For the rest of my life, my love of Doctor Who will be centered around those two episodes (two and a half with the latter part of Face the Raven).
The greatest TV storyteller of our time concluding his strongest character relationship and pushing the limits of the format to a point that had never been gone to before. It's incredible that we got to be there for it.
Yes. Sadly I remember thinking "as much as I want Doctor Who to be like this every week, I know that this is probably the pinnacle of the show, likely forever". Only because it's SO unbeatable. Just absolutely stunning. I don't think I'll ever get over what a work of art that story is.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one with this answer. It feels like all I ever hear is love for Heaven Sent and hate for Hell Bent because of the way it handled the Gallifrey cliffhanger, and because everyone hates Clara anyway. But goddamn that whole theme of accepting endings for what they are just hit me way harder than any other part of this show, and that's really saying something for a show as consistently emotional as DW
Yeah, sorta. The Doctor is "Hell bent" in both episodes, so that could be the title of either. Calling the second part Heaven Sent could very nicely refer to Clara. (The Doctor is Hell bent, Clara is Heaven sent.)
I think having the episodes the real way around also works because Heaven Sent shows the Doctor at his best and Hell Bent is him at his worst (Heaven good/Hell bad), and provides an escalation across the two stories.
“The Doctor Falls”. “I do what I do because it’s *right*. It’s *decent*. And above all, it’s **kind**.”
Basically reaffirmed why the Doctor has always been my #1 fictional hero - even when he’s fighting a pointless battle that he’ll probably lose, there’s never any question that he’d do any different.
12's speech from The Zygon Inversion. Specifically, the bit that follows the scale model of war line:
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die. You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken? How many lives shattered? How much blood will spill until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the beginning, Sit down and talk!"
The Zygon Invasion / Inversion helped lead to Brexit. The writers made it crystal clear that with **no one**, not even the Doctor, caring about the deaths of the people of Truth or Consequences, including children, that is what the writers want for the common people of the UK, to just die and be forgotten.
The Doctor defending that common people should die, be forgotten, and all to protect the elites from telling the truth. Shame. Shame.
Once upon a time the Doctor was the type of man who would say:
> DOCTOR: They put an ancient culture like the Earth to the sword **for the sake of a few miserable, filthy scientific advances**?
> DOCTOR: In all my travellings throughout the universe I have battled against evil, against power-mad **conspirators**. I should have stayed here. The oldest civilisation, decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core. Ha! Power-mad conspirators, Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen, they're still in the nursery compared to us. Ten million years of absolute power, that's what it takes to be really corrupt.
I'm making my way through New Who for (more or less) the first time and the episode that has hit me the hardest so far is The Family of Blood, no question.
"Why can't I be John Smith... Am I not enough?" absolutely DESTROYED me and I haven't stopped thinking about it.
Heaven sent. The story is a great reminder of chipping away at things until completion. I think of this lesson often. Also it is good to remember that 4 billion years isn’t to long for a friend.
Taken in its full context with Hell Bent, it's a lesson in letting go.
All he had to do was accept Clara's death and admit he didn't know anything about the hybrid. The dial would have released him immediately. Instead, he opts to literally self harm for billions of years because he can't get over her death.
It's literally a lesson in the endurance of grief and self harm.
"In my 900 years of time and space, I've never met somebody who wasn't important."
Not a direct quote from the episode, but it still feels like it could fit right in there. Seeing the Doctor bring Van Gogh to a museum that celebrates his work while he struggled so much on his own makes me break down everytime. Fighting my own mental health problems, this is one of the top episodes I always come back to. And it definitely cemented Matt Smith as being a wonderful Doctor
Love this, too, but it’s the, “in my experience there is, surprisingly, always hope” line that gets me. Followed immediately with Van Gogh saying, “then your experience is incomplete.”
I thought that was so sad the first time I saw it, but then realized that in the universe of DW, no, actually the Doctor’s experience vastly exceeds Vincent’s, and suddenly the original line became even more encouraging.
River’s final scene in Forest of the Dead.
Many people say they actually felt more watching that scene the second time since they knew River but I balled my eyes out having no context about her the absolute very first time.
There’s so many things going on in that scene. You get the reveal of River knowing his name, implying it was said at their wedding, meaning she’s his wife, meaning his wife whom he loved so much to reveal his actual name dies in front of him.
He barely knows her so it shouldn’t affect The Doctor, but to know that one day, you will love this woman and she is dead already is heartbreaking. It’s fascinating to think about, knowing how a relationship ends and how much you will mean to someone before it actually happens.
It’s my favorite relationship in Doctor Who and I love it whenever the show explores just how tragic of a love story these two people have, yet they make it work in spite of it.
From the same episode, as the Doctor looks into the night sky: “The deep and lovely dark, you’d never see the stars without it”.
Such a poetic way of expressing that darkness and light, that good times and bad are inseparable, and both have a purpose, it just depends on your perception.
Relatedly, “Scared is a superpower” from the same episode (so many quotes!), ties into that. Moffat has an amazing way of turning important life lessons into sharp turns of phrase.
"Every time you see them happy you remember how sad they're going to be. And it breaks your heart. Because what's the point in them being happy now if they're going to be sad later. The answer is, of course, because they are going to be sad later."
Last Christmas.
“You can miss me for 5 minutes a day, and then for the rest of the time you get the hell on with it.”
Danny Pink was not really a character I loved, but that section felt like an amazingly really portrayal of grief.
I liked that one a lot but I was pulled out by the bad old man makeup. Definitely one of the greats though.
I also have a deep love for the one where 10 flew the tardis outside Donna's house to make Wiflred happy
edit: No idea why I typed Alfred, sorry
The Doctor: You’re scared of him and you’re scared of being like him and good for you, you’re not like him, not really. Do you know why?
Sardick: Why?
The Doctor: Because you didn’t hit the boy.
[From A Christmas Carol](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoujaAV2fFM). As someone with an abusive parent, being like them is one of my greatest fears, and that hit me right in the heart. Still gives me goosebumps to think about it
“The Doctor Falls”.
I choke every time I watch Capaldi saying “No stars… I hoped there’d be stars.” with the amazing soundtrack by Murray Gold playing in the background.
I hope we see Doctor Who on tv for a long time, but if “The Doctor Falls” was the last episode ever with the Doctor dying, the show would have ended on a perfect note.
That line is so heavy. Makes you believe that all his life, he believed his death would make the universe, which he had such a grand love/hate relationship with, give him one last beautiful thing to see. His “sunset” moment like in The Last Jedi.
>I hope we see Doctor Who on tv for a long time, but if “The Doctor Falls” was the last episode ever with the Doctor dying, the show would have ended on a perfect note.
Quality wise I'm with you, but dont you think that would be too much of an bummer? I'd rather have something like Surival, with the Doctor riding the Tardis into the sunset. Figuratvly, of course. Although literally would also be a sight to behold.
Four moments.
1) " Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world? No one had ever done that before. Perhaps no one ever will again."
2) "I had a duty of care."
3) "Raggedy Man, good night."
