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Doctor Who: 2 - 5: Rise of the Cybermen
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When the ninth Doctor encountered the last surviving Dalek in last season’s aptly named “Dalek”, the weight of their previous encounters was impressively tangible. Setting aside any complaints about sensitive Daleks getting in touch with their emotions, the reunion in the early stages of that episode was, for many, an event. The general consensus of opinion seems to be that it didn’t disappoint, either.
Sadly, I can’t help but think that the return of the Cybermen won’t be regarded as such a huge success. That’s not to say that this episode isn’t enjoyable enough but, perhaps in service to its two part nature, it feels terribly flimsy.
The episode starts in much the same way as last season’s “Boom Town”; an evil mastermind with a dastardly scheme eliminates a particularly troublesome scientist who’s intent of jeopardising said scheme by revealing it to the rest of the world. It’s a clichéd, unimpressive opening to an episode that should have had better. Disappointingly, the script doesn’t ever really move beyond such tired clichés.
There are one or two nice touches; the idea that every member of the populace would be equipped with an ear piece which acts as both a telecommunications device and a information link is a pleasing, if terribly heavy handed, dig at today’s mobile phone dependant culture. I just don’t think that they’d look that silly. The alternate universe, in which Zeppelins float above London and Rose’s father still exists is another nice touch, but somehow still doesn’t feel at all original. It does permit the ever impressive BBC techies to show off some more nice visual effects though.
The lack of originality is further demonstrated by Rose’s desire to (once again) reach out and touch her family, and the inclusion of alternate Earth versions of characters whose personalities are polar opposites to the ones we already know - complete with CGI effects to allow the same actor to appear in the same shot twice (just like Jean-Claude Van Damme in the “classic” Double Impact). Even our friendly neighbourhood mastermind is such a deeply hackneyed character that the whole episode feels like it’s just building up to the first dramatic appearance of the Cybermen.
Except, there’s no drama. We’ve already seen them. In this day and age, it’s virtually impossible to keep anything out of the eyes of the media, but when the BBC’s own TV guide Radio Times features a front page picture of the new-look Cybermen, does this episode’s dramatic ending actually have a chance of working?
The Cybermen themselves are only slight variations on their original form. They come complete with stompy walking sound effects, raspy robotic vocals, and a lethal version of the comedy hand-shake electric shock device. Maybe it’s just me but they don’t seem to be terribly scary, either in concept or execution. Their origin is suitably macabre; human brains are harvested and inserted into metallic bodies in service to their master, but this is only ever alluded to in bits of dialogue, screams from the back of vans full of homeless men, and a poor CGI clip of buzzing saws and other cutting devices.
Despite my dislike for the character in previous episodes, Mickey is easily the best written and most likeable character in this episode. Noel Clarke is clearly enjoying his time as the alternate Earth version, Rickey, and I can’t help but think that this character might make a nice addition to the upcoming Torchwood series. Incidentally, there are two fairly subtle snippets of dialogue which contain Torchwood references this week.
Observant viewers might notice the link to Ecclestone’s Doctor here. He insisted, throughout the last season, on incorrectly using the name Rickey. This implies that the ninth Doctor was aware of the alternate Earth, a concept which is in direct contradiction to the Doctor’s behaviour at the start of the episode, and one which isn’t resolved. Maybe next week.
Other characters and performances don’t work quite so well. With the pathos of last season’s Father’s Day well and truly in the past, the character featured here is little more than a plot device to facilitate the Doctor and Rose’s inclusion in the plot. The worst performance is easily Andrew Hayden Smith’s abysmal portrayal of Jake. The spiky-haired Geordie pretty-boy is incapable of delivering any of his lines with conviction, and does a fine job of destroying every scene he’s in.
Both Rose and The Doctor seem to have very little to do here. Tennant and Piper aren’t stretched at all, but again, they’ll undoubtedly have more to do next week. In fairness to Tennant he does turn in some better scenes in the final moments.
Roger Lloyd-Pack - an actor I have trouble taking seriously thanks to his iconic role as Trigger in Only Fools and Horses - plays John Lumic, aforementioned maniacal mastermind, and (for the purposes of this alternate Earth origin story) creator of the Cybermen. Lumic is incredibly reminiscent of Davros - gliding around in a motorised wheel chair, sucking oxygen from the attached gas-mask, and delivering lines with a off-putting rhythm that’s perhaps better suited to pantomime. Is the Davros comparison relevant? In this alternate Earth, is Davros actually the leader of the Cybermen, and does Lumic eventually become Davros? Does Lumic, as Davros, ultimately create the Daleks as an evolution of the Cybermen? Could I sound any geekier? Time will tell, I suppose. But I hope not, on all counts.
The most annoying element of this whole episode is one tiny line of dialogue. A single utterance, spoken by one of the Cybermen in the final scenes of this episode, but a line which demonstrates just how little care has gone into this script. One of the Cybermen claims that they are “human .2″. Now, I’m a geek - I’ll come clean and state that outright, just in case the fact that I’m writing about Doctor Who isn’t enough of a clue - and so excuse me if this line bugs me far more than it might a casual viewer, but .2? That’s not much of an upgrade. The writer clearly meant “human 2.0″ - the next, great version of the human race. “Human .2″ implies that the Cyberman are little more than a minor upgrade; a bug fix. And this episode could have done with its fair share of those.
It’s difficult to rate a single episode in a two part story until you’ve watched its conclusion. I almost didn’t bother reviewing this episode on its own, but given that the viewers will have to wait the obligatory 7 days before getting to see the final part, I felt it should be judged on its own merits. Hopefully the conclusion will make up for this episode’s short-comings.
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