Doctor Who Club of Australia

dave

I think this met and exceeded all my expectations. Knowing it was going to be set in a parallel world and all that goes with that concept, combined with the return of the cybermen, it was always going to be an interesting story. I felt this was just beautifully executed. The build-up was nicely done, with glimpses of the 'ultimate upgrade' to build our anticipation for the big moment. The new cybermen look great; and it's great to see they're as deadly as ever...or more so. The cliffhanger this ended on was perfect. I'm curious to see how the Doctor gets them out of this one...I doubt it'll be by telling them to 'Go to your room'.

John Lumic is a great character, reminiscent of Tobias Vaughn, obviously. I wonder if the events seen in The Invasion didn't happen in this world...so now we got a modern version of it set in alternate world. Which is just fantastic. The zeppelins above London looked great. The feeling of it being 'alien', emphasised by the ear plugs everyone wore and the scene where a whole crowd just froze in the street, was great. Pete and Jackie having a dog called 'Rose', and the reactions to that by the Doctor and Rose, was hilarious. And then there's Ricky...

This season just seems to keep getting better. I know that can't continue indefinitely, but I'm certainly enjoying the ride. Rise of the Cybermen is a great story, well executed and a fitting return for the metal monsters of old, in this, their 40th year. Using the old line 'You shall become like us" was great. They've managed to stay true to the spirit of the original and update it and even re-create the origin of the Cybermen, thanks to the wonder of a parallel world.

Time to watch it again.

Tegan · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 5:11 pm Post subject:

As a child, I was always way more afraid of the Cybermen than any pepper-pot Daleks. I liked how these modern versions have a few retro touches, but manage a very clean, utilitarian look. No wasted dangly bits to be pulled out, no obvious respirator on the chest. Much more threatening than previous versions.

One small problem I can't get over though is the flared trousers! The episode concentrated views of the Cybermen on their marching feet, so you get a lot of views of the flares. Sad

Aside from that quibble though, I was very impressed by the episode. The mind control via ear pieces which fold out to, well antennas I suppose. Lumic is entirely without emotion. A perfect cyberman down to the voice.

I can't wait 'til next week, but no preview! Oh, how could they!

Hiruma · Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Australia

Great episode
A few comments listed

A) Finally a companion that realises Parallel Universes exist before is told so by the Doctor. I was damn proud of Mickey at that moment. The lad is brighter than he sometimes behaves

A) Part 2. We finally learn more about Mickeys past. Is Rickey something that Mickey may of become given the choices Rickey has made?

B) Loved the reference to Electromatics.

C) Love the gun fire ricochets. No more freaking chestplate to destroy. Hooray!

D) The blue light when talking is good. Also the lack of a gun. Death by electrocution touch seems so.. Cyberman.

E) This is the first episode that dosnt feel so Rose Centric. Mickey gets screen time/Rickey.

F) Cybermen. What else needs to be said?

Sub Question: Did the timewar stretch over parrallel universes? Thus would there be a Gallifrey in the alternate earth dimension?

Matt

Hiruma · Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Australia

Nobody has any comment on this ep? Where is everyone?

dave · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 5:56 pm Post subject:

I've been wondering that myself. I feel it's quite unfortunate that RLP broke his leg before filming started for this episode...he comes across a little too much as a Davros clone in some ways... I enjoyed his performance though. OTT nearly always worked well in DW...

Hiruma · Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Australia

Yes but this Davros has no Nyder. Pete is too jovial and his other henchmen with the glasses also has a comedic streak.

However.. I bet it isnt just me that expects the Cybermen to turn on Lumic itself at the end of Age of Steel. I truly am expect a Davros like moment with him being electrocuted .. deleted for not being a viable future cybermen. I can just so see it happening.. or he becomes a Cyberman himself and loses all his creativity. I think the Wheelchair is a perfect medium to show his illness and the more I see the episode the more I think its a Mickey ep.. or Rickey Smile

Matt

dave · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 7:18 pm Post subject:

I've also been wondering about Lumic...if he's so obsessed with living forever and all, why hasn't he undergone conversion yet? And I bet he'll anaesthetise himself beforehand if/when he does...

I'd be very surprised if the Cybermen turn against Lumic. It's already a bit too strongly 'Genesis of the Cybermen'....hell, they've even got their own version of 'exterminate' now... I think the second of your two solutions might be more likely...but I'm kinda hoping the Doctor and company lose, and have to flee...which is why there are Cybermen around to return in the finale...I'd like to see the Doctor get his butt whipped, and escaping to his home dimension in the nick of time...only for the Cybermen to later discover a means of opening a portal of some sort between dimensions...or maybe Torchwood do the opening of the portal...

Well, in the absence of much comment here...which is odd, considering the occasion, I thought I'd quote from my favourite post about this ep from elsewhere...

Amano07 · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 83

i liked it ..but ...i just cant accept the cybermen a being created on earth, they are from Mondas!

Guest · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 8:43 pm Post subject:

I am not so enthralled by this episode. I think with the exception of School Reunion this series is lacking a bit of punch. I am quite sure I will be proved wrong later in the series!

Maybe I have read too much on this season (tho no more than last season) but the Torchwood references are a bit too Bad Wolfish for me.

Jackie had some nice touches though - "You're just the staff" - a far cry from trying to get Rose to apply at the local butchers in Rose

Guest · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 8:46 pm Post subject:

Not to sound like a wingeing fan boy btw - we all waited a *very* long time for the series return, but I am not sure if I like the punch of Chris Eccelston a little more than Mr Tennant!

hallhotdogma · Joined: 30 Jun 2005 Posts: 54

they were me btw - sorry about that! Embarassed

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 660 Location: Perth

Another very good episode. Good to see Mickey/Ricky get some good screen time. Who is he really? Some excellent moments between characters like Pete/Jackie and Jackie/Rose. I think the Cybermen look great and David Tennant is brilliant as usual. 8/10.

