4 Ups & 1 Down From Doctor Who Series 12 - Praxeus
3. We Actually Care About Our Guest Characters
Unlike Orphan 55 (yes, there are many comparisons to this train wreck of an episode today), we're actually given ample time to get to know our guest characters, more specifically Jake and Adam. One is a former police office, the other an astronaut, who are currently amidst a rocky point in their marriage. Adam is close to death throughout the majority of the episode, telling his husband at a life-or-death moment that he needs to 'stop avoiding life.' Thankfully Adam recovers from the Praxeus infection thanks to The Doctor's work.
However, Jake still lives by his husband's suggestion of not avoiding life, and puts himself in peril to save the world. A sudden invert of the life-or-death balance leaves Adam speechless, and the audience in an edge-of-their-seat emotional tipping point. Thankfully, Adam is saved from certain death, and we all breathe a sight of relief. Unlike Benni biting the dust to the Dregs in Orphan 55, we actually root for these two characters throughout.