I loved this story. ItВ’s perhaps the best synthesis of old and new Who weВ’ve had so far В– it contains the same vaguely ridiculous monsters and contrived chase-and-escapes that fans have always enjoyed, but it also brings in the new sentimental elements that Russell T. Davies has made an emphasis in the show, and explores emotional pain in ways that are at times poignant and at times almost unbearably horrifying. ItВ’s fast-paced, fun, literate, and very, very scary В– in other words, itВ’s great Doctor Who.

First things first В– the Cybermen. Their reinvention works much better than that of the Daleks in 2005, in part because they were more in need of a tune-up in the first place. Wisely, the production team have turned back to the Troughton-era concept of the race. These Cybermen arenВ’t generic, boasting Doctor Who villains like the ones in В‘EarthshockВ’; in fact, before the Cyber Controller makes its appearance, they donВ’t say much at all, and when they do, their bland utterances and monotone voice reinforce the idea of them as uniform blanks, void of *any* human qualities, good or bad.

When I heard the new series was revisiting this popular monster, and saw their new design, I wondered whether the production designers shouldnВ’t have gone back to a more organic, В‘Tenth PlanetВ’-type form, and also whether much of the CybermenВ’s thunder wouldnВ’t be stolen by the Star Trek franchiseВ’s Borg, which are so much fresher in the publicВ’s memory (at least in the U.S.). But now having seen this story, I am sure they made the right choice В– the idea of these creatures not as В‘assimilatedВ’ human bodies, but rather as unstoppable machines with grotesque physiological vestiges (the intact nervous system is a nice, yucky touch) works perfectly, and sets them apart from their fleshier Star Trek cousins. The new Cyberman form is extremely effective В– the much-mocked flares are a misjudgment, perhaps, but overall they give a sufficient impression of the silver giants of old; besides, the originals were redesigned so many times that an В‘upgradeВ’ hardly seem out of line (as it might have with the Daleks, who changed so little over 26 years). The impression given by the CybermenВ’s face plates is more ghostlike than it appeared in still photos, and the ingenious stomping sound effect has to rank with EXTERMINATE! and the TARDIS dematerialization as Doctor Who sounds for the ages. (I bet it has children all over the British Isles driving their parents crazy, too.)

Still, that the new Cybermen should work better than the new Daleks is a bit funny, for while Tom MacRaeВ’s script does include some nice nods to Cybermen continuity (keeping them in deep freeze is a good touch), it actually seems to have turned to two of the better *Dalek* stories from the old series for inspiration В– В‘GenesisВ’ (crippled scientist creates idealized version of self in machine creature В– more on this below) and В‘RevelationВ’ (human bodies are hideously dismembered and conditioned to become monsters). Either way, it captures the true horror of the Cybermen in a way the old series rarely (if ever) did, and this is even more remarkable considering how little onscreen violence the story contains. Consider the first factory scene, in which Mr. CraneВ’s homeless В‘volunteersВ’ are converted . . . itВ’s amazing how awful it manages to be, as it contains no actual gore whatsoever, and thatВ’s all on account of the stylish direction. The banality of В‘The Lion Sleeps TonightВ’ blasting over agonized screams is just one inspired example, and perhaps itВ’s not such a surprise that we find ideas from В‘Revelation of the DaleksВ’ here, since that was director Graeme HarperВ’s last work on the program. At any rate, HarperВ’s direction is as good as anything in the new series so far (and itВ’s also nice to see he hasnВ’t lost his interest in an art-deco visual aesthetic).

But one shouldnВ’t suppose that all the horror comes from ironic pop songs and other directorial tricks. A lot of it comes directly from MacRaeВ’s script, which manages a surprising depth of emotion considering its firm grounding in the monster-chase Doctor Who formula of the past. The script almost gleefully manipulates our feelings for both characters we know well (RoseВ’s rejection by both her parents is stinging, especially given what weВ’ve seen of her past, and MickeyВ’s guilt at finding his dead grandmother alive is believable and deeply sad), and the new ones as well (Mrs. Moore is just one example, and her brief but effective backstory makes her death all the more potent). In fact, many of the minor characters are full of life В– even the President and Mr. Crane show original, if small, touches of characterization that bump them out of the realm of clichГ©.

