Doctor Who Series 2 Episode 6 - The Age Of Steel (Part 2) - Review
Starring: David Tennant, Billie Piper, Noel Clarke, Shaun Dingwall & Roger Lloyd-Pack
Written By: Tom MacRae
Directed By: Graeme Harper
Welcome
back to my review of Rise Of The Cybermen and The
Age Of Steel. You can find my review of Part 1 here:
So
let's waste no more time and crack straight on with Part 2: The
Age Of Steel.
Escaping
the Cybermen's ambush, the Doctor, Rose, Mickey, Pete and the
Preachers begin plans to stop the Cybermen's spread before London
finds itself converted. But with the Cybermen putting their own plans
into motion, using the earpods to cause everyone to mindlessly walk
into the cyberfactories, time is running short. If they want to stop
the Cybermen, the group are going to have to go right to the heart of
the Cybermen's conversion chambers, face Lumic and cancel out the
signal to the earpods.
Seeing
as Rise Of The Cybermen spent most of its time building
up anticipation for our first look at the new Cybermen (and did a
very good job with it too), The Age Of Steel gives them
a lot more to do. For the first time since The Invasion
(thirty-seven years ago), we get to see the Cybermen out in force
across London, and it's a glorious sight. They are shown converting
plenty of people, as well as killing those that resist, including
characters that we feel about and care towards, and the result is
quite a hefty death rate. The Cybermen feel powerful, intimidating
and one hell of a threat, and it's been a long time since they've put
that impression across. Once again, they are expertly directed by
veteran Graeme Harper, who knows how to use plenty of low-angle shots
and subdued lighting to make them seem even more nightmarish.
At
the same time, while the Cybermen tick the box for intimidation, The
Age Of Steel touches somewhat more on the tragic human side
of the Cybermen. Last week, one of my issues with the Cybermen's new
design, is that it felt a bit too robotic, and I wasn't fully under
the impression that they used to be human beings. This week's episode
looks a bit more towards that much-needed human element, and we start
to feel it when certain characters that we actually care about end up
as Cybermen. There's also another scene where the Doctor and one of
the Preachers, Mrs Moore, encounter a damaged Cyberman who can feel
and remember their human life. It's a tragic and moving scene in more
than one way, but also one that was much needed and goes some way in
limiting the “too robotic” problem I mentioned earlier.
Part
2 is also far more atmospheric than its predecessor, with some
downright unsettling scenes in the cyberfactories. All darkly lit
with steam and fog billowing, we even get brief glimpses of the
conversion, complete with slicing blades and saws to the point where
it could almost be described as something of a twisted medical
procedure. The Doctor and Mrs Moore are also shown infiltrating the
factory by going under it and using the cooling tunnels, which are
filled with inactive Cybermen. The lack of proper light and the
suspense you feel from knowing the Cybermen are bound to wake up, but
not knowing when, makes these scenes look like something from a
horror film. These scenes also feature some great dialogue between
the Doctor and Mrs Moore, and go a long way in making her character
one of the more developed of the Preachers.
Due
to the large amount of stuff that our main characters have to do in
order to stop the Cybermen, they inevitably split up into groups. One
group tries to shut down the earpod transmitter, another tries to
find Jackie, and another tries to confront Lumic. However, in the way
some of the characters go about their goals, it's difficult to see
how they intended getting back out once they'd done what they had to.
The most obvious example of this is Rose and Pete pretending to be
under the Cybermen's influence, in order to find Jackie. Once they'd
got in and found her, what did they plan to do to get back out
safely? Admittedly, the scene where they do find Jackie is an
emotional one, but the context behind it does devalue it somewhat.
However,
I will admit that The Age Of Steel rounds off this
two-parter in a very satisfying way. It ends once again with quite a
literal bang, and I liked the fact that the group were able to stop
the Cybermen by turning their own biology (for lack of a better word)
against them. The escape from the Cybermen's factory was also very
cinematic and put together well. (Skip ahead now to the next
paragraph to avoid spoilers!) Something I didn't expect from the
end of this episode, was Mickey's decision to leave the TARDIS and
stay on this parallel world. At first, it may feel like the writers
of the show just don't know what to do with the character, given that
he's leaving after joining the TARDIS just three episodes ago. In
hindsight, it makes a lot more sense. If I were in Mickey's shoes
travelling with the Doctor and Rose, I couldn't picture myself
staying for long when being treated so indifferently. As saddening as
it is to say it, Mickey will probably have a greater role, have more
to do, and be more respected for working with the Preachers than he
would travelling with the Doctor and Rose. Mickey's departure is a
heartfelt but fitting conclusion to his character, rounding off a
subtle but strong arc of somebody becoming braver to the point where
they can save the world more than once. Whether or not we'll see him
again is something only time will tell, but at least he managed to
get some kind of emotional response from Rose before he left.
In
conclusion, Rise Of The Cybermen and The Age Of
Steel is a solid and entertaining entry to the series that
does a respectable job of reintroducing my favourite villain to the
show. It's not about to sweep the world with brilliance, but it gets
the job done and doesn't put too many steps wrong. Writer Tom MacRae
clearly understands the Cybermen, with many scenes, particularly in
this second part, managing to overcome certain limitations of their
new design. Meanwhile, director Graeme Harper returns on just as
strong a form as he was more than twenty years ago, bringing menace
and brilliance to the steel giants.
Final Score for Rise Of The Cybermen and The Age Of Steel
7/10