My favorite Doctor Who Episodes

The Doctor Who wildfire is currently sweeping through my house. At least with me, my mom, and my sister, haha. Thing is, we got out of it during season 7 because let's face it, season 7 was a bit lame. Recently though, we caught up and watched seasons 8 and 9, and the currently airing 10, and now we're kind of hooked. Help up. It got good again. Actually, it got more than good, 8 and 9 are amazing. So there are a few episodes that really stick out to me and just amazed me. Be it a clever twist, emotional depth, or just a really creative monster of the week, here are the episodes that rank as my absolute favorites. Listed in chronological order, all from the new series just because I'm most familiar with those. :)

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (Season 1, 9th Doctor)

Such creepy episodes! I remember seeing these episodes back in 2006 (i think) when I was either eight or nine years old. Old enough to not get scared by a tv show, right guys? Well... apparently not, because when we watched this I was scared stiff and made up an excuse to sit in the kitchen and watch the show from afar. The premise is that the Doctor and Rose are in 1940s London, and the Doctor encounters a young woman named Nancy, who is seemingly being followed by a creepy young child who is always wearing a gas mask and calling for his mummy. It's a really good story, and the ending is really good. Makes me so happy. Spoiler alert. ;)

Blink (Season 3, 10th Doctor)

Now here is an episode that is very clever. In this one, the monsters are 'statues' that can move when you don't look at them... like when you blink, for example. If they get you, it's enough for me to say that nothing good happens. This episode actually doesn't have a whole lot of the Doctor on it, it mostly focuses on two normal people who have to solve the problem with minimum help from the Doctor. Once again, it's a very spooky episode, and even though I was three years older at this point... I was still scared and hiding in the kitchen. Didn't stop us from playing Weeping Angel though, haha, that was a fun game. And you know that you've made a cool Doctor Who monster when kids want to make a game about it. :)

Vincent and the Doctor (Season 5, 11th Doctor) 

Tied for my favorite episode. This episode deals with themes of mental illness, but it is by no means depressing. Rather, this is an incredibly uplifting episode. Here, the Doctor and Amy go back to visit Vincent van Gogh, and he helps them to find a monster that is terrorizing the small village he lives and paints in. It sounds very cheesy, but I'm not good at explaining plots, in case you haven't noticed by now in the post ;) Everything about this episode is just lovely. The setting and characters, the visuals, the music, and the thematic material. I consider this the 11th Doctor's best episode.

Robot of Sherwood (Season 8, 12th Doctor)

The last episode I did was very heavy, but Doctor Who is also really funny sometimes. Really funny. Here, the Doctor and Clara go back in time to England in the middle ages, because Clara wanted to meet Robin Hood. The Doctor is determined to prove to her that Robin Hood isn't real, but... he is. Mayhem ensues, and it's really, really, funny. There is some really hilarious dialogue, I love how the Doctor interacts with Robin Hood!

Heaven Sent (Season 9, 12th Doctor)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everything about this episode is so awesome. It's probably my favorite episode tied with Vincent and the Doctor. After the heartbreaking ending of Face the Raven, you don't really expect this kind of episode to follow. Almost the whole thing is mysterious and you don't really have any idea what's going on, where the Doctor is, or how he got here. Fortunately, the Doctor is just as lost as the viewers and we find out together what's going on, with an incredibly satisfying reveal/twist at the end.
So what's going on is that the Doctor, immediately after the events of Face the Raven (or is it?), finds himself suddenly and mysteriously transported to a maze-like castle, and he's not alone. With him in the castle is a veiled monster that follows him everywhere, and will always eventually catch up.
If that wasn't enough, the soundtrack is amazing. We're waiting for the Season 9 soundtrack!! This episode could have it's own disc, with lovely and melancholy music all throughout until the ending, where the soundtrack seems to 'gain confidence' and rises to a peak of excitement, as the mysteries of the episode are all revealed at once in a terrific montage.
And of course, there is some A+ acting from Peter Capaldi, who carries the episode almost entirely by himself, which is quite a feat. Good on!

Here's the cool Heaven Sent poster, by the by. :)