But most astonishing of all is the awful sympathy the story inspires for the Cybermen themselves В– from the amusing В“ItВ’s alive!В” exchange in the prologue, MacRaeВ’s script obviously has В‘FrankensteinВ’ and В‘Bride of FrankensteinВ’ very much in mind, and, indeed, this time the Cybermen capture much of the pathos of the great monster/victims of the horror genre. Perhaps even more than the Daleks, the Cybermen are *made* monsters, true victims who never chose their fate, but had to be dragged screaming to their В‘compulsoryВ’ transformations. (Even Lumic does!) And MacRaeВ’s idea of defeating the monsters by removing their emotional blinders is a stroke of genius, even if it causes the viewer perhaps too much pain. The death of poor Sally is almost unwatchable, as is the uninhibited CybermanВ’s piteous moaning as it sees its reflection (with the Doctor saying В“IВ’m sorryВ” behind it), and yet itВ’s fitting В– and brilliant В– that this story should explore human pain and rejection so deeply. After all, thatВ’s exactly what the Cybermen have sought to eliminate in themselves, isnВ’t it?

The acting is largely excellent. Some writers have criticized Roger Lloyd-PackВ’s performance as hammy; I couldnВ’t find this odder, especially compared to turns weВ’ve seen so far by Anthony Stewart Head, Zoe Wanamaker, Corey (cringe) Johnson and others since this revival began. I actually find Lloyd-PackВ’s interpretation of Lumic to be rather understated, if anything В– heВ’s stiff and appropriately breathless (hardly a ranter), and the actor brings surprising touches of humanity to the character (I liked his warm smile after crying out В“Set sail for Great Britain!В”). The script does a nice job of characterizing Lumic too В– as I mentioned, there are definite echoes of Davros here (the stuff about peace through conformity, and the implication that this mad scientist sees a genuine nobility in the Cyberman project В– I found it oddly touching that he wrote a paper for the Ethical Committee), but by and large heВ’s his own character. About the worst thing you can say about Lloyd-Pack is that at times he seems to be channeling Christopher Lee В– and given the context, one could probably do worse than that.

The Doctor, oddly, sort of disappears into the mix in this story; both his companions abandon him for their own pursuits, and he actually has to snarkily introduce himself to the uninterested Preachers at one point! Despite this fact (or perhaps because of it?), David Tennant gives one of his better performances here, toning down the silliness to the point where we take him seriously for once. Probably his best moment is when he tells Mickey heВ’ll see him back at the TARDIS if they survive В– the look on his face speaks volumes about how the relationship between these two characters has grown, and captures whatВ’s great about Doctor Who companionship in ways that his stupid giggling with Rose at the beginning of the story never could. And of course, itВ’s MickeyВ’s story.

Noel Clarke has been criticized for being unconvincing as MickeyВ’s badass doppelganger, and while heВ’s certainly better as Ricky than he was as Auton Mickey, thereВ’s some merit to the complaint. But heВ’s so good as the real Mickey that it scarcely matters, and his magnificent leaving scene provides a rich, satisfying climax to a story that hasnВ’t been afraid to push us to emotional extremes. It took a while, but IВ’ll miss him.

ItВ’s quite hard to find much to say about this story initially, despite the obvious В‘big eventsВ’ it covers (IВ’m sure IВ’ll manage to anyway!). The departure of Mickey, the return of the Cybermen and particularly the return of Pete Tyler are oddly underwhelming, although it must be said that the first two are very well handled, and the Cybermen contribute greatly to the very classical, retro feel of this two-parter (which is the most Doctor Who-ey story in the new series so far). It was replete with references to original Cyberman stories, particularly The Invasion В– the escape up a rope ladder hanging from a helicopter of that story turning into an escape up a rope ladder hanging from an airship. International Electromatics also got a mention.

