I wish I liked this episode more. Everything’s setup for this to be a thrilling Cyberman story. I like that the team gets split up, as we have 3 separate missions. I even like that 2 of those missions fail and it’s all down to Jake and Mickey (more on him later) to save the day. So why am I scoring it so low. For me this episode feels too busy, too messy, too rushed and nothing about the Cyberman story lands with as much impact as I’d hoped.

In terms of action, there’s nothing exciting going on here really. Despite it feeling like it was being setup for an action filled second part, with our small group of resistance fighters taking on the Cybermen, this is actually more interested in being a horror story, except it’s not scary either. There’s some tension in the scene of the Doctor and Mrs Moore in the underground tunnel, but honestly not a lot. This episode does foreground the body horror aspect of the Cybermen. Except it’s a kids show so it (correctly) can’t go too far in that direction. But I’m sure they could’ve given me something more compelling than mindless human walks into a factory. We see a dodgy CGI scene (looking straight out of a 2000s video game, and not even a particularly good video game) of some needles and saws, then presumably we have a Cyberman. The CGI is so distractingly weird here. It’s not just that it’s not especially well rendered; it’s also just an odd shot. It at first appears to be a POV shot, but then the way the helmet comes down would make no sense. Also what are the needles and saws even doing? The other aspect of the mindless people being turned into Cybermen that I think is effective is the screams. I like how the people walk in like mindless zombies, but even in their pacified state they can’t help but recognise the horror of what is happening and scream in terror. It’s good stuff, but not enough.

So the Cybermen don’t satisfy in either an action or horror way. The episode also attempts to give them some tragedy and emotion. Sadly, I felt precious little of this either. I’m honestly not sure the episode is actually that interested in this side of things to be honest. Yes they have a scene where they give a Cyberman a name and a backstory. But just telling me this Cyberman is Sally and she was about to get married, isn’t particularly tragic, nor is it compelling. There’s a rule in storytelling called ‘show don’t tell’. It’s better to show the audience something, than it is to tell them something, as they’ll find it easier to connect with something they’ve seen. This scene is just telling me a name and a random fact about the human being inside the Cyber suit. The scene’s a little more elegant than just pointing to a random Cyberman and saying “that’s Bob, he was about to start his dream job” or “that’s Gloria, her cancer has just gone into remission”, but it’s not a great deal more effective either. It just feels a little tacked on or undercooked.

I think the Cyberman design here also hurts this aspect of the storytelling. These new Cybermen feel less human than other designs from the past. They really do feel like they’re just robots. They all look, sound and feel the same as each other. So when a robot tells you it’s Jackie, I don’t feel the impact that I should, because it’s not got any of Jackie’s personality. I understand that the point is that Jackie is gone, and what used to be Jackie is now this faceless, personality free robot that immediately gets lost in the crowd. But if there’s nothing that shows me that this is Jackie and the only reason I know it is her is because it tells me so, then I don’t feel the weight of that reveal. Also the Doctor and Mickey kill all of these Cybermen including Jackie, so the episode clearly doesn’t want you to get too invested. I have no issue with viewing the deaths of all of the Cybermen as an act of mercy, not murder. So I don’t take issue with their actions. It’s just that clearly it causes a problem where you can’t hit hard that Jackie is in one of those suits, when in 10 minutes time our heroes have to then kill everyone in those suits.

So no, none of the Cybermen stuff is particularly impactful to me. It’s not boring but it feels like it’s just, a thing happens and then another thing happens and then another thing happens, without ever giving me much reason to get invested in anything. But just because the plot isn’t that impactful, the characters have some impact here.

There’s not much to talk about regarding Rose and Pete here tbh. It’s not bad, and I like those two together, but it’s nothing we haven’t already seen before. The Doctor and Mrs Moore are a wonderful duo though. This episode often feels like it’s rushing a bit. But it slows down to let us get to know Mrs Moore, giving her a backstory and a personality. So of course she then dies. That’s compliment not a criticism btw. I cared when she died, it’s the only death in this episode that I think works.

But the star of this two-parter is of course one Mickey Smith. He and Jake are the only team that succeed in their mission. Then Mickey has to use his computer skills (with some fun prompting from a captured Doctor) to shut down the Cybermen’s emotional inhibiters, which cause them all to kill themselves basically.

It’s not just that he gets the big hero moment(s) in the episode though. There’s a nice idea explored with Mickey, where because he comes in and out of the show, there’s the clear implication that he hasn’t been sitting idle in between his adventures. I’m not sure if it’s so that he can compete with the Doctor, or if he’s been inspired by the Doctor (probably a bit of both), but it really feels like Mickey has been improving himself whilst off screen. Every appearance he feels more confident, more resourceful, and more capable. He still may not be the most natural companion for the Doctor, but he’s now a valuable ally to have when he’s around.

This along with the backstory he was given in the first part, mean that there’s a greater depth to his character as well as him being shown as a better man. For me this all helps explain why he’s now prepared to go off on his own, and stay on this parallel Earth. It’s just a shame, because even though it makes sense why he should, now I don’t want him to. I’ve got to the place where I like having Mickey around, and want him to stay on the TARDIS, just in time for him to leave.