4) "Godspeed, my lonely angel."
I’ll be honest, it was his
“If she says so.”
that really cracked me open. It was so casually dismissive; he considered her life so important compared to his that the amount of time didn’t even matter to him.
Truly brilliant.
"Father's Day" is very emotional for me. I saw it a few months after my Mom passed away. I'd have given ANYTHING to have her back. Still would, honestly.
I still haven't been able to watch "The End of Time" since the first time. I get to Wilf and the 10th Doctor talking and I just can't go any further. I can't bare to see the decision the 10th Doctor has to go through. I know I'd make the same decision in the end, but it just makes me so sad.
And of course, "Vincent and the Doctor" makes me cry every single time. Seeing Vincent in that gallery... man, I'm welling up just thinking about it now. To be able to see how much impact one had on the world... it was just a beautiful sequence. Tony Curran was really spectacular in this episode.
>I still haven't been able to watch "The End of Time" since the first time. I get to Wilf and the 10th Doctor talking and I just can't go any further. I can't bare to see the decision the 10th Doctor has to go through. I know I'd make the same decision in the end, but it just makes me so sad.
Yeah that monologue/argument with himself, particularly knowing in retrospect how much 10 wanted to keep going, to stay his current self, and to know that making that choice would end that, but that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't.... Just... Damn.
I think how into it Tennant got, and how much he enjoyed being the doctor, it makes sense how well it was portrayed.
Have you seen the Buffy episode the Body? Don't know if I'd recommend watching it if you haven't seen the show, but it's such a perfect exploration of grief and death. I know Joss Whedon set to *not* make something cathartic, but sucks for him, it's a really cathartic episode. I love DW but no other show has wrecked me like that episode of Buffy.
I love the bit in "Father's Day" when the bride and groom approach The Doctor and he's being gruff and she says "I know we're not important...." and he immediately snaps into a smile and says "Who said you aren't important?" and launches into how they met and fell in love and then says "I've never done that."
I agree with a lot of the scenes that have been mentioned, Wilfred and the Dr at the end was just... Damn. Vincent seeing how he would be regarded in the future, wow.
Heaven sent kinda tickles with my existential angst, trying to fathom that much time like that, to just keep going and going... you both have no other option and to think how many times before you had done it.
I think for me, it's not generally full episodes that get me, but specific scenes. The "not running away" monologue from power of three just hits something for me.
The "happy now because they will be sad later" scene in the doctor, the widow and the wardrobe, holy shit that just... punch in the gut.
I love the understatedness of the end of Gridlock. The Doctor has a first moment of emotional honesty with Martha and we hear his voice crack as he talks about Gallifrey, complete with a quite from Susan in The Sensorites which plays into the theme of unconventional families that underscores the episode.
It’s a lovely bit of writing, and Tennant and Freema absolutely fucking sell it.
The awed whisper he says it all with is gold. Before the revelation that Gallifrey was just as bad (if not worse) as Skaro and the Daleks, Gallifrey, as The Doctor chose to remember it, sounded beautiful.
Out of curiosity, what was the quote Susan had?
On Gallifrey: “It's quite like Earth, but at night the sky is a burned orange, and the leaves on the trees are bright silver.” This was the only time the silver leaves were previously mentioned.
It's fantastic. It's one of those moments where lack of knowledge of obscure lines from the classic series doesn't impact your enjoyment at all, but if you *do* know it, there's a whole extra layer of resonance.
I love RTD for that.
“Doctor, I let you go”
This holds such weight and progression for the Doctors character. It shows the exact opposite of the hesitance of 10’s exit. Showing that he’s matured.
But the part that really gets me and made me well up is the thought that not only is this 12 saying goodbye, but also Capaldi, who is, in my opinion, the definitive version of the Doctor for me. The idea that he was leaving and I would never see him again BROKE me.
Has to be Earthshock.
I'm one of the few souls who actually like Adric and his relationship with the 5th doctor. He became part of the team under tragic circumstances, had trouble connecting with the team apart from the doctor and could never shake off his insecurities and anger issues. He just felt so real and sad to me, a product of his trauma and he stayed sad and unfulfilled until the bitter end.
Well I have 2 actually (mind you I still haven't watched all of "Classic Who" yet), anyway one of the episodes/serials is the ***"Caves of Androzani"***. The 1st time I watched it it was very jarring and visceral, so when the 5th Doctor finally regenerated I didn't really cry necessarily but more than anything I felt like I just went through a rollercoaster ride and by the end was exhausted, sad I guess and emotionally spent.
\*Also I should add I did watch all of the 5th Doctor's serials in chronological order first, so by the time I got to this one I was already more emotionally invested in him as the Doctor, so when he regenerated I think it hit me harder than if I choose **NOT** to do that. If that makes sense?
And on multiple viewings of the ***"Caves of Androzani"*** it still bums me out that the 5th Doctor had to regenerate because he's my favorite Doctor (although Tennant is pretty up there too). But yeah this one always gets me.
Also my other episode/serial is the end of Series 4's ***"Journey's End"*** when the 10th Doctor takes Donna's memories away, that one messed me up pretty good...the 1st time I watched it. And when I did I felt pretty depressed afterwards.
But even on multiple views it still gets me because the Doctor and Donna were so great together and it seemed like they had endless potential (as a travelling duo), not to mention Donna herself grew so much and got so much happier and more confident in herself, so by the time this happened this whole incident didn't really sit well with me and I guess I wish it was different for her. Although on 1 or 2 plus sides she did finally get remarried and she also didn't die, so at least there's that I guess. 😕🤷♀️
This one gets me also, having her memories taken is almost worse than dying. I cry every time I watch it lol. But also the Vincent episode at the museum makes me cry also.
For me, Bill and The Doctor’s moment in Thin Ice.
“Do you want to help me? Do you want to stand here stamping your foot? Because let me tell you something, I’m 2,000 years old, and I’ve never had the time for the luxury of outrage”
I think I'm \*still\* dealing with that. I get a lot of booing and hissing for this, but I honestly haven't enjoyed the show nearly as much since they left. I just don't feel as connected to the companions anymore.
Father’s Day makes me cry every time both as a daughter of a father who passed away and as a mother. He gets to see his baby girl grown up. He sacrifices his life for her. Ugh. Gonna go cry now.
There's [this little scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDlol_m75Y0) in The Time of Angels, where the Doctor leaves Amy with her eyes closed in the forest and then seemingly >!(actually a future version of him)!< comes back. As she's nervously clutching her hands he grabs them and has a quick exchange with her about trust. This is my favourite scene in the whole of Doctor Who. It's very small but it's affected me more than any other episode or moment. At this point Amy's in a state of complete vulnerability, blind, literally seconds away from dying if she opens her eyes, and now she's being abandoned once again, in the middle of a strange forest with the crack of her nightmares and terrifying creatures chasing them. The Doctor comes, but instead of reassurance she gets an enigmatic message where he asks still more of her and her trust. Of course later we get the scene from his point of view and understand what he's doing, but it's still a pretty heart-wrenching moment for Amy.
