Essential Series 1 Episodes

[TyberiusDeAngelo]

I have two friends coming over tomorrow to watch the first series of Doctor Who. We will probably have around 5 hours to watch some episodes. Given that amount of time, which episodes are the essential ones for Series One. I was thinking of the following:

Rose
The End of the World
Dalek
The Empty Child
The Doctor Dances
Bad Wolf
Parting of Ways

 

[Bacl]

Skip Rose. Give them a 2 minute explanation of your own about the Doctor, then start off with End of the World. Follow it with The Unquiet Dead (remember, this is to introduce new folks and get them hooked). After these two, bring out the big guns with The Empty Child/Doctor Dances. If they want more after that, show them Dalek, then Bad Wolf, etc.

 

[Kelso]

Yeah, just go with...

The End of the World
The Unquiet Dead
Dalek
The Empty Child 2-parter
Finale 2-parter

 

[The Nth Doctor]

As much as I don't like it, I think you should include "Father's Day" into the mix.

 

[Bacl]

As much as I don't like it, I think you should include "Father's Day" into the mix.

Ugh. WHY????

 

[Captain Pike]

An Unearthly child (part one only)
The Daleks
The Edge of Destruction
The Aztecs


... I know, I know, thats not what you meant...

 

[The Nth Doctor]

As much as I don't like it, I think you should include "Father's Day" into the mix.

Ugh. WHY????

Why include it or why don't I like it?

I think it should be included because it's an important part of Rose's backstory and deals with some interesting time travel issues. I don't like it because it's melodramatic rubbish and because I can't stand Rose.

 

[23skidoo]

I thought Father's Day was one of the best episodes of the first season, personally. Plus it's vital to understanding the backstory involved in the Army of Ghosts/Doomsday two-parter that ends Season 2.

So I definitely make it an essential Series 1 episode, along with Rose because, once again, it's vital to understanding the character.

Otherwise the episodes listed by the OP I agree with. I would also add The Unquiet Dead because it sets up the backstory for Torchwood in terms of why there's a rift in Cardiff and why so much weird stuff happens there. It actually serves to alleviate criticism regarding so much of the early revived DW as well as TW taking place in Cardiff.

Alex

 

[Bacl]

I dunno. I spared all my friends the melodrama baloney of "Father's Day" and just told them, "Yeah, there's an episode where the Doctor takes Rose back to watch her dad die, but she tries to save his life, only we learn that you can't change your own timeline in such a way without dire, dire consequences. Next episode!!!

 

[Turbo]

Rose
Dalek
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways

 

[TyberiusDeAngelo]

Thank you everyone. My friends really enjoyed the first series of Doctor Who. Because they came over later than planned (2 hours later), I showed them Rose, End of the World, Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, and
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways. Some time soon they want to watch the espisodes I skipped over.

 

[Bacl]

Thank you everyone. My friends really enjoyed the first series of Doctor Who. Because they came over later than planned (2 hours later), I showed them Rose, End of the World, Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, and
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways. Some time soon they want to watch the espisodes I skipped over.

To hell with the missed episodes. Give them the Christmas Invasion, New Earth, Tooth And Claw, School Reunion, and then really give it to them with The Girl In The Fireplace.

Glad to hear they liked the show!

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Personally, I love the pathos in "Father's Day." It's probably my favorite episode from that season (although "Dalek" provides some stiff competition).

While a lot of people aren't very fond of the Slitheen, I would still recommend "Aliens of London"/"World War III." Those episodes do contain vital exploration of the concept of what it means to be the Doctor's companion. Plus, those episodes do a great job of rehabilitating Mickey. He was unbelievably lame in "Rose" yet turned into a pretty cool companion in Season 2. "Aliens of London"/"World War III" do a fantastic job of explaining how. Plus, I love the interactions between the Doctor & Jackie here. ("900 years and I've never been slapped by anyone's mother.")

If I had to pick 5 episodes from Season 1 to start out with, they would probably be "Rose," "End of the World," "Aliens of London," "World War III," & "Dalek." (I'd skip over "The Unquiet Dead" unless I knew that these folks were Charles Dickens fans to begin with.)

But I suppose some of it depends upon whether we're talking about people who need to see stuff in order in order to get it. While "Rose" is kinda vital as the series premiere, it's not necessarily too vital so long as you (a) already have a passing familiarity with the concept of Doctor Who and (b) don't give a smeg about Rose's storyline.

Now, if I was just trying to sell someone on the series without necessarily needing to spoonfeed them information about the story arc, the 1st 5 episodes I would probably prescribe are "End of the World," "Dalek," "Father's Day," "The Empty Child," "The Doctor Dances."

"End of the World" isn't necessarily my favorite episode but it is a very archetypal Doctor Who story. How someone reacts to this episode will probably tell you a great deal about how they'll react to the entire series.

Also, even if it's out of order, try to see if you can sneak "Blink" into there as well.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Thank you everyone. My friends really enjoyed the first series of Doctor Who. Because they came over later than planned (2 hours later), I showed them Rose, End of the World, Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, and
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways. Some time soon they want to watch the espisodes I skipped over.

To hell with the missed episodes. Give them the Christmas Invasion, New Earth, Tooth And Claw, School Reunion, and then really give it to them with The Girl In The Fireplace.

If I were suggesting a 5 episode David Tennant primer, I would probably pick "The Girl in the Fireplace," "Rise of the Cybermen," "The Age of Steel," "The Impossible Planet," & "The Satan Pit."

IMO, "The Christmas Invasion" is crap except for the last 15 minutes when the Doctor finally wakes up. "New Earth" is crap. "Tooth & Claw" is so-so but only reaches "essential" status due to the creation of the Torchwood Institute at the end of the episode.

I'm not sure about "School Reunion." Conventional wisdom says that it should only appeal to old school fans who know who Sarah Jane is. However, one of my friends who never watched the original series still says that "School Reunion" is one of his favorites. Even though he wasn't familiar with Sarah Jane, he enjoyed seeing her established as a part of the Doctor's backstory.

 

[Joy]

"The Impossible Planet" & "The Satan Pit" were actually my very first foray into Doctor Who, thanks to, oh, it was either Sci-Fi Channel or PBS.

Third foray was "Girl in the Fireplace" a couple years later, and that's what triggered me to look into the show a few months ago. And the rest is history.

Joy

 

[Bacl]

Hmm, the question for this thread is not so much five episodes of Season 2 as it would be "What five episodes of season 2 should I show to new initiates who have just seen the best of Season 1?"

So, my picks for your friends, whether you show them the rest of season 1 or not, and taking "The Christmas Invasion as not part of season 2...

*Tooth And Claw
*School Reunion
*The Girl In The Fireplace
*The Impossible Planet
*The Satan Pit

AFTER that, when you go back and show the rest of the season, then you can do the four miserable cybermen episodes. But if our goal is to hook people, stay clear of cybermen sagas and make with the quality!

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Rose
Dalek
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways

Pretty much my thoughts. I'd add the Long Game just to add another future episode, but those are really the only gems (OK, Rose isn't a gem, but it introduces the characters effectively). For me, Dalek got me interested in the show, the Empty Child got me hooked, and the last two episodes kept my interest for the next season. In between, there was a serious amount of cheesiness to get through.