В‘Rise of the CybermenВ’ and В‘The Age of SteelВ’ have things wrong with them, but they are very familiar things. The episodes contain some fairly shocking performances from some of the guests, and the plotting is quite untidy with regard to the seemingly random way in which various characters are killed off (John Lumic at least does return as the Cybercontroller, which was a nice surprise, and very faithful to the original series В– a superior return to that of the Emperor Dalek in В‘Parting of the WaysВ’). But Trigger from Only Fools and Horses is great as a neo-Davros, and his method of transportation, a giant airship, is wonderful В– it exemplifies the kind of creative romanticism that has been missing from the new series so far, and is a step in the right direction.

MickeyВ’s decision to leave at the end, however, is very harsh on the poor boy, who I have never liked very much, but has come on in leaps and bounds in the recent run of non-RTD stories and this one especially. Basically, he decides to stay in a parallel universe to hunt down the Cybermen because the Doctor is closer to his girlfriend than he is to Mickey. The Doc doesnВ’t even tell him at the end that he didnВ’t actively want him to leave, and that there would have still been a place for him on board the TARDIS, which he could easily have done without changing MickeyВ’s mind. I thought this was very unfair on him. Noel Clarke however, while playing В‘RickyВ’ abysmally (you canВ’t have everything), turns out his finest performance yet as the hapless В‘tin dogВ’ in RoseВ’s life.

Still, we at least are treated to the sight of Jackie Tyler being Cyber-converted!! The Cybermen had some very effective scenes in the second episode, and all in all this was a very good outing for them. Despite the various Cyber-deaths we see, from the bomb Mrs Moore uses (in another overly-convenient piece of plotting) to the Cyberman who accidentally punches out the transmitter) the impression is still one of power and invulnerability. Design-wise they are a little dodgy from the waist down, but have the greatest of all Cyber-heads, teardrops and all (I love the teardrops).

In fact, the teardrop design was especially appropriate for this story, in which the tragedy of Cybermen is brought to the fore in two or three excellent scenes. First there is JackieВ’s aforementioned conversion, and PeteВ’s subsequent inability to tell which is her; best of all is the scene with the dying Cyberman, who just a few hours ago, it is implied, was excitedly looking forward her wedding (the best evocation of the tragedy of the Cybermen that I have ever encountered, surpassing even the horrendous reunion of father and daughter in В‘Spare PartsВ’); and lastly the DoctorВ’s destruction of the converted by making them self-aware, which even he has qualms about to begin with, resulting in the Doctor opening a door and finding Cybermen writhing in agony in a flame-filled room like damned souls in hell.

Oddly Marc Platt gets a credit in the end titles (and, apparently, was even paid!). Given that the only resemblance in В‘Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of SteelВ’ to his В‘Spare PartsВ’ is the tragic treatment of the Cybermen, this seems more than a little gratuitous. It isnВ’t as if he invented that aspect of the Cyber-race; itВ’s just that nobody had done it well before. This credit seems to have been inserted for no other reason than that В‘Spare PartsВ’ is, according to Russell T Davies, В“some of the finest drama ever written for any genre, in any medium, anywhereВ”, which is frankly ridiculous (ever seen any Shakespeare, Russell? Ever read В‘The Lord of the RingsВ’? Ever watched В‘Apocalypse NowВ’?) I donВ’t want to denigrate Marc Platt, who is great, but В‘Spare PartsВ’ doesnВ’t deserve half the adulation it gets В– it isnВ’t even amongst the strongest Doctor Who stories, let alone В“the finest dramaВ… anywhereВ”!

The other thing to note about the story is that it gives us the first cliffhanger of series two. And a great cliffhanger it was, even if Graeme Harper didnВ’t cut away soon enough, and the Cybermen fell into the stereotypical В“villains repeat their threats ad nauseam rather than just GETTING ON WITH IT!В” mold. David Tennant played it extremely well, at least, and itВ’s one of those cliffhangers which really does leave you wondering В“how on earth are they going to get out of that?В”. Unfortunately the resolution was rubbish, the Doctor simply using a magic gizmo and running away, which rather makes a nonsense of his earlier panic, however well-conveyed it was. The ideal resolution as far as IВ’m concerned would have been the arrival of a parallel-universe Doctor to save them all; then we could have had an episode with two versions of David Tennant!

