The most recent season of Doctor Who's aired earlier in 2020 and on the whole, it was well-received by fans and critics alike. It was the Thirteenth Doctor's second run of episodes and it sought to correct one of the criticisms aimed at Season 11 by investing more in the show's history by bringing back old characters.
Season 12 also brought back the season-long arc, with mixed success. The mystery of the Timeless Child had plagued fans since Season 11 and they finally got answers in the season finale, but not necessarily the ones they wanted. Using the IMDb ratings, here is every episode of Season 12, listed from worst to best.
10 Orphan 55 - 4.1
This is officially the lowest-rated episode of Season 12, but even then, it still has some good elements. The first part of the episode where the TARDIS fam are stuck in a creepy intergalactic hotel and spa was intriguing, and the Dregs looked incredibly realistic.
However, the latter half of the episode was where everything fell to pieces. The elderly woman yelling "Benny" was ridiculed so much it became a meme, and the not-so-subtle message about looking after our planet could have been handled better.
9 Praxeus - 5.2
"Praxeus" had the unfortunate job of having to follow one of the best episodes of Doctor Who in recent history. However, even if it had come at a different place in the season, this episode would still have ranked fairly low on IMDb.
The premise was interesting enough, with the Doctor and her friends investigating a global mystery, but the episode just fell a bit flat. There wasn't any continuation of the season arc and the concept of Praxeus itself turned out to be a bit of a let-down.
8 The Timeless Children - 5.4
This episode was the finale of Season 12 and first things first, it was miles better than the previous season's finale, "The Battle Of Ranskoor Av Kolos." The stakes were incredibly high, and it also provided a fairly satisfying conclusion to the season.
However, half of the Doctor Who fandom had a major problem with the resolution of the Timeless Child storyline. It was revealed that the Doctor wasn't actually a Time Lord, which made some fans very angry. This is possibly why the episode was given a surprisingly low rating.
7 Can You Hear Me? - 5.8
As a mid-season episode, "Can You Hear Me?" wasn't half bad. For a season that had predominantly focused mainly on the Doctor, this episode explored the consequences of travelling in the TARDIS for Yaz, Ryan and Graham in a more companion-centric hour.
Yaz's backstory was shown in more depth, revealing that she had coped with mental heath issues in the past, which was the theme of this episode. However, many viewers took issue with the Doctor's awkward reaction when Graham tried to talk to her at the end of the story.
6 Spyfall, Part 2 - 6.5
In the first of this season's opening two-parter, the Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, and Graham were investigating mysterious deaths all over the globe, with the help of Agent O, who turned out to be the latest incarnation of the Master.
However, the Master only revealed himself at the end of the episode, meaning "Part 2" was the first time viewers got to see him in action. He was a great Master in a good episode, the only criticism being that the Doctor's companions were essentially pointless here.
5 Nikola Tesla's Night Of Terror - 6.5
Doctor Who has always had an affinity for meeting famous historical figures and the star of this episode was obviously Nikola Tesla. For just another episode of Doctor Who, "Nikola Tesla's Night Of Terror" was a surprisingly good one, and every performance shone.
Tesla's stoic defiance of American citizens was difficult to watch, and it wasn't shied away from. The Doctor's excitement at meeting Tesla was also incredibly cute, and the monsters were fairly well realized, if not a bit too similar to the Empress of the Racnoss.
4 Spyfall, Part 1 - 6.6
Season 11 wasn't bad per se, but it's fair to conclude that the season played it safe. The Doctor and her fam were never put in any real, high-stakes danger, there was no season arc to worry about, and there were almost no old monsters so that the series would be "accessible" to new viewers.
When the show returned to our screens on New Year's Day, viewers expected the same sort of thing. However, "Spyfall, Part 1" was anything but. It was an action packed episode with the surprise return of one of Doctor Who's oldest villains. It was completely thrilling.
3 Ascension Of The Cybermen - 6.8
This episode set up the season finale and it was honestly one of the most exciting episodes of the Thirteenth Doctor's tenure thus far. The opening shot of a Cyberman's head floating in space was incredible, and the episode just got better from there.
The Doctor was forced to own up to her mistakes and face the consequences. Additionally, fans got to see a glimpse of the Cyber-Wars and the tension in some scenes was palpable. The cliffhanger at the end of the episode was another masterpiece from Chris Chibnall.
2 The Haunting Of Villa Diodati - 7.2
The marketing for this episode before it aired was fairly minimal, and that might have been a bad thing. The trailers for described the episode as the one before the big finale, which made it seem as though it was inconsequential and didn't really matter.
However, this could not be further from the truth. In yet another shocking twist, the monster of the episode turned out to be a Cyberman, and an incredibly terrifying one at that. Fans had theorized the Cybermen would appear but nothing had been confirmed, so it was a nice surprise.
1 Fugitive Of The Judoon - 7.6
This was easily the best episode of Season 12, which was incredibly surprising. When the Judoon were announced as returning to Doctor Who prior to this episode airing, everyone just assumed that it would be a fairly light filler episode with a nostalgic monster.
Instead, fans got the most shocking and mind boggling episode ever. First, Captain Jack Harkness returned after a 10-year absence. Second, and most importantly, the whole of Doctor Who history as fans knew it was ripped up and thrown away with the introduction of a brand new old Doctor.
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