"it's getting better all the time"
More thinking over DW5.....The middle section--the episodes I love: "Amy's Choice," Vampires of Venice," "The Lodger," "The Beast Below," and "Vincent and the Doctor." In DW1-4, probably the equivalents are "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances," "Parting of the Ways," "Girl in the Fireplace," and "Utopia" (hmmm...there's certain pattern in that list)........
"Amy's Choice" is really interesting--obviously, the main point of it is to establish what Amy really wants, to "sort" her, as the Doctor puts it. And it's full of character insights. But it does need a clearer finish: it makes the point that all the events were the Doctor's dream, but that point seems to me to be rather muddled at the end. I can never quite put my finger on it, but I just have the sense something needs to be clarified.
"Vampires," "The Lodger," and "The Beast Below" are among my favorites for several reasons each, but I think the main would have to be the development of the Doctor's character. The interplay between the Doctor and Rory in "Vampires" is just pure gold--it really leads perfectly into "Amy's Choice," where the issue of competition for Amy is settled, and Rory can become a friend of the Doctor's in his own right. The discussion about how to sneak Amy into the school is....superb. "You look nine!" "Why is it weird if he's your brother, but not me?" "You're not helping...."
All three episodes are great for showcasing the Doctor as Time Lord: he's not just some eccentric human, but really some very different species that is very, very powerful and not to be trifled with. Balancing that in each episode (to avoid the tedious Lonely God angst-fest) is also the playfulness and kindness of the Doctor. The scene in "The Lodger" when the Doctor provokes Sophie is one of my favorite moments of the series--Eleven at first seems clueless and weird; then his remarks are casually harsh....and all of it was to set Sophie up to realize her own value--I love the warmth and mischief of Eleven's reaction when Sophie realizes she was manuevered into stating her worth.....And I love that this is a theme of Moffat's DW: Eleven both treats individual humans as important, but he also tells individuals how important they are. A running theme throughout the season is that individual lives are just as important as the Big Events.
"The Beast Below" and "Vincent" have the best hugs of the series. Amy's character....terrific development for her in both--and for her relationship with the Doctor. When she explains to Eleven that her actions to save the starwhale were not done on sheer impulse, but rather because she applied his lesson about observing, and she could see the solution because she recognized the Doctor's traits.....And the two episodes connect for the references to the Time War: TBB is explicit about it, but it's what runs under Eleven's speech about the good and bad things in life as well.
I could wear out this season's DVD.........