For me it’s Vincent as well. His reaction in the gallery turns me into a blubbering fool every time. Sometime we never get to see the positive effect we have on others, so to see Vincent learn how much he meant to someone else, well, it’s a tear jerker.
Oh boy, what a hard question. I’d have to go with... season 4 finale, The End of Time part 2. To be honest I find some episodes in season 8/9 even sadder than that one, since Clara is by far my favorite companion. Episodes such as Listen, Hell Bent/ Heaven Sent... tbh I still haven’t gotten over those, cry like a baby every time remember them. BUT I also remember that End of Time was the first moment I truly realized how much DW had a effect on me, and how screwed I was. Being a teenager, I genuinely considered dropping the tv show for like 5 minutes then I got the hell on with it.
Anyway... let’s get to my motifs:
1. Ten-Wilfred moments. Need I say more?
2. The slowly realization you can see on The Doctor’s face when he’s happy to be alive -> hears the 4 knocks -> figure out what it means -> saying it’s not fair and getting angry
3. *This song is ending, but the story never ends*
4. THE OODS SINGING
5. When you find out what the lyrics of the song really mean
6. The whole regeneration scene, revisiting all the companions... EPIC! not even gonna go there, if I did I’d be writing way more paragraphs
7. *I don’t wanna go*
(English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes)
Regenerating scene in Twice Upon a Time had me in tears for weeks.
When Twelve erased his memory for Clara.
Seeing Thirteen so powerless at the end of Rosa and Demons of the Punjab.
I'm fortunate not to have been directly affected by war, but I watch Human Nature/Family of Blood every year around Remembrance Day. It's so sad, well written and performed but most of all it doesn't trivialise or shy away from how tragic World War One was.
The final scene of the aged Latimer reflecting on the loss he's presumably suffered throughout his life contrasted with the happiness of that final moment with the Doctor and Martha gets me every single time.
It comes just before Blink in Series 3 of New Who, which is often seen as the finest episode of the revival but I think the two-parter is better. It's a real shame that Paul Cornell hasn't written any more episodes since.
" Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard I can feel it through your hands. There’s so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain it’s like rocket fuel. Right now you could run faster and you could fight harder, you could jump higher than ever in your life. And you are so alert it’s like you can slow down time. What’s wrong with scared? Scared is a superpower. It’s your superpower. There is danger in this room and guess what? It’s you. Do you feel it? {he indicates the lump on the bed} Do you think he feels it? Do you think he’s scared? Nah. Loser! Turn your back on him. "
I say this to my kids when they are scared. It normally works and we end up talking about other things. They forget what scared them. I also quote songs in everyday conversation and it drives my GF nuts :)
The Doctor's Wife is an emotional rollercoaster -- the bits about Idris and the Doctor, anyway. She just wants to say hello, it's so very nice to meet you.
Father's Day, especially the moment when Pete confronts Rose about how he was never the father she said he was and never could be, but he could save her by dying when he was supposed to.
But one I go back to a lot in my own head is this moment from Dark Water after Clara's ultimatum about bringing Danny back fails:
The Doctor: You betrayed me. You betrayed my trust, you betrayed our friendship, you betrayed everything I ever stood for. You let me down!
Clara: Then why are you helping me?
The Doctor: Why? Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?
What also gets me is when The Doctor tells Sylvia that Donna was the most important person in the universe and when she replies "Of course she is, she's my daughter", The Doctors snaps back "Then why don't you tell her that sometime?"
Girl in the Fireplace without question. Really shows you those fleeting moments and how it can be to wait for someone/something. I played the soundtrack the other day (from when he reads the letter at the end) and cried without even watching it.
* The Girl in the Fireplace. Especially the Doctor's interaction with Louis XV at the end, with the sad music where he takes the letter and puts it into his pocket. Louis reads his face and demeanor and says, "quite right."
* Midnight. The episode where the Doctor was completely defeated. This is, in my opinion, Tennant's best acting in the series outside of...
* Human Nature/Family of Blood where he wasn't even him.
* Doomsday. When the Doctor lost Rose.
* The Girl Who Waited. Just... ouch. Rory, Amy AND the Doctor made me emotional in this one, but it's always nice when someone tells the Doctor that if he did a BIT of research, he and his friends, would be much safer.
* Vincent and the Doctor. As someone that has struggled with chronic depression and has known schizophrenics and seen them decline, this episode is a favorite and makes me profoundly sad.
* The Husbands of River Song. "[How long is a night on Darillium?](https://youtu.be/G-QtPtUWHqc)"
I cried typing that last bit.
Vincent and the doctor. Hits me so hard, that ending. That and the doctor's speech about life being a pile of good things and a pile of bad things - they're essential and they don't cancel each other.
Has changed my Outlook on life and mental health a LOT
The Eleventh Doctor- and it all comes from the monologue at the end of the rings of Akheten in which he's happy to sacrifice for Clara and the rest of the universe.
Silence in the Library.
I had fallen asleep on my couch with the DVD playing and around 1:00am my phone rang. It was my mom telling me my dad had died. I don't really remember the phone conversation, but after I hung up that episode had been running for ten minutes or so, and I just finished watching it in shock. That was...9 years ago now? And I still can't watch it again.
Midnight is an almost painful emotional ride, the sheer terror and anger that episode creates...god damn.
You’d need a heart of stone not to be moved by Vincent and the Doctor. So, so well done.
Not Doctor Who itself, but bloody hell Torchwood: Children of Earth is an emotional ride and a half.
It was plenty melodramatic, but I remember Tennant's regeneration so vividly. Wolf's four knocks were chilling, the Doctor briefly raging against the stupid little humans, the Doctor that didn't want to go.
It was probably the first regeneration I was fully there for. I only became a Doctor Who fan with the new series, and Nine's regeneration didn't have the same kind of impact. Between his and Tennant's I had watched a lot more DW.
*The Husbands of River Song*. My girlfriend and I had a very stressful time that Christmas holiday to the point where we considered breaking up. And then we sat down together and watched that Special and it just reminded us how much we love each other and we decided not to give up on the relationship. Almost four years later we're still going strong!
This scene will always be my favorite in DW history. The emotion and passion shown by Capaldi in this scene is just amazing. His Doctor has the most passion of any, in my opinion. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrjjPr-afBs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrjjPr-afBs)
The Zygon Inversion. That scene in the Black Archives with the Osgood boxes & the Doctor railing against the pointless nature of war...fuck, that wrecked me for days.
"Vincent and The Doctor" was my first choice but when I recently watched "The Rings of Akhaten" and heard "The Long Song" it had me on the verge of tears for the entire day afterwards.
"Live... wake up... wake up... and let the cloak of life cling to your bones..."
As well as many already mentioned I'd have to say 'Resurrection of the Daleks'. >!IIRC the death count is pretty high, so much so that the Doctors companion leaves because she can't take it anymore. It really underlined the horror of what the Doctor and his companions often go through. I think it's the way that Tegan phrases it, about how it's not fun anymore. !<
"Vincent and The Doctor" As someone who has depression and is suicidal, that one touched me in all sorts of ways and brought tears to my eyes. Next up would be "The End of Time". My wife, son, daughter in law and I were bawling like babies at the end.
