SEASON 2. 20 May 06. BBC 1, 6:35 p.m.
WRITER: Tom MacRae DIRECTOR: Graeme Harper
CAST: David Tennant (The Doctor), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Roger Lloyd Pack (John Lumic), Camille Codouri (Jackie Tyler), Shaun Dingwall (Pete Tyler), Andrew Hayden-Smith (Jake Simmonds) & Mona Hammond (Rita-Anne)
Lumic's army of Cybermen begin their assault on London, as The Doctor, Rose and Mickey join the rebellion to stop them… The Age Of Steel continues last week's episode in much the same vein, although the more active threat of the Cybermen gives part two a more focused feel and an excuse for some niftier action sequences. Unfortunately the metal menaces themselves continue to disappoint, mainly due to their awful choreography. The old-style Cybermen had a hypnotic unstoppable synchronicity, whereas the contemporary versions are just very good at marching in unison.
Nothing unexpected really happens throughout the entire episode, with most of the surprises either being signposted in part one, or practically clichés of the parallel universe sub-genre (guess who decides to replace Ricky Smith, folks…)
What the episode lacks in originality it makes up for marginally with some well-executued set-pieces. The scenes in the Cybermen's stronghold are quite effective (shades of Star Trek's The Borg yet again, but we'll let it rest), while the finale involving an airship is pretty decent. Roger Lloyd Pack returns as mastermind John Lumic, but he's thankfully given less chance to chew the scenery by relegation to a supporting character.
However, in perhaps the most awful moment of recent Doctor Who, Lumic becomes a victim of his own creation and reappears as the "Cyber-Controller" (essentially a brighter-eyed Cyberman in a huge silver chair). Yes, if you're a wheelchair user the Cyber upgrade apparently doesn't help matters! It's a terribly misjudged moment, and sure to evoke sniggers from the audience, particularly when you realize just how much better Star Trek handled their own swarm-minded cyber-villains. Oh, sorry, I mentioned The Borg again…
Elsewhere, the acting is as dependable as always. Most of the character moments are lost amidst the Cybermen's neverending stomping and screen-hogging, but David Tennant continues to anchor the show very well as The Doctor, while Noel Clarke begins to carve a half-decent character out of Mickey just as he leaves the show!
The overall return of the Cyberman has been less of a triumph than it should have been. The parallel universe idea was strong and full of potential, and the design of the Cybermen actually quite good, but the sad fact is that there is no real menace to the villains or any storytelling freshness. The entire show unfolds just as you'd expect, and actually frustrates you with its multiple false endings. Just listen to how many times the overly manipulative music swells to a crescendo, only to repeat itself for the next "final scene"…
At this stage in new Who's history, the show is definitely beginning to settle into a template. Most of the episodes are set on Earth (London or Cardiff), on orbiting spaceships/stations, and involve an alien/villain mastermind trying to enslave humans. Only two episodes have broken this trend recently -– Tooth And Claw and The Girl In The Fireplace. Is is just coincidence that those episodes have been the best this series? I think not.
The Age Of Steel is just another variation on this now overplayed structure. I hope the rest of the series breaks this trend, otherwise the third series will need a massive shakeup if the franchise is to continue with any degree of respect from sci-fi fans…