‘Doctor Who’ Fans Remember Favorite Episodes The 50th anniversary of the much-beloved, iconic British science fiction series “Doctor Who” is upon us with the 50th anniversary special “The Day of The Doctor” airing on BBC America and around the world at 1:50 p.m. Central Standard Time on Saturday, Nov. 22. There have been numerous classic episodes and thrilling adventures for the eleven incarnations of The Doctor over these past 50 years, which makes choosing just one favorite episode such a hard task that even The Doctor himself would have trouble figuring out. However, our Whovians have done their best to choose their favorite “Doctor Who” episode and explain why the episode stands out so much to them as hardcore fans. Jennifer Hoornstra Exterminate! Exterminate! The invasion of the Daleks in “The Parting of the Ways” (Season 1, Episode 13) sent The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack Harkness risking their lives to save Earth. Christopher Eccleston was my first Doctor; therefore, he will always be my favorite. One never forgets their first Doctor. The same Doctor that always put others first, used over 5,000 languages to defeat countless enemies, even if they are plastic, and controlled a blue box that was bigger on the inside. He had that certain quirky charisma and humor that made this the best, yet worst, episode for The Doctor. After he discovered the Daleks harvested humanity to rebuild their army, only to be driven mad by their own existence, The Doctor knew that they were more dangerous than ever. He soon figured out what he must do in order to defeat them and simply explained that he would rather be a coward than a killer. He would not allow himself to be lowered to the same level as a Dalek, even if it resulted in his own death. Then, Rose opened the heart of the TARDIS, absorbed its power, saved The Doctor and conquered the Dalek army. The Doctor knew that the power would kill Rose, so without hesitation, he kissed her and the power transported into him. It would soon be the end of Eccleston. Before he regenerated into a ‘new’ doctor, he exclaimed to Rose, “You were fantastic, absolutely fantastic. And you know what, so was I.” Even as he stood dying, he still eluded the same charm and wit that made him so “fantastic”. Throughout all of his adventures, this episode showed strong, selfless thoughts and actions that I could not forget … Eccleston’s best and last episode. Kristin Neel “The Satan Pit” (Season 2, Episode 9) is my favorite episode of “Doctor Who” because it puts The Doctor in a situation in which we have never seen him. He is stranded without his TARDIS, which is literally all he has left in the universe. This episode also shakes the Doctor's certainty about what he believes about the universe and the root of all evil when the villain presents himself as the devil that has been entombed since before time. This is my all time favorite episode due to its overall horror tone, plus the incredible monologue from David Tennant as he yells at Satan about his faith in Rose, "I've seen fake gods and bad gods and demi-gods and would-be gods. I've had the whole pantheon. But, if I believe in one thing ... just one thing ... I believe in her!"
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