This will be a spoiler-free review, but I will have a ‘reveal box’ full of spoiler information and speculation.
Series 7 Part 2, #7 of 8:
The Doctor takes Clara and her wards to a Intergalactic theme park where they encounter the last of the Cybermen, deactivated in a museum. Or so they think… FIRST BROADCAST: 11th MAY 2013
Picking up from where last weeks episode finished off, under threat of revealing their secret, the Doctor takes Angie and Artie, Clara’s wards, on an adventure. They visit an intergalactic theme park far in the future only to discover it is closed down and occupied as a remote military outpost. They find a still functioning attraction, Hedgewick’s World of Wonders, and venture inside to find it full of curios from across the galaxy. Amongst them are three of the last Cybermen known in existence, deactivated, with one converted into a chess-playing machine. They discover the Cyberman is operated by a chess genius with dwarfism named Porridge. They find out the Cybermen were defeated over 1000 years ago, the military regiment being on watch for their return, but the arrival of the Doctor triggers their reactivation. It is up to the Doctor, Clara, Porridge and the motley group of soldiers to foil their revival.
“Don’t wander off otherwise somebody’s going to have to start rescuing somebody” I was pleasantly surprised by this one. When you read about a episode being a game changer, or that it’s seeking to reboot/reposition a enemy as a greater threat (in this case the Cybermen), you always need to be wary as to what lengths they may go to and how much change will occur. Thankfully, this wasn’t so much about the new as remembering and respecting the old. Drawing from classic Who we are shown a more threatening Cyberman, one that upgrades to threats rapidly and swarmed through the galaxy in a massive war against other species. Finally defeated, we pick up 1000 years later with the galaxy still in fear of their return. And return they do.
“One gun. Five hand pulsars and a planet smashing bomb that doesn’t work anymore.”The whole episode was very quickly paced, adding to the sense of urgency needed to deal with the Cybermen and underlining their threat as effectively as seeing them in action. It looked like proper sci-fi, haunted looking skies backing scenes in this run-down theme pack now appropriated as a front line in the battle. Platforms looking out across the stars and seeing a gaping hole where a galaxy used to be before it was sacrificed to stop the Cyberment was beautifully haunting. The newly designed Cybermen were less clunky than those in recent seasons and a nice change.
A significant portion of the episode occurred within the Doctor’s mind as as he took on the assimilatory Cyber-planner that was trying to take it over. Playing out a game of chess with the entire universe up for grabs. This gave Matt Smith a platform to shine with him portraying both himself and his foe in a game of wits both against himself and also through his interactions with Clara as each briefly took control. I really applaud his gusto with this and also how fascinating it was to see such a well-executed mental battle. It is a great insight into the mind of the Time Lord with some great nods to his past. It also gave Clara a great chance to step from out of his shadow. Not only by standing up to him while restrained, but also taking on the organization of the troops to defend against the encroaching Cybermen. This is the Clara I’ve wanted all season, more reminiscent of the Asylum of the Daleks character, more assured to take charge. Really was a nice step in her development.
“Impossible girl. A mystery wrapped in an enigma squeezed into a skirt that’s just a little bit too tight.”
This episode continued the recent Who-tradition of amazing guest stars. In this case it was fantasy/Sci-Fi legend Warwick Davis (Willow, Return of the Jedi, Harry Potter) as Porridge. He gave a great performance, full of weariness and sadness but with an incredible sweetness about him, especially in his scenes with Clara. So often we don’t see him due to his roles inside suits but Warwick Davis the actor is really talented and a welcome presence onscreen. Also making a great contribution was Jason Watkins (a well-know British actor on TV and stage) as the sinister Mr. Webley. The appearance of children left me somewhat apprehensive and it wasn’t long till my fears were realized. They were a tiresome addition, thankfully the episode moved at a fast enough pace we didn’t have to endure their whining for too long.
Cybermen have been a long running nemesis of the Doctor, second only to the Daleks. Since the show relaunch in 2005 they have been used in a somewhat different manner from their first appearance in 1966. Originally they were cyborgs, a humanoid species upgrading themselves being slightly different and more dangerous with every encounter. The relaunch saw them with origins in a parallel dimension, robots utilizing human brains. They were somewhat neutered in this approach and have been defeated rather easily on occasion including a absolute spanking from the Daleks in one episode (Doomsday). An ability to adapt and overwhelm has always been part of their makeup, to go from one barely functioning unit to a army within a few hours is more like the Cybermen of old than the neutered versions we have seen since the series revival in 2005.
Some unfamiliar with the original Cybermen may say there is some inspiration behind these changes from the Borg in Star Trek:TNG, however, ‘hive mind’ aside, these Cybermen are far closer to their original selves than people have become accustomed to in Nu-Who. They were originally the inspiration for the Borg and it is great to see them acting more like the impressive adversaries they used to be. Special credit for this goes to Neil Gaiman, the writer of this episode. Yes, the Neil Gaiman, he of American Gods, The Sandman, Coraline, Neverwhere, and Stardust amongst others. While it doesn’t hit the emotional and badass heights of his previous contribution to Doctor Who (The Doctor’s Wife) it is a great episode, well paced and brimming with ideas and wit. It really places the Cybermen back where they should be, as a legitimate threat to the Doctor and the Universe in general.
SPOILERS AND SPECULATION HO! CLICK HERE TO VIEW
So the asteroid where the episode was set was a repair center back during the war, critically damaged units were brought here for repair. They introduce the ‘Cyber-planner’, a new iteration of the Cybermen charged with achieving their next upgrade, a idea revolving around using a childs brain with it’s infinite potential. Instead it encounters something even better, the Doctors.
The scenes in his head were fascinating, great acting but for the Who nerds, glimpses of the past incarnations, mentions of old ways to kill Cybermen all were welcome, Who is strongest when it draws on its 50 years of history.
The knowledge this Cyber-planner had of the Doctor led to some great exchanges with Clara, teasing her about who she really is, which only adds to her suspicions after the discovery last week of those pictures. Nothing else really popped up to hint at the overall mystery of who Clara really is.
One thing that did bug me as a old school fan, it was confusing having the Cybermen require children and utilize the inventiveness of their minds to drive their evolution The Cybermen have always been about order and a cold lack of emotion. Children are the opposite of this. So wtf?
And of course, one piece of cyber technology survived…the Cybermen will return.
Overall, a great episode that really reinstates the Cybermen as a formidable villain in the Who-verse. A excuse for Matt Smith to let rip in the role as a possessed Doctor and for Clara to finally step up and take charge. A gritty yet beautiful setting shows a legitimate threat is back in the Doctor’s Universe and I can’t wait to see how these reinvigorated Cybermen are used in the future.
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