BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE CYBERMEN STORIES - NUMBER TWO

For Number Two, we go back to the 60s....

The Invasion, I'm sure, makes it onto most peoples' list of Top Five Cybermen Stories. I almost feel like a cliche for including it in mine. But it really deserves to be here. And, impressively enough, it made it up to the Number Two ranking. 

Two things about this story really stand out for me: 

1) This is an eight part long Monster! When a story has that many episodes, it should drag somewhere. Even the Great Inferno - which runs at 7 parts - has a bit of a sag in a later episode. There's a solid handful of minutes that could be completely taken out and it wouldn't affect the story in the slightest. Naturally, because they are still there, it drags things down for a bit. Really obvious filler has a tendency of doing that. 

Inferno is one of my all-time favorite stories. It almost, but doesn't quite, make it into my Top Ten Favorite Stories Ever. But I get why it has the problems it has. Seven episodes is a lot of content to create! 

The Invasion is one episode longer. That should mean more blatant filler that bores the Hell out of us, right? And yet, somehow, this doesn't happen. Every minute of this story is completely engaging. Even Part One - where a whole lot of nothing happens - still keeps me captivated. 

2) The Invasion was made in 1969. The older Who gets, the more it has to be "viewed contextually". We have to understand that TV, back then, was made in an entirely different way. It was meant to entertain a very different kind of audience. These factors can make a story from this period legitimately difficult to stay with. A modern day audience will just find the pace of things too different from the way TV now flows. 

I do sincerely feel that Invasion, for the most part, transcends its years. That, no matter what generation looks at it, they will be hooked. Again, it's just so damned engaging! 

The long running time and outdated nature of this tale should be huge obstacles that cause the story to fail. And yet, somehow, the story overcomes this. It is an absolutely wonderful adventure full of all sorts of great moments. 

On top of that, though, the Cybermen are really awesome in it!  

A WHOLE HALF OF THE STORY WITHOUT THEM

Probably the biggest thing that works to the detriment of this being a good Cybermen story is their lack of presence in the first half of the adventure. The production team was trying to create that same effect that I discussed in the reviews of so many stories involving the Master. They wanted to insert the monsters into the plot at a very succinct moment and create a huge Reveal. 

While this does give us a marvellous Cliffhanger at the end of Part Four, it also creates a problem. It means we get an entire four episodes of a Cybermen Story without any actual Cybermen! Sure, there's all kinds of great stuff with Tobias Vaughn and UNIT and even some fun with Zoe and Isobel (so much pantie flashing!).  But it's still a hard sell to call this a great Cybermen Story when they are absent from the plot for so much time. 

Fans are quick to point this sort of thing out, of course. "How can we truly call this a Cybermen Story?!" some will claim, "When the Cybermen take so long to finally join the story?!" 

Admittedly, they have a bit of a point. But, as if often the case with Fan Opinion, things get a little exaggerated. There is a big 'ole Cyber Planner who gets scenes regularly with Kevin Stoney. He is, essentially, a Cyber Controller who can't get around. The production team was smart enough to make sure he didn't resemble the Cyber Planner from Wheel in Space too much so that the audience wouldn't guess that the Cybermen were behind the whole plot. But the Cyber Planner is a Cyberman. He's  more logical and strategic and doesn't actually have a real body to speak of. But a Cyberman, nonetheless. 

It should also be noted that there are all kinds of dormant Cybermen lying around all over International Electromatics' property. Jamie has a bit of a close encounter with one of them at the end of Part Two. And it would seem that some of the employees of the company are partially converted Cybermen since they seem capable of incredible feats of strength. 

Finally, on a more abstract note: Packer and Vaughn really start talking about "their allies" just a short while before we get their Reveal at the end of Part Four. This helps to establish more and more that this isn't just some great plot by International Electormatics. There is a deeper, more sinister force lurking behind the company.Which establishes a foothold in the story for the Cybermen so that, when they start emerging from cocoons, this doesn't seem to come from nowhere.

Which means that - to me, at least - the Cybermen have a presence in those first four parts. It's a very stealthy one so that we can still have that big Reveal at the end of Part Four (a Reveal worthy of any of the awesome ones I described during my Top Five Master Story Countdown) but they are still there. Skulking about in the shadows (or, more appropriately, in the sewers). This is still, very much, a Cybermen Story through all of those first four episodes. We just don't realize it on the first watch. 

THE OTHER HALF

Of course, once the Cybermen do come into the story, some great awesomeness ensues! 

Vaughn's counterplot with the Cerebron Mentor creates an extremely cool concept that we hadn't really seen up until that point in the show: We get an insane Cybermen. It's actually quite terrifying. He gives us a great Cliffhanger when he re-appears later in the story 

Those sewer scenes are some more really great action sequences. I tend to sing high praises for Cybermen fight scenes. They are, quite frequently, very well-executed. For some reason, they are best the monsters for this sort of thing. When violence is inflicted against them, it's not too disturbing for family viewing. We detach from it enough because they're so mechanistic. But they can still writhe in pain in all kinds of gratuitous ways that a Dalek can't because they're just not as flexible! 

Even a modern day audience can look at that battle in the sewers and be quite enthralled by it. Overall, it still looks really good. It's equally impressive when the Doctor and Tobias Vaughn are running around taking out Cybermen with the Cerebron Mentor in the final episode. Things really heat up as UNIT arrives with bazookas blazing, The fights all look amazing. 

