Doctor Who season finales RANKED!

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[@CouncilofGeeks]

A playlist of videos covering the issues with the BBC and transphobic reporting: kzbin.info/aero/PLmWFOeT2jEofVIDW9X3OL7GqWuX3Dxopu

[@WiloPolis03]

It's great to see Vera finally coming around as a Hell Bent fan, even slotting it in her top 10 best Doctor Who series finales list ❤ In all seriousness though, I think this really goes to show how uncommon it is for a NuWho series finale to stick the landing

[@Elwaves2925]

I'm not going to claim Hell Bent is a great episode, it messes too much up for that but I don't dislike it like many others. It has several things I like, most notably the story the Doctor tells Clara in that under area (cloisters?) which often seems to get overlooked.

[@WiloPolis03]

@@Elwaves2925 Yeah, after rewatching it recently I'm pretty torn on it, it has a lot of really interesting concepts that I love while also completely disregarding concepts that could've been great. I think Clara's death in Face the Raven was treated more respectfully than I remembered (until the final few scenes, that is :P ), though Me saying "it was sad and beautiful" was a bit egotistical on Moffat's end lol

[@Elwaves2925]

@@WiloPolis03 Yeah, I'm a big fan of Moffat's era but that line was a bit too much. While it was great to see Me back, I think she was also wasted and it would have been nice to see her more integral to the plot, seeing as she started the whole thing that led to Clara's 'death'.

[@theevildalek5425]

For me, it goes: 14). The Timeless Children (S12) 13). The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (S11) 12). Empire of Death (S14) 11). Death in Heaven (S8) 10). The Vanquishers (S13) 9). Hell Bent (S9) 8). The Name of the Doctor (S7) 7). The Wedding of River Song (S6) 6). Last of the Time Lords (S3) 5). The Big Bang (S5) 4). Journey’s End (S4) 3). Doomsday (S2) 2). The Doctor Falls (S10) 1). The Parting of the Ways (S1)

[@MetalheadSean666]

Im not sure how id rank them all but Parting of The Ways Journeys End and The Doctor Falls are top 3 (in what order idk it varies lol)

[@bluehero-96]

I like how most of the Doctors are serious in the thumbnail, except for Ncuti Gatwa, who just looks so happy to be there.

[@CodeAndGin]

I agree with basically everything you've said about Empire of Death, but I still get mad at it. Not for the contrivedness, not for the weird stakes, but for Russell dangling a mystery box carrot in the viewer's face all season and going "HAH FOOLED YOU IT WAS ACTUALLY NOTHING". Masterful gambit Russ, now I have no incentive to care about anything you try to set up from this point forward hooray.

[@TheGerkuman]

The really sad thing is that I don't think RTD intended it as a middle finger, but it definitely came off that way to many people and that's what matters. Had they not hyped up the mystery so much, it wouldn't have been a problem, but they did, and thus it makes no sense. For me, I just thought Sutekh was a waste and the episode was poorly paced.

[@ryanpollard1166]

My ranking would probably go like this: 1. World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls 2. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End 3. Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways 4. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang 5. Dark Water/Death in Heaven 6. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday 7. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords 8. The Legend of Ruby Sunday/Empire of Death 9. The Name of the Doctor 10. Hell Bent 11. The Wedding of River Song 12. The Timeless Children 13. The Vanquishers 14. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

[@kakophonien6514]

ah yes. the Pandorixa

[@robo3007]

My ranking would go as follows! 14. The Timeless Children: Plotholes within plotholes. 13. Hell Bent: Somehow made Galifrey seem boring. 12. The Vanquishers: I lost track of how many different story arcs were going on after about 5 minutes of airtime. 11. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos: The most forgettable episode ever to air. 10. The Name of the Doctor: Despite the title the story doesn't half seem to resolve around Clara. 9. Empire of Death: RTD's worst finale by a country mile, which is a shame because he's usually good at writing finales. 8. The Wedding of River Song: Needed at least another episode to unpack the whole converging timelines thing. 7. Death in Heaven: Fairly horrifying concept, but they could have went much further with the idea. 6. Parting of the Ways: Kudos to RTD for somehow managing to juggle this many characters without it appearing bloated. 5. Doomsday: The ending made me cry as a child. 4. The Big Bang: Did Moffat write a messy script? Yes. Did Matt Smith's performance make it work? Also yes. 3. The Parting of the Ways: Controversial opinion, but I find the Emperor Dalek to be a much more effective villain than Davros is (at least as far as New Who is concerned) 2. The Doctor Falls: Capaldi's Doctor finally breaks down and shows his vulnerable side, and you can empathise with him all the way. 1. Last of the Time Lords: Unlike in Empire of Death the stakes felt earned, and John Simm gave the performance of a lifetime.

[@Jedi_Spartan]

7:00 My mind immediately went "Madame Kavarian".... the fact I can't remember the last time I watched that finale (or any of the relevant Series 6 episodes) but immediately remember that probably shows that my mind is too hyperfocused on Doctor Who doesn't it?

[@capitalkaemusic]

haha, same😂😂 it might be a problem...

[@connorwood9211]

Parting of the Ways will always be my favorite due to it also being (for me) the perfect Regeneration episode, at least in NewWho. It's short, sweet doesn't drag on for an entire episode all a long ass speech that kinda takes away the fact The Doctor is meant to be dying. Actually has there been a ranking for Regenerations/Finales for every Doctor?