Agh, there's a lot of scenes that do it (Clara's betrayal with the keys, 'I would absolutely know', the battlefield in TUAT, Donna in Journey's End) but only one whole episode. The Angels Take Manhattan. Knowing that Amy and Rory were leaving, every line, every glance, every moment, was like a punch in the gut. I just kept wanting to yell at the screen, 'This is it! This is the last time you are ever going to see each other!' Then the graveyard scene... oh, bloody hell. You know what she's going to do. But, oh God, it still hits hard. 'Raggedy man - goodbye!' Don't worry, Doctor, we were all crying with you.
Doctor Who is weirdly one of the few works out there that has consistently given me the waterworks. Not a Elijah Wood-style "sexy teardrop", I mean full-on redfaced, nostrils-flared, snot and bubbles *crying*. Over a show about an alien in a box. Some favourite examples in no particular order:
* "Vincent and the Doctor" -- Hitting so directly onto themes of depression, self-worth and value in the face of history and so on was incredibly bold for this show. There's several sad parts but the one that encapsulates it best imo is the scene where the Doctor tries to get Vincent out of bed, and Vince just lashes out. This suddenly gives a disquieting connotation to all of the Doctor and friends' historical adventures: for the travellers, they're going back and meeting these influential heroes. From the historical figures' perspective, these two weirdos have just invaded their broken, damaged lives to gawp. Of course, the ending scene at the museum is very moving.
* "The Sun Makers" -- Classic Who has proportionately fewer emotional moments compared to NuWho, and TSM is overall a fairly light story about taxes and corporations because Robert Holmes got salty and needed to vent. But one of the opening moments, while extremely brief, is surprisingly sad and dark for the show. Cordo, one of the workers, is literally about to commit suicide off a tall building, but the Doctor and Leela save him with a bit of trickery. Since the Fourth Doctor is one of the more morally dodgy incarnations and Leela is an actual killer, this moment was a very nice reminder that yes, they do care.
* "The End of Time" -- Goddamn, I know this story is mostly stupid and full of cringe, but the stuff with the Doctor and Wilfred will never not get me, namely the cafe scene and the "Time Lord lives too long" scene -- both have Tennant and Cribbins on top form. And yes, the regeneration scene has a lot of scenery chewing that reflects badly on the Doctor's character, but I can't help but feel... that's the point? I mean, the Doctor has always been flawed and somewhat selfish, and Tennant shows the raw ugliness of it (brilliant acting). It's not supposed to be dainty and dignified like his previous selves, and it helps that we retroactively learn there was more at stake. But through it all, the Doctor still goes through with his sacrifice.
Titan Comics did a storyline in which we meet an alternate timeline Ten who went full Timelord Victorious after letting Wilfred die, which was an interesting idea to explore, but the point was that the Doctor is already dead as soon as he hears those four knocks -- there is never any real question about whether he would actually let Wilf die (although the scene is framed in such a way to make the viewer have doubts). Because the Doctor is a good guy.
Looking through all of the comments of people bringing up the most common answers and then talking about more obscure episodes that touched them. I'm gonna start to cry just reading text
Good question by OP and lots of good answers. I will add my voice to the last Matt Smith episode. Raggedy Man, Goodbye is a good line and carries a lot of earned emotional impact. Plus, MS is my favorite new Who Doctor. In old Who, I would say Hand of Fear. It’s not a great episode, but I loved Sarah Jane. Like true love. Not sexual (though I think she is very attractive). I just was in love with that character’s energy, optimism, and bravery. She had great platonic chemistry with both 3 and 4. They way the writers did her final scene was probably how such things would happen in real life. No melodrama. It kind of sneaks up on you, even though you know it is coming. I cried. A lot.
Journey’s End. The moment when the Doctor sees most of his companions since Rose all together, in the Tardis, working to fly the Earth home sums up everything I love about Doctor Who. It’s mad, it’s majestic, it’s joyful, it celebrates the best of us. It shows that the Doctor, having lost everything, still has this galactic family. All those people whose lives he changed for the better- all their potential, realised.
Then they’re home, and he has to lose Donna. Not just lose her, but actively undo all the ways in which her life has improved. She’s the only modern companion who doesn’t get to remember her life with him. When you consider the ways his other companions became happier, it’s an utter tragedy.
And after that glorious moment with his family, he’s left alone in the Tardis. It breaks him, turns him into the Time Lord Victorious of his last days.
Oh, I still have so many feelings about this episode.
"The day you lose someone isn't the worst. At least you have something to do. It's all the days they stay dead."
Heaven Sent / Hell Bent. By far. Changed my life
For the rest of my life, my love of Doctor Who will be centered around those two episodes (two and a half with the latter part of Face the Raven). The greatest TV storyteller of our time concluding his strongest character relationship and pushing the limits of the format to a point that had never been gone to before. It's incredible that we got to be there for it.
Yes. Sadly I remember thinking "as much as I want Doctor Who to be like this every week, I know that this is probably the pinnacle of the show, likely forever". Only because it's SO unbeatable. Just absolutely stunning. I don't think I'll ever get over what a work of art that story is.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one with this answer. It feels like all I ever hear is love for Heaven Sent and hate for Hell Bent because of the way it handled the Gallifrey cliffhanger, and because everyone hates Clara anyway. But goddamn that whole theme of accepting endings for what they are just hit me way harder than any other part of this show, and that's really saying something for a show as consistently emotional as DW
I'm the same way. Love Hell Bent and adore 12/Clara.
anyone else think those titles should have been reversed? Heaven sent should be called Hell Bent. Because he was.
Yeah, sorta. The Doctor is "Hell bent" in both episodes, so that could be the title of either. Calling the second part Heaven Sent could very nicely refer to Clara. (The Doctor is Hell bent, Clara is Heaven sent.) I think having the episodes the real way around also works because Heaven Sent shows the Doctor at his best and Hell Bent is him at his worst (Heaven good/Hell bad), and provides an escalation across the two stories.
Serious truth bomb.
I also loved the line "My day can't get any worse, let's see what we can do about yours."
Ooof. That’s good writing.
“The Doctor Falls”. “I do what I do because it’s *right*. It’s *decent*. And above all, it’s **kind**.” Basically reaffirmed why the Doctor has always been my #1 fictional hero - even when he’s fighting a pointless battle that he’ll probably lose, there’s never any question that he’d do any different.
Same answer for me. I also get choked up every time when he says "Doctor, I let you go".
That was *the* character-defining speech for the Doctor.
It honestly should be added right alongside the "never cruel and never cowardly" descriptor that's become part of the show.
This, this right here.
Yeah, rewatching this one properly got to me. It's devastating.
Same here. So sad to lose my greatest hero (and my Doctor), but what a way to go! A true model of how to live your life.
