Bit of a bump and sorry for double post, but I came to a really odd realisation last night.
I've tried my best to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but there are certain cues that might give things away, so read at your own risk!
I realise the series has one episode left, but unless it turns out to be utter horseshit (and I mean so bad it goes down in history as THE WORST episode of Doctor who ever), this probably won't change
But this has honestly, to me, been the best series of Doctor Who since series 9. And if you know me, you'll know Series 9 was, in my opinion, the best series of Doctor Who to date, at least by NuWho standards. Considering I absolutely loathed Series 11, to the point where I'd say it was the worst Series of Doctor Who so far, this series has surprised me so much, and it's been so brilliant with (most of) its stories, I've honestly taken to ranking it as my personal second best series so far
The only episodes so far that have actually been naff were Orphan 55 and Can You Hear Me?, which just didn't hit the mark. Orphan 55 was just another virtue signalling episode which would equate to preaching to the choir, and Can You Hear Me was a good concept which unfortunately was carried out poorly. Would have worked well as a two parter imo.
Looking back at the positives of the series, Spyfall was a fantastic, well written, shocking and entertaining thrill ride, with a twist that I think most people can safely say didn't see coming.
Nikola Tesla's Night Of Terror was brilliantly touching, with a great villain, engaging side characters, and a satisfying end, not to mention its historic message (I already knew all about Tesla, but many people might not know about him)
Fugitive of the Judoon, holy fuck what an insane episode. Bringing back the Judoon was reward enough, but the two biggest twists? The first twist was literally cocaine. I just fucking lost it, so amazing that they did that and kept it a secret! Second twist was also very good, I could see it coming from a mile away but still hits you hard, and also leaves you wondering what the heck is going on.
Praxeus was just a classic, racey episode. It actually did the environmental message quite well, as in it drew attention to the issue, but didn't make it the focus, which was just gravy. The side characters were also great - I really hope we get to meet the cop dude again sometime.
The Haunting Of Villa Diodati was...just amazing. The curiosity about what was going on, the historical lesson, and the shock twist were executed amazingly, and it honestly reminded me of Russell T Davies era Who. Again, side characters were fabulous. Lord Byron constantly flirting with the Doctor was hilarious.
Ascension Of The Cybermen also reminded me of old NuWho, specifically Moffat Era (Probably Capaldi's later run). The threat was real, and I honestly worried about certain characters fates throughout the episode. The Cybermen have returned, and they're scarier than ever. The subplot in this episode left me with more questions than answers (which I absolutely love by the way) and hopefully will be answered in the next episode. The twist at the end was expected, but equally satisfying.
Can't wait for the finale next week. I can tell it's going to be another banger.
But yeah, overall it's been a fantastic ride. From possibly the worst series of Doctor Who to the second best series, Chibs has had a massive glow-up. I only hope he carries on from there, and just keeps on improving.