[@nekusakura6748]

Vera has ranked their favourite regenerations a while ago. 5 regenerating into 6 in The Caves of Androzani is their favourite.

[@mrzakyboy3453]

1. World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls 2. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday 3. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End 4. Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways 5. The Name of the Doctor 6. Utopia/Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords 7. Dark Water/Death in Heaven 8. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang 9. The Legend of Ruby Sunday/Empire of Death 10. The Wedding of River Song 11. The Vanquishers 12. Hell Bent 13. The Battle of Ranskor Av Kolos 14. The Timeless Children

[@MrDarthT]

I think the best RTD finales add a cost to the reset. Whether it's trapping Rose in an alternate universe, wiping Donna's memories, or killing the Ninth Doctor. The Doctor has to lose something, and it has to come with, at least, the threat that he won't get it back. That makes the deus ex machina far easier to swallow.

[@jeanettemurawski6367]

I love your insights into the show and am particularly pleased and impressed that you're one of the very few KZbinrs to actually pronounce Peter Capaldi's last name correctly. He's my favorite of the NuWho by light years. (Jon Pertwee is my permanent number one, but then again I met him and even spent time with him.)

[@Triskaan]

Agree, Death in Heaven is so overlooked.

[@orla8319]

Even as a certified clara apologist, hell bent escaping the bottom 3 after all these years is a wilder plot twist than anything in any of these finales

[@kafeimewtwo2410]

I don't really know why but I find Empire of Death to be one of my top 5 series finales

[@rpowell20139]

This is why I watch you channel. No one does reviews better than you.

[@TheDonutDevil]

I might be dumb but im confused by the intro lol, "you may finish strong, but you dang better end strong"

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Yeah… I meant to say “you may begin strong”… I didn’t catch that in the edit

[@hunterharmak]

Death in Heaven is the most underrated final! Im glad it managed to hit at least 4 in this list!

[@stevenricks1703]

My favorite parts of Doomsday were the trash talking between the Cybermen and Daleks, and the scene of Yvonne still fighting “for Queen and country” even after being cyber-converted.

[@maniraptavia4008]

"People who like Hell Bent seem to really like Clara."... I feel EXTREMELY called out! 🤣

[@dickottel]

Probably true 😅 Bringing a dead character to life makes people angry, especially after beautiful Heaven Sent where her death was very impactful. you must really like Clara to forgive that, and be happy she's still alive (kinda, between 2 heartbeats?)

[@Elwaves2925]

I like Clara and I don't dislike Hell Bent but I wouldn't class it as a great, or even good episode. It has several things I like in it though, despite the mess and waste of most of the episode.

[@di7770]

I don't think it's worth getting angry at the destruction of Gallifrey in the TC. If someone wants to bring the Timelords back, they will.

[@matthewche]

Invasion of Time is crap for many reasons. Why bother being angry about any failed story. On its own The Timeless Children is utter shit. 💩

[@Unearthly_Child_]

I don't like CLARA the same amount the doctor does to go to those extremes, but i watch and frame it in context of my life, and there are people that i would go to said extreme for.

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

Empire of Death is my favourite of Russell's finales. Sutekh's end in this mirrors his end in Pyramids of Mars. The Doctor drags Sutekh through the time vortex to be sure he dies and doesn't find a pocket to hide away in. Timeless Children is good. The Doctor's arc from anger to acceptance is good, though it should have extended to the end of series 13. Hell Bent is good. Battle of Ranskor Av Kolos just needs a hug and some loving hands to work on it and she's right as rain. I'd love to see what Chris Chibnall wanted it to be. He took the hit so his team could fly. Admirable. 😊

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

For me New Who's finales are mostly underwhelming: 14. Wedding of River Song: Mostly just exposition and suffers from a lack of emotional connection between the leads (specifically in this story) 13. Battle of Ranskor: Just a bit boring 12. The Timeless Children: Outside of the Master is also really boring. 11. Last of the Time lords: Jumps the shark and establishes how pointless ending the world finales are. Sound of Drums worked so well because of how grounded it felt. 10. Name of the Doctor: mostly just a clip show, but 11 and River do have good chemistry this time. 9. Hell Bent: A mess but as a 12/Clara fan it somewhat works for me. 8. Death in Heaven: Solid ending, the rest is filler. Wastes so many cool ideas which Dark Water rushes through. 7. The Vanquishers: A fun mess. 6. Empire of Death: Some decent character moments and I like that the Doctor and Ruby work together for the whole story. Gets by on meeting my expectations. 5. The Big Bang: Is held together by the chemistry of the cast. 4. Journey's End: depends on the day, it's either great fun or superficial. 3. Doomsday: Fun but I don't care for the Doctor and Rose romance. 2. Parting of the Ways: Perfect send of the Eccleston 1. Doctor Falls: Might be the Greatest episode of the entire show, for me at least.