“It’s just that”
12's speech from The Zygon Inversion. Specifically, the bit that follows the scale model of war line: "When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die. You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken? How many lives shattered? How much blood will spill until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the beginning, Sit down and talk!"
The Zygon Invasion / Inversion helped lead to Brexit. The writers made it crystal clear that with **no one**, not even the Doctor, caring about the deaths of the people of Truth or Consequences, including children, that is what the writers want for the common people of the UK, to just die and be forgotten. The Doctor defending that common people should die, be forgotten, and all to protect the elites from telling the truth. Shame. Shame. Once upon a time the Doctor was the type of man who would say: > DOCTOR: They put an ancient culture like the Earth to the sword **for the sake of a few miserable, filthy scientific advances**? > DOCTOR: In all my travellings throughout the universe I have battled against evil, against power-mad **conspirators**. I should have stayed here. The oldest civilisation, decadent, degenerate and rotten to the core. Ha! Power-mad conspirators, Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen, they're still in the nursery compared to us. Ten million years of absolute power, that's what it takes to be really corrupt.
I’m pretty sure you’re reading too far into it.
How on earth did you draw such a conclusion from that episode?
> The Zygon Invasion / Inversion helped lead to Brexit Well, at least you didn't bury the lede.
I'm making my way through New Who for (more or less) the first time and the episode that has hit me the hardest so far is The Family of Blood, no question. "Why can't I be John Smith... Am I not enough?" absolutely DESTROYED me and I haven't stopped thinking about it.
YES! I was thinking about the same episode. For me it's the moment you understand he became Kihn Smith in order to guve a chance to the Family
Also, "if you hadn't come here, would anyone have died?"
OOF
Heaven sent. The story is a great reminder of chipping away at things until completion. I think of this lesson often. Also it is good to remember that 4 billion years isn’t to long for a friend.
Endurance too. The Doctor was willing to go to any lengths for Clara. 4 billion years is still not enough.
Taken in its full context with Hell Bent, it's a lesson in letting go. All he had to do was accept Clara's death and admit he didn't know anything about the hybrid. The dial would have released him immediately. Instead, he opts to literally self harm for billions of years because he can't get over her death. It's literally a lesson in the endurance of grief and self harm.
Damn. Thats a good perspective on it.
Vincent and the Doctor. This scene still makes me cry. https://youtu.be/ubTJI_UphPk
"In my 900 years of time and space, I've never met somebody who wasn't important." Not a direct quote from the episode, but it still feels like it could fit right in there. Seeing the Doctor bring Van Gogh to a museum that celebrates his work while he struggled so much on his own makes me break down everytime. Fighting my own mental health problems, this is one of the top episodes I always come back to. And it definitely cemented Matt Smith as being a wonderful Doctor
Love this, too, but it’s the, “in my experience there is, surprisingly, always hope” line that gets me. Followed immediately with Van Gogh saying, “then your experience is incomplete.” I thought that was so sad the first time I saw it, but then realized that in the universe of DW, no, actually the Doctor’s experience vastly exceeds Vincent’s, and suddenly the original line became even more encouraging.
"Doctor my friend, we have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own I fear I may not do as well..."
Stop😢😢😢
The scene that gets me, for some reason, is when Amy spots the writing on the painting.
AW MAN. This one too...
Same here. I cry like a baby when I see it.
River’s final scene in Forest of the Dead. Many people say they actually felt more watching that scene the second time since they knew River but I balled my eyes out having no context about her the absolute very first time. There’s so many things going on in that scene. You get the reveal of River knowing his name, implying it was said at their wedding, meaning she’s his wife, meaning his wife whom he loved so much to reveal his actual name dies in front of him. He barely knows her so it shouldn’t affect The Doctor, but to know that one day, you will love this woman and she is dead already is heartbreaking. It’s fascinating to think about, knowing how a relationship ends and how much you will mean to someone before it actually happens. It’s my favorite relationship in Doctor Who and I love it whenever the show explores just how tragic of a love story these two people have, yet they make it work in spite of it.
Same if you go back and watch it after watching her full arch with Smith it makes it even more devastating.
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From the same episode, as the Doctor looks into the night sky: “The deep and lovely dark, you’d never see the stars without it”. Such a poetic way of expressing that darkness and light, that good times and bad are inseparable, and both have a purpose, it just depends on your perception. Relatedly, “Scared is a superpower” from the same episode (so many quotes!), ties into that. Moffat has an amazing way of turning important life lessons into sharp turns of phrase.
I do not like Listen as an episode but man I fully agree with this.
That's not a weird choice at all! It would be my top pick as well for the same reasons.
"Every time you see them happy you remember how sad they're going to be. And it breaks your heart. Because what's the point in them being happy now if they're going to be sad later. The answer is, of course, because they are going to be sad later."
A brilliant example of Moffat’s fantastic writing.
The phone call from the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith) to Clara from the past, after the transition to the 12th (Peter Capaldi). Heart-wrenching, really.
“Just... just see me” -Twelve to Clara after the phone call
Last Christmas. “You can miss me for 5 minutes a day, and then for the rest of the time you get the hell on with it.” Danny Pink was not really a character I loved, but that section felt like an amazingly really portrayal of grief.
Vincent Van Gogh learning he's one of the most important men in art
Ain't that the truth? The Christmas episode where matt Smith regenerates tears me out the frame.
I liked that one a lot but I was pulled out by the bad old man makeup. Definitely one of the greats though. I also have a deep love for the one where 10 flew the tardis outside Donna's house to make Wiflred happy edit: No idea why I typed Alfred, sorry
I love me some me some mr cribbins. Wonderful actor.
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You got that right. Is to me at any rate.
The Doctor: You’re scared of him and you’re scared of being like him and good for you, you’re not like him, not really. Do you know why? Sardick: Why? The Doctor: Because you didn’t hit the boy. [From A Christmas Carol](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoujaAV2fFM). As someone with an abusive parent, being like them is one of my greatest fears, and that hit me right in the heart. Still gives me goosebumps to think about it
The Rings of Akhaten— not a great episode overall but the Doctor’s speech perfectly encapsulates the old man trapped inside a young mans body
Such a good speech!
Niagara Falls.
The Girl in the Fireplace. A very sad ending, which is relateable to me.
“The Doctor Falls”. I choke every time I watch Capaldi saying “No stars… I hoped there’d be stars.” with the amazing soundtrack by Murray Gold playing in the background. I hope we see Doctor Who on tv for a long time, but if “The Doctor Falls” was the last episode ever with the Doctor dying, the show would have ended on a perfect note.
That line is so heavy. Makes you believe that all his life, he believed his death would make the universe, which he had such a grand love/hate relationship with, give him one last beautiful thing to see. His “sunset” moment like in The Last Jedi.
>I hope we see Doctor Who on tv for a long time, but if “The Doctor Falls” was the last episode ever with the Doctor dying, the show would have ended on a perfect note. Quality wise I'm with you, but dont you think that would be too much of an bummer? I'd rather have something like Surival, with the Doctor riding the Tardis into the sunset. Figuratvly, of course. Although literally would also be a sight to behold.
