Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 6 - The Age of Steel

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 6 - The Age of Steel

Continuing on from last week...

Where were we? Oh, yeah...Cybermen! About to delete a surrendering Doctor! Cue title sequence!

Well, we needn’t have worried. The Doctor unleashes a super-charged-by-that-bit-from-the-TARDIS-that-he’s-charging nuclear blast from his sonic screwdriver and vaporises the crap out of the Cybermen. They all leg it, The Doctor telling Pete that everyone in the house is dead, so he’ll have to forget about Jackie. Who is actually still alive, hiding in a small room.

In the van, they all argue about who’s bad guy and who isn’t – Pete was working for Lumic (the bad guy from the first episode, if you’ve forgotten) to give the security services information, and Ricky is actual London’s Most Wanted for parking tickets, which is pretty hardcore. The Doctor says they just need to find the authorities and report him for being a naughty man, but from his base, Lumic has other ideas. He sends a secret signal into the population of London’s ear pods, which sends them towards Cyber-factories like zombies.

The group split up, looking for Lumic’s base of operations. Mickey and Ricky head one way, but Ricky gets electrocuted to death after the pair get split up. Rose, The Doctor, Pete and Mrs Moore have a narrow escape, too. At Battersea Power Station, Lumic’s base, Michael Caine Mr Crane is brought before his former boss, and manages to damage his breathing equipment before the Cybermen electrocute him. The Cybermen want to upgrade Lumic to stop his pain, and he’s not too happy about it, but they wheel him away to a conversion chamber.

Mickey meets back up with the group, letting them know of Ricky’s death. They find Battersea Power Station, plotting a way in; Pete and Rose will wear fake ear pods to fool the Cybermen, Ricky will disable the ear pod transmitter in the zeppelin, whilst The Doctor and Mrs Moore will enter from the tunnels below. Oh, hang on, we’re forgetting someone again...oh, yeah, what’s Mickey going to do? Go with Jake apparently.

Inside the tunnels, The Doctor and Mrs Moore immediately run into a load of already-converted Cybermen, awaiting activation. Outside, Rose and Pete slip the ear pods in, and successfully join a line of people. Jake and Mickey make their way onto the zeppelin after knocking out the guards. Back in the tunnels, the Cybermen begin waking up, and The Doctor and Mrs Moore just escape through a ceiling hatch in time. In the main building, Rose and Pete find Jackie – she’s a Cyber(wo)man, which sucks for their relationship, frankly. Jake and Mickey are in the control room of the zeppelin, looking for the transmitter controls, and finding empty Cybermen skeletons in the closet. Mrs Moore manages to disable a Cyberman with an EMP, and when they open it up they find it has a metal heart, human nervous system and emotion-inhibitor to stop them realising what has happened and going insane. Unfortunately, this downed Cyberman’s inhibitor has broken and it’s still alive (and by Christ, if you don’t choke up slightly here you’re as dead as a Cyberman with a functional emotion-inhibitor). After putting it to sleep, The Doctor declares the inhibitor to be the key – if they can find the right frequency then they can shut them all down. It would kill them, but if would stop them killing everyone else. Like Mrs Moore, who stands up and gets killed. The Doctor is taken away as an ‘unknown upgrade’.

Back in the control room, Jake and Mickey decide to crash the zeppelin as the easiest way of turning off the signal, but they trigger a silent alarm that starts to wake the Cyberman in the cupboard. The Doctor is taken to a holding room where he finds Rose and Pete. They learn that Lumic has been upgraded to Cyber-Controller, who promptly arrives on a futuristic version of the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones. Before he can do anything to them, Mickey tricks the Cyberman into punching the transmitter control box, severing the connection to the ear pods. Everyone begins to come to, legging it past the Cyber army. The Doctor points out that by doing all of this, there will be no more advancements, and that would suck, basically. Using a secret code of calling Mickey an idiot out loud, so that Mickey can hear over the CCTV footage, he gets said idiot to locate the code and send it to Rose’s phone. All the Cybermen start freaking out, noticing what they’ve become and literally all blow their minds. As Lumic stays behind to burn, The Doctor, Rose and Pete flee to the roof as Mickey and Jake wait for them in the zeppelin. Just as they begin to climb the ladder, it turns out Lumic escaped after all and is coming after them, but Pete uses the sonic screwdriver to burn through the rope and drop him hundreds of feet back to the power station.