[@MetalheadSean666]

Oh this new premier countdown is dramatic

[@MetalheadSean666]

I love it

[@travishiltz4750]

Not up to doing a full list, so here's some random thoughts: Ranskoor: Can't hate this one, as I really like the moments between Graham and Ryan and I appreciate the attempt at creating a new villain for the 13th. Marriage of RS: it's a mess that doesn't effectively tie things up and Amy saving the Doctor by wishing really hard never worked. Vanquishers: good ideas but those bad guys are so bland, they had me missing Tim Shaw. Hell bent: clara is awful but because she's a Moffatt magic girl, she gets rewarded for being awful. Empire: first part was brilliant. This stumbles so badly and undermines its own story with stuff that doesn't make sense. All the stuff with Mel is really nice though. Doctor Falls: Perfect choice. The episodes leading up to Capaldi leaving are probably the strongest of all of new Who.

[@Brunoxsa]

Thank you for the video, Vera! I understand how after a (at least) good season/series, a bad finale could let a "bad taste in the viewers' mouth". However, something to notice in the post-classic era of Doctor Who is: most season finales are bad (and I do not necessarily mean they cannot be still enjoyable). Usually, the big problem is the stakes becoming so high to the point of planetary/comic extinction that, at the end, the universe is fixed and returns to the status quo by using some "Deus ex machina" plot point. Personally, despite having a lot problems with the Flux serial, the story almost fixes this issue of consequences not mattering... except for failing in acknowledging part of the universe staying destroyed during the conclusion of the finale. Doing endings/finales is hard!

[@intergalactic92]

You have perfectly encapsulated a lot of the stuff that frustrated me with Moffat's writing, but also some of the strengths. When he got it right it was spectacular, but too often it was too clever for its own good. The Doctor Falls and death in Heaven are perfect, simple ideas done well.

[@matthewbeckford4520]

I like that Big Bang isn't a story in itself but just the ending of the season story, (with young Amelia praying to Santa). It felt like a good finale to me 🤷🏻

[@girthbloodstool339]

Yep - Capaldi for the win! Especially with Bill.

[@WiloPolis03]

I have mixed feelings on Hell Bent, but what I like about it isn't Clara (she's actually pretty badly written in this episode imo), but how the 12th Doctor reacts to and plays off her. The idea of a Doctor that's been tortured by the Time Lords for this long and is now just breaking all of his own rules and going off the deep end, to the point where the only way he can be redeemed is by wiping his memory - that's awesome. Bringing back freaking Gallifrey for a grand total of about 5 minutes of screentime, however, absolutely sucks

[@nekusakura6748]

Capaldi as 12 definitely carries a LOT of Hell Bent on his shoulders.

[@WiloPolis03]

@@nekusakura6748 100%. Gosh he was so freaking good, he carried *every* episode he was in

[@spencerluther6485]

Good vid as always, Vera! My list: 14. Journey’s End 13. Timeless Children 12. Wedding of River Song 11. Battle of RaK 10. Last of the Time Lords 9. The Vanquishers 8. Empire of Death 7. Name of the Doctor 6. Doomsday 5. Hell Bent 4. Death In Heaven 3. Parting of Ways 2. Big Bang 1. Doctor Falls Honestly, I like 11 and up.

[@meganvincent5381]

I love your sweet messages in the outro ❤️ always puts a smile on my face ☺️

[@TheSindustriesLtd]

Empire of Death does the same things other RTD finales have done, i agree. It just takes no time to SELL it. that's the difference. that's kind of the difference between Season 1 and RTD's previous series as a whole. it hits a lot of the same beats, but the work isn't put in to really sell it. it's not enough to tell us something matters, you have to actually make it matter.

[@Zettern96]

Capaldi's monologues are amazing and the two best ones are "I am an idiot" and "And above all it's kind". When the Doctor says "Because it's right" I got really worried because I hate that as a reason to do anything, but then he says "And above all it's kind" and that is a very good reason to do something.

[@dickottel]

what's something that's right but unkind?

[@the-scamp]

The Battle Of Ranskoor Arv Kolos is truly a bag of shite

[@theamyway4832]

I must admit, I LOVE the Wedding of River Song ahah - it's fun. I'd definitely put the finale of Flux beneath it, personally. I'm also a big Hell Bent and Big Bang stan ahah. Empire was disappointing for me.

[@AlmightyBruce]

14: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos 13: The Timeless Children 12: The Vanquishers 11: The Empire of Death 10: The Wedding of River Song 9: Death in Heaven 8: The Last of the Time Lords 7: The Big Bang 6: Name of the Doctor 5: Hell Bent 4: Journey’s End 3: The Doctor Falls 2: Doomsday 1: Parting of the Ways

[@Randa-n7j]

This is definitely a hot take. I actually really like the wedding of river song. Matt smith was my introduction to doctor who. I love the 11th doctor, river , Amy and Rory. There is a lot going on (maybe too much). But what can I say I like a little Chaos.

[@DubiousStory]

Pretty bang on list. Maybe, *maybe* there would be specific episodes in a different order. but break it down into thirds and there wouldn't be any crossovers between them.

[@nancyjay790]

Beautifully put. Thank you.