And then, of course, there's the truly iconic moments. People becoming zombified as Cybermen emerge from the sewers at the end of Part Six looks incredible. It's a moment that I had thought for sure was being overhyped by the fans. But as I watched the full sequence for the first time, I could see why it gets talked about so much. It really does contain some great imagery. 

Even if we want to say that the Cybermen weren't truly present during the first half of the story, I find that those latter four parts have so many great moments involving them that it compensates for their absence. What truly amazes me, though, is how awesome all of it looks. Even if it was all shot way back in the 60s, suspending one's disbelief really isn't all that difficult most of the time. 

THE MAIN SOURCE OF GREATNESS 

There are several factors that really help to make this story shine. Kevin Stoney is probably a big one. He is an absolutely wonderful villain to watch (here's how much I love him: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/04/book-of-lists-top-5-one-time-only_23.html). Everyone else is putting in a great performance, too. Nicholas Courtney is definitely earning his way into the recurring character status that he will get for the rest of Classic Series. The TARDIS crew are all doing a stellar job, too. I do think Jamie and Zoe were the best companions for Two. 

It is a very well-written story, too. It really does manage to fill those eight episodes with drama that remains gripping the whole time. Even very deliberate attempts to mark time are still enjoyable. Jamie and the Doctor trying to escape through the elevator shaft is a great example of this. It's done clearly as a digression from the main plot to pad things out a bit. One might even call it a capture-and-escape. But it's still quite the exciting sequence to watch. 

I would even go so far to say that the actual design of this model of Cybermen has a bearing on the story's success. These are some of the best costumes ever made for them. It's the first time we see an "earmuff version" and they look really good.

But the strongest accolades must go to the director. Many who worked with Douglas Camfield on Doctor Who speak of how amazing he was. They say, with great fondness, how he was incredible with the way he handled any project that came his way. How, because of his background as a soldier, he treated any production he was assigned to as if it were a military operation. This seemed to get him great results. 

Classic Who was often shot on a very rigorously short schedule. Which meant many stories were made with a bit of a "just get it in the can" attitude. Even in its last few seasons, we see instances where a scene really needed an extra take to get it to look better. But there was just no time to do it.  

We don't really see this sort of thing from Camfield. His military efficiency seems to have really paid off. Many of the shots in Invasion are extremely well-composed. Some of his location work looks like something you might find in a feature film rather than a low-budget sci fi TV series. 

There are all kinds of talented people involved in this story but it's Camfield that brings it all together and really gets it to fire on all cylinders. He was perfectly-suited to take on such a massive story. After all, he'd handled a tale that was four episodes longer only a few seasons previously (and used Kevin Stoney in that one too!). 

But I do really believe that Invasion remains as engaging as it is because of the way Camfield cosntructs it and makes it all so watchable. I'm particularly impressed with how well he handles things in the later episodes. A good chunk of Parts Seven and Eight are just shots of actors pretending to be officers shouting excitedly from various bases as stock footage of missiles and rockets are interspersed between their scenes. This all could have finished up very static and boring. But Camfield gets it to work. In fact, it's just as gripping as the fight sequences that are going on at the same time at the Guiness factory. 

LONG-LASTING IMPACT

Perhaps one of the strongest testaments to the success of The Invasion is how often it gets referenced in future stories. The image of Cybermen stomping around in the sewers of London made such a strong impression that the effect is re-created during Part One of Attack of the Cybermen. International Electromatics gets mentioned a handful of times during Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel. And, of course, the Cybermen are seen marching out in front of St. Paul's Cathedral once again during Dark Water/Death in Heaven. 

While Easter Eggs were, at one point, starting to happen a little too frequently during the New Series - I can understand why they're hard to resist.  Particularly when they involve a truly great story like The Invasion.

I have mentioned before how some like to refer to me as The Great Contrarion. I do love to contradict Popular Fan Opinion on many issues. But you'll get no argument from me when you discuss the merits of The Invasion. It is an absolute masterpiece that deserves all the respect and fondness that it receives.

And, as 2021 reaches its conclusion, we arrive at the Number One Cybermen Story. Hopefully, I'll get that last entry in before the year is over. 

 

  

BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE CYBERMEN STORIES - NUMBER THREE

The Countdown continues! This one is another New Who Tale....

During my Top Five Master Stories Countdown, I mentioned how New Who has not been particularly kind to most returning villains/monsters that originated from the Classic Series. For the first few times that we see them, they're usually poorly-written. It takes a while before they start getting some fairly decent stories. 

The Cybermen are probably one of the best examples of this. I'm guessing RTD felt that their history was too convoluted to introduce to a new audience (was it, though? They came from Mondas. They moved to Telos. They have a fleet - doesn't seem that complicated to me!). So he came up with this whole "Parallel Universe Cybermen" concept. He was certain that this would make these monsters more accessible to 21st Century fandom. But it really just turned into a bad origin story with a poor season finale follow-up. Then we got The Next Doctor a few seasons later. Which I still consider one of the worst stories ever made in the Modern Series (those dreadful Cyber Shades!). 

We do see some improvement as Moff takes over. Closing Time, Nightmare in Silver and Dark Water/Death In Heaven are all fairly passable. Some do better than others - if I'm to be totally honest! But, at least, we are no longer dealing with Cybermen from another Universe who are trying to develop their own exterminate-style catchphrase. They're more like the Cybermen I remember from the good 'ole days. 

It isn't really til Series 10 that an adventure featuring the Cybermen comes along that really gets our jaw to drop. That's a long time to wait for a strong representation of a much-loved monster. Better late than never, though! 

Fortunately, the trend continues with the next time the Cybermen make a return. And we get the most excellent  The Haunting of Villa Diodati/Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children. 

