Best Dr Who cliff hangers

[G2309]

I thought it would be interesting to discuss why people like different cliff hangers.

The one I really liked recently was watching the first Dalek serial. At the end of the first episode Barbara is threatened by something the audiece can't see except for a metal arm. It terrifies her. When I watch it now I knew what a Dalek looked like. Anyone remember watching it originally and what it was like?
I think it was a great introduction to them and a brilliant moment.

 

[Lonemagpie]

My favourite is the end of Genesis of the Daleks #2 - the freeze-frame of Sarah in mid-air, having fallen from the rocket gantry... Shame it's such a lame resolution in #3.

Invasion Of Time #4 is a good one as well, though the rest of the story's just a corridor runaround. The story of the Vardan invasion of Gallifrey is over, the Doctor stops to give a goodbye/victory speech - and look what's behind him...

From the new series, Army Of Ghosts - as if it isn't bad enough that the Doctor's a prisoner, the TARDIS captured, and five million Cybermen have just conquered the Earth... that's when the Daleks show up!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The end of Dragonfire, part 1!

(Sorry, someone had to say it)

In all seriousness, regeneration cliffhangers aside (The Caves of Androzani being the best), one of my favorite cliffhangers has always been The Face of Evil, part 1 when Leela shows The Doctor his "godliness" as it were. As a kid I always found that moment to be astonishing. Similarly, I found the end of The Invisible Enemy, part 3 to be terrifying (even if it seems a bit silly now).

 

[Mr Light]

I watched Classic Who in movie form so I have no idea where the cliffhangers were...

For Nu Who... I thought "Utopia" had the best cliffhanger. I didn't know the Master was going to be in it!

 

[Cutter John]

End of part 1 of Earthshock, and Remembrance of the Daleks are both pretty high on my list.

I watched Classic Who in movie form so I have no idea where the cliffhangers were...

Same here. But I could usually tell because a lot of times there was a really bad jump cut.

 

[Stevil2001]

The Curse of Fenric (I forget which part):
"We play the contest again... Time Lord!"

 

[G2309]

I didn't know the daleks would be there again at end of army of ghosts i think I was hoping for something different but it was exciting to see them.

End of Time is my favourite under RTD. 4 years of talk about the time Lords and time war but no appearence other than the master. The last 20 secs were fantastic and shot perfectly. Timothy Dalton gave such great delivery of the lines. Such a disapointing 2nd part what a wasted oppourtunity.

 

[Dick_Valentine]

While I also want to vote for the Daleks coming out of the Sphere (back in my pre-spoiler days) in Army of Ghosts as I expected the Cyberleader or some other high ranking Cyberman to be in there (my money was on Lumic!) so when the Daleks appeared it was pretty astonishing, bringing all kinds of possibilities re Daleks VS Cybermen or even Daleks AND Cybermen Vs The Doctor!

However, the big one for me was the whole "TO..BE...CONTINUED" surprise regeneration of The Stolen Earth!
Daleks take over the Earth, Rose Returns, the Doctor is shot and mid regeneration we cut to the titles!
Such a high for Tennant's era, and the whole week of speculation was intense!

 

[Orac]

I like the end of City of Death Part I when the Jagaroth is unmasked. (scary stuff)

 

[Atticus]

The end of An Unearthly Child.

 

[Captain Crow]

Tomb of the Cybermen episode 2
[The Cyber Controller shoves Klieg to the floor in a side shot]
Controller: "You belong to us."
[dramatic head on close up of the controller's face]
Controller: "You will be like us."
[dramatic music sting then credits roll]


The Mind Robber episode 1
TARDIS breaks up with the Doctor floating off one way and the console with Jamie and Zoe hanging onto it floating off the other.


Remembrance of the Daleks part 1.
The Doctor runs up the stairs to get away from a dalek. Dalek goes up stairs to get the Doctor. With the final shot as a Dalek POV of Seven with an "Oh, Shit" facial expression.


And for sheer stupidity
The Five Doctors (four part version) part three.
The Master camply walks down a few steps and leans on the wall.

 

[G2309]

The end of An Unearthly Child.

Yes definately It was a long time untill i got the box set so I speculated a lot about that shadow. What a great cliff hanger to start with.

 

[23skidoo]

The regeneration cliffhanger at the end of The Stolen Earth which was in my opinion Doctor Who's "Locutus moment" where just like how Jean-Luc being taken over by the Borg finally kicked TNG into high gear with mainstream audiences, so Stolen Earth really seemed to kick Doctor Who to a whole new level.

In the original series, the Doctor's apparent drowning during The Deadly Assassin, with a rather unfortunately timed (or was it intentional) freeze-frame reportedly freaked kids out for an entire week when they thought the Doctor had drowned. It certainly made Mary Whitehouse furious, which was always a good thing.

Alex

 

[HappyDayRiot]

Utopia and The Stolen Earth for me.

The Almost People too, though I'd seen that one coming.

 

[Mr Light]

Wow, I thought Stolen Earth was an incredibly lame cliffhanger because we all knew that Tennant wasn't going to regenerate in the BEGINNING of the season finale. And that he was signed for a whole 'nuther year of Specials. Did you guys not know that at the time?

 

[Sindatur]

Wow, I thought Stolen Earth was an incredibly lame cliffhanger because we all knew that Tennant wasn't going to regenerate in the BEGINNING of the season finale. And that he was signed for a whole 'nuther year of Specials. Did you guys not know that at the time?

If you're not going to exclusive Doctor Who sites (IE: TrekBBS/Doctor Who) and you're not actively searching out that stuff, you don't know what the casting situations are. I know way more things since I've been hanging out here. Out there on the rest of the Internetz, At General boards, or boards for other specific shows or Authors, etc, little of this drips in.

Our Paper and Visual Media don't tell us every little thing here in America, only stuff that makes it's own way into the News Cycle

 

[G2309]

I also try to avoide such information I prefer to watch the story unfold.

 

[Mr Light]

I avoid Doctor Who spoilers, but I certainly knew that there was going to be an "off-year" of Tennant Specials after Season Four well before the finale aired.

 

[Cutter John]

I swore off spoilers after Utopia. I would have been so much more epic if I hadn't known about The Master ahead of time.

 

[JoeZhang]

The end of Dragonfire, part 1!

(Sorry, someone had to say it)

What on earth was all that about? I read somewhere, that the cliff-hanger was badly cut and that is why it makes no sense?

For anyone who has never seen this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw6OwJQDCoM