Which is the least shit RTD season?

Which of RTD’s seasons did you think was the least egregious, and why? I’m still pondering on which to select myself...

Series 1 has aged horrifically, largely consisting of mediocre stories with only a few reasonable episodes with standout moments, a horrific lack of tonal consistency, and a largely unassured and unconvincing performance from Eccleston as an incarnation of the character that nary resembles the professorial intellect from the original series. I also find Dalek and Parting of the Ways to be horrendously overrated episodes, contrary to some even here, with only The Unquiet Dead or The Empty Child warranting repeat viewings at all.

Series 2 established the moronic romantic subplot between the Doctor and Rose that paved the way for an audience with little interest in science-fiction as well as the further dismantling of the original character, and the episodes themselves are largely awful, though it probably boasts higher highs than series 1 (The Impossible Planet being the main example). Yet it’s lows are much lower, with the likes of New Earth, The Idiot’s Lantern, Shite and Monsters and Fear Her being worse than anything in series 1.

Series 3 is mildly better than both, although it’s acclaimed episodes are certainly overrated (Human Nature and Blink), whilst the finale was indeed an irrefutable disaster.

Series 4 is similar, yet is also faced with an increasingly hammy performance from Tennant (encouraged to ham it up by Tate, likely), and a much more pronounced popularist slant, alongside a truly awful opening episode and another inept finale. Yet the soap opera content seems reduced here when compared to previously, and there are a few instalments I don’t mind (The Sontaran two parter, The Library two parter, Turn Left, and maybe Midnight- although some recent comments on here indicate that I may like it less on my next viewing).

Hmm. They don’t have much between them- none are particularly good, although I lean towards either series 3 or 4 on the whole.

Either 1 or 3. Both are the least shit of the bunch but I'll opt for 3 for the strength of Blink alone.

Series four was the best for me, had so many good stories in the latter half, and the fillers, while unremarkable, are still pleasant escapism, with a real cracker in Fires of Pompei early on.

Series 3. I've always rather liked it myself.

Series 3 and 4. I've always loved them, despite some shortcomings. Smith and Jones, Gridlock, Human Nature/Family of Blood, Planet of the Ood, Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, Midnight, Turn Left, all brilliant and cracking stories. And I will say that 10 and Donna are a top 5 or 3 Tardis team for me.

3

I preferred 4. No stupid crushes from the companions, I liked Bernard Cribbins, and Donna’s mum was a much better actress than Rose’s. She was also deliberately cold, an interesting alternative to the usual sentimental nonsense.

It was either 3 or 4. I went for 3 because Blink is nearly the only not-even-a-little-bit-shit story in the whole RTD era. 1-2 are just total shite. I'd take the whole Moffat era over s1, and the whole of the Matt Smith era over s2.

1.

It didn't have Tennant.

Eccleston's performance was massively flawed, and was most definitely inadequate as the Doctor. But even if he's a bit one-dimensional as an actor, when he does the fiery stuff he's really convincing. Whereas Tennant never convinced me in any single aspect of the role, except that he'd based his performance on Williams era Tom Baker, and amped it up to 11/10 in pure Spinal Tap fashion.

If you thought Rose was bad in S1, you obviously haven't seen S2.

Best Moffat story by a country mile.

Best Gattis story by a country mile.

Dalek, whilst hugely flawed by the added soppiness is still 80% a good episode.

Loved the emperor Dalek, and indeed the Daleks were altogether well realised. No sign of Davros.

RTD's best finale. It was his first deus ex machina and it set the pattern for his overused magic re-set button, but it just about works the first time round.

For me the ratio of better (in context) stories against totally shit ones is higher in S1 then 2,3, or 4, and definitely the so-called 'specials'.

1 or 3. Neither is very good or has aged well to tell you the truth. But 2 was appallingly bad and while 4 is a bit more mixed, when it's bad it's fucking horrific.

I voted for Series 3.  In particular, I quite liked the episode 'Utopia' - Derek Jacobi adds a bit of class to the story but mostly I enjoyed it because it sort of, kind of reminded me of a wonderful old movie called 'The Time Travelers' (basic plot elements):

Series 4.

At least there was no adolescent romance nonsense and it felt comfortable with being a time/space adventure again rather than just a soap that treated the adventure part as a shameful inconvenience to be rushed through as quickly as possible.