Which is, of course, our Third Place Winner. 

VILLA DIODATI 

Before we can even get into this three-part masterpiece (I consider it three parts, at least - some may break it down differently - you can  read about the Great Three Parter Debate here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2019/09/points-of-debate-what-constitutes-three.html), we need to examine something that Chibnall did earlier in the season to help get us more excited for this story. One of the many twists and turns that he threw into Fugitive of the Judoon was a surprise appearance by Captain Jack Harkness. But just bringing the character back wasn't enough. Jack's also responsible for a major piece of foreshadowing: 

"Beware the Lone Cyberman." he warns, "Do not give him what he wants." 

"Who is this Lone Cybermen?!" we all ask back, "Why is he alone? What is it that he wants?! Why can't we give it to him?! What actually is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? Monty Python never did tell us!" 

And so on... 

That little bit of a tease gets us all so much more interested in this approaching storyline. It was a great move on Chibnall's behalf to get a decent arc going midway through the season. It truly is a riveting moment as the Lone Cybermen does finally arrive in The Haunting of Villa Diodati. 

The Lone Cybermen is a huge contributor to my love of this three-parter. He is an excellent concept. A man who actually liked the idea of being a Cyberman. But, through some great twist of irony, the cybernisation process didn't work for him. It's utterly brilliant. He believes in the whole mentality of the race, but can't truly practise it because he still has emotions. 

His design is also awesome. Not just the whole half-man/half-robot aesthetic. But also the fact that he seems to look like about three different models mashed together. The look alone begs for a backstory. How exactly did he end up appearing that way?   

My enjoyment of the Lone Cybermen is so strong that I must actually admit that I like him as much as the Cyberleader in Earthshock. I never thought there would ever be another character from the Cyber-Race that I would enjoy as much as the Cyberleader in that story (other Cyberleaders that we have met were okay - but none were as great as him. Even though it was often the same actor in the suit!). But the Lone Cybermen is just as fun to watch onscreen. The actor plays the role to perfection. And he's excellently-written. Which are the same two components that made the Cyberleader in Earthshock so engaging.  

The fact that the Doctor does, ultimately, give the Lone Cybermen what he wants makes us dying to see what will come next.

ASCENSION 

One of the things I love most about Ascension of the Cybermen is that it finally offers a legitimate glimpse into one of the Great Cyber Wars. They get mentioned so much in other Cybermen stories but we never actually see any of the fighting. Although the whole conflict is drawing to a close, it's still great to witness some events on the battlefield. 

It is near the beginning of this particular episode that one of my few issues with this whole story is on display. The concept of Cyber-drones is a great idea. Visually, however, I found they didn't work too well. For a moment, it seemed more like we were watching a Doctor Who video game rather than an actual TV show! 

The perfect uniformity in which the drones move is a big contributor to why the sequence looks so bad. Which does lead me to a big gripe I've been meaning to go on about for some time. Why is the New Series so obsessed with Cybermen acting in unison all the time?! It was never a big priority for them in Classic Who. I even quite liked the fact that they moved independently of each other so much. It helped indicate that they weren't merely robots. Whereas now they must stomp around all the time with their timing and stance in perfect synchronicity. It's not a visual I'm enjoying that much. Please, Production Team, bring back Free-Flowing Cybermen! 

Okay, that's out of my system. Back to the good stuff. Another great trait about this episode is how "stripped down" it feels. It's not a particularly complex plot. The few remaining Cybermen from the war are trying to hunt down the few remaining humans. At the core of it all, that's all the story is really about. A few other developments are occurring that will only get fleshed out in the final part. 

Keeping things so simple in this middle section makes the whole tale massively compelling. To just suddenly let the story turn into an intense chase for an hour was a great change of pace. And, though some love to pick apart Chibnall's writing, he does an amazing job at structuring the whole ongoing pursuit. It's a white knuckle ride the whole way through. The Cybermen come across as so ruthless and determined. Easily, the most menacing they've been since the show returned. 

Again, there might not be much to the plot of Ascension of the Cybermen - but what is there is some of the most gripping television I've seen. The continuous element of danger that the Cybermen provide really does keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. 

TIMELESS CHILDREN

We have another Elephant in the Room that needs to be addressed: The Timeless Children is a highly divisive episode. Many fans were outraged by the fact that it messes a bit with the main lore of the show (it doesn't really, though. I address the whole idea quite thoroughly here: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/05/unadulterated-boorish-opinion-silliness.html). There are probably any number of fans who would look at this entry and say something to the nature of: "How can you give a favorable review to anything involving The Timeless Children?! It is sacrilege!!!"  

First off, I could easily write a good review for this episode because I actually love the concept of the Timeless Child. It's just the sort of thing the show needed to take it in an interesting new direction. In my eyes, it's a great story arc that I have been enjoying enormously. Those of you who think a showrunner should not mess with the established lore of the show and are extra mad at Chibnall because you believe him to be the first one to ever do it really haven't been watching Doctor Who! The truth is: Important Established Continuity gets altered on a fairly regular basis.** 

I could take the time to argue more thoroughly about the merits of the Timeless Child arc (and I, sort of, do in some footnotes at the end of the entry!). But the whole point is, essentially, moot. We are examining this as a Cybermen story. And, in that respect, the third part of this tale continues to do a great job of representing them. 