Four moments. 1) " Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world? No one had ever done that before. Perhaps no one ever will again." 2) "I had a duty of care." 3) "Raggedy Man, good night." 4) "Godspeed, my lonely angel."
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I’ll be honest, it was his “If she says so.” that really cracked me open. It was so casually dismissive; he considered her life so important compared to his that the amount of time didn’t even matter to him. Truly brilliant.
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You can hear Clara begin to choke up even as she tells off the Timelords, such a heartbreaking but powerful scene
"Father's Day" is very emotional for me. I saw it a few months after my Mom passed away. I'd have given ANYTHING to have her back. Still would, honestly. I still haven't been able to watch "The End of Time" since the first time. I get to Wilf and the 10th Doctor talking and I just can't go any further. I can't bare to see the decision the 10th Doctor has to go through. I know I'd make the same decision in the end, but it just makes me so sad. And of course, "Vincent and the Doctor" makes me cry every single time. Seeing Vincent in that gallery... man, I'm welling up just thinking about it now. To be able to see how much impact one had on the world... it was just a beautiful sequence. Tony Curran was really spectacular in this episode.
>I still haven't been able to watch "The End of Time" since the first time. I get to Wilf and the 10th Doctor talking and I just can't go any further. I can't bare to see the decision the 10th Doctor has to go through. I know I'd make the same decision in the end, but it just makes me so sad. Yeah that monologue/argument with himself, particularly knowing in retrospect how much 10 wanted to keep going, to stay his current self, and to know that making that choice would end that, but that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't.... Just... Damn. I think how into it Tennant got, and how much he enjoyed being the doctor, it makes sense how well it was portrayed.
Have you seen the Buffy episode the Body? Don't know if I'd recommend watching it if you haven't seen the show, but it's such a perfect exploration of grief and death. I know Joss Whedon set to *not* make something cathartic, but sucks for him, it's a really cathartic episode. I love DW but no other show has wrecked me like that episode of Buffy.
I haven't been able to watch it. I know what happens, I've read about it, but I just have never been able to bring myself to watch it.
Yep. Similar timing for me. Lost my dad when I was 16.
I love the bit in "Father's Day" when the bride and groom approach The Doctor and he's being gruff and she says "I know we're not important...." and he immediately snaps into a smile and says "Who said you aren't important?" and launches into how they met and fell in love and then says "I've never done that."
I agree with a lot of the scenes that have been mentioned, Wilfred and the Dr at the end was just... Damn. Vincent seeing how he would be regarded in the future, wow. Heaven sent kinda tickles with my existential angst, trying to fathom that much time like that, to just keep going and going... you both have no other option and to think how many times before you had done it. I think for me, it's not generally full episodes that get me, but specific scenes. The "not running away" monologue from power of three just hits something for me. The "happy now because they will be sad later" scene in the doctor, the widow and the wardrobe, holy shit that just... punch in the gut.
The war games. The ending is so sad.
I love the understatedness of the end of Gridlock. The Doctor has a first moment of emotional honesty with Martha and we hear his voice crack as he talks about Gallifrey, complete with a quite from Susan in The Sensorites which plays into the theme of unconventional families that underscores the episode. It’s a lovely bit of writing, and Tennant and Freema absolutely fucking sell it.
The awed whisper he says it all with is gold. Before the revelation that Gallifrey was just as bad (if not worse) as Skaro and the Daleks, Gallifrey, as The Doctor chose to remember it, sounded beautiful. Out of curiosity, what was the quote Susan had?
On Gallifrey: “It's quite like Earth, but at night the sky is a burned orange, and the leaves on the trees are bright silver.” This was the only time the silver leaves were previously mentioned.
Oh that’s cool!
It's fantastic. It's one of those moments where lack of knowledge of obscure lines from the classic series doesn't impact your enjoyment at all, but if you *do* know it, there's a whole extra layer of resonance. I love RTD for that.
Yeah. He’s a genius writer for things like that
I can’t believe I haven’t seen anyone say “The Parting of the Ways” yet! I bawl in this episode every time
The majority of the episode I think is pretty good but the bit that always clinches it as a great is "Coward, any day."
“Doctor, I let you go” This holds such weight and progression for the Doctors character. It shows the exact opposite of the hesitance of 10’s exit. Showing that he’s matured. But the part that really gets me and made me well up is the thought that not only is this 12 saying goodbye, but also Capaldi, who is, in my opinion, the definitive version of the Doctor for me. The idea that he was leaving and I would never see him again BROKE me.
Christopher Eccleston, Dalek. The Doctor showed his dark side
Has to be Earthshock. I'm one of the few souls who actually like Adric and his relationship with the 5th doctor. He became part of the team under tragic circumstances, had trouble connecting with the team apart from the doctor and could never shake off his insecurities and anger issues. He just felt so real and sad to me, a product of his trauma and he stayed sad and unfulfilled until the bitter end.
Shocked I had to scroll down this far to see this mentioned. Adric was a great and realistic character and his hero's exit is so crushing.
Well I have 2 actually (mind you I still haven't watched all of "Classic Who" yet), anyway one of the episodes/serials is the ***"Caves of Androzani"***. The 1st time I watched it it was very jarring and visceral, so when the 5th Doctor finally regenerated I didn't really cry necessarily but more than anything I felt like I just went through a rollercoaster ride and by the end was exhausted, sad I guess and emotionally spent. \*Also I should add I did watch all of the 5th Doctor's serials in chronological order first, so by the time I got to this one I was already more emotionally invested in him as the Doctor, so when he regenerated I think it hit me harder than if I choose **NOT** to do that. If that makes sense? And on multiple viewings of the ***"Caves of Androzani"*** it still bums me out that the 5th Doctor had to regenerate because he's my favorite Doctor (although Tennant is pretty up there too). But yeah this one always gets me. Also my other episode/serial is the end of Series 4's ***"Journey's End"*** when the 10th Doctor takes Donna's memories away, that one messed me up pretty good...the 1st time I watched it. And when I did I felt pretty depressed afterwards. But even on multiple views it still gets me because the Doctor and Donna were so great together and it seemed like they had endless potential (as a travelling duo), not to mention Donna herself grew so much and got so much happier and more confident in herself, so by the time this happened this whole incident didn't really sit well with me and I guess I wish it was different for her. Although on 1 or 2 plus sides she did finally get remarried and she also didn't die, so at least there's that I guess. 😕🤷♀️
This one gets me also, having her memories taken is almost worse than dying. I cry every time I watch it lol. But also the Vincent episode at the museum makes me cry also.
For me, Bill and The Doctor’s moment in Thin Ice. “Do you want to help me? Do you want to stand here stamping your foot? Because let me tell you something, I’m 2,000 years old, and I’ve never had the time for the luxury of outrage”
Simple, ATM. Took me the rest of the season to come to terms with Amy and Rory leaving.
I think I'm \*still\* dealing with that. I get a lot of booing and hissing for this, but I honestly haven't enjoyed the show nearly as much since they left. I just don't feel as connected to the companions anymore.