Back in the TARDIS, The Doctor puts the power module back inside, recharging it. As Rose bids Pete goodbye, learning that Rose is his daughter in a parallel world, Mickey tells Rose them that he’s dying. His gran is still alive, there is work that can be done, and she has The Doctor. And, gods, I think I’ve got something in my eye because they’re leaking really badly.

Rose and The Doctor arrive back in Jackie’s flat for an emotional reunion, and Mickey and Jake head off to Paris in a van, as all new best friends should.

So, how does this fare compared to the first part? Well, it’s not perfect but it’s good, with plenty of tension, moral dilemmas and a damn good and shocking emotional punch at the end in more ways than one. Mickey leaving isn’t something you’d necessarily anticipate (though he’s obviously been unhappy since episode 1), and as I have no idea whether or this was announced before the original episode was broadcast I’m going to stick with it being a good shock.

Oh, Mickey. Even on a parallel Earth you still end up the butt of the jokes. ‘London’s Most Wanted...For Parking Tickets’. Fighting the system by parking anywhere. Ricky might have a harder edge, but he’s still our Mickey at heart. Noel Clarke is definitely the unsung hero of the first couple of seasons of Who, and he brightened every episode he was in. I don’t remember the show suffering without him as such, but he definitely provided plenty of memorable moments.

It’s often the way the other’s treated him, aswell, that sticks in mind. The Doctor’s face when he realises that they’ve forgotten to give Mickey a task, again, outside Battersea Power Station is priceless. The smile that The Doctor and Rose give each other, compared to the muted farewell they give Mickey before he lives with Jake, also speaks volumes.

I loved, loved, how The Doctor manages to get Mickey to locate the code to shut down the emotional inhibitors. Showing Mickey that he really does respect him (by calling him an idiot) is a great way to end Mickey’s character arc (though he will return a couple of times, of course) as he gets to be the hero he deserves to be. He’s been great as both a comic foil and another human eye on The Doctor, but one that sees the negative of being a companion.

Of course, Tennant and Piper are great as ever. Shaun Dingwall as Pete Tyler has been brilliant with every appearance, and you really do feel for him and Rose that their relationship will never get to be (keep quiet, those of you giving me knowing winks).

On to the negative, there’s just something about the whole storyline that doesn’t quite let it stand with the best stories. I think part of it is just the fact that the Cybermen happen to get built on a parallel world, in an almost exact copy of the originals from our universe, but with a completely different origin. It’s just a bit too convenient.

I’m a bit disappointed in the way that everyone flees the power station by just running past the Cybermen. Yes, there were plenty of them, and perhaps they didn’t stop them because they didn’t want to damage ‘good stock’, but if they are this easy to run away from and push past then they suddenly become a bit pathetic. Surely they would have started electrocuting people as they went past?

So, the zeppelin wheel goes up and down…how does it go left and right? I’m sure there’s a way, but…

In other Who-lore, is this the first use of ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry’ when The Doctor tends to the fallen Cyber(wo)man? The President used it in the previous episode, but I don’t recall Tennant using it before then. It’ll be his signature catchphrase from now on, of course. And talk about tugging on your emotional heartstrings – the woman, Sally Field, who has been turned into this Cyber(wo)man, is meant to be getting married tomorrow – blimey, I thought my heart was breaking!

The solution, killing them all by turning off the emotional-inhibitor is the kind of genocidal conundrum that our favourite Time Lord has found himself in before, of course. His reaction is a lot calmer than when he last had to make a choice to kill everyone (the Daleks and humans in The Parting of the Ways), asking Mrs Moore whether or not it was something they could do, and just like when he wiped out both the Daleks and the Time Lords it comes down to numbers – by doing so, more lives will be saved. Horrible ethical conundrum, but I’m glad the show never shies away from this sort of thing.