(Regarding Tennant, it has to be said that he still hasnВ’t really made his mark on the role as the Doctor, although his acting ability is not in doubt. He just isnВ’t in it enough.)

One final thing; it has been suggested that there was a Fascism/Nazism theme running through these episodes, the Final Solution, in particular, being referenced in the shots of people being led into chambers for Cyber-conversion. Not only the curious goose-stepping walk practiced by the new Cybermen, but the fact that the woman shown walking calmly into an incinerator was Asian rather than white, recalling Nazi racial policies, have been suggested as evidence. While I do not for a moment believe that the modern BBC would broadcast a television programme in which even the villains are seen to regard Asians as inferior stock, this interpretation is rather tempting. Anyone else noticed it?

This story's like a pop music cover version of a fantastic song first done as a demo by an independent band. It waters down what made the original so fantastic, and yet might still go to number 1 on the pop charts because some of the basic ideas that were so good are still basically there and because the production is so stylish.

The most basic idea that is so good is the emotionless Cybermen themselves, and their plans to forcibly turn you into one of them. This comes from the original TV series. The next step after that, the idea that the reason Cybermen make themselves emotionless is to avoid scaring themselves to death and preserve sanity after what's been done to their bodies, that comes from an audio story made by Big Finish in 2002 called "Spare Parts," written by Marc Platt, who is given a thank you credit on the close of both of these TV episodes. Other bits of "Spare Parts" that made sort of made it in were seeing a procession of the population being frog-marched into Cyber-processing plants, and seeing the process happen to someone we knew and cared about, in this case Jackie Tyler. All of the above are very scary things to think about and to see happening on your TV screen, and the story is to be commended for showing this.

The way we see all that happen, with the marching squads of Cybermen moving in formation with that relentless mechanical thumping sound... with the CGI enlarged crowds being herded into the plants... the inventive and almost always moving camera angles...the Zeppelins over London... it all has a look and a gloss to it worthy of a feature film. Graeme Harper always shot the hell out of the stories he worked on in the 1980s, and he's lost none of that touch here. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with the season finale now.

And then the story gives us a lot of original material. The alternative Earth stuff is a mixed bag. On the good side of the bag, and it's very, very good, is the alternate Mickey (Ricky) and how he's leading a small resistance unit, and how his grandmother is still alive. Where Mickey tends to shy away from danger, Ricky's much more involved and pro-active, and though it's never explicitly said, it's plain to see why. It's simply because his grandmother is still alive. Our Mickey apparently became very afraid of death after it claimed his grandmother, but for Ricky, to whom that never happened, death and danger aren't going to cow him. I can also completely buy that our Mickey would stay behind and replace dead Ricky so that he can tend and be with his grandmother, and that he finds his bottle knowing that the world he's helping to save is one that has her in it. This is wonderful stuff, and wonderfully played by Noel Clarke. The scenes of he and his grandmother together, and of he and Rose saying goodbye at the end, are quite heartbreaking, and that's totally down to his talent.

On the not-so-good side of the bag is what's been done to Rose's alternative family. Rose's reactions (and Billie Piper's acting) to it are all fine and spot on given what she's been presented, and a successful, living Pete Tyler is also nice to see, but he's just _there_. They never have a payoff like we saw last year in "Father's Day," and while in one sense that's quite right because we already saw that big story last season, it's quite wrong at the same time, because if all you can do with having him there is to, well, have him there, then what's the point? Even worse off is Jackie, who is so different and so nasty a person in the alternative world that we're almost glad to see her get converted into a Cyberman. As the Doctor says numerous times, "she is not your mother," and because she is so not her mother, the whole punch of the scene where we see Cyber-Jackie is completely absent.