[@LamaKickMojo]

Please do a review of Wallace and Gromit. Vengeance Most Fowl when it comes out

[@nightshadoew436]

You know season finales have been bad when Vera puts Hell Bent on her top 10. Honestly I kept expecting it to get said but we Chibnall saved it with some assist from Moffat himself. As for ny ranking, atleast the top 5, it is; 5)Death in Heaven (carried mostly by Doctor and Clara "breaking up" at the end) 4)Name of the Doctor 3)Journeys End 2)Doctor Falls 1)Hell Bent Yes I love Hell Bent. Why? Because it is a finale soley reliant on the relationship between Doctor and Clara(they are my favourite pair in the whole show) so I love it. I love the idea of the Hybrid just coming down to Doctor being unable to let go of someone. Do I get why some people not like that? Yeah. Do I think Moffat executed it well? Definitely not. But hey it is a favourite list and I am baised, very much so and I am grown up enough to admit it

[@TheGerkuman]

I really don't like Name of the Doctor but I find it hard to explain why. I think it's just because literally the only thing of consequence about the whole thing is the last 10 mins (from when the GIT jumps into the time stream, to the end). It one of the most nothing-ist episodes ever, and being a finale makes it worse. (I did like the Strax turning against Vastra bit). I think I'd have liked it more if the GIT jumped into the timestream early into the episode, and we saw a lot more of how The Doctor not being there affected things (a bit like Turn Left, but on a grander scale).

[@citrinedragonfly]

The top 3 are no doubt the best three finales in the new era. For me, switch up 2 and 3, though. I thought The Parting of the Ways was a better episode than Doomsday. It has a lot to do with the fact that I prefer Eccleston as the Doctor to Tennant, and I really was tired of the Doctor and Rose being smug and couple-y by the time Doomsday rolled around. Did I cry? Heck yes I did. But overall, the Doctor's willingness to sacrifice himself and send Rose to safety, plus Rose's determination to not let him do that... it just says so much about who each of them are. If The Doctor Falls weren't as perfect as it is, I'd have Eccleston's finale at number one (and I might, depending on how recently I've watched each one). The Parting of the Ways was such a catharsis moment for the Doctor, and Rose's deus ex machina as Bad Wolf had repercussions for the entirety of the new series so far, and gave us a whole spin-off in Torchwood (which had its own share of ups and downs, but I enjoyed it a lot). I don't actively dislike any of the finales, and each of them for me was amazing on first viewing, because first viewing is pure emotional reaction for me, unless something takes me out of the episode because it just goes so far off-tone (Orphan 55, looking at you. And you, Waters of Mars). And with one glaring exception, I've yet to actively dislike an episode of Doctor Who.

[@purpleraider8105]

Do you think there is a reason why you seems to have a higher opinion of the first episodes than the finales? Do you have a general preference towards pilots or is it as simple there just more good series openers?

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

For me, it's generally Moffet at the bottom but it's because I just _can't_ with his writing. It frustrates me at so many turns that as the viewer I feel I often come up with better developments for the story as I'm watching it than what happens. Some of the others are disappointing for various reasons, often feeling like they needed some extra drafts or to boil down elements and leave out extraneous things that go nowhere or add nothing. But those don't bother me as much. But I will say I like Whitaker, she just didn't have very good scripts to work with. I do sometimes ask myself if I actually am a fan of Doctor Who. I adored Tenant, of course, and Eccelston is often underrated. Matt Smith or Capaldi both had some really good individual episodes, and some of the _elements_ of story arcs were well done. But I just wasn't as into their portrayals, though bits of Capaldi's doctor were good as a sort of post-apocalypse genre character. Bitter, jaded and worn down in a world where things are falling apart ... not great for The Doctor, but a sci-fi character in a grim and gritty story, sure. And as a Clara-stan I actually had times where I _wanted_ her to somehow, in some way, become The Doctor, or at least a character of comparative stature in the fiction. I always felt she was being held back narratively, whereas in any other story she'd develop into something more. Though I suppose that's ultimately true of all companions. If not for the need of _maintaining IP_ for a _franchise_ so that a wealthy media company can keep churning out content for decades and decades while taking as few risks with the formula, it would have been great for Capaldi's doctor to be the last there ever was, and Clara is revealed to be _something else_ -- as I think would have been fitting -- and become the character who's adventures we center on. It could even then become a story that puts the entirety of Doctor Who to bed. A conclusion -- imagine that, a IP-Franchise story that has a final end -- that wraps it up. Then we can have a _new_ story about something else entirely.

[@leoburton7702]

This is my ranking Parting of the Ways Doomsday Death in Heaven Journey's End The Empire of Death Name of the Doctor Last of the Time Lords The Doctor Falls The Timeless Children Hell Bent The Wedding of River Song The Big Bang The Vanquishers Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

[@Zach90888]

The thing that really separates these finales for me is that a Doctor Who finale NEEDS CONSEQUENCES! Even if they are relatively small (I do like Death in Heaven, Clara and The Doctor lying to each other so the other can be happy, even if that gets reversed) there needs to be SOMETHING. That’s why the only RTD finale I can’t get behind is EoD. It ends uncomplicated and happy, and that doesn’t work for the finale for me.

[@BrianDavidson-q1j]

Can't really argue with this ranking.

[@iancuneo1820]

My problem with Empire of death is that it felt like they were building up Ruby to be something super important and when it was just that she was a teen mom it kinda felt like a let down. It’s not terrible and there are good scenes but it just felt like a letdown.

[@rebelprincess1164]

No offence, but your hair looks really pretty in this video

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Why would that offend me?

