Doctor Who as a series is famous for its ability to avoid ending, with its initial cancelation back in 1989 still not enough to keep it down. Through the invention of regeneration, creators ensured that the show had the potential to live forever, much like its titular Time Lord. After over 60 years, there is no better example of how to avoid a final goodbye on television. With that being said, how come the series is so good at finales?
Since the show’s revival back in 2005, there have been 13 seasons and numerous specials, with the current fourteenth season promising to be one of the most memorable in some time. With Ncuti Gatwa‘s first outing edging ever nearer to its final chapter, the mind wanders towards the other season finales that have adorned one of sci-fi’s best exports. All that taken into account, here is a countdown of the 10 best modern Doctor Who season finales, ranked.
10 “The Timeless Children”
Season 12, Episode 10
For better or for worse, “The Timeless Children” made a huge impact on the Doctor Who fandom. After showrunner Chris Chibnall was criticized for playing it relatively safe in his first season, he went bold for the second, rewriting some of the show’s long and illustrious history. “The Timeless Children” sees Jodie Whittaker‘s thirteenth Doctor joined The Master (Sacha Dhawan) on Gallifrey, as hidden secrets of the Time Lords and, more importantly, her own past are revealed.
It is true that the narrative decision to include the Timeless Child in Doctor Who lore is, at best, senseless. Not only does it incur huge plot holes in the narrative, but it also makes a mockery of the many people who put countless hours into building the show’s illustrious canon. However, as far as episodes in Chibnall’s era go, “The Timeless Children” isn’t too bad. From its breathtaking visuals to a stunningly atmospheric score by Segun Akinola, this finale feels important and shocking, something that is severely lacking from much of this era of the show.
9 “Hell Bent”
Season 9, Episode 12
When paired with its sister episode, “Heaven Sent”, this finale seems a lot better. After battling grief in the confession dial, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) returns to Gallifrey with a visceral and rancorous energy. Using his knowledge of the long-prophesized “Hybrid”, he takes over as President of the Time Lords, with his first mission to save Clara (Jenna Coleman) from death.
Another episode that sadly makes too many narrative missteps, “Hell Bent” is the perfect example of how Steven Moffat struggles to kill off his characters. After poignantly going through the torturous stages of grief, all of his hard work is undone when the friend he grieves is just simply brought back to life. However, director Rachel Talalay takes the uneven script and molds it into a visual masterpiece, with “Hell Bent” deserving of much more merit than many will give it, although the fandom is understandably bitter about the choice to resurrect yet another character.
Season 7, Episode 13
The entire ‘impossible girl’ arc was leading up to this, and expectations were high. Throughout Season 7’s second half, the mystery surrounding Clara’s true identity shrouded The Doctor’s (Matt Smith) adventures. On the fields of Trenzalore, at the sight of the Doctor’s grave, The Great Intelligence (Richard E. Grant) enters The Doctor’s timestream in an attempt to undo any of his victories. That is when Clara, thinking on her feet, enters the timestream after him and sprinkles herself throughout The Doctor’s many incarnations.
What “The Name of the Doctor” lacks in substance, it makes up for with its ending. The reveal of John Hurt’s War Doctor still stands as one of the best in the series, with millions across the world left with their jaws on the floor. This episode is also a neat ending to Clara’s ‘impossible girl’ arc, even if the fandom often takes umbridge with its inclusion in the show in the first place.
7 “Dark Water/Death in Heaven”
Season 8, Episodes 11 and 12
Capaldi’s first season finale had a stuttering build-up but executed its big reveal perfectly. Throughout the season, the mysterious Missy (Michelle Gomez) was seemingly housing the dead after the Doctor’s many escapades, with the truth behind her plan, and her identity, shocking the fanbase. This two-parter sees Clara’s boyfriend, Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson), sadly and suddenly killed, with the teacher waking up in what seems to be the afterlife. In fact, the afterlife is a place called the Nethersphere, with Missy running a campaign to turn the nearly-dead into cybermen.
Ambitious and effective, this two-parter salvaged gravitas from the jaws of frivolity in Doctor Who‘s eighth season. Beyond the usually great performances of Capaldi and Coleman, Gomez is a breath of fresh air in one of the show’s oldest roles, bringing bounds of energetic charisma to her every scene. Sadly, these episodes were marred by controversy, with the BBC forced to apologize for some of the less-than-family-friendly themes. Despite a clunky resolution, and Moffat’s inability to leave the great Brigadier alone, there is plenty to like about “Dark Water” and “Death in Heaven.”
6 “The Sound of Drums/Last of the Timelords”
Season 3, Episodes 12 and 13
It is hard to put into words just how Earth-shattering it was to finally find out that The Master had returned back to 2007. One of the series’ most iconic characters, John Simm‘s modern incarnation, had already taken over the UK politically as “The Sound of Drums” began, with his alter ego, Harold Saxon, now Prime Minister. With the fate of the world at risk, The Doctor (David Tennant), Martha (Freema Agyeman), and Captain Jack (John Barrowman) must fight both alien and political warfare to try and restore peace.
A rollercoaster ride from start to finish, this two-parter felt like a colossal event at the time of airing. Although that feeling may have aged somewhat poorly, it doesn’t take away from the quality of the central performances in this story, with Simm a brilliant piece of casting as The Master. Frustratingly, this globe-spanning story is resolved by wibbly-wobbly Time Lord magic that is barely explained, with many in the audience left feeling dissatisfied. Let that take nothing away from the majority of this two-parter though, with it certainly a solid end to a marvelous season.
