Matt Smith’s 11 Greatest ‘Doctor Who’ Adventures
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11. A Good Man Goes to War
Episode 6.07
Original Air Date: June 4, 2011
To rescue Amy Pond and her newborn daughter, Melody, the Doctor and Rory raise an army of the Doctor’s allies, including Strax, Vastra and Jenny, all of whom have made subsequent appearances.
But even the Doctor can’t save Melody from her fate, as River Song reveals her true identity in one of the best cliffhangers in the series.
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10. & 9. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
Episodes 5.12 & 5.13
Original Air Dates: June 19, 2010 & June 26, 2010
Smith’s first season ended with all of the Doctor’s greatest enemies assembling for a lethal trap that threatens to destroy the universe. Rory finally came into his own in these episodes and in a lighter touch, this is where the Doctor’s fascination with wearing a fez began.
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8. The Name of The Doctor
Episode 7.13
Original Air Date: May 19, 2013
Clara Oswald is the impossible girl. And in the opening moments of “The Name of The Doctor,” we see for ourselves that Clara has been a part of the Doctor’s journey from the very beginning. In addition to a satisfying wrap up of Clara’s season long mystery, the Doctor’s greatest secret is revealed...
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7. The Time of The Doctor
Original Air Date: December 25, 2013
Matt Smith’s final episode as the Doctor returns to Trenzalore to save his people and protect his new home... for centuries! Smith has proven to be adept at comedy and pathos, which “The Time of The Doctor” gives him in equal shares. Not quite as moving as David Tennant’s exit in “The End of Time,” but it’s still very, very effective.
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6. A Christmas Carol
Original Air Date: December 25, 2010
The best Christmas special of the Matt Smith era was his very first, as the Doctor decides to use Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” as a strategy to transform a bitter old man into someone better... with unexpected results.
Michael Gambon gives a standout performance as Sardick, while Katherine Jenkins’ singing voice is unforgettable.
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5. & 4. The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
Episodes 5.04 & 5.05
Original Air Dates: April 17, 2010 & April 24, 2010
Believe it or not, this two part episode was the first time that the Doctor directly took on the Weeping Angels, the best “Doctor Who” villains of the current series. River Song also made a return appearance as the most important women in Doctor’s life... even if he’s not quite sure who she is.
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3. The Doctor's Wife
Episode 6.04
Original Air Date: May 14, 2011
Neil Gaiman’s first “Doctor Who” script was unexpectedly quotable, but I think that everyone knew it would be a fun story. Outside of the universe, the Doctor tries to track down some of the surviving Time Lords and meets Idris, a woman inhabited by the soul of the Doctor’s TARDIS... and the love of his life.
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2. The Day of The Doctor
Original Air Date: November 23, 2013
Although Smith shares the episode with Tennant’s Tenth Doctor and John Hurt’s War Doctor, “The Day of The Doctor” is still one of the best episodes of the entire series. If I was making a list of Tennant’s best episodes, it would be there as well.
Smith and Tennant had fantastic comedic chemistry and Hurt was dazzling as the older War Doctor who was already haunted by the crime he hadn’t yet committed. But even the Doctor can be saved, before uniting for one incredibly impossible plan to save their homeworld.
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1. The Eleventh Hour
Episode 5.01
Original Air Date: April 3, 2010
As far as Smith’s solo adventures, it doesn’t get better than “The Eleventh Hour.” This episode was essentially a second pilot for the series and a great jumping on point that fleshed out Smith’s Doctor, introduced Rory and Amy and kicked off the “Silence Will Fall” arc while keeping the Doctor busy the entire time. Somehow, the Doctor has to save the day without the TARDIS or his beloved sonic screwdriver... with just 20 minutes before aliens burn the Earth to destroy an escaped criminal.
This was the birth of Smith’s “Mad man with a box,” a Doctor who could be young and old simultaneously. If you’re new to “Doctor Who,” this is the best place to start.
