the Doctor save it for me. The scene where Donna sees the Doctor at the window is just brilliant comic timing)
Average-
6.The Unicorn and the Wasp (yes it’s camp and overblown but I like Agatha Christie and Donna brings a good amount of humour to the episode. The Wasp is a bit disappointing though)
7. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky (seeing Martha is nice and the Atmos devices are a good idea, but for a two parter I feel the plot is too easily resolved, and the Doctor annoys me here for some reason. Donna is brilliant as usual though)
8. Planet of the Ood (once again, Donna is the best thing about the episode. I never really liked Mr Halpen becoming an Ood, and some of the ideas feel a little underdeveloped, but it’s okay for what it is)
Below Average-
9. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (Okay, I have to admit to really disliking this story. The Stolen Earth is a decent set up but Journey’s End is just abysmal. It’s like RTD thought he couldn’t go any higher so threw himself off the mountain. Not only is the Reality bomb absolutely ridiculous, as surely in one parallel world it would have succeeded, but the plot is solved by possibly the most egregious case of ‘push a button and win’ syndrome. Why would the Daleks even have levers and switches they couldn’t operate? They’re not for Davros as he’s effectively a prisoner, and why would pressing them cause the Daleks to lose control of their casing? It’s all just hand-waved away with mindless technobabble. The Doctor barely does anything and just sort of stands there shouting variations of “No you can’t do that!” This also completely undermines Rose’s ending in Doomsday by giving her a Doctor of her own that loves her too. I’ve never liked the Doctor falling in love with Rose, but the Meta crisis Doctor being used in this way is just awful. The only decent thing about Journey’ End is Donna’s departure, but even that is later ruined by The End of Time, where the audience is bashed over the head with repeated mentions of her possible death, just to create false tension and emotion.)
10. The Doctor’s Daughter (this one falls apart in the final act, and the logistics of the cloning machine are a little bit suspect. The Doctor doesn’t even care that he’s effectively been forced to produce a child, and the wound that the machine leaves is impractical for people holding weapons. Jenny isn’t my favourite character either, she feels like a cardboard cut out of a character. I’ve heard she’s good in Big Finish though)
Overall Series 4 ranks as my fifth favourite, behind 5,6,9 and 10.
Sorry for the long ramble, those are just my thoughts though.
Agree the resolution of journey end 's end is awful probably the worst deus ex machina I seen on television really lowers the stakes to zero.
This should have been at least a three -four parter cause there is too much focus on setup for the daleks to be established as a threat.
I actually really liked The Stolen Earth, but Journey's End just kind of fell apart for me.
I always liked to think the reason the vashta narada (don’t know how to spell it lol) leave the doctor is because not only do they fear him more after realising who he is from the library but possibly they read about fixed points using their hive mind about his future like his death or trensalore so know he can’t die in the library.
1 Midnight
2 Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
3 Turn Left
4 The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
(3 and 4 can switch from time to time for me)
5 Planet of the Ood
6 The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
7 The Unicorn and the Wasp
8 Partners In Crime
9 The Fires of Pompeii
(5 - 9 also can switch around now and then for me)
10 The Doctors Daughter
My top 5 would be:
1- Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
2- The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
3- The Fires of Pompeii
4- Midnight
5- Partners in Crime
Midnight is a great episode, but I just didn't find it as entertaining as everyone else did. The Fires of Pompeii is also great, but it isn't my number one because the story is a little weak and could have been rewritten. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End suffers from a lot of deus ex machinas (I count seven) but I still love it because it largely pulls of becoming a completely different show with an ensemble cast, its as tense and epic as it needs to be, and seeing all of these characters you are emotionally invested in onscreen together is just incredibly fun.
Unicorn and the wasp is a guilty pleasure if mine, it's so campy and silly and I adore it.
