While every Whovian might have their own pick for the best incarnation of the titular character on Doctor Who, there’s no denying the fact that Peter Capaldi was among the greatest actors, certainly with the most range, to pick up the mantle in the show’s 60-year history.
Capaldi’s 12th Doctor was known for his resolute actions, his unerring sense of morality, his dark humor, and, of course, the so-called “attack eyebrows.” To commemorate the actor’s time on Doctor Who from his first appearance in 2013’s “The Day of the Doctor” to his final performance in 2017’s “Twice Upon a Time,” we have tried to single out some of the most memorable outings out of a pool of dozens, and these are the top 10 picks, ranked from worst to best.
10. “The Caretaker”
This episode from season 8 hearkens back to the time when The Doctor spent most of his time on Earth mingling with the human race. It also depicts Capaldi at his finest, able to channel both the sheer absurdity of the 2000-year-old Time Lord and the severity of his wrath.
9. “Last Christmas“
Why did I choose “Last Christmas” for this list? Because as explained by Clara Oswald, every Christmas can be your last Christmas. This is another one of those episodes that packs a lot of character work in its runtime, resulting in what’s arguably one of the most compelling dynamics between Jenna Coleman’s Clara and Capaldi’s 12th Doctor. And also, the Doctor having a rivalry with Santa Claus himself? Yes, please!
8. “The Return of Doctor Mysterio“
This episode not only serves as a nod to Doctor Who’s popularity in the Latin world — since the titular character is known as Doctor Mysterio over there — but it also calls out The Doctor’s similarity to comic book superheroes, especially Superman. At its heart, Doctor Who has always been a fairy tale, and at the center of that fairy tale, we have a man who is a superhero in all but his humble bearings.
7. “The Witch’s Familiar“
The confrontation between The Doctor and Davros after so many years in “The Witch’s Familiar” is sci-fi drama at its finest. There’s something incredibly gripping about how these ancient enemies come together and interact without outright hostility, and it puts the story’s entire history, especially when it comes to The Doctor and the Daleks, into perspective.
6. “The Doctor Falls”
Capaldi needed to go out on a high note, so what would be better than having him personify what it means to be The Doctor one last time? The overarching theme in season 10 was to drive home what it truly means to be a good man. The Doctor offers a simple answer: “Good is good in the final hour, in the deepest pit. Without hope, without witness, without reward. Virtue is only virtue in extremis.” And that’s precisely what he manifested in his heroic last stand against the Cybermen.
5. “Extremis“
“Extremis” is one of the best episodes from Capaldi’s era, mostly because you don’t see its twist coming, not from a mile away. This episode features a cast of characters that aren’t really our characters — The Doctor included — but that doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. The fact that even a holographic simulation of The Doctor can overcome his sense of existential defeat and send a tip to the real Doctor speaks volumes about his strength as a character.
4. “The Zygon Inversion”
While I’m putting “The Zygon Inversion” at the fourth spot on this list, the famous anti-war speech is undoubtedly Capaldi’s finest moment as The Doctor. Having known this character almost all my life, I can’t go through this scene without breaking down. “The Zygon Inversion” also speaks to the human in us all, beseeching us to ponder the nature of war and conflict to see the futility of it all.
3. “Twice Upon a Time”
I’ve often found myself reflecting on “Twice Upon a Time” — Capaldi’s last episode — and realizing that it doesn’t really have a plot. There is no story here; there’s just the Doctor, or rather, his latest incarnation, meeting with the first version (portrayed by David Bradley) and remembering why he has to keep fighting. So, in more ways than one, this final outing is a retrospect, not only for Capaldi’s 12th but the character as a whole. I’ll just leave the episode’s most brilliant quote here to justify my picking it for this list: “A life this long, do you understand what it is?” asks the Doctor, looking out on the frontlines of World War I trenches. “It’s a battlefield, like this one, and it’s empty. Because everyone else has fallen.”
2. “Listen”
I love “Listen” mostly for its philosophical implications. Rarely do we see Doctor Who portray its titular character in a vulnerable light, but when it does, and does it so well as “Listen,” it leads to something compelling and utterly brilliant. The fourth episode of season 8 is scary, profound, engaging, whimsical, and epic. And most of it, dare we add, is thanks to Peter Capaldi.
1. “Heaven Sent“
“Heaven Sent” is the penultimate episode of season 9, and it basically features Peter Capaldi monologuing to himself for the better part of an hour. That’s right; this is the only episode in Doctor Who’s history to feature only The Doctor (and very briefly his recently deceased companion) and thanks to Steven Moffat’s wonderful script and Capaldi’s otherworldly performance, “Heaven Sent” is now regarded as one of the best episodes in the show’s 60-year history, perhaps even among the finest hours of genre television over the past decade. I can’t overstate how Capaldi carries this episode through and through, which is why it might just be the highlight of his tenure as well.