I complained ever-so-slightly in my last entry about how the Cybermen do feel just a little sidelined during The Doctor Falls. The Timeless Children is in a similar predicament. The Master is involved in this story, too. And there's a huge info-dump that goes on about Ancient Gallifrey. But those nasty cyborgs don't get pushed aside, this time. Two very strong plot threads involving them that first started in Ascension continue. And now a third one develops as the Master makes contact with the Lone Cyberman. Definitely no Cyber-neglect going on, this time! 

The Lone Cyberman continues to shine, here. I feel I must give him just a little bit more praise and adoration. I love how his own personal flaws end up saving the lives of a few important human characters. The Cyber-carrier's defense system detects a disturbance on one of the troop storage levels. A technician even offers to just activate some dormant Cybermen in the chamber to investigate. But the Lone Cybermen, creature of impulse that he is, decides he must go look for himself. There is a gorgeous moment of tension as he starts peering into the cryo-units that the humans are hiding in. And then, the half-converted tyrant is distracted by an important development and returns to the Bridge. Had it not been for the fact that the Lone Cyberman still has the potential to act illogically, Yaz, Graham and the others would have been done for. I love how Chibnall genuinely makes use of the nature of this character to propel certain plot points. In a less skilled pair of hands, the Lone Cyberman would have just been a cheap gimmick. Here, he is used brilliantly all the way through the three parts.  

I do actually almost tear up a bit when the Master finally takes the Lone Cyberman down. I loved him so much and wanted to see more of him. As far as I'm concerned, he could have returned to the show on a regular basis. Like Davros does during Dalek stories. That would have been an absolute delight. Sadly, though, he's been disposed of. But, again, Chibnall uses this turn of events in a useful manner that will serve the conclusion of the story well. He doesn't just pluck him out of the story because he's a baddie and it's always nice to kill off villains towards the end of a story!

Still, I wish that Lone Cyberman hadn't died. I loved him!   

The battle Ryan is forced into during this episode is one of the best action sequences involving Cybermen that's ever been done. Ace fighting with a slingshot and gold coins during Silver Nemesis might be the only one that beats this out (complain all you want about the 25th Anniversary Tale, this is still an awesome moment!). I like that the humans do have some weaponry that is effective against their foe. But, ultimately, the might and sheer number of the Cybermen is defeating them. In the end, it's only luck that seems to save them. 

There is a problem that can occur with stories involving returning monsters. It's always fun to watch them get destroyed. Because of this, they can be a bit too easy to defeat, sometimes. Which can really ruin their sense of menace. This doesn't happen, here. The Cybermen do truly seem deadly.  

Finally, we have the Cyber-Masters. How fannish these creatures could have been had they not been handled properly! Instead, they are brilliant. It would have been nice if they had figured more prominently in the plot. But it also made sense to make them so short-lived. The threat a hybridised race of Cybermen and Time Lords pose to the Universe was just too great. They needed to be taken down quickly. 

Of course, it is hinted that they might not have been completely wiped out. The Master has, most likely, escaped Gallifrey before the Death Particle went off and may have taken a few with him   His return was just heavily foreshadowed during The Vanquishers. So it's possible that there will be some Cyber-Masters with him. We'll have to wait and see...

CLOSING REMARKS

So, aside from those Cyber-drones that looked like something out of a cheap video game, I'm pretty damned happy with this story. The fact that it beats out an actual origins story that was also well-made speaks volumes of its quality. 

It certainly backs up the Popular Fan Opinion that has been spreading, of late, about Chibnall. A lot of his critics are forced to admit that he handles recurring villains quite well. I would go so far to say that, of all the Head Writers for New Who (thus far, at least), he has done the best job with them. He seems to understand what it is that we enjoyed about these characters in their previous appearances and displays those traits prominently in his own plots. He also does an excellent job of introducing new aspects to the cultures of returning monsters. The Recon Dalek, for instance, was a great concept. But it doesn't have to be something big like that, every time. Sometimes, it's more subtle. I found it fascinating, for instance, to discover that the Sontarans have a Psychic Division during Flux. 

Chibnall's skills with returning foes is why he has gotten a story in both of these countdowns (mind you, Moffat made it into both, also - but it was with the same story!). If I were doing Top Story Countdowns with Sontarans and Weeping Angels, his scripts involving them would probably also make it in. In fact, I'd go so far to say that Village of the Angels might actually be better than Blink. 

How's that for heresy?! 

Anyhow, this is not meant to be a review of Chibnall - this is supposed to be a Top Five Cybermen Story Countdown. So I'll end my digression and get back to my real point: The Haunting of Villa Diodati/Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children is the best Cybermen story New Who has to offer. Even if you don't like all the actual Timeless Child stuff, the content involving Cybermen is excellent. Moff did, at least, really get the Cybermen right in his last story. But it was nice to see them get improved upon as his successor took over.  

This is the way the Cybermen were always meant to be. It just took a while for us to finally get there. Thank God we made it, though. Alternative Reality Cybermen just weren't really working!  

...And that wraps things up for Number Three! We'll be returning to the Classic Series for Two. And we're going quite a ways back! 

 

** I just want create this footnote to back up the idea that production teams frequently mess with the show's lore. I didn't want to clutter up the main point of that particular section, however. So that's why I'm doing this in a footnote! 

Here are several examples of how previous production teams altered core continuity issues: 

1) The origin story the Second Doctor gives in The War Games heavily contradicts the one he told in An Unearthly Child. The First Doctor claims to be an exile forcibly cut off from his people who is striving to one day return home. Doctor Two says he's a renegade who chose to leave his homeworld and has no desire to go back to it. 