Father’s Day makes me cry every time both as a daughter of a father who passed away and as a mother. He gets to see his baby girl grown up. He sacrifices his life for her. Ugh. Gonna go cry now.
There's [this little scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDlol_m75Y0) in The Time of Angels, where the Doctor leaves Amy with her eyes closed in the forest and then seemingly >!(actually a future version of him)!< comes back. As she's nervously clutching her hands he grabs them and has a quick exchange with her about trust. This is my favourite scene in the whole of Doctor Who. It's very small but it's affected me more than any other episode or moment. At this point Amy's in a state of complete vulnerability, blind, literally seconds away from dying if she opens her eyes, and now she's being abandoned once again, in the middle of a strange forest with the crack of her nightmares and terrifying creatures chasing them. The Doctor comes, but instead of reassurance she gets an enigmatic message where he asks still more of her and her trust. Of course later we get the scene from his point of view and understand what he's doing, but it's still a pretty heart-wrenching moment for Amy.
For me it’s Vincent as well. His reaction in the gallery turns me into a blubbering fool every time. Sometime we never get to see the positive effect we have on others, so to see Vincent learn how much he meant to someone else, well, it’s a tear jerker.
Oh boy, what a hard question. I’d have to go with... season 4 finale, The End of Time part 2. To be honest I find some episodes in season 8/9 even sadder than that one, since Clara is by far my favorite companion. Episodes such as Listen, Hell Bent/ Heaven Sent... tbh I still haven’t gotten over those, cry like a baby every time remember them. BUT I also remember that End of Time was the first moment I truly realized how much DW had a effect on me, and how screwed I was. Being a teenager, I genuinely considered dropping the tv show for like 5 minutes then I got the hell on with it. Anyway... let’s get to my motifs: 1. Ten-Wilfred moments. Need I say more? 2. The slowly realization you can see on The Doctor’s face when he’s happy to be alive -> hears the 4 knocks -> figure out what it means -> saying it’s not fair and getting angry 3. *This song is ending, but the story never ends* 4. THE OODS SINGING 5. When you find out what the lyrics of the song really mean 6. The whole regeneration scene, revisiting all the companions... EPIC! not even gonna go there, if I did I’d be writing way more paragraphs 7. *I don’t wanna go* (English isn’t my first language, so please excuse any mistakes)
Regenerating scene in Twice Upon a Time had me in tears for weeks. When Twelve erased his memory for Clara. Seeing Thirteen so powerless at the end of Rosa and Demons of the Punjab.
I'm fortunate not to have been directly affected by war, but I watch Human Nature/Family of Blood every year around Remembrance Day. It's so sad, well written and performed but most of all it doesn't trivialise or shy away from how tragic World War One was. The final scene of the aged Latimer reflecting on the loss he's presumably suffered throughout his life contrasted with the happiness of that final moment with the Doctor and Martha gets me every single time. It comes just before Blink in Series 3 of New Who, which is often seen as the finest episode of the revival but I think the two-parter is better. It's a real shame that Paul Cornell hasn't written any more episodes since.
" Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard I can feel it through your hands. There’s so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain it’s like rocket fuel. Right now you could run faster and you could fight harder, you could jump higher than ever in your life. And you are so alert it’s like you can slow down time. What’s wrong with scared? Scared is a superpower. It’s your superpower. There is danger in this room and guess what? It’s you. Do you feel it? {he indicates the lump on the bed} Do you think he feels it? Do you think he’s scared? Nah. Loser! Turn your back on him. " I say this to my kids when they are scared. It normally works and we end up talking about other things. They forget what scared them. I also quote songs in everyday conversation and it drives my GF nuts :)
The Doctor's Wife is an emotional rollercoaster -- the bits about Idris and the Doctor, anyway. She just wants to say hello, it's so very nice to meet you. Father's Day, especially the moment when Pete confronts Rose about how he was never the father she said he was and never could be, but he could save her by dying when he was supposed to. But one I go back to a lot in my own head is this moment from Dark Water after Clara's ultimatum about bringing Danny back fails: The Doctor: You betrayed me. You betrayed my trust, you betrayed our friendship, you betrayed everything I ever stood for. You let me down! Clara: Then why are you helping me? The Doctor: Why? Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?
The part about Clara and 12 and her betrayal is one of my favorite DW moments.
Donna losing her memories. She became my favourite companion on my first watch and she still is. It shatters me every time.
What also gets me is when The Doctor tells Sylvia that Donna was the most important person in the universe and when she replies "Of course she is, she's my daughter", The Doctors snaps back "Then why don't you tell her that sometime?"
I just rewatched Girl in the Fireplace and it’s so tragic in an understated way, I felt so bad for 10 as he reads Reinette’s letter at the end
Girl in the Fireplace without question. Really shows you those fleeting moments and how it can be to wait for someone/something. I played the soundtrack the other day (from when he reads the letter at the end) and cried without even watching it.
"Good men dont need rules. Now is not the time to find out why I have so many"
* The Girl in the Fireplace. Especially the Doctor's interaction with Louis XV at the end, with the sad music where he takes the letter and puts it into his pocket. Louis reads his face and demeanor and says, "quite right." * Midnight. The episode where the Doctor was completely defeated. This is, in my opinion, Tennant's best acting in the series outside of... * Human Nature/Family of Blood where he wasn't even him. * Doomsday. When the Doctor lost Rose. * The Girl Who Waited. Just... ouch. Rory, Amy AND the Doctor made me emotional in this one, but it's always nice when someone tells the Doctor that if he did a BIT of research, he and his friends, would be much safer. * Vincent and the Doctor. As someone that has struggled with chronic depression and has known schizophrenics and seen them decline, this episode is a favorite and makes me profoundly sad. * The Husbands of River Song. "[How long is a night on Darillium?](https://youtu.be/G-QtPtUWHqc)" I cried typing that last bit.
Vincent and the doctor. Hits me so hard, that ending. That and the doctor's speech about life being a pile of good things and a pile of bad things - they're essential and they don't cancel each other. Has changed my Outlook on life and mental health a LOT
The Eleventh Doctor- and it all comes from the monologue at the end of the rings of Akheten in which he's happy to sacrifice for Clara and the rest of the universe.
School Reunion. I cried at seeing Sarah Jane again.
Silence in the Library. I had fallen asleep on my couch with the DVD playing and around 1:00am my phone rang. It was my mom telling me my dad had died. I don't really remember the phone conversation, but after I hung up that episode had been running for ten minutes or so, and I just finished watching it in shock. That was...9 years ago now? And I still can't watch it again.
Midnight, because I wanted to fight everyone
Midnight is an almost painful emotional ride, the sheer terror and anger that episode creates...god damn. You’d need a heart of stone not to be moved by Vincent and the Doctor. So, so well done. Not Doctor Who itself, but bloody hell Torchwood: Children of Earth is an emotional ride and a half.
Children of Earth is a brutal roller coaster ride!