17. The End Of Time
16. Planet Of The Dead
15. The Poison Sky
14. The Doctor's Daughter
13. The Fires Of Pompeii
12. The Sontaran Stratagem
11. Voyage Of The Dammed
10. The Unicorn And The Wasp
9. Partners In Crime
8. Silence In The Library
7. Turn Left
6. Forest Of The Dead
5. Journey's End
4. The Waters Of Mars
3. Planet Of The Ood (Underrated)
2. Midnight
1. The Stolen Earth
You're a brave human for even attempting to rank these! I've watched about half of your full reviews and I mostly guessed each of your rankings. I guess I mostly agree with you because I really love Series 4 so much that I can't decide. I guess I'm like the mom who has ten children and says she loves them all equally! Haha! I know whenever I talk to a friend about an episode from S4 I say things like, "It's the best" and "It's my favorite episode." Because in that moment of discussing it or talking about it, it is. Except for Doctor's Daughter...the best part about that is I kind of fell for the future-Mrs.-Tennant as soon as she said, "Hello, Dad!" Otherwise, it's pretty meh.
Still think Planet of the Ood is the best just because of the one guy that tried to frikin *kill the Doctor and Donna with gigantic iron claws* . That guy was a freaking legend
I have a really hard time ranking the episodes personally, because I love all of them (except The Doctor’s Daughter that I never really warmed to), and I pretty much agree with your points. So even though I love Turn Left and Partners in Crime immensely, and don’t want to put them in the lower numbers, I can still do it because the other episodes are just stronger over all.
I love River, and I would love for her to make a comeback somehow... Don’t know how that could be, but the show writers are clever, they can think of something. Hopefully. Probably. 😆
A few notes. 1) When Ten says "Are you my mummy"? In the Poison Sky storyline, that was unscripted. That was something David came up with on the spot and the General's confused silence was the actor being caught off guard.
Also, my favorite part of Stolen Earth is when we first hear the Daleks and see everyone's reaction. Pure, unadulterated fear. Even Jack, the guy who is joking/flirting most of the time and is completely immortal, is TERRIFIED of these things and it makes sense. The last time he saw Daleks, they slaughtered HUNDREDS of people on the space station including himself. They're the ones responsible for him dying in the first place
I just recently rewatched season 4 and I agree with almost every point in this ranking! I rarely find people who share my love with the "midnight" story, so I was kissing the screen, when I realized you put that in your top 2 :D
My ranking:
Midnight
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
The Fires of Pompeii
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
Turn Left
The Doctor's Daughter
The Unicorn and the Wasp - A Guilty Pleasure for me
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
Planet of the Ood
Partners in Crime
My ranking:
9) Fires of Pompeii (3/10)
8) the unicorn and the wasp (6/10)
7) partners in crime (6.5/10)
6) Planet of the ood (7/10)
5) Finale 3 parter (7.5/10)
4) The doctors Daughter (8/10)
3) Silence in the library two parter (8.5/10)
2) Midnight (9/10)
1) Sontaran stratagem/poison sky (9.5/10)
EDIT: now I thought about it a bit more, I changed my ranking
Numpteez wdym?
Numpteez i dont hate it with a burning passion, I just find it extremely excruciatingly boring
For me:
10 - Partners in crime
9 - The unicorn and the wasp
8 - The doctors daughter
7 - Planet of the ood
6 - The sontaran strategem/The poison sky
5 - The fires of pompeii
4 - The stolen earth/Journeys end
3 - Turn left
2 - Silence in the library/Forest of the dead
1 - Midnight
I think it's really funny that he goes on about Donna being amazing (which she is, no arguments there) and then puts the episode with the least Donna in the top spot (again, Midnight is also my favorite so no complaints)
Best to Worst:
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
Midnight
Sontaron Stratagem/Poison Sky
Turn Left
Stolen Earth/Journey's End
Fires of Pompeii
Planet of the Ood
Partners in Crime
Unicorn and the Wasp
Doctor's Daughter
I really wish they’re carried the “just save somebody” into Day of the Doctor instead of just fixing the unfixable problem wholesale.
