Favorite New Who Season

[Mr Light]

What's your favorite season of the new series? Or should I say favorite series of the new show for our British friends

I have to say Season Three. It has my favorite companion, Martha. It has the most solid storyarc with Saxon, rather than obscure name drops that coalesce at the end of the season. It has so many good episodes in it and so few clunkers. The only ep I felt was below-good was the Lazarus one. It has "Human Nature" and "Blink" and I truly loved the Master Trilogy. I know some people didn't like Dr.GollumJesus but I didn't mind it. And while I was initially mad they retconned that entire year, it does make sense within the series (time travel paradox).

Season Four I initially found very disappointing. I'm rewatching it now and it's better than I remember. I don't mind Donna but I just found all the episodes to be good but NOT great. The finale was amazing though. And looking back on it they were VERY subtly setting up the ending all along.

Season Two had some great episodes in it (and some not so great ones) but it took me a long time to appreciate Tennant. I was still grieving Eccelson. And I've never been crazy about Rose.

Season One at the time was truly magical (NEW DOCTOR WHO?!?!?!) and I loved Eccelson, but looking back on it the episodes were generally a mite mundane and I reluctantly finding myself seeing Tennant as the definitive modern Doctor now. Also it was very disapointing we didn't get to any alien planets.

 

[Starkers]

I voted 4, mainly for Donna. One is also very good. 2 is saddled with Tennant at his most annoying and Rose at her most annoying as well, whilst 3 has some truly brilliant episodes I hate the Master episodes (other than Utopia) and I'm not a great fan of Martha.

They're all good series though, some are just better than others!

 

[Jim Steele]

I actually genuinely love them all equally.

I'd say that Season 1 is ever so slightly inferior to the rest. Partly because it's already starting to look dated, partly because I prefer Tennant to Eccleston. But that's just nitpicking.

I'd say season 4 is the best by a small margin because of Donna. It has a couple of real stinkers in there (The Doctor's Daughter, The Unicorn and the Wankfest) but they're far outweighed by the rest which are pretty damn solid, plus Midnight and Turn Left are nothing short of pure brilliance.

Season 2 has the best finale imho, but then it has Fear Her (fuck off) & Love and Monsters (ditto and doubled).

I really really like Season 3, and it has quite a few gems (Human Nature, Blink, obviously - Gridlock and 42 are highlights for me too) but it's marred by some pedestrian nonsense (Shakespeare Code) and an entire 3 episodes of turgid stool in the middle (that fucking awful Daleks In Manhattan/Evolution and the Lazarus Yawnfest). The excellent return of the Master makes up for those transgressions though.

Sorry for rambling. But yeah, all the new seasons have their fair share of clunkers but I rather love them all.

 

[captcalhoun]

season 4 no contest.

 

[OmahaStar]

There are no bad seasons. I like them all. But I love season four. For older fans, their companion was Sarah Jane Smith, who could do no wrong. For me, that is Donna Noble. I cannot get enough of her.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Oh, a tie between three and four, I think.

 

[HappyDayRiot]

Ack. I want to say all equally, but I do struggle to watch about half of series 2 these days. 1, 3 and 4 are pretty equal though, as they all have one or two episodes each that I don't like but none of those are as bad as Fear Her. But then I've got the Tennant>Eccleston thing as well, so 1 is out.

I think it comes to down to: 3 has the Master, 4 has Donna. 3 has Lazarus and Daleks, 4 has TUATW and Planet of the Dead (I have to get technical about this to make a decision).

Yeah, 4 it is. I'll take its mediocre episodes over the shitfests 3 had any day.

 

[Worf2DS9]

I voted for Series Three, mainly because I loved Martha and think it had the most rewatchable episodes of the lot. Sure, it had the less-than-stellar Dalek two-parter, but even that had its moments, such as....er....well, Miranda Raison was a joy. And while the Master was way OTT in spots, I did love Derek Jacobi's portrayal in "Utopia". And of course we had the brilliant "Blink" and the "Human Nature"/"Family of Blood" two-parter.

 

[Kelso]

Season One

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

-4
-1
-3
-2

 

[od0_ital]

I'll go with three, out of the four.

 

[OmahaStar]

People seem to mostly be avoiding seasons one and two. I'm just curious. Is it because of the annoying blondie Rose?

 

[Jim Steele]

^

I'd put it down to goldfish syndrome.

 

[JB2005]

4
1
2
3

Purely for Catherine Tate and Eccleston!

 

[Timby]

People seem to mostly be avoiding seasons one and two. I'm just curious. Is it because of the annoying blondie Rose?

In the case of the second year, at least, I think it's because Rose became absolutely unbearable, the season has some of the absolute lowpoints of the entire thing (Love & Monsters, Fear Her), and almost all of the rest of it ranges from bad to white noise. School Reunion, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit and Army of Ghosts / Doomsday are the only standouts in the entire season.

For me, though, the first season was the best. Eccleston is one of the best Doctors the show has ever had, and the only real clunker in the year is Boom Town, which is almost redeemed by the dinner scene. The year was slick, it was fun, it was fresh.

All in all, I'd rank the seasons as 1 > 3 > 4 > 2.

 

[Jim Steele]

In the case of the second year, at least, I think it's because Rose became absolutely unbearable, the season has some of the absolute lowpoints of the entire thing (Love & Monsters, Fear Her), and almost all of the rest of it ranges from bad to white noise. School Reunion, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit and Army of Ghosts / Doomsday are the only standouts in the entire season.

"the only standouts"

You listed 6 episodes out of a 13 episode series. I'd say that's pretty good going.

Plus, Tooth and Claw and Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel aren't exactly clunkers. The only *shit* episodes are New Earth, Love & Monsters, Fear Her and The Idiot's Lantern. It also has the best, most emotionally resonant finale so far to my mind (fuck Journey's End, I've never been so conflicted about an hour of television in my entire life!).

That's why, for me, despite my belief that it does contain 2 of the *worst* episodes in the series history and two more that are almost as bad, it's right up there with the other years overall.

Also I really don't get the Rose hate. Then again, she isn't Donna...

 

[Timby]

Also I really don't get the Rose hate. Then again, she isn't Donna...

At least with Eccleston, she was an actual companion. In the second year, she was reduced to making googly eyes at the Doctor, and vice-versa.

 

[Jim Steele]

I've just noticed something.

Is it just me that thinks every series (not counting specials) has *exactly* 4 rubbish episodes?

 

[OmahaStar]

I've just noticed something.

Is it just me that thinks every series (not counting specials) has *exactly* 4 rubbish episodes?

I don't agree. Season four had no rubbish episodes.

 

[Timby]

I've just noticed something.

Is it just me that thinks every series (not counting specials) has *exactly* 4 rubbish episodes?

Let me think ... 1 has Aliens of London, World War Three, Boom Town and The Long Game ... 2 has The Idiot's Lantern, Fear Her, Love & Monsters and New Earth ... 3 has Oh Shit Pig Men, No Seriously Fucking Pig Men: Part 2, Last of the Time Lords and The Shakespeare Code ... 4 has The Doctor's Daughter, The Unicorn and the Wasp, The Stolen Earth and Journey's End.

Amazing, that. The conclusion? Gareth Roberts should be shot.