2) After clearly establishing for a number of years that the first incarnation of the Doctor was played by William Hartnell, the production team starts teasing out the idea during Seasons 13 and 14 that there may be incarnations that existed before him. (Not just the faces we see in the mind bending tournament in Brain of Morbius, but the Doctor looks at a costume in the old console room in Masque of Mandragora that doesn't really resemble anything Doctors One to Three ever wore). 

3) For the first six seasons of the show, we are under the impression that the Doctors did not interact with the Time Lords until The War Games. But then The Two Doctors and Five Doctors both make implications that the Second Doctor had quite a few dealings with them. 

4) In the final two seasons of the show, we see the development of The Cartmel Masterplan. An ongoing arc that, had it been allowed to be completed, would have revealed that the Doctor had a whole different life before the Hartnell incarnation that had a strong link to Ancient Gallifrey. His experiences during that life, however, were erased from his memory. Is it just me or does this sound familiar?! 

5) The Doctor clearly states in Time and the Rani that he is 954. But he is, somehow, younger than he was in the Classic Series as Doctor Who revives! 

If you want to object to what Chibnall did to the Doctor's origins - that's fine. Just make sure your objections are well-founded! 

BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE CYBERMEN STORIES - NUMBER FOUR

The Countdown continues....

DOUBLE WINNER

Believe it or not, we have a story that won in both categories. World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls was not only an excellent Master Story (as you can see, here, in this review: https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2021/11/book-of-lists-top-five-master-stories_19.html), but it also did a damned fine job of representing those Metal Meanies from Mondas. Clearly, I was very impressed with these two episodes! 

Some fans even seem to wish that this was Moffat and Capaldi's final story and that Twice Upon a Time had never been made. After all, the Doctor is in the process of holding back a regeneration throughout the entire second half. He could have, easily, just done his big "Doctor, I let you go..." speech at the end and finally allowed the regeneration to happen. An era would have been brought to an end on a much less divisive note than it was.  

Bringing up the regeneration, however, gets us to ponder a heavy point. These two episodes not only featured a multi-incarnation Master Story and the origins of the Cybermen - they also began the process of writing out the Twelfth Doctor. That's a lot of stuff to handle! Some fans love to point out how Planet of Fire had to feature the Master, write out Turlough, kill off Kamelion and introduce Peri. I would say World Enough/Doctor Falls carried just as heavy of a load. Maybe it didn't have quite as many strands to take care of, but the plot threads it does handle are a bit larger in scale. 

I am always very impressed with a Who Story that has to resolve multiple ongoing continuity issues at once and still tell a good story.  World/Falls does this magnificently. It really is an impressive two episodes. 

For now, though, we will focus in on how it handles the Cybermen. 

AN ORIGINS STORY? 

Probably one of the best things this story does for the Cybermen is give them their own version of a Genesis of the Daleks adventure. Although - and this will sound horrendously blasphemous - I think I like this way better than the Dalek origins tale. There aren't endless captures-and-escapes to mark time or awful cliffhangers where people appear to be falling to their death but aren't, really. Instead, we get a really great sci fi concept involving black holes and how they can affect the flow of time. Which, apparently, was even scientifically accurate! 

Watching the gradual evolution of the Cybermen throughout the first part is probably one of the cooler aspects of the whole story. I love the way they look more like hospital patients at the beginning. But, at the same time, you can still see the "Cyberman-to-be". It had been made pretty clear in promotional material that Series 10 would finish with Peter Capaldi getting his wish fulfilled to fight "Mondasian Cybermen". So there was no need for subtlety. We knew what these strange creatures in hospital gowns and IV drips were going to become. It was great fun to watch the transformation gradually happen over the length of the episode. 

The fact that Bill becomes one of - if not - the first "True Cyberman" is massively cool. At the same time, it's quite devastating. I'd become quite attached to her by this point and didn't want to see this happen to her. The fact that cybernisation seems to be irreversible made her fate all-the-more painful to watch. I've spoken before of the potency of that cliffhanger (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-of-lists-ten-amazing-cliffhangers.html). It's a gorgeous "double-whammy". Not only must we watch the Doctor's close friend become a Cyberman, but the Doctor also comes to terms with the fact that he's dealing with two incarnations of his greatest rival at once. So it's an excellent moment for both the Master and the Cybermen. But it's an especially important moment since it is the final stage of an evolution that we've been watching. 

The Cybermen are born. It's particularly mortifying that they were born through Poor Bill! 

There is one neat thing that Moff does during the second half of the tale that works as a sort of escape clause if one wants it to be. The Doctor delivers his speech about parallel evolution. He claims that most species, at some point, try to convert themselves to Cybermen. This allows what we're seeing on this colony ship to Mondas to be subjective. I like to think that the ship makes its way to its destination and converts the Mondasian population. That this is the true origins of the Cyber-race. But, if you so desire, you can view this as a completely separate tale that has no bearing on what we will eventually see in The Tenth Planet. That those Cybermen have a completely different backstory. It's another gorgeous example of the ambiguity Steven Moffat has woven into the script. 

THE HORROR! 

One of the other really outstanding elements of this tale that involved Cybermen was something that is commonly referred to as "body horror". I actually find this to be one of the most disturbing forms of the genre. There are all kinds of terrifying things you can do to characters in a plot. But when you start actually changing their physical form and the very nature of who they are, it really gets under my skin. 

I find that Who actually needs to be careful with this style of horror. As it really can become too disturbing for a family audience. In the past, we've had stories like Ark in Space, where Noah transforms into a Wirrn. We're not really all that mortified by the scene, though, because the effect was done with bubble wrap (the performance of the actor, though, as he struggles through the transformation was brilliant)!  But now, the show has a real budget. They could really make some stomachs turn if they wanted to. 

