Classic Doctor Who - Season 25 - Silver Nemesis (1988) - Review

Starring: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Fiona Walker & Anton Diffring

Written By: Kevin Clarke

Directed By: Chris Clough

 

Although it was skating on some incredibly thin ice by 1988, Doctor Who did have cause to celebrate its twenty-fifth year on our TV screens. It's a milestone not many TV shows live to reach, and being the show's silver anniversary, the silver giants the Cybermen were brought back to celebrate. Being the anniversary, Season 25 features quite a number of returning elements and reliance on continuity, with the show's most iconic baddies, the Daleks, already putting in an appearance just two stories ago. Silver Nemesis continues this trend, but does it pull it off anywhere near as well as Remembrance Of The Daleks?

 

In 1638, the Doctor stopped sorceress Lady Peinforte in her attempt to steal the Nemesis – a statue made of living metal and a Gallifreyan super-weapon created by Rassilon. The Doctor launched the Nemesis into space in a powered asteroid, but in 1988, the asteroid crashes back to Earth. When the Doctor and Ace arrive, they find three factions at war with each other for control of the Nemesis. Lady Peinforte, a group of Neo-Nazis who intend to use the Nemesis to establish the Fourth Reich, and a squadron of Cybermen. The Doctor must ensure that none of them wield the ultimate power of the Nemesis...

 

There's a particular bit of that above premise I really love, or at the very least the idea, and that's pitting three different antagonists against each other for control of this weapon. Sorceresses, Nazis and Cybermen battling each other sounds entertaining, and you've even got a nice bit of underlying symbolism there. When it comes down to it, the three all embody things the Doctor stands against – fascism, the belief in magic and superstition over science, a lack of humanity etc. However, while I like the idea, the execution feels disjointed and cobbled together. Silver Nemesis has far too much going on, with ideas that never gel together. Each of the three factions feel incredibly undeveloped – Lady Peinforte and the Cybermen are looking only for total power, while the Neo-Nazis are looking only to establish the Fourth Reich, a motivation which has been seen numerous times before this story was broadcast. There's nothing new or interesting enough here to stand out, and they all feel in need of more development. What's worse is that Silver Nemesis is already limited for time, but wastes so much of it on completely random stuff. Rather than fleshing out the story, we see Lady Peinforte encountering a couple of skinheads (who seem weirdly adamant that she and Richard are social workers) and later sharing a similarly pointless car ride with an American tourist. Meanwhile the Doctor and Ace spend their time enjoying jazz performances, very nearly having a run-in with the Queen and her Corgis at Windsor, and getting cornered by security. All of this takes up valuable time, but it never goes anywhere or serves any purpose.

 

While I like the ideas in Silver Nemesis, there's something else you might have noticed about that premise. It's very familiar isn't it? What other Sylvester McCoy Doctor Who story can you think of that pits rival factions against each other for control of a super-weapon? Sounds a lot like Remembrance Of The Daleks, just two stories ago doesn't it? Besides a few alterations, the plot itself is practically the same. Battles being fought for control of an infinitely powerful Gallifreyan weapon, only it being the Nemesis this time as opposed to the Hand of Omega. The Daleks being substituted for either Nazis or Cybermen. All the while they're being outsmarted by the Doctor, who is one step ahead of them along the way, and who eventually defeats them by using the weapon to destroy the enemy fleets. It's not even subtle about the fact it's ripping off such a recent story – Ace even points out to the Doctor that the way he defeats the Cybermen is “Just like you nailed the Daleks”.

 

Fans generally hold quite a low opinion of Silver Nemesis, and it's not hard to see why. However I should point out that while this is a deeply flawed story, I wouldn't say I hate it. In fact, there are some moments I genuinely like, such as the cliffhanger to Part 1. The arrival of the Cybermen definitely brings a bit more energy into the story. Not to mention, they're still donning their fantastic 80s design (albeit a bit more shiny and polished) for one final time, and it's still my personal favourite. David Banks also returns as the Cyber-Leader, and he never disappoints in the role. As Part 2 starts, we kick things off with a pretty entertaining action sequence as the Cybermen and Neo-Nazis fight it out. It isn't a patch on the action in Remembrance Of The Daleks, but it's still a promising start for them. Sadly as the story goes on, the Cybermen gradually become less impressive and seem to become more incompetent with every passing minute. Sometimes they're shot quite nicely and in a way that makes them appear more intimidating, with Chris Clough putting them in plenty of low-angle shots. But the rest of the time, they simply don't come across as imposing, especially when at one point they step gingerly towards a gold arrow in the ground before shouting “Gold!” and scarpering. Later, the Doctor and Ace confront them with the Nemesis' bow, and basically take the p*** out of them, as they dance around the room with it while the Cybermen stand there completely dumbfounded.

 

Thankfully the production values on Silver Nemesis are generally more competent than the Cybermen. They aren't some of the best the show has ever seen, but there are still some things to like. As I've already said, I have a bit of a soft spot for the fight sequences between the Nazis and the Cybermen at the beginning of Part 2. The Nemesis itself looks particularly good, especially as it first awakens surrounded by plenty of explosions and noise. In Part 3, while the Doctor prepares the Nemesis, it's up to Ace to keep the Cybermen distracted, and I'm not about to deny the enjoyment in seeing one of my favourite companions taking on my favourite villains armed with just a slingshot. Especially as the fight ends up on the gantries, it becomes particularly tense, and its these moments that are easily the best looking scenes from Silver Nemesis.

 

Slightly less successful is the performances from the cast, which are about as mixed as the characters they're playing. Probably the best performance comes from Fiona Walker as Lady Peinforte. She very enjoyably hams up the role, relishing and injecting plenty of grandiose menace into each line of dialogue. Anton Diffring sadly misses the same opportunity as Neo-Nazi leader, De Flores. While De Flores could have been played as a simultaneously camp and menacing villain (think Christoph Waltz' performance as Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds), he instead plays it very straight and the character is very dull as a result. Because the Doctor plays literally the same role as he did in Remembrance Of The Daleks, there's little to nothing new for Sylvester McCoy to do, and the same goes for Sophie Aldred as Ace. Aside from her keeping the Cybermen busy at one point, Ace barely gets to leave the Doctor's side, so there's not much that's very noteworthy for Ace to do.

 

Overall, there's no real way of escaping the fact that Silver Nemesis is a mess of a story. It's all over the place, with far too many ideas that seem incapable of coming together, far too much time-wasting, and a completely rehashed plot. Writer Kevin Clarke has made it no secret that he came up with this story on the spot in front of John Nathan-Turner, and with the slapdash feel of the final product, it definitely shows. I would be prepared to call Silver Nemesis a bad story if it weren't for one redeeming factor – although it may be a mess, it's rarely a dull mess. There is entertainment value to be found in Silver Nemesis, and if you can take some dumb fun factor from it, it makes for at best half-decent viewing.

 

 

Silver Nemesis

 

5/10