And in the really-not-good-at-all stinky, wet, rotting corner of the bag, we have this alternative origin story for the Cybermen of this alternative dimension. The only saving grace we're given is a line in the second episode where the Doctor tells Rose that there were Cybermen from our universe too and that they were from another planet, thus preserving the Mondasian origin story we're used to from the original series as still being valid, and even allowing "Spare Parts" to not come into conflict with what we're told here on TV. That's a saving grace because this alternative is a pathetic bunch of cliches recycled from either 1980s science-fiction films or from different stories in the TV series (chiefly "The Invasion" and "Genesis of the Daleks"). In this universe, the Cybermen are the creation of a madman called John Lumic, an 80s-style businessman confined to a life-supporting wheelchair. Sound like anyone we already know from the original series? That's right, he's a more charismatic Davros, or at least he would be if he were played by a better actor than Roger Lloyd-Pack, who chews scenery in a way that the most cartoonish villains of the original series would've been proud of. Witness how his opening catchphrase "FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE" has already entered into the lexicon of silly lines fans like to quote at each other like "oh no, not the mind probe." I also can't buy into the idea that, even in an alternative universe, that any one businessman could engineer a project on such a grand and horrible scale as this and get away with it as easily as he seems to, at least not without some enormous pressure on that society for it to have to undergo such a change. The origin story of "our" Cybermen, the originals, had that, which was that their entire planet was dying since it had been hurled out of its normal orbit around the sun, and the only way the people could survive the increasingly harsh conditions was to cybernise. Their story is a tragedy of circumstance that was inevitable for those poor people. This alternative story is nothing more than a poorly written comic book or action movie. I can get emotionally involved in the former, and not the latter, and unfortunately, the latter is what the masses have been given in this story.

Fortunately for the masses, they do still have David Tennant as the Doctor to save the day and the story, and he does both, effortlessly bounding around the sets and unravelling the Cybermen's plans without them even noticing.

My feeling after 'Rise' was that this series just keeps on getting better. I was quite convinced that the concluding episode would keep up the almost impossibly high quality. While the conclusion was indeed very good, it did not ultimately make for a classic.

Bringing back the iconic cybermen was always a challange. So often in the past, the metal meanies had been invoked seemingly to boost ratings. One area where I wholeheartedly agree with RTD is that bringing back past characters/monsters should mean a suitable story - much like "Dalek" last year or "School Reunion". So what we have is essentially Reinvention Of The Cybermen.

Given that the adventure takes place in an alternative universe, I have little problem with the new origin of the cybermen. Playing cleverly on modern reliance on (and fear of) technology, and using bluetooh-like earpieces the first installment cleverly establishes that mobile communications are not benign in the alternative London. We also have time to be properly introduced to the villian of the piece, John Lumic.

Obviously there will be comparisons to Davros, in that both "give birth" to a race of monsters and both are in wheelchairs. Also like Davros in the original "Genesis" story, Lumic isn't simply a mad, evil, twisted mastermind. Although what he is doing is quite obscene, we are given the chance to see that he has his motives - and that he has achieved much in the past that has benefitted mankind. I do feel it is important that Doctor Who continues to show that there is rarely black & white, that often life has shades of grey in between. Lumic is the perfect villian in that sense, in that although we disagree with him...we can understand what motivates him.

Wheelchair-bound and dying before his time, John Lumic seeks government approval for his Cybermen project - which allows the human brain to live in an artificial body. The President of the UK (wonderfully played by Don Warrington) naturally refuses, and Lumic feels he has no choice but to go ahead anyway.

Direction, as one would expect from Greame Harper, is amazing. The Cybermen themselves have never looked more effective or frightening. That is down to their new design, and to Harper's vision. The scenes of an apparent army of metal marching on the Tyler residence, and then breaking through the windows could have been much less effective than they were. And later in "Age oF Steel", the scene with the Doctor and Mrs. Moore in the dark tunnel creeping past a row of deactivated cybermen was top notch. And there perhaps lies the only problem I have with this story. I will remember not the whole, but certain images and scenes.

Very much on the plus side, perhaps for the first time ever the true sadness and horror of the cybermen's condition is properly and dramatically explored. Always implied in the past, we now see before our eyes the anguish of the human mind which realises it has been "upgraded". And why use blood and gore when you can show whirring saws and other apparatus, backed by screams and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"? I felt that was another particularly effective scene. I was also impressed by the whole look and feel of the story, with the airships and industrial London.

