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| The Doctor and his companions, at the mercy of the Cybermen! |
2 episodes: Rise of the Cybermen, The Age of Steel. Approx. 91 minutes. Written by: Tom MacRae. Directed by: Graeme Harper. Produced by: Phil Collinson.
THE PLOT
The TARDIS crash-lands in modern day London - but in the wrong universe! Somehow, the Doctor, Rose, and Mickey have been bounced from their universe into a parallel reality. The sky over London is filled with zeppelins, while the people below go about their business with cybernetic ear pods attached to their heads.
The ear pods are the invention of John Lumic (Roger Lloyd Pack), owner of Cybus Industries. But Lumic has a new, far more sinister project. A new form of life, a meld of machine and man. It may be a parallel Earth, but the Doctor recognizes these malignant creations instantly:
"Cybermen!"
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: We open the story with another look at the 10th Doctor's unlikable side. He has asked Mickey to hold down a button... and then left him to keep holding it down for no reason other than to make the other man look foolish. He does show some respect for Mickey in their interactions, talking to him seriously about the state of the TARDIS cut off from its own universe - but it's clear throughout that he does look on Mickey more as "the tin dog" than as a full-blown member of the team.
Rose: In a parallel London, it takes all of a few seconds for Rose to focus on the most important fact: That in this world, her father Pete Tyler (Shaun Dingwall) is very much alive. Sneaking into the parallel Jackie Tyler's birthday party disguised as a servant, she finds moments to connect with both Pete and Jackie. Both feel a bond with her, enough for them to actually talk unguardedly in a way they never would with a regular servant - though this only increases Rose's hurt when this world's bitter Jackie immediately backpedals and scorns her as nothing but "staff."
Mickey: Feels that he is viewed by the Doctor and Rose as "a spare part," and has become resentful of that. We learn more about Mickey's backstory, that he was raised by a stern yet loving grandmother who died only a few years before the Doctor met him. Mickey blames himself, because her fall down the stairs was caused by a damaged carpet that he was aware needed replaced - a job he never got around to doing. Noel Clarke also gets to pull double duty, portraying this world's version of himself - Ricky, a grim man of action who would not be out of place in a 1980's Saward serial. It's actually a bit satisfying to see Ricky get deflated when he has to confess that he's only London's most wanted "for parking tickets."
Jackie: The parallel Jackie is similar to our Jackie, but without any of the good points. She is vain and caustic, but without the fierce protectiveness. Our Jackie may seem shallow at first glance, but she has depth beneath the surface, mainly in the form of her fierce protectiveness of her daugher. This world's Jackie shows no sign of anything other than a deep layer of bitterness. Camille Coduri does a good job of hardening her usual portrayal to create a character who is at once familiar and yet substantially less likable.
Cybermen: Or "Cybus-men," I suppose. Given how many different variants of Cybermen we saw from the "Prime" universe, though, I can't make myself think that this difference makes much difference, save for the benefit of not over-writing Big Finish's excellent Spare Parts. Director Graeme Harper takes care to emphasize the Cybermen's power, shooting them at low angles or in close-ups of their expressionless metal faces. An interesting aside is that the Cybermen believe they are doing humanity a favor by converting them. They are freeing humanity of "the pain of the flesh."
THOUGHTS
Borrowing elements from Marc Platt's Big Finish audio Spare Parts, this two-parter takes the genesis of the Cybermen in a different direction. While Platt's audio was a human tragedy, this story is an action piece, complete with a campy, over-the-top villain in Roger Lloyd Pack's Lumic. It lacks Spare Parts' emotional power, but it's nice to see respect shown to the audio story - First in the decision to not overwrite it by explicitly making this an alternate reality origin story, second in the "Thanks to" credit given to Platt in the end credits.
Taken as an action story, Rise of the Cybermen is a good one. Graeme Harper returns to the Who director's chair for the first time since 1985's Revelation of the Daleks. His direction doesn't stand out from the pack quite the way it did in the classic series, for the simple reason that strong directing in the new series is the norm rather than the exception. Harper still knows how to evoke atmosphere, though, with a handful of standout moments.
The single most memorable set piece is the first Cyber conversion scene. The helpless victims march into the conversion chamber on the orders of Lumic's lackey, Mr. Crane (a terrific Colin Spuaull). As the first men disappear into the corridor, screams emerge, growing louder as the other men pass through the entrance. Crane tries to cover the noise by playing The Tokens' The Lion Sleeps Tonight, which continues to play over images of the conversion machine and a slow pull-back of the factory. We see no gore, no frightened faces, nothing that is actually visually disturbing... but the context, the music, and the gradual pull-back combine to create something horrific in the imagination.
Other memorable bits include: the "daily download" into the earpods, as a street of busy people suddenly freezes as information and entertainment is downloaded directly into their brains while Rose and the Doctor watch; the first march of the Cybermen, as they arrive at Pete Tyler's house, breaking through the glass doors and windows to announce their presence; and the Doctor and Mrs. Moore (Helen Griffin)'s infiltration of Lumic's warehouse through an underground tunnel - a corridor lined with inert Cybermen they must pass in front of, hoping with each step that the creatures are not activated. All striking moments, well-played and well-directed.
Despite some cracks showing around the climax, the story sustains its two episodes well and does its job of bringing the Cybermen into 21st century Who. Perhaps it isn't a great story, but I would certainly rate it as a good one.
Rating: 8/10.
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