Doctor Who 2.6: The Age of Steel
May. 21st, 2006 06:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenayIconic villians are always cool :-)
Last year they managed to make Daleks scary again, this year they managed to do the same thing with the Cybermen. Managing to make Micky herioc and give a good resolution to his plot-line at the same time was an impressive feat.
I confess that I fully expected Rose and Pete to save Jackie. Purely because that's what would normally happen in that kind of situation more than anything else. The fact that they didn't was what really made the Cybermen scary.
The fate of Lumec was pretty much guaranteed from the opening scene of Rise of the Cybermen, but I did like the idea that he was upgraded against his will, before he'd planned to. It was an interesting conflict that he was eager to upgrade the whole of humanity against their will but wanted to hang onto his dying, poisoned body for as long as possible. It provided a neat little comparison and made his actions seem that bit more horrific.
And it was pretty horrific when the Cyberment had their emotion inhibitors de-activated. The brief debate with himself over whether the Doctor has any right to do that to them was interesting and oddly reminiscent of Genesis of the Daleks. This time he chose to do it, showing a streak of ruthlessness that somehow isn't surprising in this Doctor. It makes me wonder whether the Time Wars have hardened him. He could have destroyed the Daleks before they started and saved millions, but he chose not to. In the end his own people were wiped out. Could that have had any influence on his decision to stop the Cyberment? He's certainly seen them before and knows first hand what they will eventually become and this time he stopped them. With the same choice at hand before, he allowed the Daleks to survive.
All he had to do was go back to the TARDIS, wait for his power-cell to regenerate and return to his own universe. It's an interesting thought.
And element that I appreciated was the revelation that Pete was Gemini. Somehow, you knew that he couldn't have changed so much from Rose's Pete that he would willingly help to destroy humanity, but I also had the feeling that he'd been blinded by the money-making potential of Lumec's partnership. It was reassuring to see that he hadn't and that he'd been working against him. I loved to see him surviving this time, against my expectations. It was an interesting choice to have him effectively run away from Rose at the end this time - drawing a line and showing that, despite the similiarities, this Pete isn't her father.
And Micky. The whole Micky-Ricky thing was great and loved that RTD used Ricky for Micky's double because of the echoes back to Nine and his relationship with Micky. I had a nasty, sinking feeling about Micky's fate when I watched last week's episode and I didn't completely relax until the end. It was interesting that, although the same actor played both roles, I didn't feel nearly as attached to Ricky as I was to Micky and was relieved that it wasn't "my" Micky that got killed.
And that's the surprisingly and pleasing thing about the entire plot for this character. Micky started out as Micky the Idiot, an uninspiring boyfriend for Rose that helped you to understand why she disappeared with the Doctor so easily. Over the months the character has gradually grown and matured, an progression that's been surprisingly interesting to watch. He still seemed like the spare wheel, uncertain where he belonged, until about half way through this week's episode. The moment that really sealed it for me was when he brushed aside Jake in the zeppelin and told him that he's rather good with computers - and then proceeded to save the day. He even goaded a Cyberman into destroying the transmittor for him. And finally he saved the Doctor and co.
I'm going to miss him (never thought I'd say that a year ago), but it's a fitting exit for him that he's found his place and can finally do something useful where people actually need him.
The entire episode was brilliantly done and I was genuinely attached to all the minor characters. The bad guys were creepy, nearly unstoppable and evil. The Doctor was just brilliant and I adore him to pieces. The effects were thoroughly convincing and the writing was spot-on. Certainly one of the strongest set of episodes yet.
Am I the only person to wonder whether the TARDIS suddenly losing the vortex and ending up on alterna-Earth was really an accident?
Today I had lunch with The Girls. For five hours. Hmmm...
Last year they managed to make Daleks scary again, this year they managed to do the same thing with the Cybermen. Managing to make Micky herioc and give a good resolution to his plot-line at the same time was an impressive feat.
I confess that I fully expected Rose and Pete to save Jackie. Purely because that's what would normally happen in that kind of situation more than anything else. The fact that they didn't was what really made the Cybermen scary.
The fate of Lumec was pretty much guaranteed from the opening scene of Rise of the Cybermen, but I did like the idea that he was upgraded against his will, before he'd planned to. It was an interesting conflict that he was eager to upgrade the whole of humanity against their will but wanted to hang onto his dying, poisoned body for as long as possible. It provided a neat little comparison and made his actions seem that bit more horrific.
And it was pretty horrific when the Cyberment had their emotion inhibitors de-activated. The brief debate with himself over whether the Doctor has any right to do that to them was interesting and oddly reminiscent of Genesis of the Daleks. This time he chose to do it, showing a streak of ruthlessness that somehow isn't surprising in this Doctor. It makes me wonder whether the Time Wars have hardened him. He could have destroyed the Daleks before they started and saved millions, but he chose not to. In the end his own people were wiped out. Could that have had any influence on his decision to stop the Cyberment? He's certainly seen them before and knows first hand what they will eventually become and this time he stopped them. With the same choice at hand before, he allowed the Daleks to survive.
All he had to do was go back to the TARDIS, wait for his power-cell to regenerate and return to his own universe. It's an interesting thought.
And element that I appreciated was the revelation that Pete was Gemini. Somehow, you knew that he couldn't have changed so much from Rose's Pete that he would willingly help to destroy humanity, but I also had the feeling that he'd been blinded by the money-making potential of Lumec's partnership. It was reassuring to see that he hadn't and that he'd been working against him. I loved to see him surviving this time, against my expectations. It was an interesting choice to have him effectively run away from Rose at the end this time - drawing a line and showing that, despite the similiarities, this Pete isn't her father.
