New Who Review for Age of Steel
Posted By Kathleen David on November 4, 2006
This episode really changes your perspective about Mickey doesn’t it?
Over-all not a bad second half to the story. I will say before I go to spoilers that the Sci-Fi channel did some major cuts in this one to avoid some scariness which, considering some of the other blood fests that they have done, surprised me. Also the commercial cuts in this one drove me crazy because the tension was being undone and very few scenes were allowed to play out.
Of course spoilerish kind of things under the cut and in the comments.
I am grateful I got my word count done yesterday.
So Mickey’s story arc comes to its conclusion for this part of our story. I thought that Noel Clarke did a bang up job all season but he shown in this episode. Somewhere in the time vortex Mickey grew a spine and a rather large pair.
Once the Doctor figures out what the Cybermen are he is shock and outraged but also kinda interested in how it was done which goes to slightly creepy but give him an alien feel. I though the way that they solved the problem by giving back the “humanity” to the Cybermen was brilliant. Hearing a Cyberman call itself Sally and saying that it was so cold was so sad the flat voice brimming with emotion which was all done with delivery since there was no change in tone.
Rose seems very petulant through out the episode. She feels like a whiny teen who is upset that she is not the center of attention. So not her finest hour.
Overall I really like this retcon of the Cybermen. And remember that this is only the wind up for the Cybermen. Next week is a interesting episode which has a couple of scary twists and proves that too much TV is a bad thing.
Glad to Sci-Fi kept the Sally scene when they were making their cuts. That and the Jackie-as-Cyberman scene were the two that creeped me out this episode. Not really a fan of the next ep, though the two-parter that follows it is excellent.
I’ve been noticing a darker tone to the Who stories since Russell Davies took over.
And that’s it? Mickey gets a backbone and then gets left behind? Pfeh.
And Rose is driving me batty with her whining. I found myself wishing the Doctor would leave her behind and take Mickey.