A word for the supporting cast. Really this year the guest stars have been outstanding. In this adventure we had stellar performances in the roles of Lumic, Mrs. Moore, Mr Crane (lumic's henchman) The President and Pete Tyler. Ah and Mickey... what a surprise that he leaves the TARDIS! And what a transformation of his character. But handled well in both writing and acting. Mickey has gone from an occasionally annoying presence to somebody I shall miss.

But overall something was missing. Yes the Doctor, Rose and Mickey all helped save the day, but in the end perhaps the whole password thing was too simple. Not quite the epic end to what had been one of the most impressive build-ups in Doctor Who's entire history. And like others, I disliked the five minutes of soap at the end.

So I give this 7.5/10 in the end. Doctor Who hasn't looked this good for ages, but the writing wasn't quite there. However, a good reinvention of the concept of the cybermen, and overall a very good story...just not destined to be a classic. And with the astoundingly high quality of this year's stories so far, we can be happy if this is a "low" point.

My overall impression of Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel was of a good, solid, very traditional but not В“classicВ” Dr Who story. Containing many superb and sometimes disturbing sequences and with much to enjoy, sadly this was a notch down from being truly memorable, which isnВ’t to detract from the return of the excellent director Graeme Harper or indeed from Noel ClarkeВ’s apparent swansong as Mickey (to whom of course the Age of Steel really belonged) whose character has been undergoing a pleasing progression since those rather far off days of Rose; and Clarke himself has proved a good ambassador for the show off screen. Indeed most of the cast were pretty good throughout and it was great to see Colin Spaull as LumicВ’s chief henchman, whose character didnВ’t however display the same loyalty as Nyder did to Davros in Genesis.

Because we have been virtually anaesthetized to the often frenetic pace of the 45 minute single episode format, these two parters can seem nowadays fairly slow affairs, but even though I noted that the Age of SteelВ’s length stretched to a full 50 minutes the overall length of the whole tale was still 5 minutes short of the bog standard four parter of the old days. However I did enjoy the build up in episode one and the largely successful realisation of parallel London complete with zepplins, and the final five minutes where the Cybermen literally crashed the party was brilliantly done. The setting of the party itself with the Doctor and Rose dressed to serve worked very well and TennantВ’s extermination of the Cybermen using a piece of the Tardis showed the Tenth Doctor again taking direct action to solve the immediate crisis rather than rely on others or lament that he didnВ’t have a plan for dealing with the threat.

Unfortunately Roger Lloyd-Pack didnВ’t quite do it for me as Lumic. I realise he is a versatile actor who has played many parts since Trigger in Only Fools and Horses but nevertheless his megalomaniac portrayal didnВ’t seem to work and I was half expecting him to refer to the Doctor as Dave and not just because thatВ’s a slightly shortened version of the actorВ’s first name. And whilst the Cybermen themselves were brilliantly realised, certainly a notch up from the Darth Vader voice types of the В‘80В’s, the ex-Lumic Cybercontroller seemed to resemble an enlarged C-3 PO, hardly a sinister leader of steel giants and when, having spent a good deal of the episode stuck in a chair, thus appearing to forget that he has been upgraded, he finally rips off his wires and abruptly gets up amidst the chaos and walks he is hilariously reminiscent of Andy from Little Britain. However it was a nice plot point that despite all the pain and suffering he has inflicted on LondonВ’s population under the pretence that he is actually trying to eradicate it, Lumic himself is forced to upgrade against his will.

I like the idea that one organisation headed by one wayward genius could become so powerful so as to easily exploit our ever increasing dependency on electronic gadgetry for its own end. The story tapped in nicely to the still prevalent fear about technology ceasing to be simply useful but becoming in itself a sinister force. ThereВ’s little point in thinking that everyone looked faintly ridiculous with their ear pods on and that this was ludicrously far-fetched as it seems to me as I look around that increasingly people in our world walk or sit wearing ear pieces for one reason or another which has usually nothing to do with their inability to hear properly. Mind you there was something distinctly Luddite about the proceedings not just in terms of the Ricky gang but most particularly in Angela PriceВ’s electro-magnetic bomb which she says has been used against computers!So in a sense this story would have sat well in the Pertwee era, complimenting the Third DoctorВ’s distrust of them(though he loved his gadgets of course).