Donna having her memory wiped is even sadder to me now because it means all the knowledge and experience she gained is lost, nearly every other companion did something new after meeting the doctor, Mickey started off as a coward but later became a freelance alien hunter, Donna was basically reset and had to go back to who she was before so everything she experienced didn't matter
15.end of time
14.doctors daughter
13.fires of pompeii
12.planet of the ood
11.the next doctor
10.Sontaran stratagem\poison sky
9.planet of the dead
8.unicorn and the wasp
7.partners in crime
6.voyage of the dammed
5.turn left
4.stolen earth \journeys end
3.waters of mars
2.midnight
1.silence in the library \forest of the dead (favourite tennant story)
Midnight still has me leaving the lights on at night, I feel like people who aren’t unsettled by this choose to rank it lower but couldn’t agree more with the n1 spot
Recently, looking back at the synopsis of these episodes (admittedly not re-watching them all) I came to the conclusion that I don’t think there is a single episode in this season which I would call bad. And as such it might just end up my favourite season.
For me personally my favourite episodes from series 4 ranked from worst to best is
1.stolen Earth/journeys end
2. The planet of the ood
3. Partners in crime
4. The fires of Pompeii
5. Sontaran stratagem/poisoned sky
6. Silence in the library/forest of the dead
7. The doctors daughter
8. Turn left
9. Midnight
10. The unicorn and the wasp
I'd put Pompeii before Stolen Earth/ Journey's End. The former is mostly average despite the great ending, but the 2- parter is good through out.
10. The Sontaran Stratagem/Poison Sky - 5/10
9. Planet of The Ood - 6/10
8. The Doctor's Daughter - 7/10
7. Partners in Crime - 8/10
6. The Fires of Pompeii - 8/10
5. The Unicorn and The Wasp - 9/10
4. Turn Left - 9.5/10
3. Midnight - 10/10
2. Silence in The Library/Forest of The Dead - 10/10
1. Stolen Earth/Journey's End - 10/10
(My favourite series btw)
10- Doctor's Daughter (6/10)
9- Unicorn and the Wasp (7/10)
8- Partners in Crime (8/10)
7- Planet of the Ood (8/10)
6- Fires of Pompeii (9/10)
5- Sontaran Strategem/ Poison Sky (9/10)
4- Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead (9.5/10)
3- Turn Left (9.5/10)
2- Stolen Earth/ Journey's End (9.5/10)
1- Midnight (10/10)
my personal ranking, cause i've not thought about it before!
10. sontaran strategem/poison sky
9. doctor's daughter
8. forest of the dead/silence in the library (the bottom three are pretty easy for me, but everything after this would probably appear in my top 20 favourite eps of all time)
7. partners in crime
6. unicorn and the wasp
5. fires of pompeii
4. planet of the ood
3. stolen earth/ journey's end
2. turn left
1. midnight (my favourite ep of all time)
god, season 4 really is my favourite season of doctor who, it's banger after banger!
10 Planet of the ood 6.75/10
9 Partners in crime 7/10
8 Doctors Daughter 7.25/10
7 Unicorn and the wasp 7.25/10
6 Fires of pompeii 8/10
5 Sontarem Strategem/Poison sky 8.25/10
4 Stolen Earth/Journeys End 9/10
3 Turn Left 9.5/10
2 Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead 9.5/10
1 Midnight 9.75/10
Midnight is my second favourite episode of Doctor Who ever. It’s only beaten by Heaven Sent because that episode is beyond perfect in my opinion.
if youre talking about modern era i would add the zygon inversion to round out the top three, but there are 159 stories in classic era who, many of them leave even these in the dust!!!!
After a couple of years where I wasn't fond of this season, I've recently been able to see why it's so good.
The library 2 partner is my favourite story ever. Before they totally ruined River's character. Very moving. And the episodes feature Murray Gold's greatest Who music ever. Fab stuff.
I love the irony that you love Donna so much and yet she's actually barely in your number one pick
Says a lot about the quality of that episode I think.
@@CouncilofGeeks Good point, hadn't thought about it that way around!
Silence in the library two parter is my fave in this series.
I always felt the end of the series was too much like a victory lap. Was good but a bit too neat for me.
Pretty much every episode in season 4 should have been two part episodes because then we could have ended up with about 26 episodes with Ten and Donna!!
