The first thing that strikes me is that the story here is held together by a lot of wild contrivances. Mickey and Jake get to the roof of Battersea undetected…somehow! Despite normally clanking around, the Cybermen can still sneak up on you when convenient! Mickey’s hacking skills (granted these have been halfway established in the past) are strong enough that he can find the override code for the emotional inhibitors in a matter of seconds! Also, he knows how to fly a Zeppelin because PlayStation!
With that all the way, I think the emotional core of the episode is strong. The body horror is executed perfectly, with the “why am I cold” scene being absolutely outstanding (and something that I’d forgotten about, shame on me).
I really appreciated Pete’s “rejection” of Rose, even after he learns the truth. It’s unsatisfying in a very real sort of way.
I’m less fond of Mickey’s departure - it’s fine, I just don’t care much for Mickey. I do think it would have been more resonant if Eccleston was still the Doctor, since he showed more disdain for Mickey last season.
It was nice that the episode spent some time with Jake, and especially Mrs. Moore. It’s a little surprising that we never met their counterparts in the mainline universe.
Lastly…the Cybermen could be a good metaphor for toxic masculinity. Maybe it’s time to revisit them.
Mickey going off on his own is fitting in a way, though the constant flip-flopping of whether Rose was happy for him to be there or not made it difficult to know if this was a good or bad outcome.
Yes, I also remember wanting to see more of the prime Whoniverse Mrs Moore when I’d watched this episode!
Once again, it’s fun to imagine how these 20 years old broadcasts would have been received by our current, terminally online culture. “Doctor Who is canceled, man. This is the weakest season ever, RTD has lost the plot!” 🥸
The first thing that strikes me is that the story here is held together by a lot of wild contrivances. Mickey and Jake get to the roof of Battersea undetected…somehow! Despite normally clanking around, the Cybermen can still sneak up on you when convenient! Mickey’s hacking skills (granted these have been halfway established in the past) are strong enough that he can find the override code for the emotional inhibitors in a matter of seconds! Also, he knows how to fly a Zeppelin because PlayStation!
With that all the way, I think the emotional core of the episode is strong. The body horror is executed perfectly, with the “why am I cold” scene being absolutely outstanding (and something that I’d forgotten about, shame on me).
I really appreciated Pete’s “rejection” of Rose, even after he learns the truth. It’s unsatisfying in a very real sort of way.
I’m less fond of Mickey’s departure - it’s fine, I just don’t care much for Mickey. I do think it would have been more resonant if Eccleston was still the Doctor, since he showed more disdain for Mickey last season.
It was nice that the episode spent some time with Jake, and especially Mrs. Moore. It’s a little surprising that we never met their counterparts in the mainline universe.
Lastly…the Cybermen could be a good metaphor for toxic masculinity. Maybe it’s time to revisit them.
Mickey going off on his own is fitting in a way, though the constant flip-flopping of whether Rose was happy for him to be there or not made it difficult to know if this was a good or bad outcome.
Yes, I also remember wanting to see more of the prime Whoniverse Mrs Moore when I’d watched this episode!
Once again, it’s fun to imagine how these 20 years old broadcasts would have been received by our current, terminally online culture. “Doctor Who is canceled, man. This is the weakest season ever, RTD has lost the plot!” 🥸