[@sirweezely]

Series 6 couldve been almost perfect in my opinion if Closing Time didn't happen and The Wedding of River song was in two parts

[@alexandertaylor7316]

The Last of the Time Lords is muuuch higher than I thought it would be.

[@blakesheldon3167]

Suhtek ripped a hole from the time vortex to modern day London why isn’t this a spin off it would be like torchwood with objects and creatures coming through

[@knitcrochettiger361]

hey Vera, here's an idea for a New Who List.....top 10 Mic Drop moments of New Who????

[@davidturner2974]

Can't really think of anything to disagree with here. Cheers!

[@paulgifford4688]

It’s not the worst, but I always find “Last of the Time Lords” the most disappointing finale, just because “Utopia” and “Sound of Drums” were so much better.

[@kevin10001]

I’m still surprised empire of death was as high as it was cause it didn’t really payoff the major beats of the season cause the season basically wanted us to care about ruby’s mother like she would factor into the finale in some way but ultimately didn’t and it didn’t really need to retcon the whole series from pyramids of mars going forward also on the season 12 finale the master didn’t actually destroy gallifrey cause if he did there wouldn’t have been a matrix to show the doctor the timeless child information unless he managed to extract the information but it not being made clear he can do that just being able to manipulate the matrix as shown in trial of a timelord from the 80’s he pretty much committed mass genocide on the people of gallifrey including the timelord as well as converting the timelords into cybermen so gallifrey is probably the home of the cyberlords which possibly was the half robotic half organic planet we saw in power of the doctor

[@romanticrockstar94]

Sooo.... "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos" is a "Mess-terpiece"? :D

[@Samantha_76]

it's better to finish strong but better end strong?

[@GeneralDingo]

I think it's unfair to ignore the first part of clear 2 part stories. You're chucking out half the story because of the forced intermission..

[@lcoyle1998]

On reflection, I think I only really like 2 season finales. Parting of the Ways and The Doctor Falls are the only ones I really love. A few decent ones here and there but Doctor Who isn't great at finales...

[@rpowell20139]

Peter Capaldi is also my favorite doctor.

[@HotDogTimeMachine385]

Good list

[@ThePonderer]

I get having Ranskoor Av Kolos at the bottom, but for me Empire of Death is even worse.

[@casualcraftman1599]

Doctor Who finales are so shit they give you immunity to horrible endings. Seeing Game of Thrones for the first time in 2023 my reaction to the infamous ending was just a "eh, Hell Bent was worse". I'm glad I re-watched the SUPERIOR Farscape instead of Doctor Who series 14 and dodged another horrible final.

[@TC-ht9gl]

I'm shocked that Hell Bent made the top 10. Out of 14, but still. 😅

[@erics3367]

I am surprised that hell bent is as high as 10

[@lydia1634]

I actually stopped watching Who after A Death in Heaven. I loved Danny Pink. I thought he was such a good character. His death felt mean. And I had gotten fed up with Moffat being cruel to his characters in order to give his stories weight.

[@selatidos]

I hope "season 2" of ncuti gatwa ends with consequences in where he wants to move away from humanity because someone or something break their hearts!,or i will be disapointed ,this is a season finale that still didn't happen

[@AllThePiecesMatter_]

Watching this reminded me the show I love has a lot of terrible series finales.

[@greghawkins59]

I wanna argue how high empire of death is on this but the ones below it are just as terrible 😂

[@freshmot1]

Might I be agender? I don't really know what to feel like. I call myself a "guy'" not a man

[@cameronheaton9900]

I miss your hat.

[@Jenifer_R_]

The Master should have been the 'Timeless Child'. That was an utter failure of storytelling.

[@joelsoetendorp3279]

didnt classic who have better closers? The war games was a closer

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Ehhhhhh, not really. A lot of season closers you could tell had no money left in the season budget. Time Flight leaps to mind. But some were good, just not consistently.

[@ftumschk]

Classic season closers were rarely conceived as finales, so they tend to be rather "ordinary" stories, unless a regeneration happens in the last episode of a season. That was only true of The War Games (great), Planet of the Spiders (OK) and Logopolis (meh). The Caves of Androzani would have made a brilliant, climactic finale, if they hadn't decided to make it the penultimate story of that season, only to close it with the damp squib that was The Twin Dilemma.

[@ftumschk]

Come to think of it, I'll make an exception for The Dæmons. It was a pretty successful closer for Season 8, neatly capping the "arc" of the Master's first season and bringing together all the UNIT regulars. It's also great fun!

[@nekusakura6748]

​@@ftumschk"Five Rounds, Rapid..."

[@pun-inator6075]

