When I did my piece on episodes that angered or insulted me, I promised to do one that would serve as a counterpoint. The most joyful episodes. But as I started breaking it down, I realized I’d bitten off more than I could chew.

Which episodes of Doctor Who made me happy? Pfft. How much time have you got? 

Woe to the casual person who happens to ask me about Who. I could start a list of great episodes that have made me happy right now, but no, “happy” won’t quite cut it. Over 62 years, the show’s brought me so much happiness, we’d be here all day listing them.

Sure, there’ve been loads of other emotions and reactions. A certain amount of negativity, but the happiness has been far far greater. The story of the Doctor has indeed been a long, complicated journey, with ups and downs. It was easy to pinpoint the horrible, bottom of the barrel, *insulting* stuff, because there wasn’t really that much. But for the positives, I’d have to roll up my sleeves and narrow things down.

Breathe?

There’s SO much good. The scenes where I’m holding my breath, on the edge of my seat, or marveling at the quirks or attributes of a particular incarnation, scrutinizing what makes the particular actor tick? Stories which are just great fun? There are tons of ‘em. So I figured that the only way to do this right was to gravitate toward just the moments that MOVED me. That meant more to me than most. That hit me hard, one way or another for the better. Scenes that produced pure physical joy.

Each is a bit different, and I’ll try and explain if there’s any deeper meaning.

The first one is very simple. The opening theme during the Tom Baker years. That music! That tunnel, followed by the police box, the headshot, and that sweet diamond logo. When I first heard that music, and saw that tunnel back in 1980, it grabbed me. I had no idea what it was but I sat there and remained motionless, watching first episode of The Brain of Morbius. 

In fact, my PBS station mistakenly broadcast the ep itself without any of the incidental music or special effects. A faulty copy! Bare bones actors on a stage. Literally the least favorable technical conditions under which you could ever be introduced to Who, and I still fell in love with it! 

The timing may have had something to do with it as well. Having graduated high school, my mom and I moved to a different town. A new life. Clean slate. The beginning. The utter void before the Big Bang. And then, that music started. *Life* started. It’s no wonder I’m physically incapable of not watching the show to this very day. 

Something In My Eye

For the second example, let’s move ahead to Vincent & the Doctor. After spotting an ominous figure in a painting, the Doctor and Amy travel to 1890 France to meet Vincent Van Gogh. Witnessing the artist’s tortured life and his unappreciated art (as well as battling an invisible monster), the Doctor brings Vincent to the present day Musee d’Orsay art gallery to show him his legacy.

He then asks the guide to assess Van Gogh’s work while the artist himself discreetly listens. He does so, giving the ultimate praise to the work and the man himself, bringing Vincent to joyous tears. He wasn’t the only one. I was inconsolable. 

It was the first time Doctor Who brought me to tears. I’m not embarrassed to say I balled like a baby. It was such a beautiful, powerful moment. To see what his life was like, and knowing how it ended—-for him to actually get a chance to see that his work WAS loved in the end. That it MEANT something. Maybe it hit extra hard because I’m an artist? Don’t know. Either way, it was a truly beautiful piece of work and very likely the best and most powerful episode of the Smith era.

Friendship

Hell Bent is next up. This one simply took my breath away. On Gallifrey, down in the bowels of the capital, having stolen Clara from history at the moment of her death, 12 works diligently to open a hatch so that he and Clara can steal a TARDIS and escape.

Clara finds out that the Doctor spent 4.5 billion years trapped in his confession dial just to protect her. The enormity of the moment. She can barely comprehend the scale of his sacrifice. Stunned, she asks him why would he do that? He sheepishly responds “I had a duty of care!” 

The love, the bond of friendship between these two… the intensity of the moment actually made me dizzy. 

And then… Doctor Who in 2013

And finally, events in and around the 50th anniversary special. These particular instances evoked a different reaction than what I’d already experienced. These were moments of electric joy. Stunning, chilling, tingling moments of joyful shock. True “OH MY GOD” moments. The kinds of moments that sometimes only a 50 year build up can provide.

Moment One

The end of The Name of the Doctor, when none other than John -Freaking- Hurt turns around and is introduced AS The Doctor. It’s not often I’m speechless, but the moment, the direction, the music, the surprise… I *still* get the tingles when I watch it.

Moment Two

The Night of the Doctor. No one saw this coming. I certainly didn’t. This was one of the greatest accomplishments of the Moffat era, the Nu-Who era, maybe of any era. The mere fact that it was a legit surprise with no spoilers!

The Moff introduced Cass, reintroduced the Eighth Doctor, gave us three scenes, a story, killed off the Doctor, gave us the return of the Sisterhood of Karn who revived him, gave us some McGann goodness, provided us with new insights as to the options of regeneration… then *gave* us a regeneration, topped off with a reflection of a young John Hurt.

All in six minutes!

Moment Three

Nearing the end of the Day of the Doctor — The Doctors put their plan to stop the Daleks into action, and you’d think that having all 12 incarnations buzzing about would be the capper of all cappers, but then “No sir, all thirteen!” happens. 

EYEBROWS!!! They brought Capaldi in! A future incarnation we hadn’t even seen yet!

What emerged from me at that moment was some mutated form of a gasp, melded with a scream. Maybe a burp, frankly, I’m not sure, I was all shock and awe at that point. But the Moff wasn’t done yet.

Moment Four

The dust has settled. Gallifrey was saved, everyone else has gone, leaving 11 alone in the Under-gallery, musing about possibly becoming a curator of the museum one day, when he’s interrupted by an unmistakable voice.

“You know, I really think you might!” 

Head swimming in disbelief, I just lost it. Me, and a million other people in 90 countries, I imagine. Seriously, my jaw was just somewhere over there on the floor and I was exhausted. Much like the McGann surprise, filmed in the wee hours under cover of secrecy, they brought back Tom Baker. 

Perfection. More than a decade later, still perfect. I really don’t think it would have been possible to produce a better anniversary for the show. Thank you, Mr. Moffat. Seriously.

And there you have it. The shining examples of when Doctor Who just absolutely rocked my world. 

If anyone else has had their own moments of Who-related, in-episode bliss, please share.