The Fantasy Review’s list of Steven Moffat’s Worst Doctor Who Episodes.
While I might have been introduced to Doctor Who by Russell T Davies, some of my favourite characters and stories come from Steven Moffat’s time as showrunner. However, as with any writer, not every story was brilliant…
Here is my list of Steven Moffat’s worst Doctor Who episodes. If you love these, then keep loving them! There’s not an episode I hate, but this list is all subjective, personal opinion.
#7 – The Bells of Saint John (Season 7, Episode 6)
Ugh, okay, maybe I do hate this one. Nearly.
Season 7 was a poor season of Doctor Who anyway, and this first proper introduction to Clara Oswald lacks so much of what made Matt Smith’s previous seasons so memorable.
The plot is dull and forgettable, despite a cool premise. It feels like a filler episode when it’s supposed to be the start of something new.
On a series rewatch, I always skip through this episode or just skip over it entirely.
#6 – The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (Season 7, Christmas Special)
Moffat’s Christmas episodes are such a weird mix of either awful or brilliant. The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe is one of the awful ones.
The story riffs off Narnia, with a doorway into another world for some kids to get trapped in. Again, like much of season 7, this was a forgettable special.
There’s an emotional thread throughout the episode that should slap some tears out of you at the end, but because it’s so boring, this never lands. NEXT!
#5 – The Wedding of River Song (Season 6, Episode 13)
I am so sorry to the River Song fans. Myself included.
Look, River’s storyline is great, but this episode was such a mess! Moffat always wanted complex, meandering plots that pulled together at the end in an avalanche of realisations.
I love this about his era as showrunner, however it can’t work out every time. The Wedding of River Song is one of those times it didn’t work out.
One of the greatest mysteries was set up at the start of season 6, and the whole season was so much fun! I think it was impossible for him to land an ending that would be satisfying enough, an ending that could live up to the hype.
#4 – The Name of the Doctor (Season 7, Episode 13)
Season 7 can be skipped. Just move on past it to the 50th Anniversary special and chill.
The plot is something to do with the Great Intelligence, and River’s ghost is about, and Clara’s “Impossible Girl” arc is completed.
I don’t know what the obsession with the Doctor’s name was during this season, but I am so glad it ended (after Matt Smith’s final episode, that is).
The Name of the Doctor is the dull prologue to The Day of the Doctor, the 50th Anniversary special. It introduced the War Doctor, and so its purpose was to make us ask questions, instead of giving us any satisfaction (and the Impossible Girl arc doesn’t count – that sucked).
#3 – Deep Breath (Season 8, Episode 1)
Peter Capaldi is my favourite Doctor. Clara was an amazing companion during her seasons with him. Deep Breath, however, was a rocky start.
The overall arc of season 8 was a little wobbly – and not in a good way – but on rewatches I find there is a lot to love about several of the individual episodes.
But the first episode, where we meet this new Doctor, and his companion has to come to terms with the new face, is all over the place. It’s not that exciting, the mystery has no layers, the character drama is dull, and most people can’t hold their breaths for that long.
#2 – Dark Water / Death in Heaven (Season 8, Episodes 11 & 12)
Missy is one of Moffat’s wonderful additions to Doctor Who, but even she couldn’t make this two-parter good. Nothing about this episode was emotionally engaging, exciting, satisfying for previous mysteries set-up, or fun.
As I said before, this season 8 arc was not good, and on a rewatch I tend to ignore the overall picture and enjoy individual episodes, like Time Heist.
#1 – The Return of Doctor Mysterio (Season 10, Christmas Special, 2016)
As the third Christmas Special on this list, The Return of Doctor Mysterio has the honour of being Steven Moffat’s worst Doctor Who episode.
This is strange, because I suppose this special didn’t insult the memory of classic characters like Death in Heaven, and Peter Capaldi’s Doctor was in full swing, swaggering about being fabulous.
The issue here is that this feels like a Doctor-lite episode, with the Doctor standing right there for a lot of the runtime. The story lacks any depth at all, has sludgy villains no one remembers the name of, and wastes the time of the best Doctor ever.
