Series 5 of Doctor who came under fire from some for various reasons. Bad stories, dislike of the Doctor and/or companion, cheaply made episodes, bad scripts and confusing plots are all some of the things suggested to us by our Twitter followers as to what they disliked about the series.
At The Doctor In The TARDIS though, we like to see the good in everything, and despite a few stumbles we thought series 5 was pretty flippin' epic. Because of that (and because it's a slow spoiler day, obviously) we are bringing you the brilliantly named 'The Series 5 Top Ten Best Bits' to look over. So without any further ado...
TEN - FISH CUSTARD, BOW TIES AND THE NOW FAMOUS FEZWhether he knew it or not, Steven Moffat's little minor plot details became fan craze's all over the place. We pretended not to notice the strange looks we got in posh restaraunts as we sat eating our fish custard while wearing a bow tie and a fez, but believe it or not, sales of the fashion items have gone through the roof and even made the newspapers, while a wave of parents have been forced to give in to the demands of children who want fish custard for their dinner. Fish custard, bow ties and fez's are most deffinately 'cool'.
NINE - THE AWAKENING OF THE SILURIANSLast seen in 1984's Warriors Of The Deep, the announcement that the Silurians were making a return was met with excitement from nearly all the fans. That is, until they saw the redesign and watched the episodes. Many people slated the story and hated the new look reptilians, but we loved both them and the story. The classic monster, not seen for 26 years came back, and that is what really matters. And boy were they on form. The production team brought them well and truly into the 21st century and once again made them a race not to be messed with, but this time we got a deeper look into their motives and actions. They are now slated for an appearance in S5 of SJA.
EIGHT - THE LONE CENTURIANThe love that spanned two millennia was the perfect touch to the Amy/Rory romance. It seemed for a while that the seriousness of their relationship depended heavily on who was writing each particular episode, with many fans criticising Amy's treatment of loveable but dim Rory. As so often is the case, it wasnt until she lost him, forgot him, remembered him, then was killed by him that Amy realised how much she loved him. Auton Rory's humanity, love and dedication to her plight, protecting her in the Pandorica for nearly 2000 years was a gorgeous addition to their love story, while Amy's teary reaction to witnessing the video of The Lone Centurian, and realising her love for him melted even the hardest of hearts and as is so rarely seen in Doctor Who, they both got their happy ending. Awwww.
SEVEN - AMELIA PONDLittle Amelia Pond. Oh how fabulous was she? Played by first time actress Caitlin Blackwood, cousin to Karen Gillan, she lit up every scene she was in and was a very welcome addition to the show. She opened series 5 to rave reviews with fans hoping she would make a return, and she did just that in The Big Bang. With brilliant comic timing and a flair for acting, she showed us even as a child, the cheekiness and feistiness that Amy would later have in spades as an adult. Many are hoping we get to see her again sometime soon, and you know what? So do we. Lets hope Moffat makes it happen.
SIX - THE BRAND NEW TARDIS INTERIORWell, well, well! The coral has gone and in it's place a sleek, orange hued junkyard of wonder. And that is by no means a criticism. After 5 years of a basic, practically empy space, the new TARDIS is both hi tech and retro and has never seemed more alive. With more knobs and levers than you could shake a sonic screwdriver at, the new TARDIS interior looks fantastic, is set on many floors and even has a mustard and ketchup dispensor on the main console. What more could you ask for? We will also be getting to see more rooms and corridors next series if rumours and set design drawings are to be believed.
FIVE - THE DREAM LORDOk, we will hold our hands up. We totally didnt see that conclusion coming!! A character that seemed to go down a storm with fans, Toby Jones played the Dream Lord with buckets of menace and playfulness and had just the right amount of each to make the fans uneasy, but intrigued. Playing on the characters weaknesses, and flipping between alternate dream realities, the Dream Lord, and the episode as a whole, was quite a departure from the type of stories we have grown used to, and both fans and critics lapped it up. Bringing out the worst parts of the Doctor is no easy task, but they pulled it off with ease and the conclusion left the possibilty of the Dream Lord's return. Something we know most fans would be happy to see.
FOUR - RIVERS RETURNNow we know this one has split fans the world over, but we have to agree with the majority that the return of River song added a great depth to the arc of series 5 and she brought with her an even bigger air of mystery and intrigue. for every layer of her character we peeled away, we found more layers, and whether you liked her or not, you cant deny that the mystery surrounding her and the questions about who or what she is were major talking points from this series. Played wonderfully again by Alex Kingston, River is slated for a return in S6 (Yippee), and a rumoured full time gig in S7.
THREE - THE WEEPING ANGELSLike many of you, we didnt think the brilliance of Blink could be topped, but Moffat proved us wrong with this years Angels two parter. Changing the rules and making the stakes even higher paid off and fans were left wondering if maybe this would be the time the Doctor met his match. This time, making the victims believe they were turning to stone, and breaking necks instead of zapping back in time, this group of Angels was eventually sucked into the Void, but we all know there is more out there and this wont be the last time we see their evil stone faces. At least, we hope not.
TWO - THAT CYBER HEADThat moving, tentacle swaying, skull throwing, dart spitting Cyber head scene is probably one of the most terrifying scenes ever seen in Doctor Who. Brilliantly shot and acted, that scene sent people everywhere flocking to the forums to say that their children had been left petrified, and we are not to manly to admit that so were we. Adding spades full of fright to an episode that had so far been suspensful but not particularly scary not only made the viewer sit up and take notice, but also added a new scarier dimension to the Cybermen, who had been shall we say, a little bit rubbish since their return in Series 2. Quite possibly THE scariest scene we have ever seen in Doctor Who.
ONE - THE PANDORICA OPENS CLIFFHANGERNow when it comes to cliffhangers in TV shows, we don't think there has been a better one EVER. The lack of trailer, and the peril that the characters were left in meant that people everywhere were tearing at their hair for seven days waiting to find out what was going to happen to our favourite Time Lord and his trusty companions. Now, we have had cliff hangers in the show before, and we always know the Doctor will live on to tell the tale. Mainly because these cliff hangers happen mid season and we know we have a good few episodes of fun left to be had, but this one was different and had many people speculating if this was really it. With The Doctor locked in the Pandorica unable to escape, River trapped in an exploding TARDIS, Rory turned into an Auton, and Amy killed by said Auton, there didnt seem to be a way to get out of it. Several newspapers even speculated that Steven Moffat was secretly ending the show with episode 12, and that that would be the end of the Doctor. That in itself would have been a fantastic way for the series to end, but we were oh so glad it wasnt. As far as cliffhangers go, this is at the top of the pile, and manicurists the world over have seen a boost in custom tending to the people who bit their nails down to the nub in anticipation of The Big Bang. Moffat, we loved it, but dont EVER do that to us again.
