The days, and stories are beginning to dwindle down to precious few…
#24 — The Unquiet Dead – Nu-Who’s first, albeit, hidden Christmas special, this story completed the loose trilogy of takes meant to show off the present, future, and past, in the series. It also revived that most beloved of formats, the pseudo-historical. Although best remembered for Simon Callow’s portrayal as Dickens, there were still plenty of fine character moments that still resonate.
#23 — Fugitive of the Judoon – One of the downsides of being a long term fan is that, after awhile, it’s hard to surprise anymore. The twin revelation of Jo Martin’s Doctor and the TARDIS truly did surprise, as did the misdurection about who the ‘Fugitive’ was.
#22 — The Mind Robber – A story of imagination so flexible that it could thrillingly withstand an extra episode (ep 1) being grafted on at the last minute and Frazer Hines coming down with chicken pox, being replaced, and coming back–seemlessly. A true joy for the Troughton era.
#21 — A Christmas Carol – Matt Smith’s first Christmas special was such a neat reworking of the Dickens classic that it has remained the Tour’s favorite of all holiday outings. And when the snow starts coming down, so do our tears.
#20 — Human Nature / The Family of Blood – An inseparable pair of Tennant’s which in a way was also an adaptation, from a 7th Doctor ‘New Adventure’ which allowed Tennant a showcase to show another side of his Doctor–one perfectly calibrated to one of the ‘human-er’ Doctors. Yet when he went cold, Tennant was downright firgid. We also really admire the performance of Freema Agyeman as Martha, who could see both sides of the story, and yet was powerless to do anything other than hope.
#19 — The Girl Who Waited – Wow. Just wow. The Girl Who Waited echoes Amy’s Choice as a sneaky little, and very personal, mind-bender which brought the series regulars into sharp relief. Those who had reason to be annoyed with Amy and Karen Gillan had nothing to talk about after a bravura performance here. This was definitely an episode which was all about the journey, not the destination,