This isn't the most original Cybermen plot, but with great characters, memorable moments and several scenes of dramatic tension, excitement and emotional impact, it's one of the more memorable and action-heavy stories featuring the classic foes. The final two parts, in particular, are hugely successful in terms of dialogue, tension and emotional impact.
Peter Davison puts in one of his best performances, and while Matthew Waterhouse surely does his best, he's still not a very good actor. The guest cast is altogether great, with James Warwick, Clare Clifford and Beryl Reid as particular standouts. It's great to see so many female actors in this story. I love David Banks as the Cyber-Leader, along with his Darth Vader-like voice.
It's great to see the Doctor arguing with Adric about returning to E-Space. That's an unusual tension between the Doctor and one of his companions. This shows a slightly childish and stubborn side of the Doctor, but also the most human so far.
Adric is given loads of attention and a final push of minor character development, which is understandable. He overshadows bot Tegan and Nyssa here, who barely appear and don't do very much. That being said, I like the Ellen Ripley-mode Tegan enters in Part Three. Thos final two episodes are her best since Kinda (1982).
The Cybermen are finally back, and they feel deadly and effective yet again. At the same time, they seem more human than in a very long time, making them effectively creepy.
The production is simple but effective. The Cybermen invading the spaceship is one of the finest action set pieces in the series' history and the directing utilizes the sets and the visual effects well. The direction and production design are one of the best in Doctor Who. I like how the music harks back to Full Circle (1980), while also being very dark.
The story is nicely paced, much thanks to the tension and darker atmosphere encompassing the serial from the outset. With a slower second part, the serial slowly builds up the tension until the emotional finale. This serial feels dark and menacing, like The Invasion or The Power of the Daleks.
This serial immediately creates a dark and ominous atmosphere with the explorers in strange caves, Adric's wish to leave the TARDIS and a gloomy Fifth Doctor. The strong tension and excitement stay on throughout the entire serial. The final moments of Part Four are among the most intense and emotional ever. The climactic moment is strengthened by the small musical cue followed by the total silence of the end credits.
JNT cleverly brought the Cybermen back, once again placing them among the Doctor's most dangerous foes. He also brutally killed off the firs companions sine Katarina and Sara Kingdom in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-1966).
This is one of Peter Davison's strongest, most intense and action-packed serials. It's hugely emotional and deserves several replays.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
What's up with the JNT era and companions having rooms of their own in the TARDIS? First Romana during Season 18, and now Adric.
Interestingly, the extinction of the dinosaurs is a time in Earth's history the Doctor hasn't yet visited.
The Part One cliffhanger is an iconic one, and most likely pretty shocking for viewers at the time. And Part Three has a bit of a The Tomb of the Cybermen moment, with the Cybermen emerging from plastic wrapping.
Here we have a story once again explaining the reason for a historical event. This time the extinction of the dinosaurs.
It's pretty horrifying to see the Doctor gleefully announcing the Cybermen has lost by creating the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs, only to realize it's at the cost of Adric's life.
This is a rare instance of the Doctor using a gun to kills someone, this time a Cyberman inside the TARDIS.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2020-07-07T05:45:18Z
This isn't the most original Cybermen plot, but with great characters, memorable moments and several scenes of dramatic tension, excitement and emotional impact, it's one of the more memorable and action-heavy stories featuring the classic foes. The final two parts, in particular, are hugely successful in terms of dialogue, tension and emotional impact.
Peter Davison puts in one of his best performances, and while Matthew Waterhouse surely does his best, he's still not a very good actor. The guest cast is altogether great, with James Warwick, Clare Clifford and Beryl Reid as particular standouts. It's great to see so many female actors in this story. I love David Banks as the Cyber-Leader, along with his Darth Vader-like voice.
It's great to see the Doctor arguing with Adric about returning to E-Space. That's an unusual tension between the Doctor and one of his companions. This shows a slightly childish and stubborn side of the Doctor, but also the most human so far.
Adric is given loads of attention and a final push of minor character development, which is understandable. He overshadows bot Tegan and Nyssa here, who barely appear and don't do very much. That being said, I like the Ellen Ripley-mode Tegan enters in Part Three. Thos final two episodes are her best since Kinda (1982).
The Cybermen are finally back, and they feel deadly and effective yet again. At the same time, they seem more human than in a very long time, making them effectively creepy.
The production is simple but effective. The Cybermen invading the spaceship is one of the finest action set pieces in the series' history and the directing utilizes the sets and the visual effects well. The direction and production design are one of the best in Doctor Who. I like how the music harks back to Full Circle (1980), while also being very dark.
The story is nicely paced, much thanks to the tension and darker atmosphere encompassing the serial from the outset. With a slower second part, the serial slowly builds up the tension until the emotional finale. This serial feels dark and menacing, like The Invasion or The Power of the Daleks.
This serial immediately creates a dark and ominous atmosphere with the explorers in strange caves, Adric's wish to leave the TARDIS and a gloomy Fifth Doctor. The strong tension and excitement stay on throughout the entire serial. The final moments of Part Four are among the most intense and emotional ever. The climactic moment is strengthened by the small musical cue followed by the total silence of the end credits.
JNT cleverly brought the Cybermen back, once again placing them among the Doctor's most dangerous foes. He also brutally killed off the firs companions sine Katarina and Sara Kingdom in The Daleks' Master Plan (1965-1966).
This is one of Peter Davison's strongest, most intense and action-packed serials. It's hugely emotional and deserves several replays.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
What's up with the JNT era and companions having rooms of their own in the TARDIS? First Romana during Season 18, and now Adric.
Interestingly, the extinction of the dinosaurs is a time in Earth's history the Doctor hasn't yet visited.
The Part One cliffhanger is an iconic one, and most likely pretty shocking for viewers at the time. And Part Three has a bit of a The Tomb of the Cybermen moment, with the Cybermen emerging from plastic wrapping.
Here we have a story once again explaining the reason for a historical event. This time the extinction of the dinosaurs.
It's pretty horrifying to see the Doctor gleefully announcing the Cybermen has lost by creating the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs, only to realize it's at the cost of Adric's life.
This is a rare instance of the Doctor using a gun to kills someone, this time a Cyberman inside the TARDIS.