I was thinking of just classic Who stories, honestly, and I didn't put a lot of thought into what the list would be, but 10 sounded about right. Off the top of my head, I'd think the easily defensible choices for best Who story would include: The Silurians, Inferno, Carnival of Monsters, Ark in Space, Genesis of the…

I was considered some more convoluted explanations, but probably the easiest, only slightly magical explanation is that the box is slightly psychic, like the Doctor's paper, and it relabels itself to fit whatever the latest Zygon rallying cry happens to be.

I mean, they were all just the rough drafts for Benjamin Sisko, but sure, we can talk about Kirk and Picard if you guys want…

"Hide" was also a step in that direction, as was "Listen" in stretches, but yeah, it's never really made that last step.

You're braver than I, crossing classic and new series lists like that. I'm not quite ready to take that plunge.

Yeah, but the time they spent together stretched into the years (even leaving aside the two years Peri spent stranded in 15th century Britain during "The Kingmaker.") "Caves" is very much played as two people who have only just met, and that underlines the selflessness of the 5th Doctor.

I generally regard Big Finish as canon for pretty much everything *but* the Peri and Erimem stuff, just because it's so damn hard to square all that with "Caves." It doesn't hurt "Caves" for the Doctor and Peri to have a long history, but it *does* shift the emotional emphases in a way that I don't think improves the…

I'm also the kind of lunatic who *loves* "Warriors' Gate" and could be talked into putting it outrageously high, but I also think it breaks all the scales for judging and ranking Who stories.

Also, those Zygons *had* killed a bunch of people. I'd say the Doctor made a conscious — and explicitly justifiable, given the alternative was war! — decision to let them off easy by *just* treating them as children.

That was actually my first Davison as well (unsurprising, given it was the first of his stories released on DVD, give or take The Five Doctors). So it worked for me from the off, but I've heard that enough times to think that, yeah, a lot of people benefit from knowing the 5th Doctor a bit better before seeing his…

My classic Who top five:
1. Caves of Androzani
2. The Robots of Death
3. Remembrance of the Daleks
4. City of Death
5. I'm not sure, *maybe* Genesis, but also maybe a Pertwee?

"Genesis" is a fine choice. "Caves" is leaner and meaner, and maybe a little more immediate and visceral in its stakes and its presentation. Plus it has the greatest cliffhanger ever. But "Genesis" is one of about 10 or so completely defensible picks for best Who story, even if I'm not totally sure it'd make my top 5.

You're thinking of the Master's line in the Five Doctors, which is what I was going for, but didn't bother to look it up.

"I never thought I'd have to fire in anger at a dratted caterpillar!"

They actually do hire American actors to play Americans at a fairly decent clip, but part of the trouble is that most UK-based Americans are going to pick up English inflections that will make their accents sound a little off to Americans at large.

That's like the 70th most notable thing about that episode, but … sure.

If nothing else, I'm excited that next week is the first full-bore sci-fi episode Gatiss has written, and the found-footage format should hopefully bring out the same kind of narrative efficiency that made "Cold War" so effective.

I think you're meant to assume that based on that handyman nonchalantly sweeping away some post-zapping remains, and maybe a small acknowledgment between Zygella and one of the other passersby? But yeah, that whole sequence was weirdly realized.

I wonder which Doctor's American accent is the worst. I bet Tom Baker's is just epically awful.

Actually, they're not due to show up until 3020, per the agreement in "Cold Blood" to hit a species-wide snooze button.