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 892 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

Graeme Harper 'We're not worthy!'

WOW!! FANTASTIC episode!!!

It hasn't yet been conclusively said that the Cybermen were created on Earth.

With the ref to International Electromatix, couldn't Lumic simply have gotten his hands on some left over Cyber-tech from the previous invasion attempt via Vaughan? Maybe he had some kind of connection with Vaughan?

Either way, I don't mind. Still another 45 minutes to go.

While I've said before that I prefer CE's portrayal of the Doc, DT & BP seem to have a great sense of comic timing, and they always generate numerous giggles from me in every episode.

How far has the character Mickey come since uttering 'Pizza....' and clicking his lips in a rather cringeworthy way last year? Noel Clarke CAN act!! Some really nice moments there with Grandma.

I thought this ep with extremely well paced and the cliff-hanger gave me similar feelings of excitement to when I was was kid.

I've actually experienced scenes like the ones outside the mansion at the end of this episode in nightmares in the past. VERY creepy!!!

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!!

dave · Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 12:03 am Post subject:

Personally, I think it makes good sense to re-do the origin of the Cybermen. Cyber-continuity has been interfering with Cyberman stories for a while now, IMO. Now all that baggage can be put to one side (not done away with, of course, as these new cybermen come from a parallel dimension), and we can get a simple, modern and what seems to be a well thought-out new origin story. I love it. I think that it's a great idea (and one that happens in comic books quite often, so mebbe I'm just used to the concept).

I've seen a few comments around about the place about the pacing of this episode. A few rare individuals seemed to think it too slow, but the most common comment is that finally we have an ep which didn't feel rushed, and I agree. I loved the glimpses of those silver/grey shapes in the background throughout the episode, and the way the tension was built up heading towards the party...

As for Lumic/Vaughn and all that...I'd be curious to know whether The Invasion happened in this alt-Earth. Maybe there was never a Mondas nor any 'real' Cybermen over there? Maybe. I guess it doesn't have any bearing on the current story and so we're unlikely to ever get a definite answer.

Mind you, if the second part lives up to the promise of the first, I don't care at all about answers to such niggly questions... I just want to see more of the Cybermen in action...they're awesome. Very Happy

Dazza · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 106

Rise of the Cybermen was a refreshing change of pace from the previous episodes. The characters had time to develop and there was a gradual build up to the reveal of the Cybermen.

At this point in time I'm not quite impressed with the Cybermen. They appear to be mindless drones rather than the intelligent, scheming villians we've come to know. I was waiting for "You will be destroyed" but got "You will be deleted" Rolling Eyes

However, as we didn't see much of the cybermen, I will wait until the next episode before passing judgement.

I forgot this one was directed by Graeme Harper - he did a great job.

A Very Good from me.

PS - Didn't Billie look great in that waitress outfit Very Happy

arturo · Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 78 Location: Toowoomba

I agree with the lashings of praise that have been heaped upon this story. I was kind of annoyed that it took so long for the cybermen to be revealed then realised that we had actually seen them in the very first scene and quite frequently afterwards. When they were in action (and in focus) they were awesome. The scenes of them crashing through windows into the house are taken from a nightmare I used to have when I was a kid.

Mickeys development was excellent n this episode and it isnt hard to see why he may choose to stay at the end of the next one (assuming he makes it through alive).

Beautiful acting all around, Rose the wonderdog was a particulat favourite in our house.

My only complaint with this episode is that it lead to my humiliation at work this week. As I was walking up stairs I found that a regular cadence could easily be accomplished by cyberman noises.....which would have been fine if my superior wasn't walking up the stairs behind me Embarassed

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 892 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

Did anyone notice the actor in this episode who also appeared in Revelation of the Daleks, which also happened to have been directed by Graeme Harper?

charlie · Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:41 pm Post subject:

GENIUS! A brilliant idea going to another universe timeline. The only things I didnt like about this ep were that Ricky used a big chunky walky talky (that doesnt make sense) and when everyone froze to download info, there was this one guy that blinked really obviously.
I loved wheelchairman. He was awsome.
I wonder what happened to Mondas of that universe. Maybe they just had a name swap and would have flown off somewhere only to return and suck the energy out.

If there is a gallefrey in this universe it is possibl that Omega died early and timetravel never got going.

Dwarkarn · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 9

My least favourite episode of the new series.

It was as wooden as a crucifix.

The interaction between characters was as robotic as the Cybermens emotions.

Think about it we had Rose's Father back in alternate universe form, plus Mrs. Tyler. Could of been so much done there, but it wasnt.

Relationships between Rose and the doctor seemed so strained in this episode. That's what happens when you trust a double episode of the Doctors Second most lethal opponent to an amateur writer.

charlie · Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 7:36 pm Post subject:

I heard a rumour that the Cybermats were going to be in this one. What happened to that idea?

Wouldn't it be great if that cybermat from Tomb had got on the ship with the rest of them, made it back to somewhere and started up the cybermen again. (assuming, of course, that that meeting in Earthshock took place, the Cybermen lost that war (they were losing it while Attack was going on) and the last of them froze themselves)

Or RTD could take us back to that alteruniverse again. Rolling Eyes

I'm shocked at how well this all fits together after 40yrs. Has anyone else noticed this?