In the same vein, the idea of someone doing something evil in the hope of prolonging life is a staple classic of Science-Fiction, but in this case The Doctor’s point that it would kill imagination, when imagination is what brought him this idea, kills dead any argument that Lumic could possibly have.

There’s a couple of great quotes:

Mickey: You’re just making this up!

Doctor: Yuuuuup. But I do it brilliantly.

Yes you do, Doctor. That’s why you’re awesome.

‘Oh Lumic, you’re a clever man. I’d call you a genius but I’m in the room’

The Doctor’s ego, ladies and gentleman! Brilliant as ever!

‘All reject stock will be incinerated’

That’s pretty...shitty. Not good enough to be a Cyberman so they burn the parts. You suck, Cybermen. You suck.

The music really is superb, with the Cybermen theme probably one of my favourite Murray Gold compositions. It helps build up their menace, and leaves us in no doubt that what’s about to happen isn’t going to be good. The music is consistently one of the strongest elements of new-Who, and I’m glad that the composer always seems to get the recognition he deserves.

Torchwood Mentions

None

Overall

It’s a strong end to a two-parter, though it’s not quite up there with new-Who’s strongest multi-episode arcs. A great episode for Mickey fans, with strong emotional and moral punches that should leave you with a few tears by the end.

8/10

Comic Book Review – Asterix and the Picts

Comic Book Review – Asterix and the Picts

Recommended for all ages

This is a big moment for the Asterix series. For the first time ever, Albert Uderzo has handed over the reins to a new creative team, author Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrator Didier Conrad. This is both a very exciting and a very nerve-wracking development for several reasons. The first is the obvious worry of whether or not this new creative team can match the giddy heights that Uderzo and Rene Goscinny reached with the very best Asterix stories. Secondly, you’re unlikely to find a fan that doesn’t believe the books have gone a little downhill in recent times, so the chance to have some new direction is much the same as Disney acquiring the rights to Star Wars. It’s unfair to level too much criticism at Uderzo, who took over the writing side of the stories upon the death of Goscinny, because this wasn’t his role in the earliest and best years. Personally, I think he’s done a brilliant job keeping it going, with the exception of his last full Asterix publication, Asterix and the Falling Sky, which I have to say was one of the biggest disappointments and blights on a series that I love since the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

That’s a bit of a lengthy introduction to a general review, so it’s probably time for me to endeth the history lesson and get on with the main show. So, does this show the Asterix series back on track? In a word, yes, Definitely. It’s fun, full of adventure, and the new team have recreated that classic Asterix-humour perfectly, from the word play in the character’s names, to banter between them all. It’s also due, of course, to the translator (shouldn’t forget this with a foreign language to English book!) Anthea Bell, who has translated every Asterix book from the very beginning. This includes the names in particular, and there’s a wonderful running joke of ‘Mac’s’ throughout this story that continues her fine tradition.

In the story, a frozen Pict (MacAroon) washes up on the shores of the Gaulish village. Asterix and Obelix vow to return him to his village in Caledonia, and find out who was responsible for pushing him into the water in the first place. When they get there, they have to help stop the perpetrator from proclaiming himself King of the Picts, and find where his fiancé has been imprisoned. It feels just like a classic Asterix adventure, in the vein of Asterix in Britain (for obvious reasons), and it’s leaps and bounds ahead of Falling Sky (though that’s not hard).

Didier Conrad has recreated Uderzo’s drawing style faultlessly – there’s no way at all you could tell it wasn’t done by the original illustrator if you weren’t told beforehand. It’s a key factor to retaining the feel of the original books, and it further cements the fact that the series is in safe hands.

I’m eagerly awaiting the next instalment, and with a younger team (and fantastic translator!) overseeing the series’ future I hope we’ll see further books much more regularly. If you’re a big Asterix fan, this will restore your faith in the adventures of Gaul’s greatest heroes.