So in my list, I'm counting the final stories, not splitting up the individual episodes 1. Season 8 (Dark waters / Death in Heaven) Season 8 is my favourite season & the Missy reveal feels so good. Having her go full force, I legit couldn't predict her moves due to the crazy factor. The Twist with Clara appearing in the opening just felt nice. His "I am an idiot" speech is iconic & felt so refreshing from the big heroic speeches Moffat became known for. It also seems Moffat limited his usual shortcomings (I'll explain them when they become more prevelent) to make the better showcase. 2. Season 10 (World Enough & Time / The Doctor Falls) I love having a multi master story, having a threat where The Doctor is just trying to keep people alive. It made the Cybermen threatening again. The speech the Doctor gave says everything why I love this character. Capaldi is & forever will be my Doctor, this was a beautiful send off for him & if Moffat finished here, he would've finished on one of his best notes. 3. Season 1 (Bad wolf / Parting of the ways) RTD has a lot of issues with his finals. He introduces characters who basically just died for the sake of it, with an out there ending to resolve the issue & with big emotional endings which people end up forgiving the story more. Season 1 works best for me in this reguard because 1) I'm not sick of his tropes by this point & 2) Eccelstone is a gem, I wish he could've stayed & I love he's now in Big Finish. 4. Season 5 (The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang) Moffat has a habit of over-saturating his finals with so much stuff & it feels like a headache to keep track off. Due to the high energy of the story and the ludicros circumstances, as well as Smith being at his best, I like it. Its a fun, enjoyable watch which I'll keep coming back to when I need to just smile (basically S5 in a nutshell for me) 5. Season 9 (Face the Raven / Heaven Sent / Hell Bent) This has my two favourite episodes, its my favourite Doctor & it felt like a master class in dealing with grief. Its so powerful & is character driven, which usually makes for better stories imho. I could rewatch this over & over & keep discovering new details 6. Season 4 (Stolen Earth / Journey's end) While it has the RTD issues of finals, the ending for Donna still hits me hard & it felt like a love letter to the RTD 1 era. It just felt epic & I would love for it to return once more. 7. Season 2 (Army of Ghosts / Doomsday) Another one I'm surprised by, I'm not a fan of s2 (I consider it the worst of the revival), the way they made Rose a love sick puppy hurts me. But this ending was good. Like Vera says, its fun just bashing the toys together. I also wish we got more sass from the Daleks. Could you imagine them trash talking Sontarons? I need more of this. 8. Specials (End of time P I + II) While this has the same RTD issues, deux machania, loose threads left hanging (like the women on the tele) also Wilf is a treassure who is deeply missed. Its also a beautiful send off to the first show runner who brought the show back to life 9. Season 14 (Legend of Ruby Sunday / Empire of Death) This had the issues of RTD, all show runners have 'em, but it also suffered from the lack of episodes in the season, meaning its carrying more weight for the season. 10. Season 3 (Utopia / Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords) I'm surprised this is so high, mostly due to not being the others. It just gets worst as the episodes go on, loved Utopia but the Doc-Jesus moment & lack of reprocussions made it pointless. I loved how Martha left but she deserved better. 11. Season 13 (Survivors of the Flux / The Vanquishers) I'm more forgiving on Flux, as a whole. It was restricted by a global pandemic, & they tried something new. It still has the typical Chibbs issues but I still say its his best ending of a season. 12. Season 6 (Wedding of River Song) This has the same problem of other 1 part finals but with the references, it felt fun with how they were crammed together, which is why its higher then the other single enders. 13. Season 12 (Ascention of the Cybermen / Timeless Children) I loved the first part but that bombshell ending places this so low. It could've been so good if they focused on the lone Cyberman, maybe the Doc & gang chasing him down as he travels through time, causing mayhem 14. Season 7 (Name of the Doctor) This felt rushed & early Clara was uninteresting. River also felt wasted here 15. Season 11 (Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos) Do I need to explain this one? I thought not, just watch the video because what Vera says.... basically, same

[@christianwise637]

