Doctor Who is a truly one-of-a-kind show, spanning 60 years and delivering to audiences some truly jaw-dropping, memorable pieces of science fiction. The show has produced countless award-winning, tear-jerking episodes that have burned themselves into the brains of fans and casual watchers alike. But among all the iconic, critically-acclaimed episodes, are a number of brilliantly written and entertaining stories that often fly under the fandom’s radar to become underrated Doctor Who episodes.
The show has spanned 60 years and 871 episodes. It’s inevitable that fans overlook a few of The Doctor’s countless adventures when they share their favorite episodes with each other. As Russell T. Davies will be returning as showrunner, and David Tennant returning to play the Fourteenth Doctor, I thought it would be an appropriate time to go over some of the most underappreciated episodes from this beloved era of the show.
I’ll be highlighting episodes that either received mixed reactions from fans or seem to be frequently left out of discussions of “best episodes”. I’ll be going over episodes featuring both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant as the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, as they were both part of the Russell T. Davies era of the show. (Plus, the Ninth Doctor only had one season, so it would be hard to give him his own list!)
This story marked the first two-parter of NuWho, which told the story of the Slitheen family’s invasion of the British government, and eventually Earth.I think this episode loses a lot of fans because of the goofiness of the Slitheen. For those who don’t remember, these giant green aliens skin humans alive, making their skin into suits to disguise themselves as government officials. As a side effect of their giant bodies fitting into the much smaller humans, they release gas from their bodies a lot, which causes a farting noise.Yes, the fart jokes in these episodes are a little much. But just imagine if some comic relief hadn’t been present in this episode. The concept of aliens skinning humans alive and wearing them as a disguise is pretty horrific, even for Doctor Who. That, plus the very real fear of nuclear war, could’ve made for a shockingly grim story.
I personally feel like some silliness was necessary to balance out the darker aspects of this story. Plus, it is one of the first episodes of the revived series, RTD and co. likely didn’t want to alienate (pun intended) families with young children so early on.
Doctor Who: Eccleston and Tennant Episodes: Slitheen
The Slitheen. Doctor Who (BBC).
Flatulence humor aside, this is a very well-written and structured entry in the RTD era. The episode opens wonderfully, with the Doctor accidentally returning Rose (Billie Piper) to Earth a full year after her departure by mistake. Jackie (Camille Coduri) and Mickey’s (Noel Clarke) reactions to Rose’s disappearance are very real and reflect real-world concerns about young women disappearing. It’s an emotional beginning to the episode that really nicely places the story in some grounded context.
Plus, the Slitheen’s evil plot is pretty unique, as Doctor Who’s alien invasions go. Aliens disguising themselves as humans and then inventing a fake alien threat to drive humanity to nuclear war is pretty creative. The scene with the pig towards the beginning is shockingly well-crafted and creepy. Despite not having revisited this episode as often as some other entries on this list, I still vividly remember that scene and the effect it had on me as a kid.On top of all that, when they’re not farting (and making dated fat jokes) the Slitheen are genuinely pretty threatening aliens. Their weakness to vinegar, I will however admit, is not that creative. Very Signs.
“The Long Game”
This is probably the most forgotten Doctor Who episode of the Nine’s brief tenure. While it’s may not be as explosive or exciting as some of his other outings, it’s still a fantastic piece of television.
The central concept is that an alien called the Jagrafess is manipulating the news to slow the development of humanity. It also features the departure of one of the Doctor’s shortest-lasting companions, Adam Mitchell, who only traveled on the TARDIS for two adventures.
Doctor Who The Long Game The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) in “The Long Game”. Doctor Who (BBC).This episode is surprisingly nuanced. It’s an examination of how media can be perverted to manipulate and control people’s attitudes, which feels increasingly relevant in modern times. Also, “The Long Game”’s exploration of humans interfacing with technology also feels very pertinent.
We also get to see a darker side of the Ninth Doctor. In the end, he banishes Adam from the TARDIS after one mistake. It’s clear that the Time War deeply affected Nine. He is less forgiving, and perhaps more ruthless than he once was.Additionally, I think the design of the Jagrafess is both unique and threatening. It’s a shame they’ve never brought back this monster in the main series.
“Rise of the Cybermen” / “The Age of Steel”This story is understandably controversial within the fandom, given its introduction of the alternate universe Cybermen. (Have we ever fully reconciled the existence of both the AU Cybermen and the Mondasian Cybermen within the Whoniverse? I know that “World Enough and Time” made an attempt, but even that didn’t fully explain everything.)
Looking past unnecessary reinvention of the origin story to a classic villain, this is an excellent Cyberman story. The Cybermen are really threatening in these episodes, and the Cyber-conversion scenes are some deeply upsetting, stomach-turning stuff. Doctor Who Rise of the Cybermen
Cybermen from “Rise of the Cybermen”. Doctor Who (BBC).This is also one of the better explorations of the alternate universe concept within the main series. Having Mickey visit his grandmother is really touching. The background pieces, like the blimps, and increased human-technology interfaces, make for a fascinating setting.But the centerpiece of this episode, for me, is Rose’s reconnection with her father. Rose wants to see her father again, who is deceased in the main timeline, only to find that her parents’ relationship is actually worse in this universe, which is genuinely heartbreaking. Plus, seeing Jackie Tyler as a stuck-up wealthy housewife who mistreats her staff, only to have her ultimately get converted to a Cyberman, is memorably haunting.
“Gridlock”
Despite having a rating of 8.0/10 on iMDB, I feel like fans weirdly hate this one a lot, and rarely bring it up in discussions of best Tenth Doctor episodes, which is such a shame.This episode works wonderfully for being set almost entirely on a dirty, rainy street corner in the future and within various people’s cars. “Gridlock”’s depiction of a dark future where drug addiction has wiped out much of the human race, with the survivors trapped underground on an endless highway is memorably grim.
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