8/10

DVD Review - Frozen

DVD Review - Frozen

Suitable for Everyone

Last year, there was no way to avoid the hype surrounding Disney's latest animated offering, Frozen. Critics were falling over themselves to proclaim it the best that Disney has produced since The Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast/Aladdin/The Lion King (whichever is your favourite, take your pick), which is some damn high praise as those are some of the greatest and most beloved children's films of all time. Hell, for me The Lion King is one of the greatest films of all time full stop. I missed it when it first came out in the cinema, but I've finally had the chance to see if it lives up to its promise now that it's out on DVD. It would so easy to get fed up with hearing how amazing it is, that your view would be coloured firmly in the anti-Frozen corner before the disc had even started playing, so it was with a certain trepidation that my wife and I sat down to watch it.

Quite simply, Frozen is absolutely stunning.

The last time I had this feeling about a children's film was when I saw The Lion King for the first time, and I can only imagine that's the same feeling that children all over the world have been experiencing since they first saw this. We've had some brilliant animated films in the last 20 years (think how much of a game changer Toy Story, Shrek and Wall-E have been), but something about Frozen made me get that special feeling inside that I haven't had for two decades. It nails that perfect Disney charm in a way that no other company can do, populated with a perfect cast, catchy show-stopping tunes and stunning visuals.

The story itself is a re-imagining of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen, which I have to admit I really don't know anything about. Nor do I need to now, to be honest, because it wouldn't be able to replace the story here. It's the tale of two sisters, Elsa the elder, and Anna the younger, princesses in the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa has magical powers to create ice and snow which she struggles to control, and when Anna's life is put is threatened, all memory of them have to be wiped from her memory. The king and queen lock the gates to the kingdom so that no-one can discover Elsa's magic until it can be more tightly controlled. Where the sisters used to play, now Elsa refuses to come out of her room to see Anna.

Years later, after their parents death, Elsa's coronation as queen is due to take place. When Anna falls in love at the afterparty, Elsa's anger at her sudden betrothal to a man she has barely known five minutes (Hans) leads to her revealing her powers, freezing the whole kingdom and most of the surrounding mountains in the process. Elsa flees, setting up her own ice palace far away, but when Anna tries to get her to return with the help of ice merchant Kristoff, his reindeer Sven and snowman-come-to-life Olaf, Elsa isn't willing to come home, and Anna must find a way to convince her to come home and rid the kingdom of the ice and snow that now engulfs it.

Right from the beginning there are plenty of heart-wrenching moments (think Mufasa's death in The Lion King and you're getting close), and the characters are so wonderfully realised that it's impossible not to get emotionally caught up in their tale. All the voice cast are wonderful, but it's Kristen Bell as Anna and Idina Menzel as Anna and Elsa who really stand out. I never knew Kristen Bell could sing so well (Idina Menzel I knew could), but they're perfect as the sisters who so want to be as close as they used to be, but can't find a way. The combination of Kristoff and Sven is great to see, and there's plenty to boo at when one character turns out to not be who we thought they were.

There's only one character for me that doesn't work brilliantly, and unfortunately that's Olaf. He's good, with some very funny bits, but he just isn't quite on the same level as other Disney companions like Timon and Pumbaa, Flounder or Genie. Nothing at all against Josh Gad who provides his voice, but I feel as though unlike those mentioned above you could take him out and it wouldn't affect the film at all, bar one key scene towards the end. Still, it's a very minor flaw in the grand scheme of things, and doesn't detract from the overall quality.

The music really is fantastic (you'll probably be quite familiar with 'Let It Go' by now), reminding me of the Tangled soundtrack, of which I'm a big fan. Recently, there's been a different feel to Disney soundtracks than their traditional songs, but it works really well here, even if there are only two songs that will probably stand the test of time (compared to the four or five that are on most of the biggest Disney film soundtracks). The animation too is breathtaking, particularly when Elsa uses her ice powers to build her palace. Every part of the production is of the highest levels, and it's no wonder the film garnered as much praise as it did.