My ranking would go as follows: 14) The Timeless Children: Even setting aside my distaste for the Timeless Child revelation and its implications, the underwhelming character moments, and the absolute nerfing of the Master's character arc and Gallifrey's fate, it's just sooooooooooo boooooooooriiiiiiiiiiiing; Jodie Whittaker stands in place for 40 minutes while Sacha Dhawan lore dumps on everyone - absolutely riveting. 13) The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos: I go back and forth between the bottom two, but I give this one the edge for it having an actual story and having less egregiously bad decisions; still a bad episode though, with terrible moral dilemmas, a terrible villain, and a generally anticlimactic feeling. 12) Empire of Death: Only slightly better than the previous two, mostly thanks to the great moments with Ruby and her mother; everything that comes before is dull, lifeless and lacking in compelling dramatic tension; even by Davies' rather spotty track record with finales, this is really bad; not even Gabriel Woolf's return as Sutekh can really save it. 11) The Vanquishers: Works better than the other Chibnall finales by virtue is being so fast-paced and energetic that it papers over its nonsensical story and unearned character beats with a great sense of chaotic style and personality; a terrible splattering mess of a finale, but still undoubtedly quite a lot of fun. 10) The Wedding of River Song: Talking about "messy but fun", that pretty much sums up this finale; highly enjoyable thanks to its madcap energy and visual creativity, even when the character beats don't really land and the narrative doesn't really come together as satisfyingly as possible; still has some fantastic moments though, such as the Brigadier scene. 9) Last of the Time Lords: Gloomy, over-the-top and featuring a totally nonsensical ending, but the strength of Martha's role in the story and the resolution of her character arc more than makes up for any of the script's many many flaws; also, John Simm is great here, and the Master's death scene is perfectly executed here. 8) Journey's End: Of all the "messy but fun" finales, this is both the messiest and the most fun; it barely makes sense narratively, but most of the character beats land, the narrative twists and turns are highly compelling, Davros is great to watch, and even with the knowledge that it would be undone 15 years later, Donna's departure scene still hits hard. 7) The Name of the Doctor: It may just function as little more than setup for the upcoming 50th anniversary special and Eleven's regeneration, but it's still a pretty solid episode in its own right; the dark funereal tone works really well, there's some great emotional beats, and it benefits from having both a great cold open and a phenomenal cliffhanger. 6) Death in Heaven: Quite an overhated finale in my opinion; not the best, and it does have its issues, but the character drama lands really well, it has both Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez hitting it out of the park with their performances, Rachel Talalay's visual style is exceptional, and it low key is one of Murray Gold's best scored episodes. 5) Doomsday: Perhaps a little overrated, banking on the strength of Rose and the Doctor's farewell, but it's still a great ending that tugs on the heartstrings pretty well, and the rest of the episode, while largely coasting on Dalek vs Cyberman action, is loads of fun to watch and provides some great visual spectacle. 4) Hell Bent: Yeah, I know it's not to everyone's taste, but it absolutely works for me - you mentioned that it seems to work better for those who connected with the Doctor and Clara's relationship, but since I fall into that group, having a finale be centred around their toxic co-dependent relationship was great, and despite its issues, it works really well for me; and that's alongside the great visuals, excellent score and powerhouse performances from Capaldi and Coleman. 3) The Big Bang: Sorry to see it didn't really work for you, but I absolutely loved this one; the emotional moments hit hard for me (the Doctor's speech at Amelia's bedside hits me every time), the score is just fantastic, Toby Haynes' direction is phenomenal, the performances are top notch, and I just love how it resolves everything that's been building over this series. 2) The Parting of the Ways: Easily the best of the Davies finales, without any contest in my opinion; loads of great Dalek action, impactful and gut-wrenching character moments, Eccleston on top form, the resolution to everyone's character arcs is just fantastic, tying up the Ninth Doctor's all-too-brief tenure in perfect fashion. 1) The Doctor Falls: Much like the bottom two, the top two are episodes I go back and forth with, but after my most recent rewatch, I'm giving this one the top spot; the action is fantastically staged (Rachel Talalay truly is the MVP), the performances from the five leads - Capaldi, Gomez, Simm, Mackie and Lucas - are outstanding, and the character beats are some of the most impactful and effective in the entire series, with the Doctor's big monologue standing out as the defining speech for not just this incarnation, but the character as a whole - say what you want about him, but Moffat really understood the Doctor as a character.

[@jennaking710]

Just an FYI that John Barrowman has somewhat addressed the comments made about his actions during his time on Dr Who, I'd say it's worth looking at them and making your own opinions on if it adds to your view if his time on the show is problematic or not. In my view, I am currently inclined to believe his take on events for the sole reason I've not seen anyone complain about how he behaved or said it was inappropriate, and surely, if anyone felt uncomfortable or that it was inappropriate what he was doing, even anonymously, they would have spoken out by now. It seems to me now he's added context it's only assumptions of what might have happened that put it in the light of being problematic.

[@CouncilofGeeks]

I addressed this notion years ago, and I stand by it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3XVh3mjnNuIsNE

[@LeviPennington-vv2kq]

14: Timeless Children 13: Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos 12: The Vanquishers 11: Empire of Death 10: Dark Water/Death in Heaven 9: Name of the Doctor 8: Army of Ghosts/Doomsday 7: Utopia/Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords 6: Wedding of River Song 5: Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways 4: Stolen Earth/Journey’s End 3: Hell Bent 2: Pandorica Opens/Big Bang 1: World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls

[@nonagon7385]

I'll join the list fun: 14) The Timeless Children. Just reads as woohoo we nuking everything for no reason watch my slideshow bro I'd rather watch this shit on youtube as a fun fan theory video because at least then it'd be presented better. 13) The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos. Sure killing is wrong but let's suspend him in torturous stasis for eternity. The moral hollowness that I despise about my least favorite 13th Doctor episodes perfectly crystalized. 12) The Vanquishers. Honestly I remember nothing but I remember being deeply bored and unsatisfied and going off synopses I've heard here and elsewhere this seems right. 11) The Wedding of River Song. Any hint of emotional payoff happens in a parallel universe and doesn't matter and the more I think about it the more I dislike the copout to the Doctor's supposed fixed death. 10) The Empire of Death. It sure was a finale of all time. It does really read as RDT going to his usual formula but with a much messier setup and lackluster payoff that makes the holes just bleed out through everything. 9) The Big Bang. Kinda fine kinda whatever idk felt too long for what was in it. 8) The Last of the Time Lords. The setup was too ridiculous and works against this. I would've loved Martha's story if it was in a less silly story. 7) The Name of the Doctor. The worldbuilding/how-things-work bit just falls apart at the end but there's decent enough stuff before it I guess? These last three are so interchangeable to me, I guess the emotional beats of this one are hard carrying it just a bit better than the others. 6) Journey's End. This one I really start feeling the bloated cast more than in Stolen Earth and the emotional moments are really powerful but yeah the solution in the climax is a bit too easy I'm sorry. Should've killed someone off tbh. 5) Hell Bent. Probably messier than Journey's End, my feelings are still mixed, but yeah I buy the skeleton of this. Still doesn't really pair well with my favorite reading of Heaven Sent which doesn't really help but I like it for the most part. 4) Death In Heaven. The "power of love" thing is a little cringe-inducing but I think it's mostly fine, the rest of this is fabulous. I feel like Missy's motivations here are being carried by her relationship with the Doctor being much more developed later so that might be a knock against but now I watch it and buy it so eh. 3) Doomsday. The "you are better at dying" singularity. Pretty solid stuff, the void vacuum was a bit cheesy but hey. 2) The Doctor Falls. I love this, it's perfect, and if it ended with just the charred battleground and then Nardole's homestead five floors up I'd say it'd be the perfect finale ever. Not that I think it should've ended there because good lord would that have caused an uproar. I just think this sort of small, grounded conflict being where the Doctor makes a final stand is the perfect ending for someone like him, Trenzalore done right. The fact that the pilot girl could just carry him into the Tardis after that is too convenient, like girl there are other people here who could use an evac. It's really tough following Missy's arc up with anything for the Master afterwards too, and the next Master really suffers from this, for me at least. 1) The Parting of the Ways. It doesn't quite hit the highs of The Doctor Falls, but similarly to that, it's the perfect payoff for the arc of its own Doctor specifically and the convenient out they take to not kill him off there feels much less contrived and actually thematically resonant with Rose's arc and how those two characters compliment each other.

