There's a lot to like about this era of Doctor Who, but Chris Chibnall's vision has also come with a fair amount of idiosyncrasies. In some ways, Series 12 is a more confident outing for Chibnall and the new team, but in other ways, it's missing some of Doctor Who's charm.
Which is not to say that the writers here don't understand the show - they certainly do inside and out. All the key ingredients remain, but some of the new stuff - I'm not too sure about. The first story - Spyfall - is pretty great, but the James Bond references are a bit much. The episode right after has a heavy-handed dose of climate emergency. Sure, it is without a doubt the greatest threat our society currently faces, but I'm not sure if that works in Doctor Who. Contemporary stories and zeitgeist have always been part of Doctor Who, but in the past, they were far more subtle. It's the period or far-future episodes where this series shines, again.
The season certainly has some great episodes, with a lot of clever new plot devices. However, some of the exposition to explain these complex setups is a bit much. This is definitely something that Moffat's team handled better. There's some great writing otherwise, though, the characters are engaging throughout. While the CGI has definitely improved over the years to enable more spectacular and grander scenarios, I have to say the cinematography and editing has taken a back seat. It's mostly good enough, but sometimes I'm left a bit jarred. Similarly, the music is more regular Hollywood fare, and lacks the character we have seen from past series - particularly the Matt Smith era.
Spoiler alert, but I need to discuss these... You can stop right here if you haven't watched the series.
So yeah, the series has a new Master and a new Doctor. Sacha Dhawan's performance is certainly commendable, but it strays a little close to the Joker-like mad villain territory. Michelle Gomez's Missy was a breath of fresh air, and I would expect something new and different with each incarnation of the Master. The other Doctor, though, yeah, I'm digging that! I'm continuing to enjoy Jodie Whitaker, of course, she's a brilliantly cast. I just hope to see better writing and overall narrative arc match up to her potential.
Perhaps the Master's writing sums up this series neatly. It's definitely a polished, well done series, with some rough edges, but ultimately, it's just not exciting enough, and most episodes lean too closely to well established tropes. It's not a bad series, certainly, and still a good watch for all Doctor Who fans, but I'd like to see Chibnall and team to push things forward into new dimensions, just like Moffat did when he took over a decade ago. I wouldn't mind a hard reboot, if that's what it takes - though realistically, that won't happen till the Fourteenth Doctor.