This follow-up is decent. A cliffhanger in usual fashion resolved almost instantly using some well-set up doctor ex machina. Plenty of action scenes balanced by a tense walk through the underground tunnel. Throughout the conversion factory there’s references to Nazis - emotionless processing, people walking in unawares, rejection of impure stock, the incinerators. The scene of the lone cyberman being euthanised after its emotion chip gets broken is pretty harrowing. But this is undermined later on when they’re running around with their heads exploding when all the chips go down at once.
Why is lumic in a wheelchair throne, he’s got a metal body? Thankfully by the end he’s standing up and a bit more menacing, but even then he’s easily defeated in what must be the 3rd “tense quick climb up a ladder while being chased” of the episode. The most terrifying cyberman was converted jackie, and the subsequent scene of them looking back and being unable to tell which is which is quite sad.
The scene of jake reacting to Rickey’s death seemed a bit off for me, I couldn’t figure out why, it seemed dramatic and over the top. I read up on the wiki later and realised they were meant to be in a gay relationship. This completely changes the dynamic and the scene, and I wish had been stated explicitly.
At the end we’re back to doctor and Rose, alone together. Ending with a return trip to see Mum is good. I imagine happening all the time off-screen, given all the trauma everyone usually gets, so seeing it is nice. Ending on a random shooting star twinkle in the alternate universe is weird and makes no sense, but it got a chuckle out of me.
Other minor things I noticed:
A news anchor says London is “now under martial law”. It already was, we saw military checkpoints in the last episode.
At one point lumic “declares independence” - this dialogue makes no sense
The Cybermen in “cold storage” in the underground tunnel is a nice callback to an earlier series episode with the 2nd doctor.
Lumic is the only cyberman who survives a broken emotion chip - because he was already a psychopath.
I really like the teardrop design of the eyes,and the moulding of the faces, they look much more disturbing than the old cybermen.
In “our universe” the cybermen originally come from a planet in the solar system close to earth’s orbit. THIS is the subtle reference Pelia should have made in that recent star trek episode with an extra solar system planet.
Why is lumic in a wheelchair throne, he’s got a metal body?
I’m not proud, but I laughed. I suppose it’s supposed to be a throne, but the optics are awful.
I read up on the wiki later and realised they were meant to be in a gay relationship.
I totally forgot about that. I think Andrew Hayden-Smith sells it pretty well, and Noel Clarke absolutely doesn’t.
At one point lumic “declares independence” - this dialogue makes no sense
I think he’s referring to London, which I guess makes a kind of sense given the appearance of the PM in the previous episode, but yeah that line is a whole lot of nothing.
This follow-up is decent. A cliffhanger in usual fashion resolved almost instantly using some well-set up doctor ex machina. Plenty of action scenes balanced by a tense walk through the underground tunnel. Throughout the conversion factory there’s references to Nazis - emotionless processing, people walking in unawares, rejection of impure stock, the incinerators. The scene of the lone cyberman being euthanised after its emotion chip gets broken is pretty harrowing. But this is undermined later on when they’re running around with their heads exploding when all the chips go down at once.
Why is lumic in a wheelchair throne, he’s got a metal body? Thankfully by the end he’s standing up and a bit more menacing, but even then he’s easily defeated in what must be the 3rd “tense quick climb up a ladder while being chased” of the episode. The most terrifying cyberman was converted jackie, and the subsequent scene of them looking back and being unable to tell which is which is quite sad.
The scene of jake reacting to Rickey’s death seemed a bit off for me, I couldn’t figure out why, it seemed dramatic and over the top. I read up on the wiki later and realised they were meant to be in a gay relationship. This completely changes the dynamic and the scene, and I wish had been stated explicitly.
At the end we’re back to doctor and Rose, alone together. Ending with a return trip to see Mum is good. I imagine happening all the time off-screen, given all the trauma everyone usually gets, so seeing it is nice. Ending on a random shooting star twinkle in the alternate universe is weird and makes no sense, but it got a chuckle out of me.
Other minor things I noticed:
No no, it’s even more martial this episode. You have to go through multiple checkpoints to even get to a checkpoint!
Martialer Law
I’m not proud, but I laughed. I suppose it’s supposed to be a throne, but the optics are awful.
I totally forgot about that. I think Andrew Hayden-Smith sells it pretty well, and Noel Clarke absolutely doesn’t.
I think he’s referring to London, which I guess makes a kind of sense given the appearance of the PM in the previous episode, but yeah that line is a whole lot of nothing.