Individual sequences stand out, such as the machinery going its grisly work whilst the classic song the Lion Sleeps Tonight plays out- no part of the conversion process is shown, the horror is in what is implied; the Cybermen staring coldly through the meshing at Micky, having just killed his lookalike and thus creating MickeyВ’s defining moment as the hero in waiting; the rather controversial scene of the lone woman about to be incinerated, with disturbing parallels to the atrocities of the Nazis in WW II; and the last moments of the Cyber(woman)whose emotional inhibitor the Doctor has broken.

Tennant continues to impress with his performance as the Tenth Doctor, but here, whereas Christopher EcclestonВ’s intensity was perfect for the classic confrontation with the Dalek in Rob ShearmanВ’s brilliant story, TennantВ’s debate with the Cybercontroller appeared to have no more gravitas than his words to the Sycorax leader in the Christmas Invasion, and his quick, matter of fact enquiryВ”Can we do that?В” to Angela Price was hardly in the same league as Tom BakerВ’s В“Do I have the right?В”speech in Genesis. But no matter-overall Tennant is clearly relishing the role and at times absolutely shining in it.

Overall, standards continue to run high, but for me the stand out story of the season so far remains Tooth and Claw:I watched it again on BBC3 tonight and it really is one of the very best there has been, both past and present; a case of going from the ridiculous to the sublime for its writer.

В“SheВ’s not really your mother.В”
В“I know.В”

Therein lies the problem with stories set in an alternate universe.

Forgive the ramblings of an ignorant American (a redundant term for some) who is not familiar with all of Russell T. DaviesВ’ other work. What has impressed me from the start of his work on DOCTOR WHO is the emotional reality he has brought to a show that, in its classic form, was often devoid of authentic human reactions and interactions.

ItВ’s not just RoseВ’s family and extended friendships, although they are a great example. Instead of Tegan just sauntering into the TARDIS on the side of a highway, walking off a Concorde a few years later, then rejoining the DoctorВ’s crew in Amsterdam without a word to her family or friends, Rose visits home. She calls home. Her family misses her. Jackie slaps the Doctor В– and more importantly В– gives a boffo speech where she maternally dismisses the DoctorВ’s life as В“coolВ” and В“not safeВ”.

Even the villains have real-world reasons for their badness. The Slitheen didnВ’t try to take over the Earth just to be another Race Who Wants to Rule the Earth. They wanted to turn it into an intergalactic Wal-Mart of radiation. The Gelth wanted our pity because they had no home, but saw a way to have one through the rift. Even the Sycorax had some sort of mineral they wanted from the earth (I was never really clear on that one).

Which brings us back to this Cybermen story. Setting it in alternate universe immediately removes the emotional connection to our main characters. They have the same names and some of the same relationships, but we are constantly reminded that В“this is not your worldВ”.

Which then begs the question, okay, why should we care?

In a show built upon the reality of time travel, what really is an В“alternate worldВ”? IsnВ’t it just a different time stream? A different chain of events brought about by the slightly different decisions of even one person at one time? In the first series, the Doctor noted where В“history was wrongВ”, but that wasnВ’t identified as an alternate universe. INFERNO worked in the context of the Doctor being exiled on Earth without a properly working TARDIS. You can forgive a trip into a parallel universe after the Earth had been invaded by the umpteenth alien race in early 70s rubber suits.

In the context of the new series, where CGI and big bucks for location shooting allow writers to truly stretch their imaginations (as they did with THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE), landing somewhere and then announcing it as an В“alternate worldВ” is pure laziness. It allows you to haul out the Tyler family saga again for another maudlin repeat. FATHERВ’S DAY was simply brilliant as a poignant emotional drama, even devoid of any science fiction or time travel. To rehash the exact same sentiments in a В“different universeВ” is the dramatic equivalent of bringing in a cute kid to boost the ratings of an aging family sitcom. Been there, done that.

