Ranking Doctor Who – Season 4 and the First Doctor

The second Doctor and Maxtible, an older man in Victorian clothing, face off against a Dalek and the Dalek emperor.

I’m now rewatching all of Doctor Who twice at the same time – for my series of blog posts, I’m only through the first story, but for my just-for-fun watch-through, I’ve finished season four. Here are my rankings of that season with some quick thoughts. And since I’ve finished all of William Hartnell’s era, I’ve ranked all of his stories too (without quick thoughts, since I’ve already given them). See the index for previous rankings, or for my blog series. First, season four:

The Evil of the Daleks – The animation really helped me on this one; I’ve found it dull when watching the reconstruction. The Daleks really live up to this story’s title here – pure malevolence.
The Tenth Planet – I quite like Hartnell’s regeneration, so a sense of this story’s “historical importance” may be inflating its ranking. But I’m also a fan of original-flavor Cyberman – even without those last few moments, this one’s pretty great.
The Power of the Daleks – Another where the animation raised my appraisal. I’d never agreed with fan consensus about this story’s worth, but now I get it. The Daleks’ final attack is particularly brutal.
The Macra Terror – I don’t get why everyone feels the need to apologize for this story. It’s bonkers in the best way, and I loved it even before the animated version was released. Plus it’s a great story for Ben, and I love Ben.
The Underwater Menace – I do love when Doctor Who loses its mind. Like The Macra Terror, this one is certifiably bananas. I adore it.
The Faceless Ones – Drags a bit in the middle, and Ben and Polly being dumped after two episodes is unforgivable. But the ideas are really out there, and I like the ambition of it.
The Moonbase – Another that drags, and at only four episodes, there’s no excuse for that. But it’s a great showcase for Polly, another of my fave companions.
The Highlanders – Not a bad story by any means, and once again a great story for Polly. But I’m not a big fan of the pure historicals, and my attention wandered.
The Smugglers – Maybe an animation (or, dare to dream, the original episodes turning up) would raise my estimation, but I always find this a difficult watch. Hartnell gives a great performance, though, despite what we know now about his declining health at the time.