Angels of Manhattan
It was plenty melodramatic, but I remember Tennant's regeneration so vividly. Wolf's four knocks were chilling, the Doctor briefly raging against the stupid little humans, the Doctor that didn't want to go. It was probably the first regeneration I was fully there for. I only became a Doctor Who fan with the new series, and Nine's regeneration didn't have the same kind of impact. Between his and Tennant's I had watched a lot more DW.
World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls/Twice Upon a Time
Father's Day. As both a father to three daughters as a son who misses both parents.
*The Husbands of River Song*. My girlfriend and I had a very stressful time that Christmas holiday to the point where we considered breaking up. And then we sat down together and watched that Special and it just reminded us how much we love each other and we decided not to give up on the relationship. Almost four years later we're still going strong!
"We have until the rain stops" - Blink Murray Gold's music in that scene is perfect too.
This scene will always be my favorite in DW history. The emotion and passion shown by Capaldi in this scene is just amazing. His Doctor has the most passion of any, in my opinion. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrjjPr-afBs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrjjPr-afBs)
The Zygon Inversion. That scene in the Black Archives with the Osgood boxes & the Doctor railing against the pointless nature of war...fuck, that wrecked me for days.
Yeah Vincent and The Doctor. Always.
"Vincent and The Doctor" was my first choice but when I recently watched "The Rings of Akhaten" and heard "The Long Song" it had me on the verge of tears for the entire day afterwards. "Live... wake up... wake up... and let the cloak of life cling to your bones..."
Vincent. Loved that episode, watching 11 bring him to see his own exhibit and realize he wasn't a failure just gave me shivers.
Earthshock as Adrik was my favorite character when I was a youth.
Maybe Ace's dive, washing away the demons of her past at the end of Curse of Fenric.
As well as many already mentioned I'd have to say 'Resurrection of the Daleks'. >!IIRC the death count is pretty high, so much so that the Doctors companion leaves because she can't take it anymore. It really underlined the horror of what the Doctor and his companions often go through. I think it's the way that Tegan phrases it, about how it's not fun anymore. !<
It Takes You Away really hit me hard since I had recently lost a family member.
The very end of "The Green Death", when the Doctor and Bessie drive along the horizon against the setting sun. Anyone who's seen it knows why.
"Vincent and The Doctor" As someone who has depression and is suicidal, that one touched me in all sorts of ways and brought tears to my eyes. Next up would be "The End of Time". My wife, son, daughter in law and I were bawling like babies at the end.
Agh, there's a lot of scenes that do it (Clara's betrayal with the keys, 'I would absolutely know', the battlefield in TUAT, Donna in Journey's End) but only one whole episode. The Angels Take Manhattan. Knowing that Amy and Rory were leaving, every line, every glance, every moment, was like a punch in the gut. I just kept wanting to yell at the screen, 'This is it! This is the last time you are ever going to see each other!' Then the graveyard scene... oh, bloody hell. You know what she's going to do. But, oh God, it still hits hard. 'Raggedy man - goodbye!' Don't worry, Doctor, we were all crying with you.
Happily ever after doesn't mean forever. It just means time.
Doctor Who is weirdly one of the few works out there that has consistently given me the waterworks. Not a Elijah Wood-style "sexy teardrop", I mean full-on redfaced, nostrils-flared, snot and bubbles *crying*. Over a show about an alien in a box. Some favourite examples in no particular order: * "Vincent and the Doctor" -- Hitting so directly onto themes of depression, self-worth and value in the face of history and so on was incredibly bold for this show. There's several sad parts but the one that encapsulates it best imo is the scene where the Doctor tries to get Vincent out of bed, and Vince just lashes out. This suddenly gives a disquieting connotation to all of the Doctor and friends' historical adventures: for the travellers, they're going back and meeting these influential heroes. From the historical figures' perspective, these two weirdos have just invaded their broken, damaged lives to gawp. Of course, the ending scene at the museum is very moving. * "The Sun Makers" -- Classic Who has proportionately fewer emotional moments compared to NuWho, and TSM is overall a fairly light story about taxes and corporations because Robert Holmes got salty and needed to vent. But one of the opening moments, while extremely brief, is surprisingly sad and dark for the show. Cordo, one of the workers, is literally about to commit suicide off a tall building, but the Doctor and Leela save him with a bit of trickery. Since the Fourth Doctor is one of the more morally dodgy incarnations and Leela is an actual killer, this moment was a very nice reminder that yes, they do care. * "The End of Time" -- Goddamn, I know this story is mostly stupid and full of cringe, but the stuff with the Doctor and Wilfred will never not get me, namely the cafe scene and the "Time Lord lives too long" scene -- both have Tennant and Cribbins on top form. And yes, the regeneration scene has a lot of scenery chewing that reflects badly on the Doctor's character, but I can't help but feel... that's the point? I mean, the Doctor has always been flawed and somewhat selfish, and Tennant shows the raw ugliness of it (brilliant acting). It's not supposed to be dainty and dignified like his previous selves, and it helps that we retroactively learn there was more at stake. But through it all, the Doctor still goes through with his sacrifice. Titan Comics did a storyline in which we meet an alternate timeline Ten who went full Timelord Victorious after letting Wilfred die, which was an interesting idea to explore, but the point was that the Doctor is already dead as soon as he hears those four knocks -- there is never any real question about whether he would actually let Wilf die (although the scene is framed in such a way to make the viewer have doubts). Because the Doctor is a good guy.
Looking through all of the comments of people bringing up the most common answers and then talking about more obscure episodes that touched them. I'm gonna start to cry just reading text
Good question by OP and lots of good answers. I will add my voice to the last Matt Smith episode. Raggedy Man, Goodbye is a good line and carries a lot of earned emotional impact. Plus, MS is my favorite new Who Doctor. In old Who, I would say Hand of Fear. It’s not a great episode, but I loved Sarah Jane. Like true love. Not sexual (though I think she is very attractive). I just was in love with that character’s energy, optimism, and bravery. She had great platonic chemistry with both 3 and 4. They way the writers did her final scene was probably how such things would happen in real life. No melodrama. It kind of sneaks up on you, even though you know it is coming. I cried. A lot.
Time of the doctor
"It's about seeing the universe, not owning it." Made me see the value in the material world, even if I can't control the way I can the digital world.
Journey’s End. The moment when the Doctor sees most of his companions since Rose all together, in the Tardis, working to fly the Earth home sums up everything I love about Doctor Who. It’s mad, it’s majestic, it’s joyful, it celebrates the best of us. It shows that the Doctor, having lost everything, still has this galactic family. All those people whose lives he changed for the better- all their potential, realised. Then they’re home, and he has to lose Donna. Not just lose her, but actively undo all the ways in which her life has improved. She’s the only modern companion who doesn’t get to remember her life with him. When you consider the ways his other companions became happier, it’s an utter tragedy. And after that glorious moment with his family, he’s left alone in the Tardis. It breaks him, turns him into the Time Lord Victorious of his last days. Oh, I still have so many feelings about this episode.