But the whole thing is pitched quite magnificently. We know there's some gruesome surgery going on but it's only vaguely alluded to. We can't help but notice, for instance, that the new head apparatus that the surgeon is showing Bill at the end of the episode has a nasty spike in it that will, very obviously, penetrate the skull of its wearer. We don't actually witness the process going on, though. It's left to our imagination. Which will do a far better job than a graphic visual ever could. 

There's also a far stronger emphasis on the psychological damage that occurs during Body Horror. Which is safer to portray in a PG format but, ironically, can be far more difficult to watch. Bill waking up from her operation and wandering into a room full of Patients begging to be killed is, in many ways, one of the most memorable moments in the whole episode. And it sticks with us so well because it is just so dark and morbid. It's a truly brilliant scene. 

CONVERSION

As we discuss the various virtues of Body Horror, it leads us to another point about this story that I really enjoy. A core element of the terror a Cybermen inspires is the fact that they are the sci fi equivalent of a zombie. Rather than just kill you - they go one step further. They turn you into them. You become the Walking Dead. Every story involving them mentions, at least, in passing that Cybermen convert humans. 

And yet, we rarely get to see the actual process. The first time we see any real hint of it is in Attack of the Cybermen: a story that takes place nearly 20 years after the monsters were first introduced. For nearly two decades we hear things like: "If the Cybermen catch you, they turn you into them!" But we never actually get to see how that's done. 

New Who stories like Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel and Closing Time also show a little bit of the process. In some ways, not letting see us see much of it is part of that less is more approach that I described a bit, already, in the last section. But, after so many years of not ever really witnessing much of the procedure, I really wanted a story that focused in on it a bit more. 

In World/Falls, we finally get to see that. It's a very primitive form of conversion. No doubt, future Cybermen come up with much more efficient ways to transform humans into their kind. But it's quite nice to see such low-tech methods.  It makes it more horrifying, of course. But also allows us to really see and understand what goes into the process of making an actual Cyberman.  I found it most interesting to see the whole thing displayed in such great detail. Now we can go back to putting Maurice Colbourne or Jame Corden in partial Cybermen outfits!    

DRAWBACKS...

This story ranks Fourth Place in my Cybermen Story Countdown. While I have a lot of great things to say about it, it must also have some weak points. Otherwise, it would be at the top, right? 

I have to say: my qualms with the tale are negligible. For the most part, I adore it. 

However...

It made sense that we might eventually see the Cybermen evolve into a more efficient model. So I didn't mind the Nightmare In Silver Version suddenly appearing and kinda taking things over. They would look more intimidating for a final conflict. This was also the latest costume that the production team was using so that worked, too. The fresher the look, the better.   

I'm not sure if we needed the Cybus-Style Cybermen in there, too. It seemed a bit unnecessary. Seeing multiple versions of Daleks in Asylum of the Daleks was cool. Any other attempts to cram in as many different past models of an evil cyborg seemed a little too fan-pleasing. In this case, it even seemed a little half-assed. They, more-or-less, re-created the Mondasion style Cybermen and then just dug out the suits they still had lying around. If they really wanted to show an evolution of some sort, we should have gotten a few more re-creations of classic costumes. Maybe one more version from the 60s and then the totally awesome 80s look. 

As I've mentioned, World/Falls is a bit like Planet of Fire. It has a lot to take care of. Because of this, the Cybermen do feel ever-so-slightly sidelined during the second episode. Technically, there is a Cyberman accompanying everyone as we deal with the multi-Master drama and the Doctor trying to halt his regeneration. But, most of the time, she appears as Bill. Only once in a while are we reminded that it's no longer really her. So the Cybermen's presence is a bit weak for a while. Especially with all the build-up we get in Part One. It does feel a bit like they've just been, suddenly, pushed to the side after Nardole rescues everyone from the rooftop. It's not a huge failing. But it would have been nice to see more of what was going on in the Cyber Factory during The Doctor Falls. How cool would it have been, for instance, to have a scene where that creepy surgeon is, at last, betrayed by his creation and forced to become a Cyberman? And then some other scenes where we just watch the Mondasian Cybermen completely take over operations and make improved models of themselves? It just seemed like a plot thread that should have kept getting explored in the second half. Instead, it's a bit of a wasted opportunity. It does work to leave the goings-on in the Engine Level mysterious now that the protagonists have left it. But it also feels a bit "off" that we abandon the setting so suddenly and only return to it to watch Cybermen activate their jet boots!

FINAL VERDICT

My objections, as you can see, are pretty minor. In terms of how this adventure treats both the Master(s) and the Cybermen, it does a pretty damned solid job. It begins Twelve's final journey quite well, too! Overall, it was a great way to finish out the season. Probably one of the best season finales of the New Series.   

It is important to note, however, that there is one sequence towards the end of the whole adventure that gets me to forget about any problem I may have with these two episodes. I'm speaking of that glorious moment where the Doctor is running through the solar farm setting off explosions with his sonic screwdriver and shouting out every victory he's ever had over this particular foe. It's an utterly brilliant scene that, for me, captures the true spirit of the Doctor. He knows his life will be over soon, but he still defiantly celebrates all the times he has won against the monsters that are about to end him. I find the whole thing genuinely inspiring, really. No matter how many times I watch it, it stirs up something in me. I'm always moved by it. 

That scene, alone, gives this story a special place in my heart. It helps, of course, that the rest of tale is very well put-together, too.   