Honestly, I feel like this season doesn't have an *actual* bad episode, even The Doctor's Daughter, despite it's *massive* shortcomings. But, if I had to rank them, this is my preference:
1. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
2. Midnight
3. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
4. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
5. The Unicorn and the Wasp
6. The Fires of Pompeii
7. Turn Left
8. Partners in Crime
9. The Doctor's Daughter
10. Planet of the Ood
10- The Doctors Daughter ✅
9- The Unicorn and the Wasp ✅
8- The Sonaran Stratagem/ The Poison Sky ( 3 OFF)
7- The Planet of the Ood ( 1 OFF)
6- Partners in Crime ( 1 OFF)
5- The Fires of Pompeii ( 2 OFF)
4- Turn Left ( 2 OFF)
3- The Stolen Earth/ Journeys End
( 1 OFF)
2- Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead ✅
1- Midnight✅
Aw. Planet of the Ood is one of my favorite episodes. Love it. And while I love 90% of Stolen Earth and Journey's End, Donna's ending makes me angry.
Here's my ranking
10: Unicorn and the wasp 6.5/10
9: The doctors daughter 6.5/10
8: Planet of the ood 7/10
7: Partners in crime 8/10
6: Fires of Pompeii 8.5/10
5: Sontaran stratagem/The poison sky 9/10 4: Silence in the library/ Forest of the dead 9/10
3: Turn left 10/10
2: Stolen earth/Journeys end 10/10 1: Midnight 10/10
100% agree on this list 😁
I totally agree with number 1. Midnight is amazing
I consider the David Tennant Specials as an extension of Series 4. Overall without them my rank is
11. The Unicorn and the Wasp
10. Turn Left
9. Partners in Crime
8. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
7. Fires of Pompeii
6. Planet of the Ood
5. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
4. The Doctor’s Daughter
3. Voyage of the Darned
2. Midnight
1. The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End
Sorry, Partners
Do you count the specials as their own thing or series 4?
I think that officially, the specials are counted as a sort of "series 4.5."
@@nathamiell If you think about it every Doctor has their mini-series. For 10 it's those specials, for 11 it's the Name, Night, Day and Time of the Doctor, for 12 it's Face the Raven all the way to The Pilot, which I consider to be the finale. And 9's is just season 1.
I agree on this list
Season 4 Ranked
15) The Doctors Daughter 4.5/10
14) The Fires Of Pompeii 5/10
13) The Unicorn And The Wasp 5.5/10
12) Planet Of The Ood 5.5/10
11) Planet Of The Dead 6/10
10) Voyage Of The Damned 6/10
9) The Next Doctor 6.5/10
8) Partners In Crime 6.5/10
7) The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poisoned Sky 7/10
6) Silence In The Library / Forrest Of The Dead 8/10
5) The End Of Time 8.5/10
4) Midnight 9/10
3) The Waters Of Mars 8.5/10
2) Turn Left 9.5/10
1) The Stolen Earth / Journeys End 9.5/10
Are you planning to deal with the Specials? Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead is my favorite episode in all of Who. And while I applaud Midnight for what it does, I don't actually enjoy watching it. The Unicorn and the Wasp was ruined for me by the stupid big wasp. It's hard to remember how good the other parts are. Pompeii came off as too campy through a lot of it, but the stuff with Donna and the Doctor at the end is magical. Still, it would not be very high on my list.
Midnight has only gotten better with age. Best RTD written episode hands-down to where I'm wondering why he didn't write more episodes that flavor more often.
Watched a DW video on ‘Watch MoJo UK’. Apparently the actress who played Sally Sparrow was asked to come as a companion in Series 4.
I love Donna, but can’t help but wonder what could have been..
Cool video!
Partners in Crime
Planet of the Ood
Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
Midnight
The Unicorn and the Wasp
Turn Left
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
The Doctor's Daughter
The Fires of Pompeii
What really shocks me about your list, is that your number 1 spot (for this video) probably has the least Donna in it of series 4.
TUatW is probably my 5th favourite in series 4
Giant versions of earth animals make sense as aliens tho. Cause there will always be life that evolves similar to them, like with humans. Nobody complains about aliens that look just like us, but they all could happen.
At aliens that just look like humans you can excuse on a budgetary basis. But you’re going to shell out the money to render or do the makeup on something distinct non human, why wouldn’t you put in the creativity of something other than just “big Wasp”?
The main reason why 'Earth animals' is the go-to design for alien creatures is it helps the audience decipher what they're looking at. Without that design restriction, you could end up with Erato from The Creature from the Pit!