I so kept hoping that the В“realВ” Cybermen were somehow also trapped in this alternate universe. That somehow they were using John Lumic to build and then expand the cyber-race as a means to find a way out of their parallel existence. If things really are as much of a mess as the Doctor describes after the Time War, then time travel could be getting more difficult for everyone.

Or perhaps the Cybermen were trapped in this alternate universe and were setting a trap for the Doctor, knowing that only the last remaining Time Lord could free them from the В“alternateВ” Earth. Anything other that what transpired would have been blessedly welcome.

By presenting John Lumic as a Man Who Wants to Rule the World, we are catapulted back into the worst of classic DOCTOR WHO. We are given utterly predictable storytelling that lacks true human emotion and motivation, which usually leads to untelegraphed surprises.

For someone as mega-wealthy as Mr. Lumic, what does he have to gain by cyber-izing the world? He wonВ’t get any richer. He has already found a way to prolong his own life by becoming the CyberLeader. So what is the purpose behind frittering away his fortune on a race of Cybermen? ItВ’s a very socialist turn for a brutal capitalist.

HereВ’s the germ of an idea for what could have been a more real-world return for the DoctorВ’s number two enemy:

Mickey realizes he will always be the В“tin dogВ” and never be as close as Rose and the Doctor. So he asks to go home.

Returning to London, they find much of the city under quarantine and empty (shades of THE DALEK INVASION OF EARTH). They find Jackie huddled in their apartment and learn about the deadly flu virus sweeping across the earth.

Jackie informs them that RoseВ’s best friend Cherie (sp?) has the flu and is not expected to live. Visiting Cherie and her dad, they learn that there are rumors of a В“cureВ”. ItВ’s extremely expensive, but CherieВ’s Dad is willing to put his retirement savings towards anything that will cure his daughter.

The В“cureВ” means a trip to some remote arctic climate and being gone for months. There are rumors that no one has come back from the cure, but they do communicate thru email and phone calls.

The DoctorВ’s hackles are up, so he accompanies Cherie and Rose and Mickey to the arctic. The В“cureВ” is being run by the Cybermen, who are responsible for the flu. The Cybermen are killing two birds with one stone, wiping out humans and getting their twin planet back for good. They also realize how easy it is to spread fear and panic in the human race where the possibility of death is concerned. For a race that has almost cheated death, itВ’s an important weapon in the CybermenВ’s arsenal.

Before they learn the truth about the В“cureВ”, Cherie is transformed into a Cyberman, being horribly afraid of death. When Cherie realizes she will never be human again, she begs Rose to kill her.

The Doctor tries to remain detached. Rose lashes out at him for not understanding what itВ’s like to be human. Turning the tables on his boo hoo, I have to live for 900+ years speech (from SCHOOL REUNION) Rose confronts the Doctor on his cavalier attitude toward death. Death always follows him. DoesnВ’t that ever bother him?

Of course it does, but their fight only deepens their friendship. It also re-ground their adventures after the goofy heights of saying things like, В“I just want to say, werewolves!В” (TOOTH AND CLAW). It brings their meddling and destruction back down to a very tangible level for each life lost, the way it was in the first series.

Rose couldnВ’t kill a Dalek, but she does help her best friend pass away peacefully. In the end, the Doctor defeats the Cybermen and the flu, but Rose loses her best friend. Mickey has had enough and decides to stay on Earth for a while.

In a story like that В– I hope В– you have characters you care about in a world you care about. The Cybermen are transforming people you know for a specific reason (to get a planet to call their own). EveryoneВ’s motivation is clear and collides with each other.

The first new series of DOCTOR WHO gave us our beloved show with a heart. Not a sappy EASTENDERS heart, but a heart attached to the brain catapulted through space and time. One can only hope that the depths of that heart can be plumbed by examining the reactions of our main characters to new adventures, and not В“alternateВ” characters to bland happenings.