Rise of the Cybermen

The first two parter of season two is a long anticipated return for the second highest profile characters in the Doctor's rogues gallery, the Cybermen. It's also a return for Director Graeme Harper, who became the first person to oversee an episode of Classic "Doctor Who" and "Nu-Who".

The TARDIS accidentally crashes through to a parallel Earth and to a London that is recognisable, but with some differences, like a fleet of Zeppelins that populate the sky. Despite The Doctor's (David Tennent) warnings Rose (Billie Piper) and Mickey (Noel Clarke) head off to see how their alternate lives are shaping up. Mickey's gran is still alive in this universe, but as he having an emotional reunion, freedom fighters sweep him up. For Rose, her father (Shaun Dingwall) is still alive and a rich and successful businessman but he and Jackie (Camille Coduri) never had any children. These stories intersect when tech mogul John Lumic (Roger Lloyd Pack) introduces his latest creation to the world.

The first thing that struck me about this episode is how much we've caught up with the "futuretech" of this one. Bluetooth headsets did exist in 2006, but nothing like in the volume that they are used now, since the growth of the airpods. So the city scenes, of vacant Londoners lost to their own worlds don't look as odd as they did then. Also the receiving of TV quality video on a mobile, was fiction then, but very much the norm today.

As it is, this is a decent start to the two-part episode but nothing too amazing. It's nice to see alt-Jackie, alt-Pete and "Rickey" but really, only Noel Clarke is doing anything to distinguish much between the characters. He also acts with himself in scenes that are visually OK, but a little lacking in the interaction you'd see in a similar set of scenes today. The human villains, played by Lloyd Pack and Colin Spaull feel like a bit cliché - though maybe the Dr. Frankenstein and Igor parallels are deliberate. The crippling and the resolution of the issues with the Tardis are a bit flimsy, logic wise.

It's an OK episode, don't get me wrong - but the second half will have a lot to do to drag this into comparison with the first season's two parters.

Rise of the Cybermen is the first part of a two part story where the TARDIS takes the Doctor, Rose and Mickey to an alternative Earth where Rose's father Pete is still alive and successful but is working for an evil businessman Lumic who has created a parallel universe version of the Cybermen.

Apparently a section of fans dislike this modern take on the Cybermen but I belong to the section of fans who feel that this redesign is absolutely fine. There were many disappointing Cybermen stories in the classic series and many disappointingly represented versions of Cybermen with dodgy voices, unimpressive design changes and illogical plans. I loved the original Mondasian Cybermen and loved their return at the end of the 12th doctor's era. However, despite the occasional great story which kept Cybermen as one of my favourite monsters there were plenty of Cybermen stories over the 60s, 70s and 80s that could have been a lot better.

These 21st Century alternative reality Cybermen are far better than some of the earlier versions with a design that looks good, works well for a modern audience, good voices and a good level of menace. Some of the scenes make them properly scary and threatening again. Lumic is also a suitably unpleasant villain.

The trip to a parallel Earth adds a great extra element into the plot which makes this a fun and interesting 2 parter. There is great humour, some nice pathos and good excitement.

My rating: 9.5/10.

After a slightly uncertain start to this episode, featuring the long awaited return of the second most iconic Dr. Who monsters, it gets into its stride. The Doctor,Rose and Mickey find themselves in an alternate London, sending both Rose and Mickey on the trail of relatives that have long since died in their reality. Finally, we start to get an idea of what makes Mickey tick as his back story is filled in. Rose's desperation to see her father is a rerun of Father's Day from Series 1 and covers much of the same ground, which gave this episode a score of 9 rather than 10. The Doctor is almost a peripheral figure for most of the episode, but David Tennant makes the most of every line, look and gesture. The villain, Lumic, was a muted character compared to Davros but quite effective. When the Cybermen arrived, their previous risible portrayals in Doctor Who were completely removed from the memory. These are Borg like monsters. This, in effect, returns the favour as the Borg were originally based on the Cybermen, as their first appearance in the episode entitled 'Q Who' makes clear! They even have their own catchphrase to rival the Daleks' 'exterminate!!'. The new Who goes from strength to strength.

Aaaarrrgghhh!!!!!! The first episode in the new Dr Who that made me want to hide behind the sofa!!!!!!!!!! Aaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!!!!!!! I literally screamed out in terror at the end!!!!!! You know Doctor Who is back when you get this spooked! New Cybermen - so evil and villainous! Are they back for good? Are the gang all stuck in an alternate dimension??!?!!?!? Will other villains be coming back cos of this alternate dimension?!?!?!? Seriously, way more scary than the Borg. I know they have the whole special effects and Star Trek angle - but I don't think they can beat monochrome evil! And think about it - Cybermen vs Borg? Who'd win - really?

Knowing this was going to be the first part of a two part arc, I held off on reviewing it until I saw the whole story. Then I got a bit lax and am behind reviewing not 2, but 3 episodes (This 2 parter as well as Idiot's Lantern). Needless to say, I seem to have my work cut out for me, so let's get to the nitty-gritty, right? The Doctor, Rose, and Mickey find themselves stranded on an alternative Earth after the TARDIS breaks down after the time vortex suddenly and inexplicably disappears. Rose is excited at the prospect because her long deceased father is still alive in this reality and very successful to boot. The Doctor is quite adamant about her not seeing her alternate daddy, but fate has other plans in store, as he works for a baddie who is creating a new version of old Doctor Who enemies, the Cybermen. As a rule, I'm not really fond of 'Alternative Reality' stories, as more often than not they usually have no lasting repercussions and no real sense of any danger (stemming from no vested interest in any but the main characters) I'll get more into that in my review of the second part, but suffice it to say this episode felt more like an episode of the now defunct "Sliders" than a true Who episode. Still very watchable though.

My Grade: B-