I'm not lying when I say that I had a feeling inside me after watching it that I haven't felt for 20 years. It's the feeling that you've seen something you'll be telling people about for years to come, and that will be cropping up on 'best of' lists for decades. It's something incredibly special, where practically everything comes together perfectly, and creates something magical in the way that only Disney can. It's imperative that you see this as soon as possible, no matter how old you are, because it's brilliant enough to make you feel like a child again, discovering a film that will stay with you for life. Bravo Disney, bravo.

10/10

Graphic Novel Review – East of West Volume 1: The Promise – Jonathan Hickman (Author) & Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – East of West Volume 1: The Promise – Jonathan Hickman (Author) & Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)

Recommended for: Adults

I ordered this into the library based on a ‘Best of 2013’ list. There’s literally nothing on the back cover that gives you a hint as to what the story is about, so for once I was genuinely going into a story blind. I came out of it feeling very glad that I gave it a shot.

East of West is the story of Death, and his attempts to seek vengeance on those who attempted to destroy him and wish to bring about the end of the world. It’s set in a futuristic version of our world, with a mixture of steam punk and the Old West at play, and of course it plays heavily on the theme of the apocalypse. The other three of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death being the fourth) are present, working with a group of elites from around the world called ‘The Chosen’ to bring about the Rapture, with only Death and his estranged wife standing in their way. Their actions are led by ‘The Message’, a prophecy about the end times to which they all (mostly) subscribe.

It’s a different take on the apocalypse to have Death working against it, and it works really well. Setting it in the future makes a nice change because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film or read a book where the apocalypse wasn’t happening in the present day (I presume it makes it more scary if you think that it could be happening right now). I’ll admit that it took me a short while to fully grasp everything that was going on (though I’d be lying if I said I was still 100% confident about it), but when you start to put the pieces together it fits nicely.

Character wise, it’s great seeing a new take on Death. I’m still not sure whether you’d call him a good guy or not, as he’s more just out for revenge, but I suppose if the end of the world comes about then Death kind of loses his M.O. really, doesn’t he? His wife is a fearsome badass, the type of which you’d be petrified to meet in real life, and the rest of the main cast are memorable, particulary Andrew Archibald Chamberlain, a British (I’m presuming) leader who has decided that he rather likes the world after all.

The illustrations have a very bleak feel to them which suit the story well, and are pretty graphic in places. Some of the supernatural characters, such as Death and his two witches, are very memorable in their style. It’s certainly not a bright and colourful graphic novel, though you’d be hard pressed to find someone who thinks that the apocalypse is such.

I’m intrigued to see where the story goes next, as we see Death riding off on a rescue mission, and I’d say it’s a perfect story for any who likes a bleak dystopian tale about revenge. I’ll be eagerly awaiting Volume 2.

8/10

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume Two– Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume Two– Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Recommended for adults

I’d only just finished writing my review of the fantastic Saga Volume One when I started Volume 2. I thought the first volume was absolutely brilliant, and one that I want to spread the word about to everyone that I know who loves this type of material. Having read the sequel, I’m even more determined to keep spreading the message.

*SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE FIRST BOOK AND MILD PLOT SPOILERS FOR VOLUME TWO*            

Having successfully fled the planet they were stuck on with their newborn daughter, Alana and Marko find themselves confronted by Marko’s parents. Having sent Izabel down to a random planet, Marko and his mother are sent to retrieve her, whilst Alana and Marko’s dad, Barr, bond on the ship. A secret at the heart of the planet that Izabel is on is about to cause a whole bunch of problems, as is the ship tracking them containing the bounty hunter, The Will, and someone from Marko’s past.

*END SPOILERS*

The story here continues in much the same vein as the first story, which is great because the story is wonderfully told, with the snappy dialogue that was a highlight of the first volume still working to great effect here. The addition of Marko’s parents is a great move, highlighting the conflict that they would face from the rest of society for crossing the divide between their people. Marko’s mother is completely against it, whereas his father just wants to get to know his granddaughter and spend some time with his son. Elsewhere, The Will is still trying to rescue the slave girl from the brothel planet, marking his bounty hunter character as a much more interesting type, and the addition of Gwendolyn, someone from Marko’s past, brings in yet another element of danger for the heroes of our story. There's a lot of fleshing out the background to the main characters, particularly in how Alana and Marko met, which makes it a slightly slower paced volume, but a wise move to give us more understanding into why these characters work well together.