5 “Army of Ghosts/Doomsday”
Season 2, Episodes 12 and 13
For decades, Doctor Who followers had dreamed of seeing the show’s two biggest foes, the Daleks and the Cybermen, go to war. In 2006, that wait was finally over. The Doctor and Rose (Billie Piper) return to modern-day London to find that strange ghosts are appearing all over the world. On the hunt for answers, the pair are taken to Torchwood, with the institute hoping that the duo will be able to provide the key. The truth is that the ghosts are Cybermen intending to invade Earth, but nothing can prepare them for what is inside a mysterious floating sphere.
The culmination of Rose’s time as companion is bittersweet, with the final moments of this two-parter (excluding Catherine Tate turning up in a full bridal outfit) sure to bring a tear to anyone’s eye. The action-packed fight-fest that pits the Daleks against the Cybermen is, admittedly, rather unfair to the silver foes, with the Daleks making them look like child’s play. That being said, the verbal jousting between the two villains is some of the best dialogue Russell T. Davies ever wrote for the show, highlighted by Dalek Sec saying that the Cybermen are better at one thing – “dying”.
4 “The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang”
Season 5, Episodes 12 and 13
Doctor Who‘s fairytale season promised an explosive finale, but no one expected the entire universe to explode. With rumors of the Pandorica, an ancient prison cell that holds the universe’s deadliest threat, bringing the Doctor and Amy (Karen Gillan) to Stone Henge, the pair investigate alongside River Song (Alex Kingston) and a Roman Army. After all the Doctor’s greatest adversaries arrive, it soon becomes clear that there is nothing inside the Pandorica yet, with the twist nothing short of genius.
The Eleventh Doctor’s best season finale is also one of Smith’s best performances, highlighted by his monologue to the skies in which he scares away numerous alien ships. The grand sci-fi scope of the story is beautifully balanced by the delicate culmination of Amy and Rory’s (Arthur Darvill) rollercoaster relationship throughout the season, with the cliffhanger at the end of the first part leaving a sense of sheer despair for their futures. Put simply, this finale has it all.
3 “The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End”
Season 4, Episodes 12 and 13
Before there was Infinity War, there was the Doctor Who Season 4 finale. With planets having been noted as missing throughout the season, The Doctor and Donna arrive on Earth after being told the stars are going out. After first thinking everything is normal, they soon find themselves floating in the sky. Although they haven’t moved, the Earth has. After stealing the planet, the Daleks invade, with their leader, Davros, promising to create a bomb big enough to destroy the universe.
When all else fails and the chips are down, who better to call than the Doctor’s allies? The culmination of four seasons of Davies-led Doctor Who and two spin-offs, this story sees all the show’s best-loved faces come together to fend off the universe’s greatest-ever threat. The moment in which several faces, past and present, all help to fly the TARDIS is enough alone for this finale to earn acclaim, but then comes the gut-wrenchingly tragic end. After absorbing regeneration energy, Donna becomes half-human/half-Time Lord, with her newfound abilities saving the day. However, the effects begin to destroy her mind, and The Doctor must therefore wipe her memory, leading to a moment that will long live as one of the show’s saddest. “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” are rightfully considered two of the best episodes of Doctor Who in the modern era.
2 “Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways”
Season 1, Episodes 12 and 13
Upon Doctor Who‘s 2005 revival, there was no certainty about its future. That lack of certainty was made even greater thanks to the announcement that Christopher Eccleston would be leaving the role after falling out with producers, which left a finale to come with massive stakes both on and off-screen. That finale sees Rose and The Doctor arrive back on Satellite 5, having been teleported onto a futuristic selection of modern TV shows. After escaping the Big Brother house, the Doctor makes it to the set of The Weakest Link in time to see his companion killed… or so he thinks. In fact, she has again been teleported, this time on board a Dalek ship, with a pending invasion, leaving The Doctor with no choice but to fight.
Eccleston’s war-weary, nuanced performance as the titular Time Lord led to this, with his arc from a bitter veteran into a hopeful hero almost complete. Packed full of memorable moments, “Bad Wolf” and “The Parting of the Ways” was such a success that it more than proved Doctor Who was here to stay, with the final scene managing to seamlessly introduce the concept of regeneration to a modern audience. For want of a better word, this finale is “fantastic”.
1 “World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls”
Season 10, Episodes 11 and 12
Doctor Who‘s Season 10 finale is the story that best captures the essence of the titular Time Lord. After The Doctor, Missy, Nardole (Matt Lucas), and Bill (Pearl Mackie) all land on a spaceship that teeters on the edge of a black hole, miscommunication leads to Bill being tragically shot in the stomach. After her body is taken away to be “restored”, a cruel twist reveals that she is instead being turned into a cyberman, and a previous incarnation of The Master is behind it all.
This two-parter twists and turns with seamless ease towards its climax, bolstered by the promise that both Bill will die, and The Doctor will regenerate. Although the latter doesn’t technically happen until the Christmas special, and as for that, neither does the former, the stakes are still astronomically high, with The Doctor expected to beat one of his oldest foes with the help of two of his others. This culminates in a gorgeously written speech by showrunner Moffat that neatly encapsulates the reason audiences love this show’s hero, with Capaldi powering through one of his best monologues with his heart aching and his fight draining. The decision to remove any score from the scene is a touch of genius, putting the entire emphasis on Capaldi’s excellent acting chops and Moffat’s lyrical writing. “World Enough and Time” and “The Doctor Falls” aren’t just the best modern finale in Doctor Who, they’re two of the best episodes in the show ever.
