Doctor Who: Eleventh Doctor Episodes I Thought Were Solid

I am a fan of Matt Smith's Doctor.  In essence.  I enjoyed the way his Doctor was, he was great interacting with other characters, although some of his more monologuey moments didn't always work for me.  My other personal opinion is that many scripts were based on a decent enough premise, but between conception and the cutting room, it felt as if vital turning points had been edited out owing to time constraints (this became less of a problem toward the end of his tenure).

Anyway, for Who fans among you, here's a run-down of my favourite episodes:

The Eleventh Hour

Some good comedy moments, and the stillness of The Doctor eating fish fingers & custard after crashing the TARDIS was a lovely little scene.

Vincent And The Doctor

I'm not saying the episodes between that & this weren't good, but this, for me, was a proper tour de force, coupled with what could be described as a child-friendly exploration of depression.

The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon

A decent two-parter, some clever twists, and I enjoyed the introduction to The Silence, along with the novel method of bringing about their downfall.  A great way to set up the series arc, too.

The Doctor's Wife

This was a beautiful episode.  Solid plot, clever ideas, and Matt Smith's performance in this was masterful, and still makes me get teary every time I watch it.  I liked getting another look at the previous TARDIS console room as well.

The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People

Another clever idea, and explores the notion of morals in regard to the idea of cloning.  When is a person not really a person?  I liked the way this episode was done, and The Doctor's testing of Amy's viewpoint was a nice touch.

The God Complex

Praise Him.  Another brilliant idea, not underserved.  It was such a creepy setting, with a real emotional investment. I loved the way this played out.

Asylum Of The Daleks

A plot (or an ending to which) I genuinely didn't expect, and a generally good script.  Once again, this didn't feel like it had skipped anything important (unlike Victory Of The Daleks, which sadly I can't stand).

Cold War

One of the best episodes so far for Smith, on a claustrophobic nuclear submarine which has just mistakenly thawed an Ice Warrior who was brought aboard in a block of ice.  Tense stuff, well acted, and showing that Clara is an aid to the action, rather than a cause of unnecessary mishaps (my least favourite style of companion is one that gets bored and messes everything up).

Hide

Straight after Cold War is yet another atmospheric piece with superb performances from the whole cast.  Ghosts, pocket universes, and barely-seen monsters with unnerving movements (only downside in this episode is when the monster is shown in close-up, slightly ruining the effect of the creature).

Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS

Completing a hat-trick of brilliant episodes, comes an exciting exploration of the TARDIS' interior (something sorely lacking from modern Who).  We finally see the swimming pool, plus a room of potentially intriguing "Easter eggs" in the form of old props, and the library.  Again, a solid plot which is pretty tight and not lacking anything.

Day Of The Doctor

The 50th Anniversary special is FUN.  It has enough weight to balance it out, and it is great to see Ten back in an episode, poking fun at Eleven's chin.  John Hurt makes an excellent, war-weary "non-Doctor" who believes himself to be unworthy of the title.  Although the War Doctor is evidently in existence because Christopher Ecclestone was unwilling to reprise his role, this "hidden" incarnation of The Doctor is a brilliant creation, and the special (and its accompanying mini episode) allows us to bridge the regenerations from Eight to Nine.  A good story, a fun script and some beautiful moments.

So there.  Nearly all the episodes had potential, but were let down by unsatisfactory endings, irritating character moments, or cringey ideas in general, so I wanted to make a list (as much for myself as anything) to see which episodes I thought really stood out.

Any disagreement?  Episodes you reckon I missed?  Gis a comment!

JM x