The illustrations continue to be as eye-catching as before, bringing everything alien to life perfectly. There’s a wonderful and unforgettable creation awaiting Marko and his mother on the planet they land on, which happens to have a secret of its own hiding at its core, which is again a great sci-fi concept. I find myself getting more and more exciting to see what Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples can come up with in each chapter, and I really am frustrated that I have to wait until April to read Volume Three.

Everyone should be reading and re-reading Saga. It’s wonderfully written and drawn beautifully, full of imagination with a great story, and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

10/10

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume One – Brian K. Vaughan (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Graphic Novel Review – Saga Volume One – Brian K. Vaughan  (Author) & Fiona Staples (Illustrator)

Recommended for adults

I’d read a lot praise for Saga before read it, so it was with feverish anticipation that I started it when it finally came into the library. There’s nothing worse than finding out something you’ve been waiting for doesn’t live up to the hype, so I was delighted to find that Saga is even better than I hoped.

It’s the story of a mother, father and their child, and those hunting them down. Mother and father are from separate warring worlds, she the planet Landfall, he its moon, Wreath, and these are worlds that have been locked in conflict for as long as anyone can remember. Because the destruction of one world would push the other out of orbit, the war is outsourced to foreign lands, which is a brilliantly original piece of storybuilding. When Alana gives birth to baby Hazel, Marko must help her try and escape. They are hunted by parties on both sides, including Prince IV of the Robot People on behalf of the planet Landfall, and two freelancers called The Will and The Stalk. Helping them along the way is a ghost called Izabel, as they try to find a way off the planet they are on. It’s a fast paced affair, dealing well with the issue of warring factions in conflict, and what happens when two people from opposite sides of the war fall in love (ignore any Shakespeare similarities...).

For me, the real strength of Saga is the dialogue. It’s so witty and snappy, particularly when ghost Izabel is helping Alana and Marko. It’s also nice how there is some narration from an older Hazel filling in the back story of the world and characters. Talking of the characters, I think Izabel might be one of my favourite comic book creations of all time, already, even though she’s only in the story for a small part. There are a host of memorable characters though - Alana and Marko make for a leading couple that it’s easy to root for; The Will is a freelancing bounty hunter with a conscience, particularly when he discovers an underage slave girl on a brothel planet; and Prince IV of the Robot People is clearly weary of the war and having to fight for Landfall, with a slight hint of crazy about his person.

I mentioned a plot involved rescuing an underage slave girl from a brothel planet – this is definitely a book for adults. There are adult themes and some fairly explicit drawings throughout, and the language is full of swearing. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it’s definitely one to wait to show your kids when they’re older.

Talking of the illustrations, sometimes you feel that the images match the writing style perfectly, and that’s the case here. They’re perfectly fitting for a book about aliens, and the aliens themselves are varied and interesting, The Landfall people have wings, whereas those from Wreath (‘Moonies’) have curved horns on their heads. We see the Robot People who seem to be machines with televisions for heads, which display some of their thoughts at times of high emotion, and there are others such as the ‘lying’ cat (The Will’s companion who knows if someone is lying) and some of the women from the brothel planet who appear to be nothing but legs and a gigantic head. There’s also the most terrifying bounty hunter ever drawn, The Stalk, who is worth seeking out a picture of rather than relying on my description. Collectively they’re some of the most interesting aliens I’ve come across in literature.

Saga is a graphic novel series that I would recommend any Science-Fiction and Fantasy fans should check out as soon as they can. I’m eagerly awaiting Volume 2, which I’m beginning as soon as I finish this review. I haven’t rushed through a graphic novel this quickly for a long time, which I put down primarily to the fantastic dialogue, interesting characters and fun storyline. Please do yourselves a favour and check it out now; if anything is worth the hype, it’s Saga.

