Ok, how do I summarize and give an opinion on these two episodes? In series one of Doctor Who, you’ll remember the episode “Dalek.” It is a truly beautiful example of marrying the campness of Doctor Who with space Nazi dustbins being a threat. It introduced (or reintroduced) these horrid monsters The Doctor had been facing off with for 40-years in our linear timeline, which was thousands of years for him. It really made the Daleks a threat in my mind and the minds of many fans of the show too. I think you can tell with the title, and our run of series one and two reviews already, that this double-bill reintroduced the Cybermen.

Given my tone, you may have already realized I don’t really like it as much either. If it was to attempt another strike at the same tree, though now burning, lightning did not hit the same spot. In fact, I’d say it missed the mark and hit a school or something tragic. “Rise of the Cybermen” and “Age of Steel” have very few moments that stand out, or make me want to rewatch these two episodes alone. It has Dave’s best friend Trigger, but that’s just a bit sad seeing Roger Lloyd-Pack when he was a bit frail, and, of course, then died of cancer 10-years later.

The episode as a whole isn’t much to write home about. Aside from that whole alternate universe thing, falling through a wormhole, and Ricky being there. Cybermen are just boring. Oh there is also Peter Allan “I tried to cheat on my wife with my daughter who came back in time to save my life” Tyler, which is a bit of a long nickname if you ask me. Yes, in an alternate timeline of events, proving Esterath right and bringing the first example of multiverse theory into the show, Pete is still alive, Jackie is married to him, they are rich, and Rose is the name of their Yorkshire Terrier. Ain’t that a kick in the teeth?

The dead TARDIS is interesting, but it isn’t much when it is just a dead box by the side of the Thames. I mean, the same could be said about the Houses of Parliament, but we’ll leave that alone. While Rose is learning that her dad is alive and successful, there is a bit of a glimpse into Pete and Jackie’s life. It turns out when he’s still alive, she’s a bit uppity even with peasants waiting on her every order, along with having everything she could ever want, and more. It seems like the happiest and most down-to-earth Jackie is our Jackie, the one with a dead husband and a daughter she named after what she’d call a dog.

It turns out the only reason Pete is still down-to-earth (as he should be) is a result of the fact that he’s under the boot of the disabled villain, John Lumic. He is by far not an awful villain to have, though some might take his wants and desires as somewhat disrespectful, he’s just a bit dry. The entire double-bill is one of those stories that just feel like it was written at the last minute. It uses enough of the budget to keep the show going, and sounds interesting enough at first. We know it was not, as it is intertwined with a later episode Davies writes that almost makes this one worth it.

It builds tension and it gives Tennant a bit to work with as The Doctor, through once again it doesn’t hit the same marks hit in “Dalek.” In fact, the whole story of “Rise of the Cybermen” and “Age of Steel” feels like a one-off six-part sci-fi drama that airs on ITV on a Sunday night alongside period dramas. Nothing feels like it has energy, so much so that when I watched these episodes back during lockdown a couple of weeks ago, I just didn’t care. I felt like those 100, or so, minutes were taking more time than most of the series thus far.

That is weird to say, because nothing seems to settle within the episode itself. Though it feels weird to state, there seems to both be too much going on, but not enough in it to sink your teeth into. Lumic’s character feels glossed over, the Michael Caine impressionist isn’t much fun as a henchman, and well, it is another example of the Cybermen just being a more boring version of the Daleks. Genocidal humanoid robots that harvest humans like the clone troopers of Star Wars are fine are one thing, but upside-down space Nazi dustbins win that fight every time. Unless the fight is “Who is the most boring villain?” Also yes, I know Cybermen predate the Clones in Star Wars.

They are just a bit slow, stompy, and don’t bring much of a threat to any plot. Just look at Chibnall’s use of them, you might as well place them next to the Vashta Nerada for a while. That is the problem with this time stuff, it is all wibbly-wobbly and I know they don’t disappear for quite some time. In fact, this is just to set up later examples of them stomping about un-threateningly, all while music pretends they are something worth pomp and circumstance. Without Missy, they aren’t much of a cartoon villain to care about, whereas Daleks on their own are cartoonish and threatening. I now expect to get twelve letters from one person in the Cyberman Revolutionary Appreciation Platoon, or C.R.A.P. for short.

The issue here now is, I keep wanting to say something nice. This is the good thing about time travel (or “scheduling” to some), I’ve spent hours thinking about good things to say. The downside is that I just can’t. Both “Jubilee” and its spawn in “Dalek” made re-introductions and introductions to new audiences a bit of a tricky beast. “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday” are possibly better episodes to feature the Cybermen, but without this double-bill, those two don’t make much sense. That or “The Next Doctor” and “Nightmare in Silver” by Neil Gaiman.

Overall, “Rise of the Cybermen” and “Age of Steel” are fine popcorn flicks with some sci-fi and bit of a dystopian parallel universe elements thrown in. Yet they don’t ignite a love of Who. Taking itself seriously throughout, there is a lot of tension for the ending to be but a mild toot as a fart extinguishes any flame. It is a catch-22, if it wasn’t setting up for another two-parter to end the series it might have done more, but as two parts of a four-part puzzle, it doesn’t do too much on its own.

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Doctor Who "Rise Of The Cybermen" & "Age Of Steel"

0.00

5.5

Score

5.5/10

Pros

• Pete's return feels good enough to redeam him.
• The preachers are interesting

Cons

• A lack of agency.
• Cybermen are just dull.