[@alunrundle162]

I know what you mean with 'Hell Bent' (Or, at least, some of it.) Clara came in as McGuffin and a lot of people didn't like it. There was also the fact that most of the other people in the story... weren't really people. They were largely carboard cutouts with names. And the Doctor was SO angry for two episodes in a row and was behaving quite undoctorly. Compare that to other episodes like the Eleventh Hour where the Doctor deals with the Atraxi or the Family of blood two parter where he gets mad. In small doses. When he's mad? Run. 'Heaven sent' and 'Hell bent' was the Doctor being mad for two whole episodes (Well, getting mad in Heaven sent) and it's... not the Doctor. Not quite. For a classic Comparison, take 'The Caves of Androzani'. Bleak? Check. Depressing? Check. Companion dead/on the verge of death? Check. Doctor going balls to the wall to save them? Big ol' check. The end of episode 3, where the Doctor is about to be shot, is crashing the spaceship AND is fighting off the regeneration, is still one of the most intense cliffhangers the show's done. But the other characters are all fully fleshed characters. You may not like them but they're all real. And the Doctor? Even in the darkest of the episode,, even at his most desperate, the Doctor is still recognisable as the Doctor. I'm not sure Capaldi's was in parts of Hell Bent.

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

As for The Doctor not being The Doctor, I think that is true and to me it makes sense. 12 is The Doctor at their most vulnerable; fully mask off. Heaven Sent and Hell Bent, after the death of a devoted friend, is The Doctor coming to the edge. One more step and he's the War Doctor Part II. The Time Lords had finally gone too far. It is The Doctor saying, ".Do whatever you want to me but lay a finger on my friend and I will end you."

[@dino0000_]

hell bent > the doctor falls > parting of the ways > the big bang > death in heaven >>>>> everything else

[@nimonus]

Hell Bent being so low is completely insane IMO. It is absolutely number 1 for me.

[@rodrigodepaula4198]

Hate Danny Pink and everything alround him.

[@mxrichardsonsneighbourhood5402]

I like Danny Pink. What I do not like is his reaction to The Doctor in The Caretaker. Talk about aggressively judging a book by its cover. I don't want needless aggression or toxic masculinity in my Doctor Who.

[@syesmyc]

my ranking would go: 14. battle of ranskoor av kolos: awful and boring 13. the vanquishers: so many plot threads i felt lost trying to follow them 12. the timeless children: just WHY. why would you do this and why would you do it like that 11. empire of death: rtd doing clickbait with the snow, the hidden song, the memory changing, the pointing. it brings down not only the finale but also the rest of the season and that's why it's so low. and, rtd: season 1 is going to be a soft reboot. also rtd: let's show 15, ruby and mel watching the classic who episode to explain sutekh. 10. the wedding of river song: it's an overcrowded mess but at least the episode has the characters i really love 09. the name of the doctor: parts of it with river, vastra and jenny are great and the reveal of the war doctor was well done but i don't really like the impossible girl mystery box and i have a ton of logistics nitpicks bc the story just forgot to have an ending? how did they get out of the doctor's timeline? wouldn't it just scatter 11 into a million echoes and cause a giant paradox? 08. the last of the time lords: space jesus doctor did not land for me 07. hell bent: i used to hate this episode but i came to appreciate it over time. i don't mind most of the things people have a problem with but i hate that it undermines clara's exit which was basically perfect in face the raven 06. journey's end: i hate everything about the metacrisis and rtd basically doing it again for the 60th anniversary really bumped this episode down for me, even if it is very hype and epic 05. big bang: i don't mind that it's tying up the loose ends, i still eat up all the timey-wimey-ness of it 04. death in heaven: probably my only complaint about the episode is that the cyber rain that converts the corpses breaks my suspension of disbelief, but all the other (mostly character) stuff the episode does (with danny, clara, missy, 12) is excellent 03. and 02. were really close for me. 03. is doomsday and 02. is parting of the ways and it basically comes down to me liking 9 a hell of a lot more than 10. 01. the doctor falls: would be the perfect episode and the perfect finale if only 12 regenerated by the end of the episode. no complaints otherwise