10/10

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 5 - Rise of the Cybermen

Revisiting Doctor Who - Series 2, Episode 5 - Rise of the Cybermen

I'm really making a conscious effort here to shorten these reviews - you could get a full run-down of each episode at tardis.wikia after all. So, hopefully this will get you through a little bit quicker.

Crash landing on a parallel Earth with the TARDIS dead, The Doctor, Rose and Mickey seem to be stranded. It’s similar to their Earth, but with Zeppelins in the air, and another version of Rose’s dad, Pete, on an advert for a fruit drink. The Doctor warns her that she cannot get in touch with him no matter what. Whilst he and Mickey manage to find a power cell to charge in the TARDIS, however, Rose accidentally connects to a local phone network, and after viewing a video of John Lumic, the guy from the prologue, she looks up her father. She heads off to find him, whilst Mickey heads off in the opposite direction, as The Doctor tries to order them both to stay, but fails.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Pete is a lot more successful in this universe, living with Jackie and a dog called Rose in a huge house with posh cars and servants. He’s in contact with Lumic via an ear pieces that everyone appears to have, and Lumic is able to take over Jackie’s mind with some that he gifted her, learning security arrangements for her party that evening. Lumic also tells his assistant to go on a recruitment drive, which involves enticing a lot of people in to the back of a van, whereupon we hear a load of deathly screams. Someone who used to be on Byker Grove films this from nearby. Later, Pete meets the President of Great Britain at an airfield, boarding Lumic’s Zeppelin.

Rose and The Doctor are wandering through London when everyone stops moving following a mobile phone ringtone sounding, as they receive a daily download of news to their ear pieces. They all move on when the download is finished. As it turns out the update is administered by Cybus Industries, who own just about every company in Britain, including Pete’s, The Doctor can’t really turn down Rose anymore. Mickey, meanwhile, visits his ‘gran’, who has died on our Earth, though she thinks he’s called Ricky, as do the people who kidnap him and throw him in a van, which includes the guy from Byker Grove. Though they believe him to be Ricky, when they meet the real Ricky it immediately becomes obvious that they’re a little bit mistaken. After a brief scene where they strip Mickey down to look for bugs, the blonde lady of the group says that they’ve received confirmation of Lumic making a move by ‘Gemini’, and they make to intercept.

In the air, Lumic is explaining Cybermen to the President, who denies him permission to make this widespread, telling him that he isn’t God. Like all crazy dictator people, Lumic believes he will be prolonging humanity through the project, and doesn’t see the slightly dodgy evil part of the plan. He tells his assistant to begin the upgrades anyway.

The Doctor and Rose use the psychic paper to blag their way in to Jackie’s party as serving staff, where they mingle and look out for clues, though Rose finds it difficult when she sees Pete and Jackie. She has a brief conversation with Pete that turns awkward, whilst The Doctor finds a computer to search, seeing Lumic’s presentation to the President. The group that Mickey is with are outside, planning on making an entrance, when a bunch of Cybermen appear out of a van. Rose tries talking to Jackie, but learns that she isn’t anything like her own mum, when spotlights come on in the garden as the Cybermen approach. She finds The Doctor, who notes that ‘it’s happening again’. The Cybermen smash windows and break into the house, as Lumic addresses the President, calling them all ‘his children’. The Cybermen tell the guests that they will all become like them, with upgrading compulsory, and when the President refuses he is ‘deleted’, as are many of the guests. Jackie and her increasingly heaving bosom flee to the basement, whilst Rose and The Doctor flee outside along with Pete, but there are too many of them to escape, even with the help of Mickey, Ricky and Byker Grove. Though The Doctor surrenders, the Cybermen tell them that they are inferior stock, and as the episode ends we see them advancing towards our heroes, shouting ‘Delete! Delete! Delete!’...

