Thats no small feat for a television serial originally based around cliffhangers.
The Doctor had already been renewed from Hartnell to Troughton.
The supposed death is okay, but its the context that breaks down the fourth wall and wows.
And cut it, now!
Quite possibly the coolest cliffhanger ever.
The delicious surprise is that Utopia is actually the first of a three-part adventure without advertising it.
Silence In The Library
A cliffhanger of catch phrases: Donna Noble has left the library, and Hey?
Who turned out the lights?
The walking skeleton in a spacesuit with the second catchphrase is just crazy fun.
And how will David Tennant get out of this one?
Thankfully, Steven Moffat doesnt cheat and gives exciting solutions to both.
Pyramids Of Mars: Part 1
Its rare when a cliffhanger actually involves a villain getting bumped off.
On the one hand, its comforting that viewers arent seeing the Doctor nearly meet an untimely end.
On the other hand, baddie number one is strangled to death by an even greater menace.
Sutekh gets an unearthly introduction in all his shiny, black-hooded creepiness, but its not even him.
Just how bad can this Sutekh dude be?
The second serial in the series gives us arguably one of the better monster reveals.
We dont actually get to see a full Dalek.
Tristram Carys evocative soundscapes and the claustrophobic setting just hammer it all home.
