5 Best Christopher Eccleston ‘Doctor Who’ Episodes
Image Source: BBC
SPOILERS FOR SERIES 1 OF DOCTOR WHO
With such a popular series like Doctor Who, it is not hard to see how such an intelligent, witty, and humorous character as the Doctor could become so popular. The science fiction time-traveling television series has many fans, and the most common topic of debate on social media, whether it be Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr, is one question: Which generation was the best Doctor?
Multitudes will sing praises of Matt Smith's child-like charm and heap praises on David Tennant's flawless and effortless charisma. The one actor who laid the groundwork for the character's personality, however, inevitably goes to Christopher Eccleston, who played the Ninth Doctor in the first season of the Doctor Who revival. Eccleston knew how to respond to every question in both a witty and sardonic manner. He knew when to crack a joke and when to get serious, all while going through the events after the "Time War" that he had to endure.
Here are five of the best episodes of Doctor Who’s Christopher Eccleston era that demonstrate how the actor lay the groundwork for the character.
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5. “Rose” (Series 1, Episode 1)
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Anyone familiar with David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor will know about the character of Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper. In this episode, Rose is introduced as a standard Londoner whose normal and predictable life was completely flipped around when plastic mannequins began to attack the town. It wasn't long before the Doctor showed up to explain everything, allowing her to assist him in saving the day.
While the visual effects were on the laughably cheap side, they added to the entertainment factor, which filled in the serious moments with something silly to help you stay positive. It also helped that each actor portrayed their characters with a dry self-aware sense of humor. This first episode was a very good starter to the series
4. “Aliens of London” (Series 1, Episode 4)
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Even if the Doctor and Rose could travel around in time, reality still settled in at the worst possible times. When the Doctor accidentally returned Rose to her house a year after the events of "Rose," he had to deal with something more aggressive than aliens invading London: an angry mother.
Here, the Doctor showed hints of why he is often described as "The Oncoming Storm," with Rose trying to explain the circumstances to her mom and boyfriend. While this episode was the first half of a two-part arc, "Aliens of London" sank its claws into the audience's intrigue in showing just how serious everything could escalate. It also introduced the entertaining Slitheen.
3. “The Parting of the Ways” (Series 1, Episode 13)
Image Source: TARDIS Data Core
It does seem odd that the season finale finds itself in the middle of a list like this. While we know the penultimate ending to Eccleston's run as the thoughtful time traveler, the context of the previous episodes helps add beef to this episode.
Nonetheless, the season finale was wildly emotional and captivating, with each tense moment carrying a surprising amount of weight placed on the shoulders of everyone. The Doctor finally realized who he needed to become to keep Earth at peace, and regenerated into David Tennant's incarnation of the Doctor. The ending of “The Parting of the Ways” was conclusive and successfully acted as a jumping-off point for further adventures.
2. “Dalek” (Series 1, Episode 6)
Image Source: TARDIS Data Core
Despite how quick-witted and intelligent the Doctor is, there is one surefire way to show just how emotionally vulnerable he can get. In the episode "Dalek," the Doctor and Rose found themselves in an American museum filled with alien artifacts, one of which included the last of the Doctor's oldest and most memorable enemies: a Dalek. Having come from a huge war that not only supposedly wiped out the Daleks, but also the Time Lords, it was understanding for the Doctor to greet his enemy with both fear and hatred.
As the episode progressed, the Doctor grappled with both feelings of anger and remorse, which only exacerbate once the Dalek inevitably escaped. "Dalek" was a perfect character study for the Doctor as a character in that we can see his thought process when faced with the moral dilemma of either helping or exterminating a creature made of pure contempt. This emotional episode truly showed the depth of the Doctor, as well as the Daleks in general.
1. “The Doctor Dances” (Series 1, Episode 10)
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Many fans of Eccleston's Doctor will undoubtedly remember the two-part arc of "The Empty Child" for a multitude of reasons. Not only was this the first appearance of fan-favorite Captain Jack Harkness, but it also showed us the unsettling gas-mask zombies who repeatedly asked for their “Mummy.”
"The Doctor Dances" showed just how much love and warmth the Doctor had for the human race, looking to do anything to give everyone the happy ending he knew they deserved to have. After going through unimaginable trauma, the Doctor slowly opened up and came to realize just how much everyone mattered. The pure joy that poured from the Doctor's face as he finally achieved what he had been fighting for the entire arc made for an incredibly emotional and well-earned ending for everyone involved. It is not hard to see how this two-parter earned a Hugo Award in 2006.
Even if Eccleston declined to do further seasons of Doctor Who, it is clear that he had an incredible talent for showing just what an ageless time-traveling can go through on an impassioned, human level. While short-lived, Eccleston's Ninth Doctor was pompous, kind-hearted, sarcastic, witty, and absolutely fantastic.
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Source(s): Wikipedia
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