So, the first appearance of the Cybermen in new-Who; how does it measure up? Well, not amazing, really. I really like seeing how they came into being, and they certainly seem very menacing at the end of the episode when they advance on The Doctor et al, but to me there's a sense of danger missing from the episode as a whole. I love alternative Earths, and it's great seeing Pete, Jackie and Ricky, as well as raising the question of how important they should be to Rose and Mickey, but even this doesn't make me that excited by the episode. It's hard to put my finger on exactly what the problem is, but at the end of the day I think I'm just not overcome with a desire to see it again. If I wasn't revisiting every episode, then I think I would have chosen to skip this one beforehand from previous memories, and that hasn't changed at all. There are some really good bits as ever though, highlighted below.

Aside from the conundrum of whether to interact with those you know in a parallel universe, I think the episodes highlight is Mickey. It's almost a given by now, but he really does leave me thinking 'poor Mickey' half the time, as he laments the fact that The Doctor will always choose Rose when they both decide they want to wander off to do things The Doctor doesn't want them to do. Noel Clarke has always given Mickey a very sympathetic trait, and it's highlighted brilliantly in that short sequence. David Tennant's reaction is equally as good, as he acknowledges Mickey's assertion that Rose will always come first with an almost apologetic stare that speaks volumes. We also learn a bit of Mickey's background, that his mother couldn't cope with looking after him and that his dad left shortly afterwards, leaving his gran to raise him, who died five years ago. The Doctor says how he never knew, and Rose points out that he never asks, which sums it all up. It's even more tragic when Mickey spots the dodgy carpet on her stairs that she tripped on in our universe, and he wells up as he realises he should have gotten it fixed. Mickey getting to tell The Doctor that it's London, not an endless void, that they've landed in is a great chance for him to be right for a change.

Kudos too to Noel Clarke for playing the complete opposite of Mickey as Ricky. I know that he can play the hardman from seeing him in films like Kidulthood, but it's great seeing the contrast here, showcasing his versatility as an actor. 

Billie Piper, too, is very strong with Rose's struggles at wanting to see her parents, even thought they aren't technically her parents. Her look of horror as she comes to realise this really is the case when Jackie shouts at her in a way she never expected is spot on. Also, I don't know why, but I loved watching Rose smile sweetly on the shoulder of The Doctor when he realised that they were going to have to talk to Pete after all - I think it's because it's exactly the sort of look a friend can give another that causes them to give in to a request, and it highlights Rose and The Doctor's friendship well. I'm also loving the fact that Pete and Jackie's dog is called Rose - Doctor Who does this sort of thing so well. It's brilliant when Rose and The Doctor discover this and The Doctor bursts out laughing.

The Doctor giving Rose an almost aggressive warning that this Pete isn't her Dad is classic-Tenth Doctor. You can feel the reason behind it, that he is genuinely concerned she'll end up getting hurt and that he wants to avoid it at all costs because of how much he cares. He can have a very urgent, almost pleading tone at times, and it's used to full effect here.

Sometimes it's the little moments that help to improve the viewing experience. There's a very nice bit of elaboration on the Time Lords history, as The Doctor says that universe-hopping was easy when the Time Lords were around, but when they died it all ceased. The Doctor's face shows how much the Time War still effects him, and though he now has much more freedom in many ways, he's more stifled in others.

There are a couple of bits of the episode that I just didn't get on with. I'm not loving at all the use of The Lion Sleeps Tonight as we see the first upgrades happening - reminds me too much of the stupid use of pop songs in The End of the World. Just a joke that doesn't work for me. Far too cheesy.

Also, Mr Crane, Lumic's assistant, could not be channelling Michael Caine any more if he tried. Either they're aiming for this (his name, Crane, being eerily similar to Caine) or the actor just genuinely sounds like that, but whatever the reason I can't see him without having that comparison in my head. 

Torchwood Mentions

The video on Rose's phone mentions the Torchwood Institute publishing a report on an unknown event or subject.

Pete asks someone called Stevie how things are going at Torchwood.

Overall

Whilst there's a sense of danger with the Cybermen, and the conundrum of whether parallel-universe versions of your loved ones should be sought out is well displayed, there's just something missing from this episode that means it could easily be skipped without any difficulty.

6/10