And Micky. The whole Micky-Ricky thing was great and loved that RTD used Ricky for Micky's double because of the echoes back to Nine and his relationship with Micky. I had a nasty, sinking feeling about Micky's fate when I watched last week's episode and I didn't completely relax until the end. It was interesting that, although the same actor played both roles, I didn't feel nearly as attached to Ricky as I was to Micky and was relieved that it wasn't "my" Micky that got killed.
And that's the surprisingly and pleasing thing about the entire plot for this character. Micky started out as Micky the Idiot, an uninspiring boyfriend for Rose that helped you to understand why she disappeared with the Doctor so easily. Over the months the character has gradually grown and matured, an progression that's been surprisingly interesting to watch. He still seemed like the spare wheel, uncertain where he belonged, until about half way through this week's episode. The moment that really sealed it for me was when he brushed aside Jake in the zeppelin and told him that he's rather good with computers - and then proceeded to save the day. He even goaded a Cyberman into destroying the transmittor for him. And finally he saved the Doctor and co.
I'm going to miss him (never thought I'd say that a year ago), but it's a fitting exit for him that he's found his place and can finally do something useful where people actually need him.
The entire episode was brilliantly done and I was genuinely attached to all the minor characters. The bad guys were creepy, nearly unstoppable and evil. The Doctor was just brilliant and I adore him to pieces. The effects were thoroughly convincing and the writing was spot-on. Certainly one of the strongest set of episodes yet.
Am I the only person to wonder whether the TARDIS suddenly losing the vortex and ending up on alterna-Earth was really an accident?
Today I had lunch with The Girls. For five hours. Hmmm...
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-21 06:54 pm (UTC)I thought she was going to save herself - evade them in that basement.
I did like the idea that he was upgraded against his will
That was interesting, that he'd created the Cybermen for his benefit but when it came down to it, he wasn't ready to have it done to him.
The brief debate with himself over whether the Doctor has any right to do that to them was interesting and oddly reminiscent of Genesis of the Daleks. This time he chose to do it, showing a streak of ruthlessness that somehow isn't surprising in this Doctor.
Having just recently seen Genesis I was thinking about this - that he effectively kills all the Cybermen, even though it will save the world. But then technically speaking, he doesn't kill the Cybermen, he merely gives them the choice. Admittedly, it's a bit of a fine line given that he knows what their choice is going to be.
Mind you, now I've said it, wouldn't it be interesting if one (or more) of the Cybermen had decided not to die for whatever reason? I mean, Lumic didn't, although he did know what he was getting into. But there's nowt so queer as folk and you never know what they might decide in the end.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-21 08:02 pm (UTC)Now *that's* a good one :)
I tried to watch this, but had to break off and pick Riv up from a party half way through, so missed a huge chunk. From what I saw, it was a great ep and I agree with you about how Mickey has changed and evolved. It's kind of a shame he had to go, which again as you said, is a surprising feeling! The Cybermen atm are not scary villains for me. The whole zips in the costumes thing from the original shows is still hovering. Lumic otoh is *extremely* scary. The whole thing conjures up echoes of the Daleks.
Looking forward to catching up. I haven't seen the one with ASH in it yet, either. Mostly because I know Rochel would be scared.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 05:26 pm (UTC)For the thinky side, this was one of the most interesting elements of the plot for me.
Admittedly, it's a bit of a fine line given that he knows what their choice is going to be.
Well, he does it knowing that they'll go insane and probably most of them will die from it. So the line is pretty much hair-thin on that side.
Mind you, now I've said it, wouldn't it be interesting if one (or more) of the Cybermen had decided not to die for whatever reason?
That would make an interesting idea. Hmm...
Yeah, I'd be interested to see where that idea could go. Of course, it would probably give Mickey and co. more work in getting rid of the things, but...
How about if one or more of the Cybermen was sick and dying, like Lumic, and decided that he preferred the idea of a life of metal rather than dying? There are dozens of directions that that idea could go.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 05:30 pm (UTC)*g* I started watching in the early 80s and haven't really seen the early Cybermen episodes. By the time I started watching they were reasonably convincing, even if they did look like someone had spray-painted a ton of hazmat suits for the base. The early versions do look rather...unconvincing. I like the fact that these Cybermen looked solid, as though they were made from real metal. They looked much less like guys in costumes than the originals did.
Lumic otoh is *extremely* scary. The whole thing conjures up echoes of the Daleks.
It does, rather. We never saw the 'Genesis' Cyberman story in the original series, so seeing their beginnings (or an echo of, anyway) in this series does remind me a little of that.
I haven't seen the one with ASH in it yet, either. Mostly because I know Rochel would be scared.
Ah, yeah, it does have a few moments that might be 'worrying' for younger viewers. It will be worth it when you sit it, though :-)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 08:20 pm (UTC)(There was also an inflatable dalek which didn't quite stand up properly and ended up in at least one persons bed. Which probably tells you everything you need to know about what goes on Rotaract events :))
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 08:20 pm (UTC)Now *that's* a good one :)
I knew if I said it at least one person reading would appreciate it :)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 08:24 pm (UTC)Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking. Mind you, they'd have to have escaped Battersea Power Station. Although, you do, of course, have the ones in other countries.
Now I'm wishing I'd remembered about this conversation at work today where I didn't even manage to do an hours worth of work because there just wasn't any to do. Must remember for tomorrow, if it's as bad...
no subject
Date: 2006-05-24 11:00 am (UTC)http://community.livejournal.com/dwfiction/178638.html#cutid1