Number Four Cybermen story has been covered. We'll keep moving on.... 

  

BOOK OF LISTS: TOP FIVE CYBERMEN STORIES - NUMBER FIVE

Having wrapped up our Top Five Master Story Countdown, we move on to another of the Great Recurring Enemies. December will be spent counting down the Top Five Cybermen Stories. 

We'll begin with one that is a fan-favorite....

BUT WHERE ARE THE CRYONS?!!   

I have to admit, Tomb of the Cybermen is ever-so-slightly reminiscent of The Space Museum. I say this because The Space Museum has an incredible first episode (such a great episode that I consider it one of my favorites, ever https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/11/book-of-lists-top-six-doctor-who.html). But the other three parts go off in some pretty strange directions. Some would even say they're absolutely awful. I wouldn't go that far, though. If I were to be objective about it - I would just say the other episodes are clearly inferior in quality to the first. 

One could say much the same thing for Tomb of the Cybermen. Except that it's the first two parts of Tomb that are awesome. Then we get that serious dip. And, just like Space Museum. I wouldn't say Parts Three and Four are terrible. But, because they're all part of the same story, you have to line them up against each other. And there is a very clear difference in quality between them. 

Here's the thing, though. Even with the problems in the latter episodes, Tomb of the Cybermen really does end up being a great piece of television. Those first two parts are just so gorgeous that we tend to put aside the flaws that occur after them. And, as I said, the second half of the story isn't absolutely horrible, anyway. It's just significantly less good. 

It's for this reason that, even with some other really great Cybermen stories out there, Tomb of the Cybermen still ends up on this list. Because of its problems, it only comes in Fifth. But it still very much merits a position here. There are many things about the story that are brilliant. And they manage to overshadow the problems. 

SO WHAT MAKES THOSE FIRST TWO PARTS SO GREAT?! 

Lots of fans sing pretty heavy praises for Tomb of the Cybermen. They tended to love it more, though, before it was re-discovered in the 90s. Some still adore it in its entirety. When Matt Smith got the role of the Doctor, for instance, he started watching a bunch of the Classic Series to better understand the character. He seemed to be most impressed with Tomb. He doesn't make the same claim that I do, however. He seems to like all four parts. 

Other fans do find that the story definitely re-enforces the late JNT's favorite proverb: "The Memory Cheats!" They were actually around when it came out and went on endlessly about how great the tale was. And then they actually saw it again and found themselves eating a bit of crow. Many tend to agree with my sentiment - those first two parts are great. The second half is where the problems start. 

Rather than dwell on negatives, however, let's focus on what's great about the adventure. What is it about the first half of the story that gets us to love it so much? 

I think the biggest factor would be the actual Second Doctor, himself. We hear a lot of talk from older fans about how dark and manipulative he can be. Comparisons are even made between him and Seven. They say Two was almost a lighter version of him. Clownish but still very ruthless when he needs to be. We don't see much evidence of this in the stories that still exist. Most of the time, he's quite humorous. But Tomb definitely shows us a different side of him. The Second Doctor seems like a real puppet-master in those first two episodes. He coaxes the archaeologists along in a game of his own that he seems to be playing against the Cybermen. Using people as pawns in much the same way his seventh incarnation would. It's really quite engaging to watch. 

Unfortunately, however, there's not a whole lot going on with actual Cybermen in those first two parts. The plot seems more concerned about the politics between the various archaeologists, than anything else. But there is a sort of silent presence that the Cybermen have the whole time that make them quite sinister. Humans are still picking through a place they once dwelt in and are discovering all sorts of interesting things about them. And, of course, they do finally climb out of their hibernation units at the end of Part Two to provide us with a hell of a cliffhanger! 

The other thing that I do enjoy about these first two episodes that involves Cybermen is how much their actual scope is broadened. Up until Tomb, we've only seen the Cybermen making fairly isolated attacks on Earth. This is the first story where we really learn of the galactic presence that they have. They seemed to be feared far and wide by various species across space. The Universe was quite happy when they went into hibernation. This is the first time we see this aspect of their reputation and I quite like it. 

THOSE OTHER TWO PARTS - THE BAD

Okay, let's get the painful stuff out of the way, first. We'll address the aspects of those latter two parts that don't work. 

Right in the first few seconds of Episode Three, there's a bit of a problem. None can deny the effectiveness of the second part's cliffhanger. That Cybercontroller is completely sinister as he emerges from his tomb and proclaims: "You will become like us." It is a bit unfortunate that he does sound slightly similar to the voice-boxes that would be used for people after they get tracheotomy surgery. But, at least, it's in a lower register. 

But then the quick reprise at the beginning of Part Three raises the pitch of the Cybercontroller's voice. Now he really does sound like the tracheotomy voice-box. And will continue to do so throughout the rest of the tale. While this is a pretty minor flaw (did that surgical procedure even exist back then?!), it's still gets the episode off to a bad start.

There are some other cosmetic issues of this nature. I try not to come down too hard on poor visuals in the Classic Series. The show had a shoestring budget and the production teams were doing the best with what they'd been handed. But there are a few sequences that just look soo horrible that I can't get past them. Probably the all-time worst would be those last few minutes of Robot where they are trying to do an homage to King Kong. But it's really just Michael Kilgarriff traipsing around in a bad robot costume crushing doll houses!

