He’s raggedy, he wears a Stetson, he thinks bow ties are cool. Let’s dive into some of the hidden gems of the Matt Smith era. Warning, sweetie: there may be spoilers…
Victory of the Daleks
No, not the paradigms! It’s easy to criticise our first underrated Matt Smith episode. After all, this was the story that brought us the redesigned, multi-coloured Daleks that made them look like oversized toys, inspired (allegedly) by the aesthetic of the versions from the Peter Cushing movies.
But if you can look past the controversial reimagining of the Time Lord’s deadliest enemies, there is a solid and fun adventure penned by series stalwart Mark Gatiss. The eponymous Daleks have invaded Britain during the Second World War, posing as mankind’s “soldiers” and giving more than a subtle nod to the fan favourite ‘The Power of the Daleks‘ from 1966. How many Doctor Who fans could fail to raise a smile when the metal mutant uttered the words, “I am your soldier!”
There are many great moments in this Matt Smith episode, particularly the scene where the Doctor fights off his old enemies with a jammy dodger. So it’s important not to get distracted by the controversial (and almost universally disliked) Dalek redesign. Certainly, the episode had an uphill battle from the start; an audio recording of Matt Smith delivering his famous “I am the Doctor, and you are the Daleks!” speech leaked online several months prior to broadcast, and it wasn’t great. But then, that’s probably why it was unused take. Otherwise, Matt Smith gives a sterling performance in this story, and it’s well worth your time.
Amy’s Choice
These days, we’re drowning in alternative versions of the Doctor, with bi-generations aplenty, plus the Fugitive Doctor, plus the War Doctor. But ‘Amy’s Choice’ was a bit of a novelty back in its day, featuring an evil, alternative version of the Time Lord in the shape of the sardonic Dream Lord played by Toby Jones.
Plus, ‘Amy’s Choice’ is just such a clever concept. In the adventure, the Doctor and his companions find themselves trapped in two dream states – one where they are being attacked by zombie-like pensioners in a creepy English village, and another where they are in the TARDIS slowly freezing to death as they hurtle towards a mysterious ‘cold star.’ They have to decide which reality is… well, real.
In many ways, this Matt Smith story does what Doctor Who does best: simple ideas told in a clever and humorous way. And that’s not to say this is a comedy – not by any stretch, which may surprise you given that it’s penned by Simon Nye of Men Behaving Badly fame. This is a chilling, thought-provoking, heartfelt and whimsical tale which dares to be different without throwing the entirety of canon into a meat grinder, with some great monsters to boot.
Vincent and the Doctor
It’s not easy to tackle ‘issues’ in Doctor Who without looking preachy or shoe-horny. In this Matt Smith adventure, the writer Richard Curtis builds a fascinating story around mental illness using an invisible creature and Vincent van Gogh – a risky undertaking, for sure. Get it wrong, and you risk driving the audience away in droves, decrying the story’s arrant “virtue signalling” or “insensitivity.” But get it right, and you have a powerful tale on your hands.
History would seem to suggest that ‘Vincent and the Doctor,’ thankfully, got it right. We won’t spoil the episode’s climax for those of you who haven’t seen the episode, but it’s beautiful – yes, slightly cheesy, but beautiful. There aren’t many Doctor Who episodes that can use a pop song as part of the score and get away with it, but it works in this instance.
In hindsight, it’s a shame that we don’t have a way to measure how many people ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ might have helped over the years, but it must have been impactful. It’s a tear-jerker in the best possible way, and has an honest, comforting message at its heart. This Matt Smith episode is a strange and beautiful one, and doesn’t get mentioned enough. Be sure to add it to your viewing pile.
Closing Time
Speaking of episodes that have the potential to cause outrage, let’s take a look at ‘Closing Time.’ The controversy in this instance relates to its writer Gareth Roberts and its guest star James Corden. There are some corners of the internet which have bred a certain level of dislike for these artists, and if you inhabit one of those corners, that’s up to you. Hopefully, we can still evaluate ‘Closing Time’ on its merits.
And there are many merits in this surprisingly overlooked Matt Smith adventure. On paper, certainly, it’s a quirky one: the Cybermen have taken over a department store run by Lynda Baron, and it’s up to James Corden and his baby to bring them down with… well, love.
Yes, ‘Closing Time’ might be one of the more lightweight Doctor Who yarns. It’s certainly not ‘Genesis of the Daleks,’ but then it’s no pantomime either. There is plenty of drama here, and also lots of fun; ‘Closing Time’ benefits from not taking itself too seriously, and if you’re prepared to suspend your disbelief that the Doctor can suddenly “talk baby,” and jump effortlessly through double-glazed windows to fight off cybermats with kitchen utensils, you’ll have a great time.
Basically, if you have a problem with Gareth Roberts or even James Corden, that’s fine, but don’t let your feelings get in the way of enjoying a great Doctor Who episode. There’s a lot of weird, wacky fun to be had here; like ‘Amy’s Choice,’ this Matt Smith story takes something simple and does something clever. It’s a worthy addition to your watchpile.
So tell us, reader: what do you think are the most underrated Matt Smith episodes? And which is your favourite from this list? Let us know in the comments below.
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‘Vincent and the Doctor’ can’t be classified as “underrated”, surely? It’s one of the most popular and highly-rated episodes – deservedly so!
I hope you’re right! I just feel it doesn’t get talked about very often, in the midst of Weeping Angels and opening Pandoricas!
Yes, my first thought was “Vincent and the Doctor is an *underrated* episode???”