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RISE 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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