Several action sequences in Tomb of the Cybermen have this same sort of impact (Michael Kilgarriff almost seems to be a curse of some sort when trying to produce convincing visuals!). The most notorious are the fights where someone is getting thrown around. Toberman is clearly being suspended  by wires in one scene like this. And the Cybercontroller is obviously a dummy during another battle where this happens. But there are other moments that look equally ridiculous. Cybermen stumbling around in blatantly ineffective smoke bomb explosions while making silly noises is another really big cringe. The whole chase that ensues after the smoke bombs are dropped looks horrifically pantomime. Particularly Jamie running around a single set piece as a Cyberman pursues him. All of these problems damage the credibility of those first two episodes where everything feels so ominous. This great menace of the Cybermen that the archaeologists have been discussing seems preposterous, now, because these supposedly fearsome monsters are quite comical, in places. 

However, it's not just the production value that presents a serious problem in these latter two parts. There are some problems with plotting, too. Once it's been made clear in the first few minutes of Episode Three that the whole thing was just a big trap to find worthy converts for the Cybermen, the whole narrative doesn't really have anywhere to go. It just, sort of, spirals off in some erratic directions. We get some trouble with Kleig and Kaftan and some cybermats. But it all just feels like attempts to stall the inevitable: The Cybercontroller will come up from the tombs and use Toberman to trick the humans. It's where the whole plot needs to go but the writer marks time with largely inconsequential perils. At the risk of sounding harsh, the story might have worked better as a three-parter. 

That is the bulk of the bad stuff of the second half. Although I've spent a few paragraphs dwelling on it, I shouldn't pay too much attention to it. There's still plenty of quality moments in these two episodes that dwarf it.

THOSE OTHER TWO PARTS - THE GOOD

Okay, negatives have been taken care of. Let's look at the good stuff in the latter two parts. 

Probably the most famous moment that gets quite a bit of fan adoration and isn't an example of The Memory Cheats is the scene with the Doctor and Victoria as they are standing guard at night. It really is as touching and beautiful as everyone said it is. Troughton delivers his dialogue in a manner that is both delicate and just a little bit haunting. It's magnificent. 

The attack of the cybermats that ensues shortly thereafter is actually well-executed. Even a bit creepy. The cybermat crawling up the hastily-awakened rocket technician looks especially good. After a bunch of really unconvincing action sequences, it comes in like a breath of fresh hair and really spices up Episode Three. 

Klieg starts becoming a fun villain in the last two parts. We know there is something wrong with him during the first half of the story, but he's trying to conceal it as best he can. But he does a great little descent into madness now that he's letting his inner megalomaniac out. Yes, he gets a little over-the-top by modern-day standards - but he's still a lot of fun to watch. 

The final conclusion of the story is a tad predictable. We know Toberman will, ultimately, resist his conditioning and sacrifice himself to re-seal the Tombs. We even suspect that Kaftan's death will trigger his change of allegiance. But it's still a very nice dramatic moment that resolves the whole conflict quite well. Particularly as Toberman fights against the Cybercontroller to re-seal the main entrance. It's a great scene

You may notice that there is one slight problem with a lot of these strongpoints: They don't actually involve the Cybermen that much! This is the really unfortunate thing about the whole adventure. The first two parts don't really show us a lot of the main monster of the story. And, when they do finally emerge from their tombs, their scenes often don't work very well!   

ULTIMATE CONCLUSION

There is a great irony to Tomb of the Cybermen. It is an excellent story in so many ways. Even with its problems, it's still one of the best 60s Who stories ever made. 

But the story really only does so much for the Cybermen, themselves. They are built up beautifully in those first two parts. And when they finally emerge in the last few minutes of the second episode, it really does look awesome. 

But most of the sequences involving them once they have re-awakened really are the weakest moments in the tale. Particularly when you consider how good they look in Tenth Planet and Moonbase. The Cybermen costumes back then were quite cumbersome and difficult to navigate your way around in. Add to the fact that most sets in 60s Who were quite cramped and it seems justifiable if you get some artistes stumbling around now and again. And yet, that doesn't really happen much in their first two stories. Quite often, they really do inspire a considerable amount of fear. But they just don't have that same impact during a lot of Tomb. There are still some moments where they look awesome - particularly when climbing in and out of the honeycombs. But there are also some really laughable sequences. And it's the first time that we've seen this sort of thing with the Cybermen. This works tremendously to their detriment. 

And yet, I find it hard to care all that much about it. Because Tomb is just a really great story. In many ways, it feels massively ahead of its time. Back in the 60s, Doctor Who was much more of an episode-to-episode kind of show. It was still heavily-influenced by those old adventure serials kids used to go watch at the cinema. Particularly with its reliance on cliffhangers. There was a definite sense with those serials that the writers really weren't planning that far ahead with their storylines. As long as there was a bit of plot development and a main character ended up in a sticky situation by the end of the episode - everything was fine. Black-and-White Who often worked under the same guise. 

Tomb of the Cybermen is one of the first tales in the show's history to really feel cohesive in the way it's constructed. It's more of a story told in four parts than four parts that try to come together to form a story (not sure if that made any kind of sense!). Which makes it an absolute delight to watch. Even if it doesn't do the Cybermen much justice. 

Because it is, in many ways, a well-put-together piece of television, many fans make this one of their favorite Cybermen stories, ever. Or, at the very least, it comes in second or third. But I am gauging these tales on how well they treat the main villain and/or monster. Which causes Tomb to lose a few major points. It still can't be completely brushed aside, though. It deserves to be in the Top Five. But I have to place it fifth. There are just other stories out there that do a better job with how these fearsome cyborgs are handled. And they deserve a better place on this list because of it. 

And thus, the Top Five Cybermen Stories Countdown begins! Four will be up shortly...